On the outside, I look like a normal teenager. I’m always on TimTom, BlinstaCram, and Reddit. In my town, there are plenty of… let’s just say, odd people. Luckily, I was able to fit in with a small group. I don’t know what has been happening, but I’ve started noticing different weird things that haven’t happened in the past. When I take my route to school, it’s always been clear and fairly dark, but very quiet. I have walked through the same lot of trees and by the Chicken King for the past three years. I always leave at 7:30 and get to school exactly fifteen minutes before school starts; 8:05 AM on the dot.
Recently, I’ve noticed there is more fog than usual. This isn’t a big deal to me, just more precipitation, right? When I walk, I always have my earbuds in, so I don’t hear anything around me, but recently, I’ve had this feeling that I’ve never felt before. I almost feel like I’ve been followed, but I never look behind me. There has always been this rumor around the town of a type of ghost, but I’ve never been the type to believe in that stuff. Yesterday, I got tired of that feeling and looked behind me to see nothing. See, I’m just paranoid. I don’t think I’ve taken my medication in a few days, so I should probably get on that.
When I turned back around, I saw some sort of figure speed by me at the speed of light. I started to question it, but decided to check it out the following day. When I woke up, I decided to put on a hoodie and good running shoes, just in case. When I left to start my trek to school, I didn’t put both earbuds in. This way, I could hear if there was anything around me. When I got to the trees, I started hearing things I didn’t realize before. The sounds were almost.. mythical. They all seemed like they were from a child’s nightmare. Out of fear, I froze- the worst idea. Suddenly, I felt like all of the trees had eyes and were staring at me as if they were lions looking at a gazelle. Once I returned back to reality, I bolted the rest of the mile I had until I made it to Chicken King. I decided to stay there and skip school so I can figure out what the hell happened. I got some breakfast and thought of ways I could figure out what was going on. I received a great many texts and calls from worried friends, as I haven’t missed a single day of school in three years. All I could do was tell them I was sick, a simple but believable lie.
Once a few hours had passed, I decided to go back into the trees. I got about half a mile into the forest and started to hear the sounds again. I stayed where I was as I started seeing the eyes on the trees again. I started freaking out and started feeling things crawling all over my body. I ran home, shaking and screaming like a crazy person. Once I got to the house, I ran up to my room and locked the door. I stayed in my room until I felt hungry enough to eat, so I went downstairs and made myself food. Later that night, I thought my mom had come home, as I heard the front door open. When I went downstairs to greet her, the door was open, but there was no sign of my mom. I shrugged it off, blaming the wind, but deep down, I could tell something was off.
I fell asleep early and woke up to knocking and laughing. I thought it was some kids playing a prank, so I went and opened the door to tell them to leave. That’s when I heard rumbling from the kitchen sink. I started to panic when I looked over to see dark liquid spilling all over the floor. Blood. I ran out the door and made my biggest mistake. I ran into the forest. As soon as I entered, I realized my mistake. I run as far as I can until my legs give out, and I land face-first into the damp grass. I catch my breath and stand up, seeing a faint light in my blurry view. I get closer to realize it’s a house. In the middle of these woods? I doubt my move, but I run in through the side door. It is very kept, as if there were someone living there, but there was no sign of anyone. I look around and walk into what looks like a child’s room. In the cradle, I hear a faint whine. In total disbelief, I peer over the side to see a baby. As I go to pick it up to stop its crying, it opens its eyes, causing millions of spiders to come crawling out. I scream, startled by the arachnids, and run to the basement. I slump into a corner, hidden from sight.
Finally, I fall asleep, exhausted from the eventful night, and wake up to an odd scratching coming from the basement door. I start to panic but notice it’s a teenage boy, not much older than myself. We start conversation, and he introduces himself as Isaiah. He tells me that he has been trapped in this house for years. I question it, as he still seems young, and he starts to explain. He says that time moves differently here and I need to get out before they catch me. Who’s they? We hear a bang from the floor above us, and I go to scream, but Isaiah covers my mouth before I can make a sound. “Don’t make a sound. They will hear.” The loud noises continue until we can hear them making their way down the stairs. He tells me to turn into the corner, and no matter what: Don’t. Turn. Around. We both are shaking in total fear as we hear the door slam open. I hear a voice directly behind me, one that sounds like my mother. She tells me to come home. I go to turn around, but Isaiah grabs me and tells me it’s a trap. When we hear the basement door close back, we know we are safe.
He tells me that I need to escape, and helps me make an escape plan. He wants to sacrifice himself for my safety, but I refuse. Not after all of this help. He insists and I have no other choice. Next time we hear the creature come into the basement, he turns around and tells me to run. I look over my shoulder, seeing him in a mangled mess. He is being devoured by some creature. The creature looked and me, and I bolted out of the door. I ran until I made it to the Chicken King, where I thought I escaped it. Thank God the restaurant is open 24/7. I run in, out of breath, and order food. When I get it and go sit down, I notice that all of the workers are staring at me.
I’m still sitting here, and I’m scared. What do I do? I can feel it looking at me, but I don’t see it. Please help me. I’m scared.