My heart was threatening to burst through my chest if I didn’t stop running soon, but my stride didn’t break. If anything I forced myself faster, the branches whipped my face and my exposed arms, as I ran blindly through the dense forest. I didn’t know where I was running to, or what I was running from but my head was screaming at me to keep running, and every cell in my body contradicted it, screaming at me to stop. A raging burn filled my legs and I stumbled, grabbing at thin air to steady myself. I ended up face down on the forest floor with a mouthful of moss and mud. Retching and spitting I sat up carefully, and looked around me, acutely aware of a dull ache beginning to throb at the front of my head. I reached up and gently stroked my forehead, brushing my fair brown hair off my face. There, underneath my fringe, was a large lump. I touched it tentatively, it didn’t feel too painful, but I could feel the headache coming on already. I looked down at the large flat rock I had head butted. It was hard to see, concealed beneath the earth and pine needles. Trust me to land on it.
The wind whistled through the trees and I was suddenly very aware of my surroundings, I could feel it tickling the back of my neck, and it almost sounded like it was whispering my name. I blamed it on the bump I had sustained from my faceplant. There was something else, though, something that didn’t fit with my woodland surroundings. I clambered to my feet and brushed the mud from, well everywhere. It was streaked down my t-shirt and caked to the knees of my jeans. I looked back to where I had fallen and I laughed to myself at the skid I had left in the dirt. My laugh sounded alien, it didn’t echo like it should’ve, I seemed to be absorbed by the trees. I stopped abruptly and listened. There was no sound at all now, whoever, or whatever, had been following me had gone. Or it was very good at hiding. I shivered and looked around me, everything looked the same. There was definitely something out of place, I spun around quickly. Scanning the forest for anything. I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself and then it hit me. My nose was filled with an unusual scent. I inhaled again, trying to decipher the puzzling aroma; it was sweet but also heavy. Sticky even, a strange mixture of blossom and smoke and...What was that? I sniffed again, all around me. It was pungent, seeping through the sweetness of the first smell. Ugh, it was disgusting. Subtle, but disgusting. The smell of damp and stagnant water and...Bleach? I sniffed again, but it was gone. Carried away by the wind it seemed, all I could smell now was the deep earthy smell of pine and sap. I stamped my foot in frustration, I was counting on the smell to maybe, just maybe lead me out of here. And now it had gone.
I was debating sliding down against a tree and waiting for someone to find me, or to die, when I heard a low snarl coming from the trees all around me. Or at least that’s what it sounded like; maybe it was my head playing tricks on me. My hand automatically flew to my forehead and I touched the bump again. It was tender and the pain was beginning to pulsate through my head. Something caused a flurry of black birds to evacuate the tree they were perched in, and they erupted into the sky like a mushroom cloud, cawing loudly. I jumped back and straight into a tree. This was enough to set me off again, tearing through the trees waiting for the sound behind me. For something to start chasing me, but nothing came. I didn’t stop, I didn’t care. I pounded on; searching for some sort of path through the trees, but my feet only touched the soft pine floor.
“James!” Did I just hear that right? Someone was shouting my name? I kept running, trying to follow the sound. It wasn’t a voice I recognised, but I didn’t care. The sound didn’t come again, or if it did I didn’t hear it. The blood was roaring in my ears as I plummeted headlong through the trees, not slowing, stumbling over roots and then there it was again, clearer this time, not so far away. My name, called out. I nearly cried with happiness, and then I remembered that I was a 15 year old boy, and we didn’t cry. Not even out of happiness. Especially out of happiness in fact. There was a break in the trees up ahead of me, this better not be my head taking the mickey again. I used my last reserves of strength and forced my legs to carry me on, despite every inch of me wanting to stop and collapse. This was definitely not a trick, I could see the dim sunlight filtering through the trees and I reached out just as I broke through the outside skirt of the trees and onto a dirt track. I stumbled to a stop and blinked feverishly in the glare of a bright torch. What the...?
It was early evening and the sun had just dipped down behind the trees, leaving the forest shrouded in a dim grey light. It seemed darker surrounded by the imposing woodland and the evening was cool and crisp. I looked around me, how did someone know I was here? The dirt track seemed to stretch on endlessly in both directions and the trees either side looked identical all the way along. I put my hand up in front of my face trying to shield my eyes from the glare. As I did so the torch flicked off, submerging us in the darkness that had descended in the few minutes I had been standing there. I blinked again, trying to clear the white spots dancing in front of my eyes. I squinted into the darkness trying to make out the figure standing there; they were leaning against a car and I stepped forward cautiously. The figure saw me at the same time I saw her and she laughed. I saw her eyes taking in my dirty outfit, my matted hair which was filled with pine needles and the jeans with the muddy, ripped knees. She shook her head teasingly and smiled at me. Who was she? I was more than slightly confused and I fingered the leather cord hanging round my neck, something I always did when I was nervous or confused. As if in answer to my unspoken question she introduced herself.
“I’m Georgia – she held out her slim hand – nice to finally meet you” I wiped my hands down my jeans, failing to make them any cleaner, and shook her hand quickly. Wait. Nice to finally meet you. She knew who I was? I didn’t think my brain could take much more confusion and I stood like an idiot in front of her, not knowing what to do. She opened the door to the sleek black car behind her and jumped into the front passenger seat. I didn’t move from my spot. The front window slid down effortlessly and she pointed to the back door.
“Get in then!” I hesitated, looking back into the forest where I had just run from. Quickly I wrenched open to back door and fell into the car. The leather was soft and creamy and I felt a wave of guilt pass through me as I saw the muddy patch I was making on the seat.
the branches whipped my face and my exposed arms - i think it would flow better if you say: 
