Elias didn't blink. He lay motionless beneath the leaves, spine against a dew-wetted tree trunk. The feeling hadn't gone away.
Something, or someone, was watching him.
His own breathing quiet and steady as he combed through leaves. No sound other than rustling air. No movement other than leaves blowing.
Then—
A shadow.
Elias spun about, knife extended, but before him there was nothing but a wild hare, now fleeing in terror.
"Am I losing it?"
But then—
Ding!
Warning: Unknown Entity near. Threat Level — Undetermined.
Temporary Skill Unlocked: [Forest Sense I] — Increases awareness of imminent biological threats. Duration: 10 minutes.
A shiver ran across his temples. All at once, he could sense the forest. He didn't see anything different, but the wind in his skin, the rustle of the leaves—it all spoke to him.
And then, he heard it.
A heavy shuffle. A slithering noise—too heavy for a snake.
A man stepped out from the thick underbrush. Hooded. Masked.
And not by himself.
Elias didn't delay.
He ran.