As Rick made his way down the tunnel, nothing happened.
For all the thinking, and all the concern, the tunnel truly did seem to be nothing more than a weird tunnel that had been made through the abnormal wall of vines and trees. Though it was dark, and the dirt path was well-trodden, nothing jumped out at him, and no vines struck at him after being brought to life by some ominous and deadly force.
The only noteworthy thing was that it was slightly chillier than it was outside, a feeling that persisted even as Rick exited the tunnel without incident or trouble of any kind.
Unless he tripped inside, or something like that, but that was totally on him.

On the other side of the tunnel, things were still as they seemed. The footprints were still there, and the thickets were still as dense and lively as they'd seemed to be through his Arcanist's Eye. Everything was normal- untouched.
Except, well, it was quiet. Far too quiet. There were no birds chirping in the trees, no creatures stalking through the underbrush.
Not even the gentle wind that caused the tallest parts of the trees to sway under their influence made any particularly loud sounds, even when they should.

However, that peaceful silence was broken harshly when, from further up the path, the sound of cackling and screeching echoed through the woods. Two distinct voices, both of them decidedly inhuman, reached the young Exorcist's ears, and by the sound of it, they were getting closer and closer with every passing moment. There was no lack of places for Rick to hide- the bushes that lined the path or sat further in would make wonderful cover for him to cower behind as this unknown threat made its way towards him. He could even hide up in one of the thick, tall trees that lined the path, sinking into the dense foliage and having both height and surprise on his side.

Or he could stand in the middle of the path as he was, and face whatever came head-on. He could even retreat through the tunnel if he so wished, but if he did that, where would he go afterwards? Judging by the volume of the cackling that once again echoed its way down the path towards him, the things- people or not- were getting closer by the second. He had enough time to choose a suitable hiding place and get to it, but that was about it.

The clock was ticking. He had 40 seconds before whatever they were rounded the corner of the path ahead and saw him. It was probably important to note that the path curved to Rick's left, but what that information meant to him was for only him to know.