With a soft click, I pulled the door closed behind me. Andross had instructed me to leave as quietly as possible, and as such, I was out the door in a pair of pajama pants and socks, the clatter of hangers being one of the many things that would've woken my parents. A cool breeze brushed past me, giving the first hints of the start of Autumn.

I couldn't drive away in my dad's car, they'd wake up and think someone was stealing it. The place Andross told me to go was a couple blocks away, so I guess I'd have to tough it out. I shuddered a bit, tightening my pants as they tried to fall, as I started to work my way towards the sidewalk. The entire idea of this left me paranoid, and almost every other step I was looking around to make sure there was no one there. I wasn't scared of the dark... I didn't understand why I was feeling like this.

Blocks and blocks past, the slight tightness in my legs getting more and more evident. I was used to going places in a car. Sure, I could run and fight if need be if I were on the ground, but that was different; I'd be under pressure... I'd be able to push myself that extra mile. I glanced to my right, the address on the house just two off of my destination. Immediately to the house's left was a desolate field, like the entire town had just ended there.

I glanced across the field. It was maintained about as far as that last house's yard was, but after that, it was just long grass. It wasn't even farmland, it wasn't anything. I'd... I'd come here when I was younger. Why did Andross ask me to come here? The address didn't exist. I glanced around, stepping into the long grass. It tickled at my chest, bending back as I trudged through it. I could feel grass catching at my feet, like it'd swallow me whole.

Deep into the grass... I remembered it like yesterday, there was a lake. I used to fish there with my dad. Maybe... maybe if I got there, I could see better. There was a rocky ledge that pushed over the water. It was raised a good deal above the ground itself, and if I got there, I should be able to see over the grass. I swore that I could hear voices somewhere, but they were too quiet for me to make anything of them. Every moment they spoke, I could feel a chill run deeper and deeper down my spine.

Cattails started to pop up as the ground got more and more marshy. As I got closer and closer to the water, the voices got louder and louder, but still hard to make out. They were talking too fast for me to really grasp the words. As I pulled through the last layer of greenery, I gasped out, catching my balance before I fell into the cold waters below, black in the moonlight. It looked almost as if my death waited in those waters.

It was easier when I was younger. This area used to be maintained by the city, but funds were cut a few years back and they cut the jobs of the people that cared for this area. I'm sure it was pretty from the sky, but it was a hazard from the ground. I edged around the lake, watching my footing carefully as I got to the rock. One slip and I'd be soaked; one slip and there was no way I could explain this to my parents.

I got to the rock, crawling up onto to make sure I was fine. It was cold and moist... why was it wet at all? The waters were as still as could be, and always were. I shook away the thoughts as I started working at standing up, only an inch or two from the edge of the stone. I glanced down at my feet, the moonlight leaving my shadow etched into the stone. As my mind slowly slipped from making sure my footing was right, I realized the voices were gone.

I started to turn my head as I heard something moving in the grass behind me, but a paw pressed into my back before I got a look, sending me flying forwards. There was another small rocky outcropping, and as I went down, I felt a horrible pain fly through my body, my vision going red. Water flowed around my body, everything fading to a quick black as things got groggier and groggier. With what little consciousness I had left, I could feel something grip around my hand and pull me to the edge.