BOOK ONE

Diana grabbed a tiny turquoise knapsack from the back seat, slipped into a pair of hiking shoes, locked her car, and began the journey. She passed through the fence, past the treeline, and followed the path into the countryside for a day of solidarity. She settled into a steady rhythm, hammering out a tune while walking up the path towards her grandpa's lodge. She hadn't been back in a long time, but she remembered the trail that carried her to the middle of the wilderness. When she was a teenager, her experiences with her grandfather in these woodlands were the greatest and most unforgettable. And she really missed him, but life wasn't always rainbows and sunshine.

Diana's breath syncs with her steps, heeding the sound of her soles and trudging dirt, swinging her arms in time as she hammers her favourite Carpenters song. Her heart rate increased, and her body warmed. Her fair-skinned legs beneath her hiking shorts, bare arms, and freckled cleavage above her partially open cotton white shirt were all slick with sweat. As the miles went by, the air felt amazing on her lightly perspired face, but she seemed to disregard the storm coming above the canopy.

Her thoughts drifted as she walked—things she needed to do at work, her family in Miami, her grandma's health. Concerns about college life, unsuccessful relationships, the nasty prick who shattered her heart and fucked her friend, and her reoccurring responsibilities that constrained and wore down her life goal. Daily concerns and losses brought on by the deaths of her parents and the deteriorating health of her grandmother.

"Diana, what the hell are you doing with your life?" That was a question she frequently asked herself.

However, her fear of feeling alone and her longing to be caressed by someone intensified. Diana sighed as she strolled, desiring to be wanted by someone. Even after avoiding life for a few days, she couldn't help but notice herself. Her heart was still beating. Confused and unsure about what lies ahead as far as her long-term decisions and life ambitions,

Her body slipped into autopilot mode as she slogged along the path under the dense forest overhead for two hours or more, lost in her thoughts. With the exception of a few rabbits, squirrels, birds, small snakes, and spiders.

She was entirely alone, left with her thoughts. Reaching a small river, she saw a couple of old wooden picnic tables along the sides of the trail and decided it would be a good place for a mid-day lunch and a well-deserved rest. Ten years ago, her grandpa made it for them to rest and have lunch. She halted, feeling the excitement and warmth in her muscles, aware of her blood pumping through her body, feeling active and reborn. Memories of her grandpa's never-ending stories made her smile. After all, he likes to exaggerate things and divulge stories beyond this world. "Oh, grandpa, I wish you were here with me," she whispered in the air, waiting for the air to respond to her wishes, but none came.

Diana sat at the first table, inhaling deeply and stretching, savouring the sensation of rest and removing the weight from her feet. She took a potato salad, an egg sandwich, and a water bottle from her turquoise backpack and placed them on the table in front of her, but she wasn't in the mood to eat her lunch.

Her thoughts were too busy with her own feelings and problems. She sat, staring at her sandwich's dried bread and tracing her fingertips down the sandwich pocket's plastic rim. Her gaze moved to the table's edge, where there was a crooked and worn embossed letter.

'To Diana, my dear. Remember me when you're eating your lunch here.'

"Oh, grandpa. One year has passed, and you're still concerned about my eating habits." Diana smiled as tears gleamed in her eyes. She missed the old man and wished he were alive, but she knew it was impossible. He died from lung cancer last year, and she was still not over it.

  

Then suddenly, a wet splash sound ahead snapped her out of her trance, and her blood unexpectedly went cold.

What the hell was that?

From down the river, a huge man emerged in the silhouettes of trees, bridging the creek on the old grandfather's trail.

"What the heck?" she grumbled to herself.

Being alone, she all at once felt powerless, protective, and vulnerable at the same time. So far away from anyone else, her day in solitary was disregarded by an intruder, this massive, ugly stranger.

It had been quite an incredible day, but not until this outsider arrived.

Seriously? Trouble follows her here. Even in the middle of nowhere? She asked herself.

Diana scampered, grabbed her backpack, and raced off, pushing through the enormous trees and bushes and veering off the trail.

Poor decision, Diana.

She turned her head to see the man smirking at her, his eyes indicating trouble and his malicious intentions.

She wanted to keep off the trail so the man couldn't follow her, but when she saw him galloping on her back, her head started to blur, and she realised that she had failed to accomplish her purpose. She growled, "Dammit!" and this time sprinted more quickly.

It was very foolish of you to hike alone. She chastised herself. Did you even know that you were going to die here by yourself?

By then, she knew she was aware that she was also battling her own demons. Her fears make it more difficult to distinguish between dread and clarity.

“Is this where I'm going to die? Shit, I'm not going to let this ugly man get a taste of me! I'm going to fight him till I die.”

She ran as fast as she could through the snaked branches of the forest, then made her way to the edge of the soggy, uneven road with ferns and prickly branches, hoping to find something to stand on and check the mass of darkness for the cabin.

What happened to Grandpa's trail? Where the hell is it when I really need it?

Not finding anything, Diana did her best to crane her neck and look through the thick crowd of darkened trees for someone who could help her as she raced.

Panicking, she muttered under her breath. Oh God, I'm going to die alone. Stupid! I might as well wish for a quick death.

  

And then she spotted him. The ugly man was looking her way, walking faster towards her through the swarm of gigantic trees.

This part of the woods was so gloomy and so eerie, maybe a mile from her grandpa's trail or maybe a dozen more from their cabin.

Shit, I'm doomed!

However, when the ugly man gets nearer, his features change into a horrible beast, and Diana gaped, shocked, "What the actualy fuck?" Was her eyes seeing reality or was she running out of air and she was just seeing things?

But the beast growled. It echoed.

She shivered. It was the growl of an animal.

But she could let her mind play with her. Looking around, she looked for an exit, but she didn't see an easy way out. And for one second, she froze. The man was scary-movie-ugly as hell, and he looks like death himself.

What the hell?

In a semi-panicked flash, she turned around and ran away down a side path, seeking an escape.

A few minutes later, she swerved and glanced back over her shoulder. Still running. However, the scary man was still there, looking directly at her now with Andrew-faced expressions and intently walking right towards her.

What the heck? I'm running as quickly as I can, and the blasted man merely walked, and he's picking up speed? How is that even possible? She asked herself.

There was no mistaking it now—the sneering, ugly beast the size of a fucking car had something deadly on his mind. Diana's flight reflex kicked in, and she turned down another path and ran as fast as she could, watching behind her back.

She instantly realised her mistake. This was no way out. She had turned into a rocky passage with murky dead hedges and deathly giant root rails all around her. Then she anxiously turned around, looking for an escape route, but there was none. Dead end.

"Oh, shit!" 

I'm going to die here.

Diana swivelled to run back the way she came, only to see the sneering, ugly stranger rush around the corner in a rush before slowing to a walk and intentionally moving towards her, obstructing her exit. "Don't be scared, little girl," he smirked.

"No! Please!  Don't come near me!” She shouted, her heart pounding in her chest.