It wasn't until I had turned around after deciding to go back, that I saw them. Nothing from that moment on, would be the same.
I'm sure they had been following me, they couldn't have just appeared from nowhere. I stopped dead in my tracks. There were three of them. The first had disgusting purple skin. He was standing there, smiling at me, and I couldn't help think he wasn't all there. Then I noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes, in a forest where the ground is covered in sticks and stones and rocks…yes he definitely wasn't all there. The second was short and stout and it would be fair to say he was pretty big. He had strange, short white hair. He was wearing a blue suit with green rain boots He had a small pair of glasses on which seemed peculiar in proportion to the size of his head. He was smiling at me, but there was something lying behind the smile. It unnerved me. Strangest of all, something that I hadn't quite noticed, was a very small hooded…something standing next to him. I'd no idea whether it was a human or a trained animal, and it didn't seem to pose much of a threat. The third appeared to be the closest to my age. About 16, I'd say. He was tall with dark hair and out of the three he appeared to be most morbid. He wasn't even looking at me; he appeared more interested in the dirt at his feet.
The unlikeliness of the trio made me hope that they were just lost travellers. They didn't look like a gang. They weren't all the same age, wore no similar colours and none of them had weapons, from what I could see. I decided to deal with the situation myself. Maybe if I acted confident and like I felt no threat, they'd move on to someone else. Yes, I was being unrealistically optimistic.
"Hi, are you guys lost?" I said in my most bright, happy voice. I kept my stance strong. My feet were spread apart evenly. My hands stayed still and didn't grip the fabric of my jeans like I desperately wanted to. My head was up, making direct eye contact. I had to look confident.
Please say yes. Please say yes.
It was the big one who answered, "Oh, no. We're just…travellers. Say, would you happen to live in one of the neighbouring towns? It's an awful long way from here, isn't it?" His tone was one of high arrogance, and every word he drew out. Nope, he wouldn't buy it. He knew exactly what he was doing.
"Yup, and I wouldn't say it's too far from here. I'm surprised you haven't run into anyone else. It's not uncommon for people in my town to take walks in the forest." Lie. Lie your butt off and hope it works.
The purple skinned one was practically dancing on the spot. I don't know why, but he kept smiling and rubbing his hands. Out of the three, HE was the one who most irked me. He looked like the creeper of the group. I surveyed them all, if one of them made a move, I'd be ready. The boy's hand moved towards his pocket. My eyes fixated on him, my heart beat faster. He was surely pulling out a gun, or a knife or maybe even a freaking blow dart gun!
The rather plump one spoke and I had to tear my eyes away from the boy who probably was taking out some form of weapon. Great. "I'll most certainly take your word for it, because we haven't seen anyone"
The way he said the last word made me almost certain they were looking for trouble. I noticed purple skin was getting antsy. The boy hadn't taken his hand out of his pocket. I felt like he was getting ready. This conversation would be over with fast. If they posed any real threat, they were about to strike. I gave it one last effort.
"Well theres a town thataway about ten miles up," No there's a river, and I hope you all fall in, "If you'll excuse me, I've got to get home and get dinner started."
With my biggest smile, I proceeded to leave the group. The purple skinned one was closest and to my left. I kept my head forward and pretended not to notice the big smile on his face as I walked by. Next I passed by the big one, also on my left. He nodded and I quickened my pace. The last one I had to pass was the boy. He was the only one on my right and was still looking down to the ground. His hand still in his pocket, yet now I was sure there was no weapon there. My spirits started to soar as I was almost in the clear!
Within a millisecond, he was in front of me with a smirk on his face.
"Hey gorgeous, I'm Steve. Nice to meet ya, where you from? Oh we both know I don't care. Let me break it down for ya. I'm a vampaneze. You may have heard of vampires, but I'm a little different. See I just don't drink from my unfortunate victims, I drain them. And today princess, that's you. Don't be freaked, don't be all scared, you won't even know what's happening. But before I basically kill you, let me say, it was very nice to meet you."
He spoke so fast I barely had time to comprehend what he was saying. Then it clicked in that if I didn't move I was going to die. So with a small scream, I turned around and ran.
Before I could get very far, he grabbed my legs and pulled me backwards toward him. With a big thud I hit the ground, and immediately started screaming my guts out. Please, let somebody hear! I knew nobody was listening. He flipped me onto my back, and I was staring right into his face.
He was smiling, and before my next blood-curdling scream could come out, he said "Nighty-night" and breathed deeply onto my face.