Seeking Souls

:// Chapter 2 //:

It was the end of the week, and Basil was excited for the weekend. He had two days off from college and only had work today. He's been planning these free days to go camping with Corin in Oregon.

Yes, it's cold and there's snow on the ground. But Corin's folks have an RV that they let the kids use on occasion. It'll only be for two days so it wasn't a huge deal, but if they had asked to stay any longer Basil's Mom would've probably thrown a fit.

So here Basil was, walking across the back parking lot. His uniform felt stiff on his back after a day of dealing with haughty customers. He was so ready to be home already.

Basil was trying to unlock his car when he dropped his keys in the snow. It was dark out by now, and the employee parking lot only had a few lamps. "God-" Basil mumbled to himself. He tried not to curse even when alone, but Corin's naughty lips tend to rub off on him.

As one of the farthest street lamps flickered out of the corner of Basil's eye, a man appeared underneath it. But Basil didn't notice him as he desperately searched for his keys. His gloveless fingers were starting to go numb from the snow, and he didn't want to spend the next hour kicking around the slush.

"Aha!" He rejoiced as he finally found them close to the car's front wheel. Man, he should really get a lanyard.

Just as Basil straightened his back, the streetlamp over from him flickered lightly. That feeling, the mixed one of comfort and fear, slithered it's way around Basil's mind. His eyes darted to the blinking light, but it was already gone. The only thing he could see was the leaning light post and the steady glow it projected.

That's when the lamp above him flickered before bursting into a explosion of sparks.

Basil was a very timid person, so when the street light went out the panic struck him like icy needles, but he did not scream. His breath caught in his throat, and he froze. After a few minutes of silence he opened his car door and light flooded into the area.

There, by the hood of his Mustang, his new stalker stood almost blending in with the dark background. It was quiet for a moment as the two of them watched one another, waiting to see who would make the first move, before Basil finally worked up the courage to speak.

"U-Um...Can I help you?" Basil asked with a shaky, employee to customer voice.

The stranger didn't say anything. As always he was wearing his dark pants and black hoodie to hide any hint of a face. Sometimes, when Basil was lucky enough to be at just the right angle, he could barely see the hint of a strong jaw peeking out from the shadowed mask.

Though right now he didn't see anything but the silhouette of his hood. "Please." Basil begged. All he wanted was for this creepy nightmare to be over. "Why are you following me?"

But the stranger stayed silent.

Just then, Basil's phone started to ring as it blasted Mariah Carey, his Mother's ringtone, from it's speakers. Basil jumped when he heard it, and when he looked back to the front of his car the stranger was gone.

"H-Hello?" Basil's voice faltered a bit as he answered the phone. He wasn't sure if it was because of the cold, or the newfound paranoia.

"Basil? Where are you? I thought you said that you'd be off work at nine?" Basil's worried Mother chirped her worries away on the other end of the line. "Is something wrong?"

Basil glanced around his car, but there were no signs of the stranger. His vehicle seemed fine and his tires weren't popped. So what did that guy want?