But then, the footprints disappeared. One moment, they were clear in the soft dirt, guiding him forward, and the next, they simply faded into nothing. Daniel stopped, his pulse quickening. He turned in slow circles, scanning the ground. How was that possible? He frantically looked around trying to make sense of the situation when a soft rustling snapped him to attention. His body went rigid. The sound came from somewhere behind him, barely more than a whisper against the trees.
He wasn’t alone. He turned slowly, his breath shallow, scanning the dimming forest for movement. The forest fell into an eerie stillness, the kind that pressed against Daniel’s ears like a vacuum. The rustling had stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving nothing but silence. He held his breath, straining to hear beyond the pounding in his chest, but there was nothing.