The wind rushed past, branches whipping at her legs and arms. The foliage was dense and abundant quickly entangling her falling body in vines, though they did little to slow her descent. Suddenly, the foliage cleared and she could see the forest floor hurtling towards her but before she could think, she bounced to a rough halt several feet above the ground.
Thick, course fibres dug into her face as the net closed in. Momentarily stunned, she tried to steady her nerves and find out where she was. With the net swinging gently, she manoeuvred herself around and onto her back and looked up. The net had been designed to close from the top, she was trapped. Who sets a trap this close to the cliff? And why? Of more immediate concern, however, was how she was going to get out of this trap before whoever owned it was alerted.
Turning back around she looked down to see that the tree trunks on either side had been shorn of branches. The floor below looked too far to simply drop. Perhaps she could climb upwards. There was foliage overhead, which meant that there had to be branches. It may be her only option.
Tucked inside her boot was a knife she had grabbed before escaping the city. She slipped it out and inspected it. The blade was old and worn but it was better than nothing. It just needed to be sharp enough to cut through the rope. Pushing one foot between a gap in the net to secure her weight, she chose an area of frayed rope and started to saw.
Eventually, the rope began to give way. She took the package and stuffed it inside her shirt, grasped the net with one hand and with the other cut the last strand. Pushing part of the net to one side, she reached up towards the canopy. The package suddenly shifted beneath her shirt and just before it fell, before her foot found a proper hold again, her hand shot out to catch it. There was no net this time, just a sudden stop and the sound of snapping bone. She clenched her teeth trying not to make a sound but the pain in her left leg was incredible. Darkness crept in from the edges of her vision. Just then, there was a crashing noise in front of her. With great effort, she brought her face up and just before she blacked out, came face to face with a giant dog, a human body hanging limply from its jaws.