Chapter 147

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice barely above a whisper but seeming to echo like a shout in the unnatural quiet of the forest.

The shuffling stopped.

For a heartbeat, everything was perfectly still except for the thundering of my own pulse in my ears.

I pressed myself harder against the rough bark of the oak tree, splinters digging into my back through the thin fabric of my torn nightgown.