Flight of the Forsaken

Alice sat nervously in her seat, clutching the armrests as the plane hit turbulence. She had always been afraid of flying, but this time was different. She had a strange feeling that something bad was going to happen.

As the plane rocked and jolted, Alice looked around at the other passengers. They all seemed to be in the same state of panic, except for one man. He was sitting across the aisle from her, calm and composed, with a strange gleam in his eye.

Alice tried to ignore him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him. He was wearing a suit and fedora, like he had stepped out of another era.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the plane began to shake violently. Alice screamed as the cabin filled with smoke and debris.

She blacked out for a moment, and when she came to, she was lying on the ground. She looked around, disoriented, and realized that she was in a forest.

She stumbled to her feet, feeling dizzy and disoriented. She didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there, but she knew she had to keep moving.

As she walked through the forest, she began to hear strange noises. At first, it was just rustling in the bushes and the sound of twigs snapping underfoot. But soon, the noises grew louder and more frequent, until they were almost constant.

Alice tried to tell herself that it was just her imagination, but she knew that wasn't true. There was something out there in the darkness, something that was following her.

She quickened her pace, but the noises only grew louder. She could feel something watching her, something that wanted to do her harm.

That's when she saw the light. It was just a faint glow in the distance, but it was enough to give her hope. She ran towards it, stumbling over rocks and branches as she went.

As she drew closer, she realized that it was a cabin. It was small and rundown, but it was a sign of civilization. She ran towards it, hoping that someone was inside.

She pushed open the door and stepped inside. It was empty, except for a flickering candle on the table. Alice felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was safe, for now.

That's when she heard the scratching at the door. It was a low, insistent sound, like something trying to claw its way inside.

Alice backed away, her heart racing. She didn't know what was outside, but she knew it was dangerous.

The scratching grew louder, until it was almost deafening. Alice felt herself backed into a corner, with nowhere to run.

That's when the door burst open. Alice screamed as a figure stepped inside, its eyes glowing in the darkness.

It was the man from the plane, his suit and fedora still in place. He looked at her with a cold, calculating stare.

"You didn't think you could escape me, did you?" he said.

Alice tried to run, but he was too fast. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her outside, into the darkness.

They ran through the forest, the man dragging Alice behind him. She stumbled and fell, her knees scraping against the rocks and the branches.

Finally, they reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a stone altar, surrounded by candles.

The man dragged Alice towards the altar and forced her to lie down. He began to chant, his words echoing through the darkness.

Alice watched in horror as something began to take shape above her. It was a creature, unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was covered in scales and had wings like a bat. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and Alice could feel its breath on her face.

The man continued to chant, his voice growing louder and more urgent. The creature began to move, its wings flapping and its body writhing.

Alice knew that she was going to die. She closed her eyes and waited for the end.

But then something strange happened. The creature stopped moving, and the man stopped chanting. Alice opened her eyes and saw that the creature was looking at her with a strange expression.

It was almost as if it was confused, or hesitant. Alice saw an opportunity and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could.

She could hear the creature and the man behind her, chasing her through the forest. She stumbled and fell several times, but she refused to give up.

Finally, she burst through the trees and saw a road in the distance. She ran towards it, waving her arms and screaming for help.

A car pulled over, and a couple stepped out. They were in their thirties, with kind faces and worried expressions.

"What happened?" the woman asked.

"I was on a plane," Alice said, gasping for breath. "It crashed, and I woke up in the forest. There was a man, and he was trying to...he was trying to..."

She couldn't finish the sentence. She collapsed into the woman's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

The couple took her to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. When she was well enough to speak, she told the authorities everything that had happened.

They searched the forest, but they never found any sign of the man or the creature. Some people say that Alice made it all up, that it was just a hallucination brought on by the trauma of the plane crash.

But Alice knows the truth. She knows that something happened in that forest, something that she can never explain or forget. And every time she sees a man in a suit and fedora, she shudders with fear, wondering if he is the one who tried to kill her that night in the forest.