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The creature in front of her, the one that seemed to be directing the others, took a step back, assessing the situation with unnerving calculation.

It was larger than the others, its frame thick with muscle, and its fur was mottled with scars, a tapestry of past battles and hard-won victories.

It growled, a deep, guttural sound that seemed to resonate with the very earth beneath her, vibrating through her teeth and bones.

The sound silenced the others, quieting the frenzied snarls and whimpers into an unsettling stillness.

It took another step closer, its amber eyes boring into her, and she could see the muscles in its legs tense, coiled and ready to pounce.

Ivy knew she had to act fast, before the creature launched its attack.

With a burst of adrenaline-fueled energy she didn't know she possessed, she reached into the heart of the fire, ignoring the searing heat, and grabbed a burning log. The bark crackled and spat sparks as she wrenched it free, the flames licking at her fingertips, threatening to engulf her hand. She held it out in front of her like a torch, a desperate beacon in the darkness, the fire’s heat radiating outwards in scorching waves.

The creature paused, its eyes narrowing, its snarl faltering as it gauged the threat.

In that moment, she saw an opening, a sliver of vulnerability in its calculating gaze, and she took it.

With a cry of defiance, a final act of rebellion against the inevitable, she swung the log with all her might at the creature in front of her.

The burning wood connected with a sickening thud, sending a shower of sparks into the air.

The creature howled in pain, a high-pitched, agonizing sound that echoed through the woods, and stumbled backward, momentarily disoriented.

The others, sensing a shift in the balance of power, took this as a sign to attack, their snarls growing louder, their eyes brighter with a renewed hunger.

Ivy stumbled to her feet, the world spinning around her, a dizzying vortex of pain and adrenaline.

Her eyes searched the ground frantically for the knife she had dropped in the chaos, but it was lost in the shadows, swallowed by the undergrowth.

She staggered backward, the burning log held out in front of her like a beacon, a fragile shield against the encroaching darkness.

The creatures circled closer, their movements fluid and predatory, their teeth snapping in anticipation, their eyes promising a swift and brutal end.

Her mind raced through the options, each one a dead end, each one leading to the same grim conclusion.

She could run, but her injured leg wouldn't hold up, not for long enough.

They would track her, hunt her down like a wounded animal.

She could try to climb a tree, but she that was too much of a risk, their claws could easily scale the bark.

She could stand her ground, fight to the bitter end, and hope she had hurt the leader enough to make them retreat.

But hope was a dwindling resource, in the face of overwhelming darkness.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence, and she felt the warm trickle of blood seep down her arm, a constant reminder of her weakening state.

The decision was made for her when the creature in front lunged, its eyes burning with a primal rage.

The log was knocked from her hand, tumbling end over end into the dirt, and she fell back onto the ground, landing hard on her injured leg.

The fire was now a chaotic blur of heat and light behind her, casting long, distorted shadows that danced with the approaching figures.

The pack of twisted creatures descended upon her, a swirling vortex of teeth and claws.

Her thoughts became a jumble of fear and pain, a descent into madness as their teeth found her flesh, tearing and ripping.

Her vision blurred with tears, hot and stinging, blurring the already distorted world.

She felt the crushing weight of the creatures on her body, pinning her to the ground, their claws digging into her skin, tearing at her clothes, as they tried to immobilize her.

The smell of burnt fur and the taste of coppery blood filled her nose and mouth, a sickening combination that choked her.

She screamed, a ragged, desperate cry swallowed by the snarling cacophony that surrounded her, a symphony of violence and death.

The leader of the pack, the one with the scarred fur, leaped over the others, its movements surprisingly agile for its size, and pinned her to the ground with its massive paws.

Its weight crushed the air from her lungs, and she gasped for breath, her throat burning with pain.

Its jaws opened wide, revealing teeth that glinted in the firelight, teeth designed for tearing flesh, for crushing bone.

Ivy knew that this was it, that this was the end.

The darkness she had been fighting against had finally arrived.

But as the creature’s teeth inched closer to her throat, a terrifying promise of oblivion, the pain overwhelmed her, a blinding wave that washed away the fear, the regret, the memories.

Everything faded, the snarling faces, the burning fire, the crushing weight.

Everything went dark, a silent abyss that swallowed her whole.

Her last conscious thought, a fleeting whisper in the darkness, was of Alice, a wave of regret flooding through her that she hadn’t made it out of the woods, that she wouldn't see her again. And then, there was nothing.