The woods thicken choking off all the exits. The trees seem to loom down over her. There is a small dirt path going north to south. The only place the trees hadn’t taken over. No other paths are visible. Strange. She is sure she had followed a path in but there doesn’t seem to be one now. Jessie shakes her head back and forth trying to figure out where she is. There had been a path when she started she was sure of it. Now it feels like the forest was leading her. Creating its own little maze. Telling her which way to go. She doesn’t like it. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. And where were her shoes? The ground is sharp and digging into her feet. She glances down and realizes the dirt is now sandy and filled with rocks and shells. It reminds her of the beach. But what is a path like that doing in the mountains? There can’t be a beach around here.

The woods thicken, choking off all the exits. The trees seem to loom down over her. There is a small dirt path going north to south. The only place the trees haven’t taken over. No other paths leading the way out. Strange. She is sure she had followed a path in but there doesn’t seem to be one now. Jessie shakes her head back and forth trying to figure out where she is. There had been a path when she started, she is sure of it. Now it feels like the forest is leading her. Creating its own little maze. Telling her which way to go. She doesn’t like it. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. And where are her shoes? The ground is sharp and digging into her feet. She glances down and realizes the dirt is now sandy and filled with rocks and shells. It reminds her of the beach. But what is a path like that doing in the mountains? There can’t be a beach around here.

She looks around trying to find the way out. As she follows the remaining path she watches dozens of ghosts appear out of nowhere with their heads down, walking southward. Like some type of death march. It seems like they are from several different eras and locations. She notices some of the ghosts in medieval armor and old tattered samurai armor like they are returning from a horrible battle. They are defeated and being forced to keep walking. A cross between a refugee and a slave. But what could a ghost possibly flee from? What could even control them?

Since the ghosts don’t seem to be from the same time period, it couldn’t be a loop from a natural disaster, or any kind of residual energy. So what’s going on? Jessie’s curiosity gets the better of her and she starts to follow the path northward. Maybe if Jessie goes the opposite direction she can figure out what they are moving away from. While she isn’t a huge fan of the ghosts, she still doesn’t like to see them tortured.

As she works her way through the crowd, she’s more uncomfortable than normal. She doesn’t like the odd vibe she is receiving from them. The ghosts seem to be multiplying. It feels like the path is looping and not letting her move forward. The ghosts are starting to notice her and wanting to talk to her. Each time she touches them she gets a glimpse of what it is they’re running from. It’s big, eclipsing the whole Earth in darkness. It’s a crimson red fog, something from their world, but the center of the fog feels human. Anger and a desire for revenge. A demented offspring from both worlds.

Terror starts to build inside Jessie and she flees the ghosts. No more. She doesn’t want to know about the strange creature or help the ghosts. She trips over a tree root and falls face down. The tree is warm, and she swears it’s beating. She jumps up and tries to catch her breath. It feels like she’s been running for hours not minutes. Glancing around she’s back at where she started. That shouldn’t be possible. Running in a straight line can’t have put her back at the path.

The ghosts are continuing to multiply on the path. Whatever the thing is they had been showing her is beckoning them here. To this path. There has to be hundreds crammed onto the small path now. It is getting difficult to distinguish where one ghost ends and one begins. What kind of strength could that entity have? Trapping so many ghosts? A chill runs down her spine. She needs to get out of here.

Thousands of voices start to whisper around Jessie. The ghosts are finding their voices. Screaming for help. To not have to worship the entity. More and more voices join in becoming a single voice. The voices start to blend together in a horrible shout of pain. She covers her ears unable to make out what is being said. Not wanting to know. She struggles to breathe and stay calm.

She darts away from the path. Not caring where she ends up as long as it isn’t here. Jessie needs to be somewhere away from the sound. The trees start to get thicker and twist together. A light mist turns into a thick fog. The darkness closes around her. She puts her hands out in front of her to keep from running face first into something. The darkness becomes so thick she can’t see her hand any longer. For a moment she hesitates wondering if she should turn back. Jessie decides to keep moving. This is still better than the screams. It is impossible to see anything. She is forced to slow down to a snail’s pace to keep from tripping over the trees. It feels like the voices are chasing her into the darkness. Are the ghosts leaving the path as well?

Jessie spots a patch of light through the darkness. She flees towards it not caring where it leads. Jessie trips over a rock and skids into the dirt. Crawling along the brush, she tries to reach the light. She ignores the scrapes and scratches that are forming. It seems like forever before she crawls into a clearing. The light is blinding after the darkness. The grass seems brighter. Almost like neon green. Her eyes wander towards the center of the meadow, where something is glittering in the light. A small pendant hangs from the boy’s wrist. He appears to be around her age. She guesses around six feet tall. He has black hair and bright green eyes. He is just standing there like he’s waiting for something. Unfazed by her noisy entrance.

The boy becomes surrounded by ghosts. As they close in around him she wonders if he can see them. It looks like a face off but it’s hard to tell if he is staring at them or through them. Something shimmers. The boy trains a gun right at one of the ghosts. So he can see them. But how does he have a weapon made from the same material as the ghosts? He also seems to have a chain with shackles on each end. Whatever is going on, the outcome feels important. Not as important as what is happening past the darkness. But it is giving off similar vibes. Like this is the beginning. Or maybe the end. She watches the fight transfixed. Unable to look away. She knows she should keep running. But she doesn’t want to. Can’t. Her powers have glued her to this spot.

A ghost appears behind the boy. She panics. An irrational thought of the ghost harming him flashes through her mind. She tries to call out. Her voice is frozen. She can’t move. Something is holding her feet. She glances down at dozens of red hands shooting from the ground. Wrapping around her ankles. They start pulling her into the ground. Where the darkness is. To where the red thing is. The human destroyer. Jessie begins to scream and tries to break free. She watches as the boy gets overwhelmed and is lost in a mass of ghosts. It’s over. The evil has won. She twists and turns trying to shake off the hands. Fighting the feeling of death coming over her. One of the hands shoots up to her neck. It wraps around her throat choking off her screams.