Bzzt. Bzzt.

It was an unwelcome sound to be sure. The lump in bed shifted, chasing after the warmth of sleep and dreams. Blonde hair pooled across the pillow, having been tangled in the restless night and in need of a wash. Working all night did that to a person.

Bzzt.

"Fuck it, I'm up." The lump lurched forward, stormy grey eyes blinking in the daylight. If only there was more time for sleep... Yawning, the woman slipped her feet into mismatched slippers and ambled off to the bathroom. Her home was still filled with boxes; even though she had moved into the house months ago, it seems she hadn't had the time to unpack.

Brush, brush, spit. She splashed water on her face, and let her hands fumble blindly for a towel. Might as well start the day off right... She even managed the mess of short hair into her easy-to-maintain style. It's been months since her hair was cut, but what was originally a bob seemed to grow out nicely. It was a little basic, but it didn't look terrible. Maybe a hair clip to pin part of it behind her ear will make it look better. She didn't take long to get dressed, either; a knee-length brown skirt, white buttoned blouse and pink cardigan was all she needed.

Luckily, this was a day off. Sitting down in the small kitchen with a hot coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs (the only thing she didn't burn), the woman was wide awake by the time her plate was clean. Papers were strewn all over her table, but she plucked up a leather bound journal, and snagged her bag and keys on her way out the door. The sun was bright...

"Good morning, S."

The woman flinched, turning to see her neighbor and friend leaning on her porch railing. "Geez, Wen... Don't sneak up on me."

The younger man was barely an adult, but he was already at a high-paying computers job. He stood barely taller than her, wearing an inside out shirt and sweats. Even his feathery green-dyed hair laid messily. What a slobby look; then again, he normally looked like this. "Yeah? But who's gonna wake my dear Sera up in the morning?"

"I'm already awake, you creep." Shaking her head, Sera fixed her bag across her torso so that it rested properly on her shoulder. "And why aren't you working?"

He stretched, shoulders popping. "Cause I already finished my workload last night." Now it was clear why he was disheveled - he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. His job was moderating for a server from his own home, so he could end up setting his own hours- though he always worked late in the night and hardly slept.

Wen's stupid grin was wiped off when Sera took a firm pinch of his cheek and started dragging him off the porch. "You. Get your ass. To bed."

"Wait! Ow, damnit Sera!" The young man was awkwardly slouched, following her. "Come on!"

"I'm going out for my walk. Go sleep, and then later I'm taking you with me to get groceries." Sometimes Sera felt more like his mother than best friend; but then again someone had to make sure he was eating properly.

Wen rubbed his cheek once he was free, stopping on the edge of his own front walk. "Yeah, got it mooom~!"

"Cut the crap and get inside." She smiled though, despite her harsh words. "I'll be back later." With that, she turned to face the forest.

This was the charm of living in a small town; their two houses were on the dead end of the street. It was only a moment before she was surrounded by the calming woods. The scent of pine, fresh dew and chilly morning air was enough to raise the young woman's spirits a tad.

Sera dug into her bag and pulled out a small, digital camera. As a journalist of a nature magazine, she had to find new images for the next month's issue. Otherwise, her editor would likely have her head...

It was nice work to do on the weekend, though. Kneeling down to get the best shot of the river, or catching squirrel play in a small clearing - this is what made all this worth it. The morning seemed to fly by the deeper in the woods she had gotten, but she couldn't bring herself to finish up just yet. She hardly ever got days off from both the cafe and the magazine, so...

Just taking a break near a brook seemed to clear her mind somewhat. With a turkey sandwich packed for lunch now in hand, she wrote down a few notes about her shots. It would help sorting through what she had, after all. It was such a beautiful day, so she could take all the time in the world.

But before she knew it, she had gotten herself lost. Different paths seemed to have winded her deeper into the woods; and of course, her phone's GPS didn't help one whit. Stupid thing... But she could figure her way out right? Yeah, no problem. Just walk back the way she came... Which was where again?

"Come on..."

It seemed the woods were just getting denser though. She had to find her way out... Or did she catch a glimpse of someone? A figure between the trees spurred the woman to follow. People meant a way out. And as soon as she was out, she was going to have Wen update her phone.

"Excuse me! Sir, I'm a little lost..." Now that she neared, he was damn tall. But still, he hadn't turned until she spoken from right behind him. "Sir..."

But as he moved, Sera's eyes widened to see the stranger's face - or lack of one. He seemingly was looking right at her, and hadn't made another move. It was almost like he was waiting for her reaction.

"Oh. You're... Probably filming something right? Or larping or whatever?" Yeah, that had to be fake. "It's nice work. But can you help me get out of here?

There was a voice nagging at the back of her mind, but she didn't pay it any mind. At least, not until he spoke. A deep, hollow voice emanated from where his lips would be. "Follow... Me."

Just the sound of his voice seemed to cause a dull ache in her head. And now that little feeling in her head was more concerned. A man in a suit and mask in the middle of the woods wasn't exactly a good idea... "Uh, actually I just need to be pointed in the right direction." She stepped back nervously.

He didn't seem to see her hesitation, but rather started in her direction. A jolt of panic hit Sera square in the chest, and she started moving backwards much more quickly.

"You're in the middle of something, I won't interrupt, haha... I-I'll just go...-!" She gasped, tripping backwards when suddenly the man went from a few meters away to mere inches. Sera landed hard on the ground; it wasn't more than a second before she was scrambling on her feet to book it like a bat out of hell.

She didn't take the time to see if he was following, she was just sprinting through the undergrowth without a care for the branches whipping against her ankles. This wasn't a situation she wanted to be in, and like hell she was going be caught by some creep in a mask.

Though she really should have paid more attention to where she was going. A misstep on a loose rock, and her face was slammed firmly into the dirt and weeds. With a stinging nose and scraped chin, she tried to get back up. "Fuck!" She flopped back down, reaching to gingerly touch her ankle. The loose rock must've caused her ankle to pull when she had fallen flat on her face. This was what she got, for not wearing her running shoes. But this was only supposed to be a walk on the path- not running for dear life.

"S'there a problem, girly?"

Sera whipped around to see a man in a red and white hoody, walking over from a distance. "Th-there's some wierdo guy- he... He..."

It wasn't just a red and white hoody. The sleeves and front were stained different shades of red and brown. And this man's face was scarred from burns and... A scar resembling a smile. "Some /weirdo/? Well, ain't that somethin' huh? I think my pal's skulking around somewhere, if that's what ya mean..." A hoarse laugh suddenly shook his shoulders.

Sera flinched at the sound of his laugh, scooting back enough to pull herself onto her feet. "Stay... Stay away from me." She started to limp away, trying to watch the man as she shuffled backwards. Her hand was inching for her bag...

"Aw, that's no fun!" He started walking towards her- the knife in his hand was much more evident now. With a shriek, she brandished her rather small switchblade in his direction. "You're not that smart, huh? Ever think about looking where you're going?"

He had said that too late. She felt herself bump into something; with horror, she looked up to see the man from before. The dull ache she had felt before suddenly bloomed in greater force, and Sera couldn't help but collapse where she was. The last thing she heard was laughter...

Author: So, wow. It's been literally years since I last wrote. I'm sorry that I left a lot of people hanging, but I lost a lot of motivation after hitting my senior year of high school and losing a relationship. My writing kind of came to a dead halt, and I've tried to push myself back into writing without any luck until now. A lot of things changed, like a new job, new plans for the future... But some of my stories have not. A lot of my fics are things I've enjoyed years of my life with, so I want to continue them as best I can. I may not be touching the Harry Potter fanfiction for a long time(I honestly don't remember writing it and i get the heeby jeebies thinking about it), but I know what I want to do- this fanfiction, and my first project, OCaD. I'm still debating if I want to mainly upload here, or on Archive of Our Own. We'll just... Have to see. Anyways, please enjoy this in reward for your amazing patience with me!