Run! Run! Keep going. Don't stop! Faster! He's coming for me! Oh God, he's
coming for me!!
I pounded my way down the dark alleyway. My legs felt like lead and my throat was burning. I couldn't turn back, I couldn't stop, I didn't even know if He was still following me. My mind was panicking, screaming at me to run. So I ran. It told me not to look back. I didn't look back. It told me to turn left. I turned left out into a dark, deserted street.
Every shadow looked like Him coming to grab me. Every distant car horn sounded like Him screaming out in rage. My legs were aching, my whole body was trembling as if I had just been violently sick.
I kept running, until I couldn't go on anymore. My legs seemed to be made out of concrete. I slowed to a halt, breathing heavily and with difficulty. Every breath was sharp in my chest. It was only now that I became all to aware of the pain on my face, became aware of the blood in my mouth. That's where He had struck me.
I wanted to die, just curl up on the ground into a ball and fade away into the night. But I couldn't. Not now. Now when he was still out there, searching for me. But where was he?
The night was still and silent. The way I liked it best. I took a moment to breathe in the sweet night air, to feel it fresh on my hot face. The moon was full and bright. It cast an eerie light over the tall buildings on either side of me.
'Stupid girl,' said a sudden, soft, cold voice from behind me. My heart jumped into my throat, and what felt like ice slipped into my stomach. I spun around on the spot, and came face-to-face with a pair of starring black eyes, full of evil laughter and triumph. He was grinning. I stumbled backwards.
'You should have known better than to run from me,' he said, in his oiliest voice, 'You know you can't hide. I thought your mother proved that to us both not so long ago.'
His last words echoed around in my head, as if he had shouted them at me. Some of my fear left me, and was instantly replaced by anger. I took a blind step forward.
'Wh - what do you want?' I demanded, starring into his black eyes. It was like starring down two long black tunnels.
He sneered slightly. 'Aah, I admire your bravery. You always have been the strong one. Too bad you're good. We could have done with someone like you on our side.' He advanced on me slowly, his smirk still firmly in place. But I stood my ground.
'What are you talking about?'
'Stupid girl,' he said again as he shook his head slowly, 'I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now.'
'Figured what out?' I took a quick step backwards as he continued to advance, and felt myself bump into a wall behind me. I was trapped, and he kept advancing slowly.
'Figured out that I would have killed you sooner or later, one way or another.' He slid his long hand into his black cloak. 'Goodbye Monique.'
What happened next went so fast that I hardly had time to register what was going on. He had pulled out a long sliver dagger, raised it high about his head, then thrust it down with a loud groan. I screamed, petrified to the spot, pressing into the wall like I wanted to fall right through it with my eyes closed tight. I waited for the hot searing pain that was the knife in my chest, waited for the darkness to surround me and death to take me away. But it never came.
There were a few terrified minutes where I stood, frozen, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps he was playing a trick? A horrible trick, where he made me think I was safe, before jumping out and killing me. No, that wasn't like him. When he wanted something done, he usually went ahead and did it.
I took a huge breath, willing my legs to stop shaking. I braced myself and slowly opened my eyes. The sight that I saw caused me to let out a terrified sort of squeak. My knees gave way, and I collapsed onto the freezing footpath.
He was still there, the knife was just inches from my chest before I collapsed. His mouth was twisted in rage, and his cold eyes were fixed on the wall behind me. But he wasn't moving. What the hell was going on?
The sound of hurrying footsteps announced the arrival on three tall dark figures. I squinted through the darkness, trying to see who the three strangers were. They seemed to be girls, all in their later twenties.
'Piper, kill him!' One of them screamed, franticly.
The girl in the middle flicked her hands, and He unfroze next to me.
'What the.?' He spun around on the spot.
The middle girl flicked her hands again. There was a small explosion, an echoing scream of agony and the place where He had stood was now empty. I let out another terrified moan from my place on the path. I had to get away. I couldn't stay here. I had to move!
I tried and failed to stand up. My legs weren't co-operating any more. Now, instead of being filled with lead, they had turned to jelly.
I pounded my way down the dark alleyway. My legs felt like lead and my throat was burning. I couldn't turn back, I couldn't stop, I didn't even know if He was still following me. My mind was panicking, screaming at me to run. So I ran. It told me not to look back. I didn't look back. It told me to turn left. I turned left out into a dark, deserted street.
Every shadow looked like Him coming to grab me. Every distant car horn sounded like Him screaming out in rage. My legs were aching, my whole body was trembling as if I had just been violently sick.
I kept running, until I couldn't go on anymore. My legs seemed to be made out of concrete. I slowed to a halt, breathing heavily and with difficulty. Every breath was sharp in my chest. It was only now that I became all to aware of the pain on my face, became aware of the blood in my mouth. That's where He had struck me.
I wanted to die, just curl up on the ground into a ball and fade away into the night. But I couldn't. Not now. Now when he was still out there, searching for me. But where was he?
The night was still and silent. The way I liked it best. I took a moment to breathe in the sweet night air, to feel it fresh on my hot face. The moon was full and bright. It cast an eerie light over the tall buildings on either side of me.
'Stupid girl,' said a sudden, soft, cold voice from behind me. My heart jumped into my throat, and what felt like ice slipped into my stomach. I spun around on the spot, and came face-to-face with a pair of starring black eyes, full of evil laughter and triumph. He was grinning. I stumbled backwards.
'You should have known better than to run from me,' he said, in his oiliest voice, 'You know you can't hide. I thought your mother proved that to us both not so long ago.'
His last words echoed around in my head, as if he had shouted them at me. Some of my fear left me, and was instantly replaced by anger. I took a blind step forward.
'Wh - what do you want?' I demanded, starring into his black eyes. It was like starring down two long black tunnels.
He sneered slightly. 'Aah, I admire your bravery. You always have been the strong one. Too bad you're good. We could have done with someone like you on our side.' He advanced on me slowly, his smirk still firmly in place. But I stood my ground.
'What are you talking about?'
'Stupid girl,' he said again as he shook his head slowly, 'I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now.'
'Figured what out?' I took a quick step backwards as he continued to advance, and felt myself bump into a wall behind me. I was trapped, and he kept advancing slowly.
'Figured out that I would have killed you sooner or later, one way or another.' He slid his long hand into his black cloak. 'Goodbye Monique.'
What happened next went so fast that I hardly had time to register what was going on. He had pulled out a long sliver dagger, raised it high about his head, then thrust it down with a loud groan. I screamed, petrified to the spot, pressing into the wall like I wanted to fall right through it with my eyes closed tight. I waited for the hot searing pain that was the knife in my chest, waited for the darkness to surround me and death to take me away. But it never came.
There were a few terrified minutes where I stood, frozen, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps he was playing a trick? A horrible trick, where he made me think I was safe, before jumping out and killing me. No, that wasn't like him. When he wanted something done, he usually went ahead and did it.
I took a huge breath, willing my legs to stop shaking. I braced myself and slowly opened my eyes. The sight that I saw caused me to let out a terrified sort of squeak. My knees gave way, and I collapsed onto the freezing footpath.
He was still there, the knife was just inches from my chest before I collapsed. His mouth was twisted in rage, and his cold eyes were fixed on the wall behind me. But he wasn't moving. What the hell was going on?
The sound of hurrying footsteps announced the arrival on three tall dark figures. I squinted through the darkness, trying to see who the three strangers were. They seemed to be girls, all in their later twenties.
'Piper, kill him!' One of them screamed, franticly.
The girl in the middle flicked her hands, and He unfroze next to me.
'What the.?' He spun around on the spot.
The middle girl flicked her hands again. There was a small explosion, an echoing scream of agony and the place where He had stood was now empty. I let out another terrified moan from my place on the path. I had to get away. I couldn't stay here. I had to move!
I tried and failed to stand up. My legs weren't co-operating any more. Now, instead of being filled with lead, they had turned to jelly.