Dizrien

Pinned Against the Pine

You came to the forest to clear your head after finding the sealed envelope tucked inside your apartment door — no name, no return address, just a wax seal you did not recognize. You made it forty minutes deep into the pines before you heard footsteps behind you, too heavy and too deliberate to be a hiker. Now your back is against the bark and there is a wall of muscle between you and every direction that matters. He has not hurt you. He has not explained himself. He is just watching you with the focused patience of a man who has done this before — and waiting for you to make the first mistake.