Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Abby

My heart’s practically pounding out of my chest as we park the car, hidden behind a veil of trees. The

forest feels even more thick and suffocating now than it did on the day that we came here to go mushroom

hunting, now that I know what actually lies behind the mist.

Karl takes a moment to study the map I had s atched from him last night, his fingers tracing the uneven,

ink-smeared lines.

“Ready?” he asks, his eyes meeting mine.

“As I’ll ever be,” I reply, grabbing my bag from the backseat. Karl locks the car, and we head off, stepping

into the dense foliage, guided only by the soft morning light filtering through the trees.

Enter title…

For a few minutes, we walk in complete silence. The stillness is comforting in its own eerie way, but I’m

too focused on our mission to let my mind wander too far.

at one point, stopping in his tracks. “We

you want to

us, every whispering leaf, every chirping bird,

itself is warning us to turn back. But I can’t; not now. Not ever. I shake my head,

with Karl’s.

to do this.

moves with a stealth I didn’t know he possessed.

not to snap a twig or rustle

at 2 o’clock,” he hisses, gesturing with his chin. I glance in

against the greenery. My heart

around them,” he whispers, taking the lead as

feeling the damp earth seep into my jeans. We creep forward,

I hold my breath as we cross the

my breath quivering

taken more than ten steps when Karl abruptly halts.

points. My eyes follow the line of his arm and I see them—guards,

wearing dark uniforms, patrolling the area. And they

mit,” I mutter under my

back now,” Karl whispers, his eyes scanning the woods,

to the right. We can