Page 12 of Pounded in the Patch
My feet are already moving before my brain catches up, carrying me deeper into the pumpkin patch. The soft earth is treacherous under my boots, and I stumble over a pumpkin vine almost immediately, barely catching myself before I fall face-first into a particularly menacing jack-o'-lantern.
"Five."
His voice is already getting fainter as I put distance between us, but it carries clearly through the fog. There's amusement in it, like he's enjoying watching me panic.
Focus. You need to focus.
I force myself to slow down slightly, picking my way more carefully between the pumpkins. The field is more complex than I initially realized—every time I think I've found a straight path to the trees, it curves back on itself or dead-ends in a cluster of particularly elaborate and creepy carvings.
"Six."
The fog is getting thicker the deeper I go, swirling around my legs like ghostly fingers. The sweet pumpkin smell is stronger here too, making everything feel that much more dreamlike and surreal. My corset is making it hard to get a deep breath, and I can already feel sweat gathering at the base of my neck despite the cool air.
"Seven."
I risk a glance back and can't see him anymore. The fog has swallowed him completely, leaving only the glow of jack-o'-lanterns to mark where I've been. But I can feel him back there, waiting. Watching. Counting.
"Eight."
There. I spot what looks like a clear path toward the trees and start running full speed, my boots pounding against the dirt. The sound seems impossibly loud in the stillness, but I can't help it. Terror is driving me now, pure survival instinct that demands speed over stealth.
"Nine."
Almost there. I can see the edge of the patch now, the dark bulk of the forest beyond. If I can just reach the trees, I can lose him in the undergrowth. I can find my way back to a road, to civilization, to help. To anywhere but here.
Please. Please let me make it.
"Ten."
The word echoes through the fog behind me like a goddamn death sentence, and suddenly the night explodes with sound.Heavy footsteps pounding against the earth, moving fast and getting faster. He's not just following me—he's hunting me with an intensity so overwhelming I nearly collapse on the spot.
Oh God. Oh God, he's actually doing it.
I reach the edge of the patch and plunge into the forest without looking back, branches catching at my costume and hair. The moonlight barely penetrates the canopy here, turning everything into a maze of shadows and uncertain footing. But I don't care. I just run.
Behind me, I can hear him crashing through the trees. He's fast—much faster than I expected—and he's gaining ground quickly.Tooquickly.
How can he be this fast?
My lungs are burning, my legs already shaking, but I force myself to keep going. I have to keep going. I’m not ready for him to catch me.
A root catches my ankle and I go down hard, skinning my palms on the rough bark of a fallen log. For a moment, I just lie there gasping, my whole body trembling with exhaustion and terror.
The footsteps behind me have stopped.
Where is he?
I hold my breath, straining to hear over the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. The forest has gone completely silent, like even the wolves are holding their breath to see what happens next.
Maybe I lost him. Maybe he?—
A twig snaps somewhere to my left, and my blood turns cold. He's not behind me anymore. He's circling me like a wolf stalking wounded prey.
I have to move. I have to get up and move right fucking now.
I struggle to my feet and immediately realize my mistake. In my panic, I've lost all sense of direction. The trees all look the same in the moonlight, and I can't tell which way leads back to the pumpkin patch and which way leads deeper into the forest.
Another sound—this time to my right. Closer.
