I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. Which, to be fair, I hadn't.
Not really.
I'd spent the whole night dozing in and out, my eyes snapping open at every little sound. A leaf rustling? Monster. A twig snapping? Definitely monster. My own stomach growling? Embarrassing, but my half-asleep brain couldn't tell the difference.
Every shadow seemed to move, every distant call from some unseen creature sent my heart racing. I'd clutch my pathetic stick tighter, hold my breath, and wait for something to burst through the trees and end me.
Nothing ever did. But that didn't make the fear any less real.
Somehow, I was still breathing when morning came. That counted as a win.
I pushed myself up slowly, groaning like an old man whose joints had decided to retire without asking permission.
Morning light filtered through the trees, soft and golden, painting everything in warm colors. It would have been beautiful if I wasn't so miserable.
