Positive 

Alaina adjusted her backpack, starting to feel its weight. Sweat trickled down her back, and her muscles began to burn.

She'd been looking forward to this weekend in the woods for months. Her steps faltered and staring up into the towering trees in the shady womb of the forest, the tension that had eaten at her for so long slowly left her body.

A few deep breaths cleansed the smog from her lungs with the scents of forest, earth, and growing things. 

The beauty and serenity of the moment filled her, and a smile tugged at her lips as she took it all in. It was almost magical, this place where nature still ruled without the hand of man. 

A slanted ray of sunshine fell upon a patch of leaves, and if it hadn't stirred, she wouldn't have seen it. The tiny ball of spotted fur sniffed the air, its long ears twitching at her before the baby rabbit hopped off into the brush.

Her laughter rang out through the almost hallowed silence, and she opened her arms wide as if to embrace nature. 

 

Negative.

Alaina came to a standstill, her gaze searching the gathering shadows beneath these towering ancient trees.

She wasn't sure when she had wandered off the path, but she'd never been in this part of the forest. 

A frown creased her brow as her unease grew. Why did it feel as if she were no longer alone? She glanced behind her at the strengthening darkness, but nothing moved, and even the sounds of the forest had ceased.

No birds sang up in the trees as they had all day. The wind no longer stirred the leaves into chatter, and no animals scurried through the underbrush. 

A chill ran up her spine as she adjusted the weight of her backpack and her hands clenched around the straps. 

The snap of a twig nearby sent her heart into overdrive as adrenaline kicked through her veins, and instinct almost made her bolt, but she resisted the urge, peering into the shadows. 

There was nothing more stupid than running headlong into an unfamiliar forest, especially if you didn't know if nothing more chased you than your imagination. 

Instead, she stepped into the deep shadow beneath a tree, trying to regulate her breathing and the thunder of her heart as her senses strained.