He crouched, pressing his fingers into the indentations in the soft earth. The prints were still fresh. He swallowed, glancing over his shoulder. The police would be searching for him soon, but he couldn’t leave yet. If he found something solid, he could present it as evidence before they caught up.
At that moment, Daniel decided to follow the footprints. The trees thickened around him, shadows stretching longer as the light faded. His breath felt loud in the stillness. He stepped carefully, each footfall deliberate. The deeper he went, the more unnatural the forest felt. It wasn’t just quiet—it was too quiet.