Garry tensed up as the heat inside the trunk intensified, his  breathing becoming shallow and labored. He tried to take one breath at a  time, but even that didn't seem to be working. His arms and hands were  sore, his wrists chafed raw from the rough ropes binding them. His legs  felt numb, tingling with pins and needles from being cramped in such a  confined space. He felt weak—very weak. The oppressive darkness pressed  in on him, amplifying his sense of helplessness.

Oh God, how did I end up here? he thought, panic clawing at the edges of his mind. Think, Garry, think! There has to be a way out!

His  mind wandered desperately as he thought of the possibilities for  escape, but nothing came up. He hadn't yet found anything inside the  truck that could help him get out. The air was thick and stifling,  making it hard to draw a full breath. Sweat trickled down his face,  mingling with the tears that flowed freely now. He felt every jolt and  bump in the road with bone-jarring clarity. The vehicle must have driven  over a dead animal or something, because those bumps didn't feel  normal.

Oh, please, I really hope I'll be able to make it out of here. P-Please... he pleaded silently, his heart hammering in his chest.

Drowsiness  started to overtake him, his body screaming for rest even as his mind  remained on high alert. He struggled to stay awake, knowing that to give  in to sleep could mean never waking up again. Another bump on the road  jolted him back to full consciousness, a fresh wave of pain radiating  from his ankle. He tried to readjust his body's position to stretch his  legs and arms, hoping to stave off the cramps that threatened to lock  his muscles in agony. But in doing so, he only made it worse. He winced  as he realized there might also be something seriously wrong with his  ankle.

Ouch... How long have I been here? Time had lost all meaning in the pitch-black confines of the trunk. Minutes felt like hours, and hours like an eternity.

Garry  felt the car slowing down, his pulse quickening with a mix of hope and  fear. What could it have been? Why would it just suddenly slow down? It  couldn't be at a light. Garry was sure that whoever had abducted him was  driving on a country road, so why did the vehicle simply stop? He tried  putting his hand on his head but completely forgot they were bound. He  wiggled them around a bit, proving that it would be very hard to free  his hands until he had something sharp to push up or down against. He  stopped thinking about that when he heard footsteps approaching the  vehicle. He made the assumption that the person approaching was an  officer, so he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"HELP! HELP ME! HE ABDUCTED ME! OPEN THE TRUNK!"  Garry screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. He was now  breathing heavily, listening carefully to what was going to happen next.  He felt a big thump above him. He guessed that the cop had restrained  the driver. He sighed in relief. It was only when he heard footsteps  going away from the vehicle that he started to panic. What happened? Did  the cop lose?

"HEY! DID YOU HEAR ME? LET ME OUT, PLEASE! I'M HURT!"  Garry screamed again, his voice growing hoarse. Still, nothing. He  sighed, tears of frustration and fear burning his eyes. He heard  footsteps approaching the vehicle again and felt someone open the  driver's seat door. His eyes bulged in fear.

No...no...he...there's no way he managed to kill a cop...

There  were other possibilities too. Maybe the person who had approached the  vehicle wasn't a cop but just a normal stranger. He felt the driver seat  door close, and the car began moving again. What was he supposed to do?  That might have been one of his only chances of getting out of this  situation, and he had been unable to take full advantage of it. He  grunted in frustration, feeling the bile rise in his throat.

"YOU  MOTHERFUCKER! LET ME OUT!" Garry screamed as he kicked the trunk. His  legs hurt even more after each kick, and soon, he decided it was best to  stop. There was no point in wasting his energy. It was best that he  conserved it and waited for when the time was right. For now, he needed  to get somewhat comfortable, even though that was practically  impossible.

...

Garry had eventually fallen asleep, drifting  in and out of consciousness due to the oppressive humidity inside the  trunk. Each time he woke, the heat seemed to press down on him even more  heavily, making every breath feel like he was inhaling fire. His skin  was slick with sweat, and the air felt thick and suffocating. He tried  to alleviate his dry throat by swallowing his own saliva, but even that  was practically useless. The desperation gnawed at him, making him feel  like he was going to die minute by minute. Exhaustion eventually pulled  him back into a fitful sleep.

When Garry woke again, he noticed  the car wasn't moving anymore. The stillness was unsettling. His ears  strained, and he quickly took notice of the croaking frogs outside the  trunk. The sound was unmistakable. Was he near a lake? His heart skipped a beat.

Wait, no... he's going to kill me and dump my body in this lake... Panic surged through him, icy and paralyzing.

He  started struggling again, his movements frantic and desperate. He used  all the strength in his arms to try to unbind his hands, but nothing  seemed to work. The ropes dug into his skin, refusing to give even an  inch. Gritting his teeth, he tried to wiggle his hand out of the knot,  this time more meticulously, trying to remember any knot-tying tricks  he'd learned as a kid. He failed miserably, the rope biting into his  flesh. He sighed, a sound full of despair and frustration.

Why isn't anything happening?  He thought as he lay there, waiting for the inevitable. The image of  his abductor opening the trunk, killing him, and throwing his body into  the lake played over and over in his mind. But nothing happened. Did the abductor simply forget that I was here? That didn't make any sense, but nothing about this situation made sense.

He  waited longer, the seconds stretching into agonizing minutes. He was  fed up, the tension and fear wearing him down. Summoning the last of his  strength, he kicked the trunk one more time, a feeble act of defiance.  The sound echoed hollowly in the confined space, mocking him. He finally  gave up, realizing that there wasn't much he could do in this  situation. Helplessness washed over him in waves.

Then, he heard  another set of footsteps approaching the vehicle. Garry tensed up, his  muscles tightening painfully as he prepared for whoever it was to open  the trunk. His heart pounded so loudly he was sure it could be heard  outside. He didn't blink, his eyes wide with fear and anticipation. The  footsteps stopped, and he heard the distinct sound of the vehicle being  unlocked. His breath caught in his throat.

The trunk slowly  creaked open, and Garry blinked against the sudden influx of light.  Standing over him was not the 50-year-old smelly man he had pictured.  Instead, it was a teenage girl with glowing blue eyes, her face a mix of  shock and confusion. For a moment, they just stared at each other, both  frozen by the unexpected encounter.

Without a moment of  hesitation, Garry leaped out of the trunk. The sudden movement made his  legs buckle, but adrenaline kept him upright. He sprinted in the  opposite direction, his bare feet slapping against the rough ground. He  didn't look back, nor did he question why it had been a teenage girl who  freed him. The only thing that mattered was getting away, putting as  much distance between himself and the car as possible.

There has to be someone out here that can help me... anyone! There has to be! The thought was like a mantra, keeping his legs moving despite the burning pain in his muscles.

Garry  wanted to scream—scream at the top of his lungs for help—but fear  choked the sound. What if his abductor was nearby, ready to chase him  down? The risk was too great. He couldn't afford to draw attention to  himself.

Then I won't stop moving... he resolved, forcing  his tired body to keep going. Every step felt like agony, but stopping  was not an option. He had to keep moving, had to find someone who could  help him. The dense trees and underbrush scraped against his skin, but  he welcomed the pain. It meant he was still alive, still fighting.

His  breath came in ragged gasps, his throat raw and burning. He stumbled,  his vision blurring from exhaustion, but he caught himself and kept  going. The sound of the frogs grew louder, a chorus that seemed to mock  his plight. The ground beneath his feet was uneven, littered with rocks  and roots that threatened to trip him at every turn.

He finally  emerged from the thick underbrush into a small clearing. His heart  leaped with hope when he saw a small, rundown cabin on the other side.  It was dark, the windows boarded up, but it was the first sign of  civilization he had seen. He sprinted towards it, his legs trembling  with the effort.

Garry reached the cabin and pounded on the door  with his bound hands. "Help! Please, help me!" he cried, his voice  cracking. He waited, but there was no response. He pounded again, harder  this time, the wood splintering under his fists. Still, nothing.

Despair  threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to keep going. He  had to find someone. He turned and ran along a dirt path that wound  through the trees, his eyes scanning for any sign of life. The forest  seemed endless, each step taking him deeper into the unknown.

Minutes  stretched into an eternity, but he kept moving. His legs felt like  lead, and his lungs burned with every breath. He stumbled again, this  time falling to his knees. He forced himself up, using a tree for  support.

I can't stop... I can't...

His legs felt  like they were made of lead, each step a monumental effort. The trees  loomed like silent sentinels, their branches scratching at him as if  trying to hold him back.

He stumbled into a patch of undergrowth.  The vines seemed to come alive, wrapping around his ankles and pulling  him to the ground. Panic surged through him as he struggled against the  creeping tendrils. The more he fought, the tighter they became, coiling  around his legs, his arms, and finally his torso. They felt cold and  unnatural.

No... this can't be happening...

He  thrashed wildly, but it was no use. The vines held him fast, their grip  tightening until he could hardly breathe. His vision began to blur, dark  spots dancing in front of his eyes. Exhaustion and terror overwhelmed  him, and he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.

When Garry  awoke, he was no longer in the forest. He blinked groggily, trying to  make sense of his surroundings. He was seated at a long, wooden dining  table in a dimly lit room. His heart pounded as he took in the eerie  scene before him.

Sitting around the table was a family, each  member staring at him with unsettling intensity. Their eyes glowed a  haunting blue, just like the girl who had opened the trunk. She was  there too, sitting to his right. Garry's breath caught in his throat as  he realized that every one of them had those same luminescent eyes.

What is this place?

His  body felt heavy, as if he was still partially trapped by those  supernatural vines. He tried to move, but his limbs were sluggish,  unresponsive.

"Welcome, Garry. We've been waiting for you." The  girl said. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Fear had  stolen his voice. The rest of the family remained silent, their glowing  eyes fixed on him with unsettling patience.

One of the older  women, presumably the matriarch, pushed a plate towards him. On it was a  single, grotesque item: a human eyeball, staring up at him with a  milky, lifeless gaze. Garry recoiled in horror, bile rising in his  throat.

"You must eat. It is our way." The girl said.

Garry  shook his head frantically, but his body betrayed him. His hands moved  of their own accord, reaching for the plate. He tried to resist, but it  was as if some unseen force was controlling him, guiding his actions.  His fingers closed around the eyeball, its slimy texture sending shivers  of revulsion through him.

No, no, no... His mind  screamed in silent protest, but his body continued its grim task. He  brought the eyeball to his mouth, the scent of decay filling his  nostrils. Tears streamed down his face as he bit into it, the texture  rubbery and nauseating. A sickening burst of fluid filled his mouth, and  he gagged, but he couldn't stop.

The family watched in silence,  their blue eyes glowing brighter. Garry's vision began to blur again,  the room spinning around him. He felt a darkness closing in, deeper and  more consuming than before. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness  claimed him once more was the girl with the glowing blue eyes, a  sinister smile on the corners of her lips.