The Long Way Home (Young Derek Hale)

1

Have you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time?.

That wasn't exactly going through my head but looking back, my entire life would've been different if I didn't take the short cut home.

The one where I have to cross through Beacon Hills reserve and pray I find my backyard. The one that doesn't have street lamps to light my way home. The one that has me jumping everytime my feet snap a stick underneath me. 

And then there's that slight look over my shoulder in regret. The voice in my head that screams you're more than halfway now, don't bother turning back. That uncouncious shiver while I hug myself tighter. The feeling that even the trees have eyes tonight.

And then I stare up, up at the sky that for the first time is illuminated. Not by the comfort of man made street lights but from the ominus shadow of the full moon. I stare up at it for a slight second and let out a soft pant. Its worse. Its creepy. And I really should've turned back ten minutes ago when I had the chance.

But I'm almost there. Its a small town. Nobody is running around these woods at almost four in the morning. And if they are, the last thing on their mind is probably raping sixteen year old me. Could even be five now, the time where evil people retreat and all that's left is darkness. That inbetween time where bad people retreat and good ones wake up to start their day.

At least, that's the lie I told myself as I kept going in the direction of my house. But then I hear it. 

SNAP

It has me frozen in fear. The sound is directly behind me. Which alerts me to the dreaded realisation that I'm not alone. Not anymore. 

You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about the hundreds of animal attacks in Beacon Hills.  I exhaled and closed my eyes. 

Don't turn around, don't turn around...

But I do it anyway. Like I don't have control over my body anymore. I slowly turn to look over my shoulder. And I'm confronted with two glowing red eyes. I let out a blood curling scream and then I'm running.

I run, in a frenzie like manic way. All limbs and no control other than fear driving me forward. Forgetting everything I know about running and survival. What's worse, is the Thing that's chasing me catchs up till I can feel its breath down my neck, only to slow and then pick up the pace again.

I whimper as I jump over a log. Its toying with me. Or playing with me, maybe even testing me. I've never run this fast before and thats a feat in itself. I'm a state record holder in cross country running. I'm the swim captain and volleyball captain. Trust me when I say I can run, 

I. Can. Run.

Run faster than some forty something low life in a forest that wants to have their way with me. Probably why I decided that the short cut wasn't so bad. But whoever is chasing me, might be Olympic standard. Because like I said, they're playing with me. Making me think I might just get away only to feel their breath on the back of my neck.

While it pushes me to run faster. I know if I keep running at this pace eventually I'll slow down. The pace isn't steady. I can feel tears falling down my cheeks now, my breath is ragged and my mouth is just hanging open. Like that will just somehow make the air flow in my lungs work.

But the Thing doesn't stop. So when I don't see that fallen branch; I'm down, hard and fast. I mutter "Fuck". 

And then I roll over, my eyes staring up at the moon. And I will myself to get up. To get the fuck up you idiot!. But I don't, I stare and I cry until that ominus light is blocked by a shadow of something I can't see at this angle.

Then its just pain. I scream. I kick and its only with an animalistic growl does the pain in my leg subside. Only a second of relief before I feel the full scale of the wound. And somehow that hurts more then the bite that surely went down to the bone. I close my eyes in pain.

I feel someone caress my face as I whimpered into the dirt in fear. A tusk before I hear the reteating footseteps.

Footsteps...so, not an animal then. 

I don't look down but as I pull myself up onto my elbows, I know I'm now alone. I whip my head every which way but its just darkness and blood.

I blanch as I feel my own blood puddle beneath my leg. Like my leg is in a small lake. I sob, I cry some more and I wince in pain as I use the nearest tree to help me stand. I exhale this time instead of scream. I check my phone, just as dead as when I entered the reserve.

I'm on my own.

I let out a painful breath and avoid looking down. I'm not good with blood, and fainting right now is only going to be more time in which I bleed out. More time I deley in getting medical treatment. I sniff and take off my shirt. 

Cringing a little at wearing a black lacy bra of all things. But it was a party afterall. I shook my head and bit down on my shirt as I attempted to walk.

Big mistake.

I let out a loud muffled scream as I expirience the worst pain of my entire life. It causes more tears to fall. But its only once I have the strength to stand up again do I see it.

There just in the distance, amoung a few trees home.

How conicidental. If I'd just gotten back up, I would've made it. Instead now, I'm stuck resting my body against a tree and my running days are surely over. 

Alone, hopeless and bleeding out.

I slump against the tree, hissing as my injured legs bends into a sittng position. I stare at the moon, my eyes attempting to blink away conciousness.

I'll be dead by sunrise.