Leila froze where she stood, as though time itself had come to a standstill. Her eyes widened in disbelief, unable to process what they were seeing. A strange light poured through the gym’s back door—bright and unwavering in the oppressive darkness. It seemed to cut a path through the dense forest that loomed behind the school. This wasn’t an ordinary light; it was imbued with something otherworldly, something Leila couldn’t quite comprehend. The way it shimmered, the way it seemed to sway and dance in the air, made it feel alive, as if it were calling to her—beckoning her toward it.

She couldn’t move, her body paralyzed with a mixture of awe and dread. Her mind reeled, unable to grasp the reality unfolding before her. Every fiber of her being was attuned to the light’s subtle movements, the hypnotic way it shifted as though it were alive. Her heart pounded relentlessly, its rhythm deafening in her ears. The light continued its steady journey, drifting purposefully toward the forest, leaving her questioning everything she thought she knew about this strange world.

“Wh... who are you?” Leila’s voice was barely a whisper, shaky and uncertain as the words forced their way from her throat. But no answer came. The silence around her deepened, pressing in on her like a living thing. She could hear only the shallow, uneven sound of her own breathing, as if the air itself were holding its breath. Her wide, searching eyes followed the light, hoping for some kind of response, some sign of a presence—anything to break the oppressive stillness.

For a moment, she clung to the hope that whoever or whatever this light was, it might reveal itself. “Emma? Is that you, Emma?” she called out, her voice trembling with desperation. She wanted to believe—needed to believe—that the answer would be “yes, it's me” that this was the person she had been searching for, the connection that seemed tied to this strange energy. But there was nothing. No reply. Only the heavy, suffocating quiet that engulfed the gym and everything in it.

Then, without warning, the light began to move again. It drifted faster now, gliding toward the open door and the yawning darkness beyond. It picked up speed as it moved, slipping through the threshold and into the night. Leila’s heart sank as she watched it retreat. It felt as though her last thread of hope was being pulled away, unraveling before her very eyes. 

“No, wait!” she cried out, her voice breaking with frustration and fear. But the light continued on its path, undeterred. It sped up, weaving between the trees until it was little more than a faint glow against the black canvas of the forest. Her chest tightened as realization set in—she was losing it. This mysterious beacon, this fleeting glimpse of something extraordinary, was slipping away from her.

Her hands trembled as she grabbed her phone, yanking it free from the charger in haste. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. She had to follow it. Her instincts screamed at her, urging her forward, pulling her toward the unknown. Clutching her phone tightly, Leila darted out through the open door, her feet pounding against the cold ground as she plunged into the forest after the light.

The forest enveloped her instantly, the thick canopy overhead swallowing what little moonlight seeped through. Twigs snapped beneath her hurried steps, leaves crunched in the eerie stillness, and the distant glow of the light became her only guide. “Wait! Stop!” she shouted again, her voice echoing through the labyrinth of trees. But the light did not pause—it moved swiftly, as though it knew she was chasing it and sought to evade her grasp. 

Leila’s lungs burned, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she pushed herself harder. Branches scraped against her arms, her legs ached from the relentless sprint, but she refused to stop. The light continued to pull her deeper into the woods, its glow flickering like a tantalizing mirage just beyond her reach. It was both maddening and mesmerizing, and she couldn’t let it go—not now, not when it felt like the only clue, the only lead she had.

Her voice cracked as she yelled once more, “Emma!—Please, stop!” But her cries were swallowed by the dense forest. The light didn’t falter, didn’t slow. It slipped further and further away, becoming smaller and dimmer until it was just a speck of radiance in the overwhelming darkness.

Leila stumbled to a halt, her chest heaving, her heart threatening to burst from her ribcage. She stared into the void where the light had disappeared, her mind racing and her body trembling with exhaustion. She had done everything she could, yet the light was gone. All that remained was the silence of the forest and the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.