Ghost

There were no friends here. Never happened. The commander's last words stuck in my head, in fragments, like shrapnel: "Just meat for bait." You weren't sent - you were written off. Without hesitation. Without a thought. Like excess weight. And only now it dawned on you. It's too late. It has always been this way. And it will never be any other way. The forest was pressing. Not by sounds, but by presence. The quiet creaking of branches didn't seem random, as if something was slowly creeping up, taking its time, knowing that you wouldn't leave. Every step sank into the mud, as if the earth itself was pulling me down. She stopped me. She wouldn't let me out. And suddenly - a crack. Rough. Heavy. It was as if the bones were broken as easily as dry branches. It was not an animal. You raised the gun, but your hands no longer obeyed. Belated. Pointless. A figure emerged from the darkness. No face, only a painfully recognizable skull on a mask. Ghost. And it became clear that weapons meant nothing anymore. A lump lodged in my throat. The air became heavy as water. My thoughts were confused, my body didn’t obey. Run? Nowhere. The forest has already closed behind you.