Page 20 of When You're Gone

As the assailant darted away,Amelia shook off the dizziness and steadied herself. "Finn, are youokay?" she called out, concern lacing her voice as she saw him clutchinghis bleeding arm.

"I'll manage. Stay here,"Finn replied through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the fleeing figuredisappearing up a rickety staircase that groaned under each step he took.

“Like hell,” Amelia answered,holding her bloodied nose.

“Please,” Finn said, softly.

Amelia watched Finn's determinedform disappear up the dilapidated stairs. The wood creaked and protested undertheir weight as he ascended with agile urgency, his senses sharp and focused oncapturing their elusive prey.

The dim light filtering throughcracked windows cast long shadows that danced along the walls as Finn pursuedthe masked man higher into the decaying structure. The air grew heavier withdust and neglect, but Finn pressed on, adrenaline lending strength to hissteps.

At the top of the staircase, Finncaught sight of a tattered curtain billowing in an unseen draft. Withouthesitation, he pushed past it into a room filled with broken furniture andfaded wallpaper peeling off like old skin.

The masked man stood at the far endof the room, his breath ragged beneath the mask as he turned to face Finn withmanic determination in his stance. Before any words could be exchanged betweenthem, he made a desperate leap through a shattered window overlooking theovergrown backyard below.

"Finn!" Amelia's voiceechoed from below as she reached the top of the staircase behind him.

Ignoring her call for caution, Finnrushed to the window just in time to see their quarry disappearing into themisty landscape beyond. Without hesitation, he made a split-second decision andfollowed suit, leaping out into open air without looking back.

The ground rushed up to meet him asbranches clawed at his clothes and brambles tore at his skin. Pain shot throughhim upon landing but was quickly forgotten as he scrambled to his feet andresumed pursuit through tangled bushes and twisted trees that seemed to reachout like skeletal fingers in pursuit of their own.

Thorns and brambles tore at Finn'sclothes and skin as he pushed through the dense undergrowth, his heart poundingin sync with the frantic rustling of leaves around him. The masked man's raggedbreaths echoed ahead, a taunting reminder of his ever-elusive presence.

Each step forward felt like abattle against nature itself, the twisted branches clawing at him as if tryingto hold him back. Finn gritted his teeth against the stinging pain of scratchesleft in their wake, a visceral trail marking his relentless pursuit.

The air was thick with the earthyscent of damp soil and decay, a suffocating embrace that seemed to close in onhim with each passing second. Shadows danced wildly among the gnarled trees,casting fleeting glimpses of movement that played tricks on Finn's senses.

Branches cracked underfoot likegunshots, a cacophony of sound that masked any hint of the masked man'swhereabouts. Panic threatened to bubble up within Finn's chest, but heruthlessly suppressed it, focusing solely on closing the distance between them.

A sudden clearing emerged ahead,bathed in the gray light from above that illuminated the figure darting acrossit. Finn's muscles tensed as he quickened his pace, determination lending speedto his pursuit despite the burning ache in his limbs.

The masked man vanished into atangle of thicket beyond the clearing, leaving only a fleeting shadow behind.Finn surged forward, adrenaline fueling his every move as he plunged into thedarkness after his quarry.

The ground beneath his feet shiftedfrom soft moss to unforgiving gravel, sending sharp jolts of pain up his legswith each hurried step. The distant sound of rushing water filled the nightair, adding an ominous backdrop to their deadly game of cat and mouse.

Finn's breath came in ragged gaspsnow, sweat mingling with blood on his brow as he forced himself onward. Themasked man was close; he could feel it like a primal instinct urging himtowards an inevitable confrontation.

As he burst through another thicketinto a wet glade ahead, Finn caught sight of the figure disappearing into whatlooked to be an old, overgrown hedged maze. The thick, verdant walls of theovergrown maze loomed around Finn as he plunged into its labyrinthine depths.The scent of crushed foliage mingled with the metallic tang of blood seepingfrom his arm, a stark reminder of the perilous chase he was embroiled in. Eachtwist and turn seemed to mock him, leading him further into the heart of thetangled greenery where shadows danced like specters in the fading light.

His boots crunched on fallen leavesand snapped twigs, a cacophony that drowned out even the sound of his ownragged breaths. The laughter, eerie and taunting, echoed through the hedges,spurring Finn on despite the growing ache in his limbs. He gritted his teethagainst both physical pain and mounting frustration, determination etched intoevery line of his face.

The masked man's mocking chucklesseemed to play tricks on Finn's senses, bouncing off the leafy walls andleading him deeper into the maze's embrace. With each step forward, it felt asthough he was descending further into a nightmarish world where reality blurredwith illusion. But Finn refused to yield to doubt; he pushed forward withunwavering resolve.

Sunlight filtered weakly throughgaps in the dense foliage above, casting dappled patterns on the moss-coveredground beneath Finn's feet. The air grew cooler as he ventured deeper into theheart of the maze, tendrils of mist curling around him like ghostly fingers.His pulse quickened with a mix of adrenaline and urgency as he strained tocatch any glimpse of movement ahead.

A sharp turn brought Finnface-to-face with a dead end—a wall of thick bushes that seemed impenetrable.But just as panic threatened to claw its way up from within him, a faintrustling sound caught his attention. Without hesitation, he pressed onward, partingbranches with a fierce determination that bordered on desperation.

The laughter grew louder now,reverberating through the confined space like a lingering echo from somemalevolent source. It spurred Finn on like a beacon in the gloom of theovercast day, guiding him towards an inevitable confrontation with his elusive quarry.Blood dripped steadily from his wound, marking his trail through the verdantmaze like a macabre breadcrumb path.

As Finn rounded another corner, hecaught a fleeting glimpse of movement ahead—a flash of dark fabric disappearingbehind a thicket obscured by creeping vines. His heart hammered in his chest ashe surged forward once more, heedless of scratches and bruises acquired alongthis harrowing pursuit.

With each passing moment, Finn feltas though time itself had slowed to a crawl within this twisted greenlabyrinth. The masked man's laughter now rang out clear and chillingly close—asiren call laced with malice that drove Finn onwards despite every instinctscreaming for caution.

And so Finn pressed deeper into themaze's winding corridors, determined to confront this shadowy figure whosetwisted game had led them both down this treacherous path towards an inevitablereckoning.

The maze's twisting paths finallyled Finn to its heart, a small clearing where an ancient sundial stood sentinelamidst the encroaching greenery. The weathered stone bore the ominousinscription, 'All shall be undone,' etched into its surface with an air offoreboding permanence. Finn's gaze lingered on the words, a chill creeping uphis spine despite the warmth of the fading sunlight.

Silence enveloped him like asuffocating shroud as he scanned his surroundings, straining to catch any hintof movement or sound. The only response was the gentle rustle of leaves in thebreeze and the distant call of a solitary bird. No mocking laughter, notaunting presence—just an empty stillness that whispered of escape.

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