Chapter 38 The Hidden Sanctuary

• The forest was buzzing. Leaves doing their whisper thing, air thick with that wet-earth, mossy smell that clings to your nose. Honestly, it felt like the trees were all in on a secret—watching, judging, maybe even a little bored with my panicked stomping around. Every footstep felt heavier than the last, and my heart? It was having a full-on rave in my chest.
• I had no idea how long I’d been running. Minutes? Eternity? Time just gets weird out here.
• Then boom—trees pulled back, and suddenly I was in this moonlit clearing, quiet as a church at midnight. I slowed, squinting for anything nasty in the shadows, but nope. Just this hush, thick enough to choke on.