Challenge #1

I ducked under the branch, pushing away the Spanish moss that hung down from it. I gasped. I was standing in a clearing softly shaded by drooping willow branches. Yellow and orange leaves had just started to fall from the canopy above, and my feet made no sound as I crept through the forest alone. But I'm not alone. I thought. Not by a long shot.
I heard a trickling noise and looked over to see as spring coming up from the ground in calm spurts, as if to say, "I can do this without even thinking." I swooped over low and knelt beside the spring of water and cupped my hands. Gathering water in my small hands, I resisted the urge to take a huge gulp right from the stream of water. But I knew I had to stay awake. It was not daybreak yet, which meant I had to keep going. I would drink later. I splashed the cold water on my face, instantly awaking my senses to the frigid chill that every night from here on would bring. It settled over me like a blanket with no warmth. But I couldn't stop now. I was almost away. I was almost free. I slurped the water from the spring quickly, ignoring the icy numbness that seemed to place itself on my lips even as I drank.
When I had had my fill, I turned to pick up my purse. I had only essential items packed. I looked down at the wrinkled and mud stained dress that now hung limply from my small shoulders, contrasting greatly with the fit it had had just nights before. I debated in my head whether or not to change clothes yet. I only had a set amount of clothing in my bag, but then, this would be the perfect time to wash my dress. As I thought, I glanced over at the spring as though it held the answer I looked for and so desperately needed. It held nothing but the water the still flowed from it, taunting me in every way. I chanced a look at the moon, not truly wanting to know the time, but needing to. By the position of the moon, I could tell the sun would not rise for nearly three hours.
I spun around, studying all sides of the clearing, doing my best to sense any movement other than my own. There was nothing. I heard nothing, and the jumpiness I had first felt as a fled from the house had subsided. Turning away from the direction I knew would lead back where I had come from, I pulled the dress over my head, spreading mud through my hair in the process. No sooner had I let my bra straps slip from my shoulders, I heard a noise coming from behind me. I froze, listening intently. I heard a soft footfall, then another, and another. Clutching the dress against my breasts, I whirled around to face the footsteps.
I gasped as the figure came into focus. My palms began sweating and my legs shook, threatening to run without my consent, although I would've been perfectly happy to oblige at this point.
"Hey little sis." He said, something like venom in his voice. "Out for a midnight stroll, are we?" I stopped dead. There was no way he would've caught up that fast. I was hit with a truth that made me feel helpless and weak. He had been following me. And I had known nothing.