howls echoed between occasional snaps of branches. He thought he heard a crow caw
in the distance.
From the treetops, William saw hundreds of birds fly out of the forest and towards
him.
He kept walking backward, preparing to run again. Despite his racing heartbeat, he
believed he could keep going if he had to.
He took another step backwards but his foot didn't touch the ground. He fell.
He dangled from the edge of a cliff. He didn’t understand how it got there. It
hadn’t been there when he left the forest.
His muscles strained as he clung to the cliff’s edge. The roars, howls, and growls
grew louder. Above him, birds flew across the sky.
Then a hand reached out to him.
“Don't worry,” a woman said. “I've got you.”
William took the hand and was pulled to safety. He glanced over to the forest and
the darkness was gone. The birds chirped but there were no more growls or howls.
“It's a good thing I was here to save you,” Emily said, embracing him.
William's eyes shot open.
He glanced over at Casey, sleeping on her side with her back to him. He hadn’t
dreamed about Emily in months, maybe years.
Casey stirred.
“Where's May?” she said. William looked at her and realized she was not awake.
William had never heard Casey talk in her sleep before.
“May was three months ago,” William whispered.
He took a deep breath and checked the time. It was four in the morning, and he