The sun is low, almost dipped below the horizon. The shadows from the trees around me are long cast as a result. Skyscrapers of shadow, draping the forest in darkness. It's... weirdly quiet. The trees rustle some from wind, sure. But there aren't any bird sounds. No howls in the distance. It makes my own footfalls loud, the crunch of leaves a cacophony. My labored breathing seems to echo, only to inevitably be snuffed out by the woods.
I'm running. Fleeing, to be precise. I broke off of the path a while ago on seeing you. A silent figure blocking the trail. Route obstructed, I had stopped only to immediately feel like something was very wrong. That might have been the moment the birds stopped chirping. Or maybe it had been silent the whole time... would explain why I had felt uneasy before then too. The tentative greeting I offered you, you ignored. Silence had extended, flight or fight kicking in for me. And then you had started walking towards me and 'flight' had a very brief conversation with 'fight' before I was running.
Looks behind me reveal nothing. Just the trees. No other sounds but my own. Maybe I imagined the whole thing? Slowly the urge to run lowers. The fear doesn't go away though and screams of danger. Yet surely I can rest a moment... catch my breath, weigh the situation. A nearby aspen seems reasonable enough to lean on and take stock. I drop my pack next to it, trying to slow my breathing and get proper gulps of air. My ears strain... but the only sounds are my own. Those and the leaves.
An image of you flashes through my head, prompting me to look around and be sure. Nothing. I relax against the tree shakily. A hood had covered part of your face, the lower part covered by a mask of some sort. The hood and jeans alike had seen better days, seemingly torn up somewhat. Your eyes had been... had been... I shiver quietly. They were predatory. Hungry. That was probably why I felt such a need to run.
Why hadn't I screamed? Maybe it was a certain primal instinct overriding normal sense. The urge to bolt had simply taken me. But that same urge had betrayed me fiercely. I don't know where I am now. Somewhere deep in my pack was a compass, but I'd have to know which way was back. Should be a straight line, but weaving through trees has a way of taking direction away. Better to just keep calming down, thinki-
A hand clasps hard over my mouth. A scream comes too late, far too late and muffled now. My nails dig into your forearm, scratching but failing to pierce tough skin. I didn't hear you coming at all. Where my footsteps had crushed foliage underfoot, yours passed effortlessly. That thought is far from the loudest though right now. Your other arm wraps around me, holding me against the tree. It was narrow: you must be pressed right up against it. At an exhale you let go of my mouth, only to shove cloth into it as soon as I breathe in to try and scream again. My heart races, I thrash against your arm and keep trying to call for help. I don't think any is coming though.