His breath quickened, coming in short gasps now. He couldn’t afford to get lost. He didn’t know how far he had wandered, or how deep he had come into the woods, but it was too far from the safety of home. He could feel it in his bones.
“Thunder!” he tried again, louder this time, but the name came out as a strained cry. His voice echoed in the stillness, bouncing off the trees before fading into nothingness. George strained to listen, hoping for any sound, any response. Nothing. The silence was suffocating.