Chapter Five: Cynthia
Who the Hell was that?! The question had been eating away at Cynthia since the night before. She didn't recognize him and she sure as Hell didn't know him, but then why'd he stare at her like that? Cynthia didn't understand it.
She was pulled back to reality as Laurie snapped her fingers in her face to get her attention again. "Hey, earth to Cynthia! You in there, Ghost Rider…?"
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "No, I'm on Mars again, shit."
Laurie chuckled before turning serious again. "Really, are you alright?"
"Yeah, just…can't get that guy in the white mask outa my head. It's nothing, I just, I don't know. I mean, it was weird, right? The way he looked at me?" Laurie nodded, "No shit. That was freaky."
"I know right?!" Cynthia replied, thinking about that strange encounter. "You think he's gonna come for us next?" Laurie scoffed. "Don't be stupid. He was probably just some weirdo on Halloween or something. Nothing we need to worry about." "Yeah, you're right," Cynthia said. "You ready to go on, or you wanna stay here and worry about it more?" "Nah, it's just the adrenaline getting to me. Let's keep going." As Laurie and Cynthia began to walk away, they had no idea what the night still held in store for them...
"Sup guys!" Corey caught up with them in his usual Getty fashion.
Laurie sighed, "Oh, you always make a Hell of an entrance huh?" He smiled a goofy little grin.
"That's why you love me so much, right?" Corey grinned back. "Hey, since we're all out here, do you guys want to stop at that haunted house down the road? I heard it's pretty scary." Laurie and Cynthia looked at each other, smug smiles plastered across their faces as they shook their heads.
"You do remember we've got school right?" Corey let out a dramatic sigh and threw his head back.
"Come On! Don't be so boring, it'll be fun…unless of course, the Boogeyman gets ya…" "That joke's equivalent to a knock knock joke and they all suck so…"
Corey gasped, "Wha-that-that's just hurtful! Oh, and so not true." Cynthia chimed in, enjoying teasing her friend.
"I kinda think that was the point. Either way, we have school, and checking out a supposed 'haunted house' is just a stupid idea." Corey nodded in defeat. "Fair point, still boring though…" As they continued toward school, Cynthia froze as something caught her eye.
The same figure was standing there…staring. "What the Fuck…?"
Dave and Laurie followed her gaze, also seeing the figure standing there, just like before. "What the hell is he doing now?" Dave scoffed. Then they all paused, as their eyes widened when they realized...it was the same guy from the field! What in the hell was going on!?
"Is he following us?" Laurie whispered, looking around for something to defend themselves. "I don't know, but what are the chances this is a coincidence?" Dave said. "I don't like this one bit," Cynthia added.
"L-Let's go." The teens started away from the man, but Dave, the brave idiot he was, stopped. "Hey, Asshole! You wanna get the Fuck away from us!" Laurie and Cynthia quickly pulled him away as they hurried to school, The Shape still watching them…
Dave turned back to the man, bold as ever. "Yeah, that's right, you heard us! We know what you're up to, ya creep! So stop stalking us and get lost, A-hole!"
The Shape stood still, like a statue. His mask was expressionless yet they could almost feel his eyes burning into them. "Keep moving," Cynthia whispered. Dave and Laurie nodded, and as they fled out of sight, The Shape quietly followed them...
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As the teens sat in class, there was a strange sense of unease in the air. Cynthia couldn't take her mind off the encounter with The Shape. It didn't make any sense! How and why was it following them around?
Laurie and Dave didn't seem to notice, which only made Cynthia worry more. She kept glancing over her shoulder in fear, almost expecting to see that blank white mask staring back at her...
Suddenly her expectations paid off as she glanced out the window only to see The Shape staring back, unmoving, and unblinking.
Cynthia dropped her pen in shock, looking through the window in disbelief. There he stood, that tall figure in the white mask. He stood still, staring right at her. It was like her worst nightmare had come to life. She glanced over to Dave, but he was focused on taking notes as the lesson continued. She shook Laurie on the shoulder, trying to break her out of her trance. "Laurie!" she whispered. "Look out the window!"
Both Laurie and Dave cast a glance out the window and they both froze too. Dave gasped, "What the Fuck…"
Dave and Laurie were both at a loss for words. The Shape stood outside the window, staring at them. There was something eerie and threatening about his silent presence. And to make things worse, Cynthia knew that he was watching them. She could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head, waiting for her to turn around and look. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to burst.
Just then the bell rang for lunch, starting the kids as they nearly jumped out of their seats. They were the first ones out of the classroom and headed to lunch.
Cynthia, Dave, and Laurie took a deep breath as they stepped out of the classroom and headed for the cafeteria. They felt relieved to be out of the classroom where The Shape couldn't see them, but the fear was still in their hearts. As they walked down the hall, they wondered where The Shape could be. Was he still outside, watching them? Or had he moved on to somewhere else? They couldn't shake the feeling that he was still following them...
As they sat down, too anxious to eat, Dave spoke up first, "What the Hell's this guy's problem?"
Laurie shook her head in irritation. "What do we do about this? I mean, do we tell the police or our parents…?"
"Do you seriously think the police will believe us?" Cynthia replied, shaking her head. "I mean, what are we gonna do, call the cops and tell them we saw a guy wearing a white mask? They'll laugh at us-- or think we're crazy." Dave nodded silently. It was true. What if they told someone and they called them crazy? Or laugh it off? They didn't know what to do. And that lack of control only made them more scared...
"I just wish I knew what that masked guy was after," Laurie said, looking out the window towards the campus lawn. "Maybe he's just a weirdo, like those pranksters on YouTube. The kind that wear white masks, and then chase random people around as a joke." "Yeah, maybe you're right," Dave said, trying to make himself believe it. "But then why would he keep showing up? And why did he look so...evil?"
"Yeah, his eyes…" Laurie agreed. "Why don't we just go home and lock the doors and stay there until we know it's safe? We keep our phones on just in case." They nodded in agreement still uneasy but at least they weren't all alone. They walked each other home one by one as they all lived in the same neighborhood.
They arrived at Laurie's house, and the three friends said goodbye as they headed to their separate homes. They felt a sense of relief as the day came to a close, and they all locked their doors and windows, making sure to check every room before going to sleep.
But as they settled in and turned off their lights...they couldn't shake the feeling that The Shape was out there somewhere, still watching them...Waiting for his chance to strike...