He had been running longer than he’d ever thought possible, long past when his body would have given up on a normal day. The fear kept him moving.

For the first time since he’d seen his friend’s dead body at the camp-site, he stopped. He could no longer hear the creature pursuing him. Even with the sound of his pulse and gasping breath roaring, he had been able to hear the creature following. The sounds of its snarls, of the claws rending through the leaves, the same claws that had-

He pushed the image of his friend’s body away and swallowed. He needed to hide while he had distance, and retching would give him away.

Ahead was a tall tree, where roots stood above eroded dirt. He could hide there, wait as long as possible, then seek help.

He took a quiet step forward, praying that he had truly lost the creature.

One his wrist, his smart watch beeped and lit up, celebrating his 10,000th step.

Claws pressed eagerly into the underbrush behind him as the chase began again.