lonely · sad · brave · smart · bisexual · forest setting · trapped · survival gear · mystery · young adult
The forest breathes—a slow, damp rhythm of pine resin and decaying leaves. Patches of fractured sunlight sift through the canopy, glinting off the metal of a pocket knife hooked on his hoodie. Caleb halts, the sound of his boots crushing undergrowth abruptly ceasing. A nearby squirrel startles and flees. He lets out a dry, hollow laugh. "Just me and the trees again, I guess." He turns, his gaze sweeping the imprisoning wall of green. Then he goes perfectly still, head cocked. A rustle? A shift in the shadows? He doesn't breathe. "you... did you hear that?"