The Mating Run by Leeka

Game

The forest stretches out endlessly, the trees standing tall and imposing.

I follow the map, its numbers and lines guiding me through the forest. The air is cool against my skin as I move with purpose, my footsteps soft against the earthy ground.

The map leads me deeper into the heart of the forest. I squint at the map, trying to decipher its cryptic instructions. The trees seem to close in around me, their branches interlocking like a maze.

As I navigate through the darkness, a clearing emerges before me. Moonlight spills through the gaps in the canopy, casting a silvery glow on the forest floor. The map directs me to a specific spot, and I feel a sense of anticipation.

I reach the designated location, and my eyes scan the surroundings. The numbers on the map point upward, towards a tall tree that towers above the others. I crane my neck, trying to see what the map is leading me to.

And there, high up in the branches, I spot it – a shack.

The tree stands like a sentinel, its trunk sturdy and unwavering. I wonder how I’ll reach the top, but the map insists this is where I need to be. The forest, once at place of mystery, now feels like a puzzle waiting to be solved.

I take a deep breath and begin to climb.

The bark is rough against my palms, but determination fuels my ascent. Each branch becomes a foothold, and I pull myself upward, higher and higher. The night. air grows cooler as I climb, the moon watching over me like a silent guardian.

The shack comes into view, nestled among the leaves and vines that act as nature’s camouflage. It’s decent–sized, blending seamlessly with the foliage. Tall leaves and long vines drape over it, concealing it from prying eyes.

O

1/7

08:32 Sat, 9 Mar N

Game

Game

88%

The forest stretches out endlessly, the trees standing tall and imposing.

I follow the map, its numbers and lines guiding me through the forest. The air is cool against my skin as I move with purpose, my footsteps soft against the earthy ground.

The map leads me deeper into the heart of the forest. I squint at the map, trying to decipher its cryptic instructions. The trees seem to close in around me, their branches interlocking like a maze.

As I navigate through the darkness, a clearing emerges before me. Moonlight spills through the gaps in the canopy, casting a silvery glow on the forest floor. The map directs me to a specific spot, and I feel a sense of anticipation.

I reach the designated location, and my eyes scan the surroundings. The numbers on the map point upward, towards a tall tree that towers above the others. I crane my neck, trying to see what the map is leading me to.

And there, high up in the branches, I spot it – a shack.

The tree stands like a sentinel, its trunk sturdy and unwavering. I wonder how I’ll reach the top, but the map insists this is where I need to be. The forest, once at place of mystery, now feels like a puzzle waiting to be solved.

I take a deep breath and begin to climb.

The bark is rough against my palms, but determination fuels my ascent. Each branch becomes a foothold, and I pull myself upward, higher and higher. The night air grows cooler as I climb, the moon watching over me like a silent guardian.

The shack comes into view, nestled among the leaves and vines that act as nature’s camouflage. It’s decent–sized, blending seamlessly with the foliage. Tall leaves and long vines drape over it, concealing it from prying eyes.

O

1/7

08:32 Sat, 9 Mar

Game:

If not for the map, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

88%

and I find myself standing on a sturdy platform of intertwined limbs.

my senses on high alert.

closer, revealing a wooden door. I hesitate for a moment, my hand hovering over the doorknob. The night is silent around me, and a sense of anticipation hangs in the air.

to that first attempt at finding a hiding spot. The moment when I thought I could outsmart the game, evade the chaos of the Mating Run. If only Victor hadn’t ruined it. If

the memory. The forest was different then, a place of potential rather than confusion. I had found a secluded nook, a spot where

sense

thinks everything’s a fucking game.

he hadn’t ruined shit for me?

tucked away in that quiet corner of

be mated right now, entwined with someone in the name

ancient tradition?

things have

I have been spared the confusion, the chaos, the hurt?

don’t know, and that

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Game

the

something from me night. He took away my right to choose, to decide my own fate in

wonder about the what–ifs, the alternate paths

frustration intensifies, a knot tightening in my chest. I hate that I don’t know. I hate that Victor, in his arrogance, decided to play puppet master with our lives. I close my

different. It’s smaller, cozier, but it’s filled with more things. The air inside is different too, cooler,

air–conditioning.

door swings open, I catch sight

my eyes widen in shock. He’s laughing at some joke, the sound echoing in the small space, while a swirl of smoke from

there, frozen, my irritation bubbling beneath the

up, his eyes meeting

that doesn’t sit well with me. The magazine drops to

by,” he says, exhaling a plume of smoke. “What took you so long, sweetheart?

shake my head, frustration simmering within me. I can’t even speak. My mouth opens but nothing comes out, my entire body is

churn within me like a storm. The contrast between the harsh reality

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Garne

the absurd comfort of his little haven is too much to bear, I

intensity of my emotions.

I glance around, trying to take in the audacity of it all. It’s not just comfort; it’s excess. The incap amount of food, the

I see the bounty of food neatly organized on a shelf. Cans, fresh produce – things I haven’t seen in what feels like an eternity. The anger bubbles, threatening to spill

a buffet.

I guess my father must have told some

than happy to sponsor

trapped in my throat, suffocated by the intensity of my anger. I want to scream, to unleash the frustration that’s

unfazed, gestures around the shack. “Feel free to make yourself at home, Alina.”

silent plea for him to stop treating everything like a joke. But he’s too wrapped up in his amusement,

within me.

“Oh! And look at this! Electricity

without any tv.

absurdity of it all amplifying my frustration. I glance at the television – al luxury I

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you’ve seen a ghost, Alina. Relax. It’s not everyday where we don’t have to work. Might as well make

I want to throw it across the room, to shatter the illusion of comfort that Victor has created. But force myself to keep

a fully stocked pantry. I made sure we

rations we scrounged for in the forest, the hunger

arrogance.

flourish. He flips throught channels on the television,