Willow Of Girl

Chapter 1

The automobile was rushing down the long, twisting route through the dark woodland. The headlights brightened the darkness, exposing towering trees and twisted limbs that appeared to reach out and grasp at the vehicle as it drove past. Lightning flashed in the distance, creating tiny bursts of light on the road ahead. Inside the automobile, Maria held the steering wheel hard, her gaze fixated on the road ahead.

Her buddy, Sarah, sat in the passenger seat, looking anxious. "I don't like this, Maria," Sarah remarked, her voice wavering slightly. "What if anything happens?" Maria looked across at her companion, a grin on her face. "Relax, Sarah. We've done this before. We'll be alright." Yet even as she whispered the words, Maria couldn't escape the sensation of discomfort that had formed in the pit of her stomach. This route was foreign to her, and the storm appeared to be becoming worse by the minute.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit a neighboring tree, forcing it to break and fall across the road just ahead of them. Maria slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The automobile smashed into the tree, the force jolting both females forward. When Maria came to, she was lying on the ground outside the automobile. The rain was pouring down, soaking her clothing and hair. She whimpered, attempting to get up, but agony rushed through her head and she slumped back down. "Sarah?" she asked out softly, searching around for her buddy. There was no reaction. Maria struggled to climb to her feet, but her legs wouldn't comply. She crept towards the vehicle, expecting to see Sarah safe inside. But when she gazed in through the smashed glass, her heart sank.

Sarah was slumped down in her seat, motionless. Maria yelled, tears flowing down her face as the truth of the situation reached her. She was alone, in the middle of nowhere, with no notion of where to go or how to find assistance. Yet while the storm roared on around her, Maria couldn't escape the sense that she was being watched.

Chapter 2

Hours had passed since the tragedy, and Maria was still in shock. She had managed to push herself away from the damaged automobile and found a nearby cave to take refuge in, but she was cold, wet, and in agony. Her head was hurting, and her leg was twisted in an unnatural position. She attempted to call for assistance using her mobile phone, but there was no reception. Maria was stuck, alone, and afraid.

While she sat crouched in the cave, Maria believed she heard something moving outside. She strained her ears but couldn't hear anything. She wondered whether it was all her imagination, but the sensation of discomfort lingered with her. Then, there was a tremendous pounding sound, as if something was striking the rocks outside the cave. Maria shouted, crawling back against the wall. She grabbed a rock, ready to defend herself if required. Yet the hammering ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Maria was left shaking in horror.

She knew there was no way out of the cave, and she had no clue what was waiting for her. The house outside passed, and Maria's mind started to play games with her. She heard scratching noises coming from the walls and voices in the darkness. Eventually, fatigued and afraid, she drifted into a fitful slumber. As she woke up, it was still dark outside. Maria shuddered, her clothing still moist, chilling against her flesh. But there was something else that made her blood run cold a nasty, putrid scent that filled the air.

She gagged, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. That's when she discovered that I brought you here to care for you." Maria felt a flash of optimism—she may be able to receive aid from this elderly guy.

But the optimism evaporated as she saw the expression in his eyes. There was something wrong with him, something she couldn't quite place. "Thank you," she murmured nervously. "Can you kindly assist me?" "I need to go to a hospital." The elderly guy shook his head, his face deepening. "No, no hospitals. "They'll take you away from me, and then I'll be all alone again." Maria's heart plummeted; she recognized the full magnitude of her dilemma.

Chapter 4

Days stretched into weeks, and Maria was held prisoner in the old man's laboratory. She attempted to flee, but her leg was too seriously damaged to enable her to run. The elderly guy was her only company, and with each passing day, he got more and more disturbed. Maria saw things in the laboratory that she couldn't explain. Each night, she heard odd, guttural sounds coming from the next room.

Occasionally, the elderly guy would return, covered in blood. She understood that she was in danger, but there appeared to be no way out. Her mobile phone was gone, and there was no way to call for aid. Maria was stuck. One day, while the old man was out, Maria managed to crawl into the window. She realized that they were in the midst of a dark forest, with no trace of civilization for miles. Then something else grabbed her attention: a person gliding through the woods.

It was hard to tell, but Maria believed it might be a human. She yelled as loud as she could, attempting to capture their attention. Then the person fled into the woods, and Maria was left alone once more.

Chapter 5

The following day, Maria was startled by a loud sound coming from the other room. That was the same sound she had heard before—the guttural rumbling that made her skin crawl. She realized that she had to do something, anything, to get out of this prison. Her thoughts raced as she sought to come up with a strategy. Suddenly, the entrance to the laboratory burst open, and the elderly man strode inside.

His face was contorted into a mask of hatred and fury. a piece of cloth, caught on a branch. That was the article of clothes she had seen the person in the woodland wearing. Maria's pulse raced as she realized that she may not be as alone as she believed.

Chapter 6

They had been mutilated. Maria shouted and attempted to back away, but she was encircled. The people, if they could still be called that, were closing in on her. But suddenly there was a sudden burst of light, and the animals recoiled in fright. A man came from the darkness, a burning torch carried in one hand. That was the same person Maria had seen before, the one wearing the piece of clothes she had recovered.

That was an ancient lady, bent and twisted with age. Yet there was a firmness in her gaze that made Maria feel safer. "Come with me, kid," the elderly lady replied, taking Maria's hand. "We have plenty to discuss."

Chapter 7

The elderly lady escorted Maria to a clearing in the forest, where a gathering of people had gathered. They were all clothed in bizarre attire, and their faces were covered with symbols. "Who are you?" Maria demanded, her voice trembling. "We are the children of the forest," the elderly lady replied. "We have lived here for centuries, hiding away from the world." She revealed to Maria that they were being sought by a group known as the Hunters, who considered them an abomination.

The elderly guy who had caught Maria was a hunter, and he had been using her to try to track down the children. Maria had gotten into a deadly game, one she knew she had to get out of. But the Children had other intentions.

Chapter 8

The Hunters were close in, and the Children realized that they had to act swiftly. They needed someone to pose as a decoy, to attract the Hunters away from the settlement. Maria understood what had to be done. She consented to lead the Hunters away, believing that it would afford the Children enough time to escape. She set away, hobbling through the jungle, with the Hunters hard on her tail. Yet she understood that she couldn't let them capture her.

Maria led them on a mad pursuit into the woodland, her pulse thumping. At one point, she thought she had lost them, but then she heard their footsteps, closing in on her. That's when she noticed it — a clearing up ahead, ringed by a towering wall of thorns. That was the only way our explosion self harder, disregarding the discomfort in her leg.

She knew she had to make it to the other side. As she broke through the thorn wall, she found herself in a bleak wasteland — the world beyond the forest. The Hunters weren't far behind her. She staggered up a hill, her pulse thumping. She was nearly at the top when she heard a gunshot, and then she felt something strike her in the back. She slumped forward, rolling down the slope. Everything turned dark.

Chapter 9

Maria opened her eyes to find the elderly lady standing over her. Her eyesight was fuzzy, but she could tell that they were somewhere else, somewhere she didn't recognize. "You're secure now," the elderly lady murmured, a little grin on her lips. "But you won't be able to return to the world outside." "You are one of us now." Maria felt a combination of relief and terror. She had evaded the Hunters, but at what cost?

The elderly lady revealed to her that the Children of the Forest were being hunted, just as she had been. They were outcasts, hidden from the rest of the world. Maria understood that she couldn't go back to the life she had known. She was one of them—she would have to establish a new life for herself in this weird, secret realm. When she stared out over the rolling hills,

Maria understood that she had discovered a new family. Yet the old man's beast was still out there, in some place, ready to be released free on the world. And Maria realized that she was the only one who could stop it.