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%

myself standing on a sturdy platform of intertwined limbs. The shack looms above me, a mysterious structure hidden in the embrace of the

senses on

hesitate for a moment, my hand hovering over the doorknob. The night

I could outsmart the game, evade the chaos of the Mating

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

Victor, with his twisted sense of control, had to

thinks everything’s a fucking

ruined

tucked away in that quiet corner of

right now, entwined with someone in the name

ancient tradition?

have

spared the

that uncertainty

O

1/7

9 Mar

Game

the

took something from me night. He took away my right to choose, to decide my own fate in this twisted game he orchestrated. The air is cool against my skin, but there’s a heat within me, a simmering frustration that refuses to be

the alternate

in his arrogance, decided to play puppet master with

door creaking as I push it open. The shack, unlike Ettie’s cabin, is different. It’s smaller, cozier, but it’s filled with more things. The air inside is different too, cooler,

air–conditioning.

catch sight

beanbag, lazily flipping through a magazine. The shack seems to swallow me as my eyes widen in shock. He’s laughing at

frozen, my irritation bubbling beneath the

his eyes meeting mine.

well with me. The magazine drops to

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

but nothing comes out,

jaw clenched tight. The frustration, the anger they churn within me like a storm.

O

3/7

581, 9 Mar

Garne

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

intensity

a mockery of our struggles, feels suffocating. 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 electricity, the television–it’s as if he’s on a lavish

narrow as 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

a buffet.

at me with an expectant smile. “Impressive, right? I guess my father must have told some of the restaurant owners outside that I wanted them so they

happy to sponsor

suffocated by the intensity of my anger. I want to scream, to unleash the frustration

free to

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

within me.

continues, gesturing towards the electricity that powers the shack. “Oh! And

almost immediately without any tv. He couldn’t give me a phone but I

to take a step forward. The shack seems to close in on me, the absurdity of it all amplifying my frustration. I glance at the television – al luxury I hadn’t even dared to dream about in the forest. Victor seems to revel in my silent shock, as if he’s expecting me

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Sat. 9 Mar

Game

the mini–fridge, still laughing. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Alina. Relax. It’s not everyday where we don’t have to work. Might as well make the most

my fingers gripping it tightly. I want to throw it across the room, to shatter the illusion of comfort that Victor has

have a fully stocked pantry. I made sure we won’t run out of supplies anytime soon. You know, Otta stay

in the face. I think. about the meager rations we scrounged

arrogance.

it with a casual flourish. He flips throught channels on the television, the images