It was roughly twilight when I came across her. Standing there. Still as a statue.

We aren’t supposed to go into the woods. The Society forbids it, they say it’s dangerous, that it will lead predators back home. Yet, in all my years sneaking out at the break of dawn, this is the first sight of any other living creature out here. I freeze upon sight of her, mirroring her statue-like presence.

I’m calling it a ‘her’, but I can’t be sure. She’s wearing a dark dress, the kind we we’re shown pictures of in class from centuries ago. But there’s a spotless, white cloth over her head. Nothing is that clean anymore and seeing something so white unnerves me more than anything. I see the briefcase she’s carrying twitch slightly. The first sign that this creature before me is indeed alive.

‘Hello?’ I ask, the quiver in my tone revealing my nerves. I want to kick myself. Never show if you’re weak, always have the upper hand. I definitely feel weak now as the head of this mystery figure turns to face the direction of my voice. The movement is disjointed, as if she’s having trouble or being forced against her will.

This small movement causes the white cloth to slip. Any feelings I’d had up until this point pale in comparison to the panic I feel rise up in me now.

I look straight into the eyes of a corpse. My own corpse.