The Vanishing Path

CHAPTER3

The night was dragged endlessly, and with each step, Lisa felt herself deeply drowning in the catch of the forest. His flashlight spit and was weakly tweet, its beam barely penetrate the oppressive darkness. She did not know how long she was going or where she was going - only that she had no other option but to walk. The shadow guide had disappeared, leaving him alone with his growing fear and constant feeling of seeing. Carving on trees became more complicated, their patterns sneezed across the bark like veins. When Lisa saw, the shapes were shifting, their designs were developing like alive. She could not shake the feeling that the forest was studying her, testing her resolve. Her footsteps echoed unnaturally, every crunch of leaves was entered as if she was no longer running from the real world. Then he saw something strange. The wind looked thick, heavy, and the distant sound of his breath looked deformed. He slowed his speed, his tendency warned him that something was wrong. The surrounding forest looked bright, illuminated with a terrible light that came from somewhere and everywhere. He turned his head, and the world turned around him, colors bleeding together in unnatural ways. Her stomach churned, and she staggered, holding a nearby tree for support.When the dizziness was reduced, Lisa looked around and realized that she is no longer in the same place. The forest had changed. The trees were impossibly long. Their branches are high to create a canopy above which also blocks the unconscious signal of the sky. The ground under his feet fainted, its surface was marked by the unconscious trails of light which reminded him of the constellations. "Where am I?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. The wind in this place was still heavier, putting pressure against him like a physical weight. Her flashlight had gone out completely, and yet she could clearly see, an unnatural light was illuminating everything in the brightness of an ether. Lisa took a cautious step forward, her veins wandering with every movement. "Not there, and not here." The voice came from behind him, suddenly and raspberry. Lisa wandered around, her heart jumped into her neck. A man stood some pace away, his silhouette was barely different from the shade moving around him. He was a gount, his clothes were torn and his face was yellow. His eyes, hollow and empty, as soon as they were deciding on her, fainted.

"I don't understand," Lisa stuttered. "what do you mean?" He took one step closer, his movements slow and deliberately. "This is the other side," he said, his voice is heavy with resignation. A place that exists in the world. And once you are here, no one is going back." Lisa's pulse intensified. "It's not true," he said, although his voice lacks faith. "Always a path comes back." The man's expression became harsh, his glowing eyes became narrow. "You don't know what step you have made. It does not let the forest go." Lisa increased her fear, but refused to cripp her. "Then tell me how to get out," he demanded, his voice trembling. "There has to be a way." The man slowly nodded his head. "I have been here for months. Perhaps the year. The time is not the same here. The forest keeps you until nothing is left." Lisa's resolve became a wave, but forced himself to remain calm. She was not ready to give up. "If you have survived this long time, there should be a way to escape. You are still here, and so I am."The man's gaze became soft, his hollow eyes reflecting a flicker of kindness. "Shadow will come to you," he said quietly. "They always do." Lisa opened her mouth that she was already disappearing to ask what she meant to ask. His body dissolved in the knowledge of darkness, and his voice disappeared and he fainted: *"Find the map." , She was alone again. Lisa's grip tightened around her flashlight, although it was now useless. Trails shining on the ground were fainting, guiding him further. She did not know where they lead, but she had no other option. The man's words echoed in his mind: * "Find the map." The shining trails took him deep on the other side. With every step, the wind became cold. Lisa's breath went in front of her, and the surrounding forest became even stranger. The trees seemed to be inclined towards him, their branches were reaching like the skeletal fingers. She trembled, wandering her veins as a repressive silence. Then he saw it- a faint flicker in the distance. He accelerated his speed, his curiosity removes his fear. As he contacted him, he realized that it was a small clearing. Its edges were marked by shining stones, which were previously seen. There was a chair in the center of the clearing, and it was a piece of parchment. As soon as he stepped into clearing, Lisa's heart ran. When she crosses the threshold, the stones become bright, their light casting Eri shadow throughout the forest. She cautiously reached the pedestal, her eyes were fixed on the parchment. It was old and experienced, its edges were burnt as it was burnt. The symbols were scattered on its surface, their shapes similar to carving trees and stones. She reached out and picked up the parchment, her fingers were trembling. As he investigated it, it seemed to shift the symbols, his patterns were doing something new to themselves. Lisa felt an unconscious tug on the edge of her consciousness, as if the parchment was trying to talk to her. Suddenly, the shadow around clearing started increasing. Lisa Fruz, her pulse was thunderous in her ears. It seemed to raise darkness, which became in the figures moved towards it. She lagged behind, held the parchment tightly because she tried to understand what she was happening. The figures surrounded her, liquid and insensitive to their forms. They did not speak, but their presence was heavy. Lisa felt her fear, but she refused to consume her. She turned and moved towards shining footpaths, desperate to avoid clearing.

Shadow chased her, her movements booming and silent. Lisa's breath came in ripping, because she passed through the forest, her mind race. She did not know where she was going or how she was escaping, but she knew that she could not stop. The shining trails inspired him for another clearing. It was a large and strange object. A rusty lantern was sitting on top of a fallen tree. It was a mild twinkling. A broken compass lay next to it, its needle revolving wildly. And there was another chair in the center of clearing, it was holding a large piece of parchment. Lisa hesitated. Her instinct warned her that it was a trap. But she could not ignore the parchment - she had the only hope to finding a map and escape from the other side. He stepped into clearing, intensifying his heart because the shadow closed around him. The parchment on the pedestal was brightly erupted, as if he contacted, its slightly indiscriminate. Lisa reached out and caught her. Her fingers were trembling. The symbols on the parchment moved again, in a more complete pattern. She realized that the tug on her consciousness had become stronger, by pulling something that she could not understand. Shadow moved forward, their forms turned into demonic shapes. Lisa shouted and moved towards the edge of the clearing, grabbing the parchment tightly. She did not know how she was going to run away, but she knew that she could not let the shadow catch her. As she ran, the shining footpath became bright, illuminating the surrounding forest. The wind looked pulled with energy, and the ground under his feet shivered. Lisa felt that her fear had turned into determination - she was not going to give up. She was going to find a map, no matter what. Shadow consecutively , sharp and silenced his movements. Lisa's breath came in ripping, because she passed through the forest, her mind race. She did not know where she was going or how she was escaping, but she knew that she could not stop.