Afflicted

I pulled the satphone from my pocket and checked Katy's location on the GPS. She was still in Orville, not far from where she'd been before. But she had moved so I took heart from that, deciding movement meant she was still alive. So long as that was the case, I'd find her. No matter what.

I took off down the trail, maintaining my jog and resisting the urge to run faster. I wanted to get there as quickly as I could but if I didn't pace myself then I'd run out of energy before I made it to Katy and Reese. And I didn't want to risk losing concentration out of exhaustion either.

The trees were thick and quickly sapped the meagre light from the sky above me, casting the forest in tones of grey.

I ran up the trail, loose dirt slipping beneath my boots as the ground started to rise.

At the top of the hill the trail branched into three, one continuing straight while the others veered left and right. I remembered the paths well and headed right towards the closest bridge without needing to check the GPS.

I gained speed as the trail descended and took confidence from the steady thump, thump, thump of my feet against the soft ground.

The forest was quiet around me. No birds sang and there was no wind to stir the trees.

I should have been reassured by the lack of noise but it put me on edge instead. It was too quiet for somewhere that should have been so full of life.

The trail turned ahead of me and I felt a prickle on the back of my neck as I approached it. I slowed, trusting my instincts and placed a hand on one of the pistols at my waist.

I took a deep breath as my heart rate slowed and stepped forward.

It was too quiet.

I suddenly felt too exposed on the trail and slipped off of it into the trees on my left. I kept the path within sight as I ducked between the thick trunks. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched but I couldn't see anything either.

As I reached the turn in the trail, I crept back towards it, squinting in the dim light.

A huge stag stood in the centre of the path, its ears flicking as if a fly was irritating it.

I let out a sigh of relief and eased my hand away from my pistol.

Though the stag wasn't as worrying as a bear or pack of wolves might be, I still decided to give it a wide berth. I moved through the trees beside the trail until I'd left it far behind and returned to the path.

As I started to jog again, the faint sound of rushing water reached my ears. I smiled; once I'd crossed the bridge I would be about a third of the way to

Orville. I was making good time.

I upped my pace a little, drawing energy from the knowledge that I was getting closer.

A faint grunting came from behind me and I dropped into a crouch as I ducked behind a tree to the left of the trail.

I held my breath, listening to the forest around me as the grunting came again.

I pulled my pistol into my grasp and flicked the safety off as I peeked around the trunk at my back.

The stag was standing in the middle of the trail. Its nostrils flared and steam rose from its flanks as it caught its breath.

As I watched, a doe stepped out of the trees beside it, staring down the trail too.

They were looking for me. Even though all common sense told me that wasn't possible, I knew it was true. They'd followed me along the trail and I didn't think their intentions were friendly.

I squinted at the gaps between the trees surrounding the trail and spotted more eyes peering out and hooves stomping. There was an entire herd in the trees around me.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and quietly holstered my pistol. There was no way I could take them all out and shooting at one would likely just anger the others.

I glanced back at the trail, weighing my options. I'd be able to move faster along the clear path but they'd see me as soon as I rejoined it. On the other hand, with them crowding between the trees I was sure they'd spot me either way.

I couldn't see how I could carry on without them spotting me.

I glanced up at the tree I was taking cover against. There were branches low enough for me to grab onto. If I hoisted myself up they may not see where I went but there was no guarantee they'd leave either. If I had to wait them out there was no telling how long it might take.