Clip-clap, clip-clap, clip…
I could hear his shoes tapping against the pavement. Their speed neither increasing nor reducing, just that same steady clomp.
I turned around once again to see that he wasn’t there but I knew he had come just that much closer. I couldn’t tell whether it was a man or if it was a woman, it was too dark to tell. It seemed masculine though. I don’t know why it was important to know the gender, it just was.
Oh God! This was actually happening to me! It was all just a game to him, literary. He had given me half an hour to get away, at the end of the hour—I don’t even want to think of it.
The sun had set at least twenty minutes ago; I don’t know how long I had been running. The only illumination was the moon, big and around in the surprisingly clear sky.
I didn’t know how much longer I would have to go on running. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me, I can feel a horrible stitch in my side that was killing me--
Suddenly I tripped over a tree root and fell, sprawling all over the floor. I looked down to see that I had scraped my knees and palms. My face also stung, my entire head was throbbing. Blood trickled down everywhere; hopefully I wouldn’t leave a trail.
Mocking laughter echoed from behind me somewhere.
“You okay?” unbelievable, I thought, he actually managed to sound concerned. I heard a sigh riddled with faux concern come from him. “I don’t usually like my prey injured, I enjoy being the one doing the injuring.” He finished with a tinkering laugh.
So much for concern.
I hurriedly scrambled back up to my feet and resumed running.
“Aahh…little girrrll!” he said in a sing song voice. “Where do you think you’re going? Do you actually think you can get away from me?!!” he said in disbelief.
“But I don’t care though,” he continued in that same sing song voice. “I enjoy when they let me hunt!” I couldn’t believe how delighted he sounded. My stomach lurched. I was afraid I was going to be sick. How could a human being enjoy giving so much pain to others? I assumed ‘they’ were his previous victims, victims I was absolutely determined not to be counted as.
Clip-clap, clip-clap…
I felt my heart rate pick up speed and kept on running. I turned around again to see that he was still walking steadily on, but somehow still coming even closer…
I wasn’t going to die, I couldn’t, and I still had my whole life ahead of me, I was too young to die. I had finally graduated; giving me chance to finally have the chance to leave this dump.
I heard a sobbing sound erupt from somewhere, I heard it again which then alerted me that I was the source. I reached up to my face to try to stifle the anguish ridden sounds that seemed to be coming from my mouth. My hands brushed my cheeks in the process; I was stunned to feel tear tracks. My mouth was full of salt because of them and they were burning the various scraps on my face. I never cry, not over anything and I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had made me cry. I quickly brushed my cheeks and hardened my resolve.
I should have listened, I thought. Who could have thought that my mother’s paranoid talk could have made sense? Never go through alley ways, when it’s dark, or any other times. Never walk home alone, don’t trust any strangers. This kind of thing didn’t happen in small towns though, so why was it happening to me?
I was a good person; I gave away to charities, walked old ladies across the street, I always listened to my parents, and took care of my younger siblings.
Oh God!
Who was going to take care of them now?! Not my parents of course, they were never at home. God, I wish I had talked to them more, at least given them a chance to get to know me better.
I nearly tripped again but stopped myself by bracing myself with the wall. There was mold growing on it, green mildew all over the place. There were cracks in some places, while in others; there weren’t any bricks at all. I never realized how run down the town actually was. I don’t know why I was noticing this things, there weren’t important! This place was just always my parents pride and joy; at times I even thought they cared more about it than their own children. I guess I’m trying to see the appeal.
A large gust of wind suddenly whipped past.
My hair whipped around my face, making it harder to see. I must have lost my hair tie along the way. That’s when I noticed how very cold it actually was. Winter was setting in; the leaves had fallen off the trees. The place looked so barren, when usually; the town looked so---so full of life.
Aah! What was wrong with me? I just couldn’t seem to stifle the unimportant thoughts. Thought after thought just kept barreling in my mind, at least they kept the terror somewhat at bay.
I rounded a corner and wondered why there wasn’t anybody around; there are always at least a dozen or so people in the streets. It seemed so quiet, eerily so in fact. There wasn’t a sound to be heard. The whole town felt like a ghost town, no body seemed to be around, anywhere.
I never thought I would me so grateful that I ran track, but even with my experience, I was starting to lose steam. I never seemed to be going anywhere. I didn’t want to give up though, I couldn’t. Life had never seemed so precious before, but then again, I never thought I would have to worry about death until I was an old lady surrounded by my children and grandchildren. Not like this, it never was supposed to be like this, I never thought I would have to fight for the right to life!
I thought of all those people who committed suicide everyday. I had never hated anybody more. If I could switch places, I would in a heart beat. Anything they’re going through couldn’t possibly be worse than death, nothing.
I didn’t know where I was going to go, all I knew was that I couldn’t go home, I couldn’t bring this monster to my family. I didn’t know what I would have done if this were happening to one of my sisters or brothers. I had practically raised them; they were my pride and joy.
I saw the town maze up ahead and made a snap decision. I supposed I had a fifty-fifty chance. Not everybody knew that there were several hiding places, I do though. Or he could find me and no one would no where to look for my body.
“What are you thinnkkingg, pretty girrlll?” he went on in that awful voice. Awful because it was just so beautiful, you would never think that such beauty would hold such evil.
I quickly turned around one more time to see how close he was this time. It seemed that no matter how fast I ran, he was closer. I could feel that he was closer because the closer he got the more air got sucked out of the air. Dramatic, I know, but that’s just how it seemed to be. The hair on the back of my neck would stand up and chills would go down my back.
It reminded me of all those horror movies I loved to watch, about the villain that didn’t seem to tire, never seemed to slow, the ones that never seemed to be human. After this, I vowed, there wouldn’t be anymore horror movies, I don’t think I could ever watch them anyway; they would just bring me back to this.
Suddenly the feeling just stopped, I didn’t think he was there anymore. He turned around to check.
He wasn’t there.
I didn’t make the mistake of thinking I was suddenly safe, so I continued on with my plan.
I hurried into the maze and zigzagged my way through until I found a place that I knew no one would find me. I waited, patiently, hoping it wouldn’t take long for him to give up.
I fought to steady my racing heart beat, to quiet my loud breathing. My swallow breaths sounded like gunshots in the quiet night. I couldn’t let him find me. I just couldn’t!
“Not gonna tell me what you’re thinking? Where you aaarree? Okay! I guess I’m gonna have to find out on my oowwwn!”
Suddenly there was a tremendous pressure in the back of my head, so awful I nearly gave up then and there and cried out. Then the pressure just stopped but before I could wallow in my relief I felt my mind just give, like it had opened or something. If I had had time I would have given more thought to that, but I didn’t. The sensation was akin to a window being opened, like my mind had been breached, as silly as that may sound.
“Wheerree aaarree yyoouu?! I’ll find you eventually you know.” He said chuckling. “Aahh! I know!”
Suddenly there was a whoosh of air, and then he was right. In. Front. Of. Me.
“There you aaarrre!!! Didn’t I tell you that I’d find you? Yes I dddiiid!!”
My heart just stopped. I swear it skipped a beat. I knew I couldn’t run, I wouldn’t beg though, I just knew it wouldn’t make a difference to him either, that he would relish it in fact.
I was going to look him in the eye when he killed me; I wasn’t going to be a coward.
I raised my head and looked up to the face of my tormentor. I couldn’t believe what I saw, how horrible the sight before was.
I looked into the most beautiful face I had ever seen, a face too beautiful to be human. A face that of an angel, almost feminine. A face that was so tranquil and serene. He gently smiled down at me and suddenly all my fear evaporated.
He kneeled down beside me and caressed the side of my face with the back of his hand. “Its okay, no need to be afraid,” he said, and all I wanted was to believe him.
“I won’t hurt you—much.” He finished with a giggle. Suddenly all of my earlier fear rushed back at me. This was I monster I tried to remind myself, don’t think other wise.
He tilted his head and looked at me with a quizzical look on his face, like he knew what I was thinking. Then he smiled, a smile so radiant, it blinded me for a second.
“That’s not nice,” he said giggling again. “I’m not a monster.” He finished firmly, as if to convince himself. Then he threw back his head and gave a full blown laugh at what I assumed was a look of horror on my face. He knew what I was thinking!
Suddenly his hand moved from my cheek to my hair. He used it to pull my head back; the sting from it brought tears to my eyes.
I looked straight into his eyes, eyes that were suddenly completely black, a soul less black. He lost his perpetual smile then and his face just seemed to shift, and if anything, became even more beautiful, if that was even possible.
That just disgusted me--
Then he started to do the weirdest thing, he started to…to—glow? There was this rainbow of light radiating from him.
The air round me chilled. Frost was puffing put of my mouth every time I breathed out. At the same time, everything seemed to hold still, even the trees stopped swaying. All seemed to hold its breath for a second. Chills ran down my back. Oh Gad, something bad is about to happen…
His smile was back again and I looked back at him. Suddenly a dam seemed to burst and all the emotions, all the fear I had tried to hold back came forth. Horror radiated through my body, he wasn’t human. This—this thing was going to end my life. His smile seemed to widen, as if in agreement.
“How do you like my face little girl?” he said with an edge of mockery, knowing how distasteful I found his face.
I was amazed with the level of detachment I was experiencing right now. I knew what the end result to this was going to be, but I just couldn’t seem to accept it. I felt like this wasn’t really happening that I was at home right now, in my comfy bed, experiencing a nightmare that I wouldn’t even remember when I woke up.
Looking at him, I suddenly knew I was going to die, just knew it. There was nothing I could possibly do to save myself from this.
He looked satisfied, as if he knew the conclusion I had come to and approved.
He sighed, a long drone out almost weary sounding noise. “I wish I could keep you alive longer, your thoughts just fascinate me, but alas, I can not.” He sounded even…regretful. “I don’t want to be doing this, honestly.” And I almost believed him. Almost.
He leaned into me and instead of trying to fight; my body seemed to have gone completely immobile. He placed the palm of his hand right over where my heart was to be and then…
Pain.
Agonizing, agonizing pain. It seemed to go on and on forever, neither abating, nor increasing. It was so agonizing that I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn’t help but give into my need to scream, hoping that somebody, anybody would hear me. That hope however wasn’t realized because the pain kept on going.
I was screaming for him to stop, trying to scream, the word was shattered, throttled as I fought to breath, to accept the fact that I was actually…dying. This was really happening.
Then, blessed numbness. There wasn’t any pain what so ever. I knew though, that the lack of pain wasn’t because he had stopped, but because I was dying. It didn’t feel so bad; certainly not the way I always thought dying would be like. My only thought was who would take care of my siblings? I felt like I was drifting away, into a sea of calm, it was very peaceful. I was so tempted to just let go, but I wanted to hold on for a little bit longer, just a little bit. I was losing though, the pull becoming too strong for me to fight, that I just didn’t want to anymore. It seemed like it was just waiting for me to give in because as soon as I did, I felt a tremendous burst of pain, and then…
Blackness.