Footprints in the snow

Imogen nudges the mare towards the buildings and begins to reminisce. She felt sorry for Sarah. They'd been friends. A long time ago, they were friends. Children playing together in the woods, much like these. She remembers the games they'd play, pretending they were witches or fairies or whatever else Sarah would come up with. But eventually, Imogen grew up and moved on. She got into sports at school, started getting interested in dating. But Sarah was always the same, drawing in her little notebooks, imagining other worlds where there weren't any. But she was harmless, Imogen thought. She always did well in school, didn't seem to have trouble telling what was real and what wasn't.

They took her away anyway. It was a small town, rumors spread. Her parents pulled her out of class one day and she just... disappeared. Imogen moved on, didn't think about it. Went to the police academy, got a job. And then, what was she supposed to do? She heard about the escape. Apparently Sarah had ended up in maximum security. Nobody was sure why. Hell, she checked the records! But it seems like they were always under lock and key. Nothing except that somebody had died, and Sarah got the blame.

The smell of wood-smoke rouses her from her thoughts. Imogen looks forward and sees a log cabin with a barn and a shed ahead of her. Its curtained windows are lit by a warm glow from inside. The path continues a ways with a few smaller cabins scattered around, but they seem uninhabited - or at least, no fire is lit inside.