Read This: If this story seems to be written weird, it's because me and my friend wrote in alternating paragraphs. She wrote a few lines and then I wrote a few lines, etc. Anyway...

Read on...

"I…I saw him! I s-saw him, I s-swear! Right there, right be-behind that tree over there, in-in the r-river!" Tears streamed down the little boy's cheeks, his face completely drained of color. He was trying desperately to speak through his wheezing sobs.

"Mm-mm. Sure you did." The boy's older brother, Derek, said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Derek's friend, Jason, stepped around the crackling fire and patted Connor's head. "It was just a story. Don't worry about it. It's not real."

"No! Not your stupid story! Something else, something…I…I…I don't know."

Jason sighed and folded his arms, starring down at Connor. "What do you mean?" His voice not even trying to sound interested or concerned.

"I've seen him before…I know I have." Connor lowered his voice to a whisper.

Derek finally heard the true fear in his brother's voice. He grabbed his shoulder and gently pushed him down, sitting him on a mossy log. "Well, what did he look like? You have to know that much."

Connor hesitated to take a deep breath. "…He was really tall and…had a suit."

Ronny, another one of Derek's friends, interrupted the conversation. "A suit? Come on! He's just trying to mess with us."

"No I'm not!" Connor whined.

All three of them just stared at him, taking quick glances at each other.

"So…" Ronny broke the silence, smirking. "He looked like The Penguin from Batman?" He chuckled at his own lame joke.

"Dude, that guy wears a tuxedo." Derek corrected him teasingly.

"Not to mention the worst villain in superhero history." Jason added.

"Nah, that can't be true. What about-"

"Stop!" The three turned their attention toward Connor once more. "You're not even listening to me!"

Derek sighed. "Connor…"

"No, just…just forget it. You never listen to me anyway." Connor got up and ran away, tears flowing from his eyes.

"Connor, wait!" Derek called out to him, but he just ignored him, running into the trees. "Come on. Let's go." His two friends nodded as the three raced into the dark forest, leaving everything behind.

Connor stopped, trying to catch his breath. He put his hands on his knees, leaning forward. He didn't know how long he'd been running for. He looked around, finally realizing he was alone.