Snow exploded beneath every footstep.
Nobody looked back anymore.
The sounds behind them were enough.
Laughter.
Wet, choking laughter.
The frantic slap of bare feet against frozen earth.
Branches snapping one after another as the horde tore through the forest with reckless abandon.
The noise never stayed in one place.
It bounced from tree to tree until it felt as though they were being chased from every direction at once.
Terri stumbled.
Her boot disappeared beneath a layer of powder hiding a fallen branch.
She pitched forward with a sharp cry, both hands catching the ground just before her face hit the snow.
"No!"
The word came out half panic, half frustration.
Her fingers slipped.
For one terrifying second she couldn't get her footing.
Tears burned the corners of her eyes.
Not because she was hurt.
Because she knew what happened to people who fell.
"Terri!"
Aubrey reached back instinctively.
"COME ON!"
