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The Veil's Edge
#WritcoStoryPrompt2
A wet leaf fell on her shoulder making her jump in fear. Startled she shifted from her hiding place behind the bush
A wet leaf fell on her shoulder, making her jump in fear. Startled, she shifted from her hiding place behind the bush, her heart pounding in her chest. For a moment, she stood frozen, listening intently for any sounds that might reveal someone—or something—nearby. The rain had been falling steadily for hours, turning the forest into a dark, misty labyrinth. The wet earth smelled earthy and heavy, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the quiet woods.
Her breath was shallow as she peered through the foliage, her eyes scanning the path just beyond the dense thicket. She was alone—or at least, she hoped she was.
The rustling of leaves seemed to grow louder, but she couldn't tell if it was the wind or someone moving closer. She swallowed hard and pressed herself deeper into the shadows, her fingers gripping the damp bark of a nearby tree for support. Every instinct in her told her to run, to get out of there before whoever—or whatever—was following her found her.
But she couldn't leave—not yet.
The message. She had to find it.
As if on cue, a faint flicker of movement caught her eye, and her heart skipped a beat. A shadow darted between the trees, swift and quiet, almost like a whisper in the mist. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was them. They were closer than she realized.
Her mind raced as she considered her options. If she moved now, they would hear her. If she stayed too long, they might spot her. But there was no turning back. She had to get the letter to the old woman at the edge of the village. It was the only chance they had.
The figure in the shadows grew clearer—tall, thin, with long, wet hair that clung to its pale face. Her breath caught in her throat. She recognized it now.
It was her. The woman from the cryptic dreams. The one who had warned her.
"Not yet, not yet..." the voice echoed in her mind, a mantra she had heard in her sleep. The message was more urgent than ever. Without thinking, she bolted from her hiding spot, her feet splashing in the puddles as she ran for the clearing, praying she wasn’t too late.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she sprinted through the underbrush, branches slashing at her face, the cold rain soaking through her clothes. She barely noticed the sting of the wet leaves as she pushed forward, her mind fixed on the image of the woman in the shadows. That pale, gaunt face had haunted her dreams for weeks now, a warning she could never quite decipher, but now, the pieces were falling into place.
The clearing was just ahead, the faint glow of a distant lantern flickering like a beacon. She had to reach it. The woman would be there—waiting for her, no doubt. Her hands shook as she reached for the leather pouch hidden inside her coat, the letter still tucked safely inside. The contents were simple but urgent—words that could change everything. Words that could stop the unfolding darkness from swallowing the village whole.
The clearing was silent, the only sound the rain's relentless patter. But as she stepped into the open space, she stopped dead in her tracks.
The woman was there. Standing under a large oak tree, her back to the light of the lantern, her silhouette barely visible through the mist. But it wasn’t just the woman—there were others, shadows moving in the corners of the clearing, too many to count, their forms shifting in and out of focus.
“You’re late,” the woman’s voice cut through the stillness, her tone calm yet carrying an unsettling weight. She turned slowly, her pale face emerging from the shadows, eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion. “Did you think we wouldn’t find you? That you could outrun fate?”
The girl’s breath caught in her throat. "I-I came as fast as I could," she stammered, trying to steady her trembling hands. The letter felt like a heavy stone in her grasp. "Please... I have to deliver this."
The woman’s eyes flicked down to the pouch, her lips curling into a slight smile. “The message?” she asked, as though the very thought of it amused her. “It’s already too late. But if you think your little piece of paper will save you... I’ll let you try.”
The girl felt a cold chill spread through her chest. Something was wrong—more wrong than she had anticipated....
A wet leaf fell on her shoulder making her jump in fear. Startled she shifted from her hiding place behind the bush
A wet leaf fell on her shoulder, making her jump in fear. Startled, she shifted from her hiding place behind the bush, her heart pounding in her chest. For a moment, she stood frozen, listening intently for any sounds that might reveal someone—or something—nearby. The rain had been falling steadily for hours, turning the forest into a dark, misty labyrinth. The wet earth smelled earthy and heavy, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the quiet woods.
Her breath was shallow as she peered through the foliage, her eyes scanning the path just beyond the dense thicket. She was alone—or at least, she hoped she was.
The rustling of leaves seemed to grow louder, but she couldn't tell if it was the wind or someone moving closer. She swallowed hard and pressed herself deeper into the shadows, her fingers gripping the damp bark of a nearby tree for support. Every instinct in her told her to run, to get out of there before whoever—or whatever—was following her found her.
But she couldn't leave—not yet.
The message. She had to find it.
As if on cue, a faint flicker of movement caught her eye, and her heart skipped a beat. A shadow darted between the trees, swift and quiet, almost like a whisper in the mist. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was them. They were closer than she realized.
Her mind raced as she considered her options. If she moved now, they would hear her. If she stayed too long, they might spot her. But there was no turning back. She had to get the letter to the old woman at the edge of the village. It was the only chance they had.
The figure in the shadows grew clearer—tall, thin, with long, wet hair that clung to its pale face. Her breath caught in her throat. She recognized it now.
It was her. The woman from the cryptic dreams. The one who had warned her.
"Not yet, not yet..." the voice echoed in her mind, a mantra she had heard in her sleep. The message was more urgent than ever. Without thinking, she bolted from her hiding spot, her feet splashing in the puddles as she ran for the clearing, praying she wasn’t too late.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she sprinted through the underbrush, branches slashing at her face, the cold rain soaking through her clothes. She barely noticed the sting of the wet leaves as she pushed forward, her mind fixed on the image of the woman in the shadows. That pale, gaunt face had haunted her dreams for weeks now, a warning she could never quite decipher, but now, the pieces were falling into place.
The clearing was just ahead, the faint glow of a distant lantern flickering like a beacon. She had to reach it. The woman would be there—waiting for her, no doubt. Her hands shook as she reached for the leather pouch hidden inside her coat, the letter still tucked safely inside. The contents were simple but urgent—words that could change everything. Words that could stop the unfolding darkness from swallowing the village whole.
The clearing was silent, the only sound the rain's relentless patter. But as she stepped into the open space, she stopped dead in her tracks.
The woman was there. Standing under a large oak tree, her back to the light of the lantern, her silhouette barely visible through the mist. But it wasn’t just the woman—there were others, shadows moving in the corners of the clearing, too many to count, their forms shifting in and out of focus.
“You’re late,” the woman’s voice cut through the stillness, her tone calm yet carrying an unsettling weight. She turned slowly, her pale face emerging from the shadows, eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion. “Did you think we wouldn’t find you? That you could outrun fate?”
The girl’s breath caught in her throat. "I-I came as fast as I could," she stammered, trying to steady her trembling hands. The letter felt like a heavy stone in her grasp. "Please... I have to deliver this."
The woman’s eyes flicked down to the pouch, her lips curling into a slight smile. “The message?” she asked, as though the very thought of it amused her. “It’s already too late. But if you think your little piece of paper will save you... I’ll let you try.”
The girl felt a cold chill spread through her chest. Something was wrong—more wrong than she had anticipated....
