The Mating Run by Leeka

Weakness

Anger is like a flame, they say.

It flickers, it burns, and it engulfs everything in its path. But as I watch Zeke down there, pacing with that twisted grin and a menacing machete in hand, it’s not heat that I feel. No, it’s an eerie coldness that wraps around me like a ghostly

shroud.

You see, they tell you that anger makes your temperature rise, your blood boiling beneath your skin. But right now, in the heart of this forest, surrounded by towering trees that seem to witness every breath we take, I can’t help but shiver. The chill isn’t just in the air; it’s seeping into my bones, settling in, making me question everything.

Maybe it’s the fear. Fear has a way of sending shivers down your spine, they say. But this isn’t just fear. It’s a bone–deep coldness that goes beyond the natural apprehension that anyone would feel when faced with a man wielding a machete and sporting a grin that belongs in nightmares.

I wrap my arms around myself, attempting to ward off the cold. It’s not the kind of cold the

a jacket or a warm embrace can chase away. No, this cold is different. It’s the kind that seeps into your soul, making you question the very essence of warmth you thought you knew.

The forest, once alive with the symphony of rustling leaves and distant bird calls, feels muted. It’s as if the very essence of life has taken a step back, leaving room for this unnatural coldness to take center stage. The trees stand tall, their branches reaching towards the heavens, but their usual comforting presence feels distant, almost aloof.

I glance at Victor, who’s huddled beside me on this high tree branch. His brows are furrowed in concern, and I can see the tension in his eyes. I wonder if he knows just how much trouble he’s in right now. I wonder if I will do anything to stop Zeke. I wonder if I will do my best to save him.

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Weakness

The coldness intensifies, and I find myself rubbing my arms, trying to generate some warmth. It’s not just a physical chill; it’s a psychological one, creeping into the recesses of my mind and leaving a lingering sense of unease.

I steal another glance at Zeke. His movements are erratic, and the unsettling grin never leaves his face. It’s as if he’s dancing to a tune only he can hear, a melody that sends shivers down my spine.

Everything freezes as Zeke begins to ascend the tree with an eerie ease that defies gravity. Panic clutches at my throat, threatening to choke the breath from my lungs. Victor, usually the epitome of composure, looks at me with wide eyes, desperation etched across his face.

“Fuck! What do we do, Alina? What the fuck do we do?!”

Victor’s voice trembles with a fear that mirrors my own.

I want to answer him, to provide a solution that will magically whisk us away. from this unfolding horror, but my mind is a chaotic whirlwind of confusion. Zeke, his eyes glinting with madness, inches closer and closer, each upward movement sending shivers down my spine.

“Think, Alina, think!” Victor’s urgency pierces through my mental fog, but my thoughts remain muddled, trapped in the labyrinth of fear. Zeke’s laughter, a disconcerting melody, reverberates through the air, filling the forest with a sense of impending doom.

“He’s climbing,” I mutter, my voice barely audible even to myself. It’s a statement of the obvious, a futile attempt to articulate the sheer horror of the

situation.

“I can see that! He’s climbing alright! We can’t stay here!” Victor’s panic rises, mirroring the surge of dread within me.

The tree branch, once our refuge, now feels like a precarious ledge suspended between life and the malevolent force that is Zeke. I search desperately for an escape route, my eyes darting between the surrounding branches as if they hold the key to our salvation.

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Weakness

Victor clutches my arm, his grip a desperate plea for guidance.

just wait for him to reach

its grip with each passing moment. I rack my brain for a plan,

Alina, do something!” Victor’s voice cracks, his eyes. reflecting

“I…… I think-”

your fault, Alina! If you hadn’t destroyed his

this mess!”

heavy between us, a suffocating weight that makes every breath feel like an effort. Panic tightens its grip on my chest as I try to find a way out

prefer to meet your end?

macabre game. I look at Victor, searching for some sign of resilience, a glimmer of hope that we might find a way out of this dire situation. But his eyes, filled with fear

giving you a choice, Victor,” Zeke continues, smirking like a maniac, waving his machete as he climbed the tree with ease. “Quick and easy

eyes ablaze with a fury that intensifies the chill in the air. “You did this, Alina! You destroyed his shack, and

it!”

forest, with

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Weakness

now.”

together. Blaming each

1. me.

Victor’s anger only deepens, his frustration finding an outlet in

interrupts our fraught exchange, “Tick–tock, Victor. Time’s running out.

me, his accusation

decision to jump, to escape the clutches of Zeke, hangs

“Victor, wait! Don’t!”

leap into the abyss below, Zeke, swift as the shadows cast by the dense foliage, closes in with an uncanny agility. My scream pierces the stillness as Zeke’s hand clamps around Victor’s ankle, halting

forward with a ferocity that mirrors the primal instincts of a predator. The machete gleams in the moonlight, a cold glint that heralds the impending danger. My heart pounds in my chest as I witness the unfolding nightmare.

I scream, my voice raw with

relentless in his pursuit, launches at Victor, the

above his head.

scrambling to regain his footing, meets Zeke’s relentless assault with a desperation

air, a lethal dance of

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suspended

“Victor, watch out!”

grazing the air where he once stood. Victor, agile and quick, darts. around Zeke like a shadow avoiding the light. His movements are a blend of desperation and determination, a

represents.

fighting with a cunning ferocity, employs dirty tactics to gain the upper hand. He throws dirt into Zeke’s eyes, blinding

blinded, roars in frustration, swinging the machete blindly in Victor’s direction. The clash of steel against air becomes a dissonant melody within. the natural amphitheater. In a sudden twist, Zeke

fucking hurts, man. What

to turn the tides. It hits, and I gasp. Zeke, blood streaming from his split lip, staggers backward. Victor, though wounded and hobbled, fights with a

the backdrop of nature’s tapestry, elicits an involuntary flinch from Zeke. The machete, once wielded with malicious intent, hangs at Zeke’s side.

As Victor nears, Zeke’s. demeanor changes. He doesn’t swing the machete in a direct assault; instead, he starts throwing it around with

menace in the dappled

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