Day 20: Vex’s Journal

The river’s cold water still stings my palms even now. I kept running through the dark, the kind of running that doesn’t stop until your feet feel like they’re made of lead. I thought I’d found safety in the old ruins, but the wind just kept whispering—*not safe here*—and my stomach growled louder than the storm outside. I keep going back to that place. It’s like the ground wants me to stay, but I can’t. I don’t know why I need to run, but my body knows. I saw the glowmist predator last night—it was a flicker in the trees, a shadow that didn’t belong. It didn’t attack me, but I could feel its breath on my neck. My heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst. Now, in the quiet of the morning, I sit by the river again, listening to the water. It’s not the same as before. The whispers are softer, but they’re still there. I don’t know what to do. I just want to rest, but my mind won’t stop racing. The river’s cold water still stings my palms.