But the shouting was getting closer.
Too close.
He pushed harder, forcing his legs to move faster than they wanted to—
His foot hit something.
A root.
It twisted under him.
Billy lost his balance.
He stumbled forward, arms flailing, trying to catch himself—
—and the ground disappeared.
For a split second, he didn’t understand what had happened.
The trees were gone.
The earth was gone.
He was falling.