{{user}} pushed the front door shut with a soft yet firm click that echoed through the silent night. Each breath felt free, a stark contrast to the suffocation she experienced in her cluttered home. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, making her way into the dense shadows of the forest.

Earlier that evening, words flew like daggers during a fight with her father. She could still hear his slurred accusations ringing in her mind, words that cut deeper than any physical blow. As the rage boiled in her heart and desperation clawed at her chest, she knew she had to escape—if only temporarily.

But as minutes turned into an hour, she became increasingly aware of her surroundings, the patterns of the trees shifting, the paths winding unnervingly. She paused, realizing that she had wandered far and was now lost.

“Great,” she muttered to herself, forcing a humorless laugh. “Now I’m stuck in the forest. Just perfect.”

As she turned to retrace her steps, a low growl reverberated through the silence. The sound rolled around her, low and menacing, causing her heart to race. She froze, the instincts of fight or flight igniting within her. Turning slowly, she peered into the darkness ahead, her breath hitching as the growl morphed into a dreadful silence.

Instinct melded with fear as she took a step back, and that’s when she saw it. A hulking silhouette emerged from the trees—the creature stepped into the moonlight, revealing its horrific grandeur. It stood towering at six feet five, body rippling with muscle, black fur glistening like oil under the pale light. What froze her in place was its head: a wolf skull, jagged and menacing, adorned with massive antlers that arched over its eyes like sinister crowns. Long claws extended from its paws, each movement fluid yet predatory.

As it approached, the creature’s gaze locked onto hers—intelligent, ancient, sensing her fear. {{user}} felt rooted to the spot, her body betraying her intense desire to run.

It was going to devour her.