Dusk. Fog. Screams. Dead Calm. I whirled around and saw in Floreans face. Her eyes were wide open. I grabbed her arm and begun to run. We made our way through the branches. The fog was getting thicker. It seemed as if it would catch us and devour us now. I did not know where we were running. My legs were moving by itself. The only thing I could think of was to escape as fast as possible from this forest. Out of the mist. Away from what was lurking behind us. Florean was trembling. I wanted to persuade her courage, but my mouth was numb with fear. What if it had seen us? What if it follows us? What if ...?
4 hours ago ... I lay on my bed. The volume of my iPod was turned up on maximum. The music roared past my ears. Why was I thinking about it? Death. The end. The end? I sat up and turned off the music. Saturday. July. Summer holidays. And I had nothing better to do than lying on my bed, listen to music and think about death! What was wrong with me? Outside the sun was shining. It was a beautiful summer day. I could hear children luaghing outside as they ran through the streets and enjoyed the day. Determined, I stood up. Grabbed the phone and dialed the familiar number ...
Do not look back! Run! Right. Left. Right. Run! Faster! We felt that it was pursuing us. The fog was getting thicker. The legs started to get heavy. Our air was running out. But we could not stop. We had to endure. Creak. Florean and I trembled. She squeezed my hand so hard that it hurted. But it was a pleasant pain. I know I'm not alone. I knew those hands would not let go of my fingers. Just as my hands hers ...
I waited at the gate. Florean was already at the door. We wanted to go to the lake. The lake at the forest. It was a wonderful place to relax. Maybe I could think of something else there. Have fun. Enjoy the sun ...
Despair. Panic. Fear of death. Did I already know it? Had I suspected it all along? Florean and I gasped. We knew we were running deeper and deeper into the forest. Away from the lake. Away from the road. But neither she nor I dared to speak out the truth. We just hoped. Creak. Creak. The thoughts came back. Death. The end. My legs were moving faster again. Is there a point where you defeated the exhaustion? ...
The lawn at the lake was empty. Only two other girls and three boys were there. They were older than us. Around seventeen. They had settled on the edge of the forest. Around them were several beer cans and cigaretts. Florean and I exchanged a quick glance. We let ourselves down close to the water as far away from them as possible ...
It was getting darker. Our desperate steps slower. Exhaustion would win anyway. And with it, what haunts us. Creak. Creak. Creak. Florean pulled me along behind her. She had not given up yet. She had not earned it. It was all my fault. If she just would leave me behind! She could escape. She could live ...
The sun shone down on us and let the lake flickering. Only the trees provided some shade, some shelter. We got up and went into the forest ...
Creak. Creak, Creak. Creak. It came closer and closer. How close was it already? The fog was so dense that we could not see anything ... not even the ground beneath us. We should walk slower before ... WHAM! A cry. Branches broke. A hand pulled me to the ground. We lay there. Panting. Florean looked into my eyes. Exhaustion. Fear. Her eyes fillde up with tears. I wanted to smile. Say something. But my whole body was paralyzed with fear ...
In the forest it was pleasant. The sunlights were not as strong through the dense treetops. I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes. Florean sat down a little further on a fallen tree trunk. You could hear the other peoples at the lake this far. Its booming music. Their stoned laughter.
Florean looked at me. Our eyes met and we twisted both our eyes ...
Dead Calm. Again. I propped me up and stood up again. Right. Left. Forward. Out of this dense fog. Florean grabbed my leg and pointed with her hand up. I raised my head. It was dark. The sky was clear and you could already see the moon. What time was it? I sat down again and beat my arms above my head. Was it still behind us? Florean and I listened into the eerie silence. If we could not see it, meant it that it could not see us? And if so ...? My head was spinning ... A hand grabbed me, pulled me up ... Someone talked to me ... Florean? Yes of course ... otherwise no one was with me ... alone ... I'm scared to be alone! I do not want to be alone! ...