('***' indicates the passing of time, fyi)
I ran through the forest, not caring that my legs were about to give in and it hurt to breathe. It all felt like a nightmare: I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The branches slashed against me, leaving small scrapes. Finally reaching the forest edge, I spotted my jeep in the distance. With as much speed as I could muster, I sprinted towards it, pulled out my keys and unlocked the door. Once I sat inside, I rested my head against the steering wheel, gulping for air. I didn’t allow myself to think, not yet. My shaking hands could barely get the key in the ignition, but when they did, I sped down the road.
I tried not to look at my bloody hands or stained clothes while driving, keeping my eyes on the road and my mind on the destination: the local police station. I lived in a fairly small town, in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by forest. At the moment, I wished we weren’t. The trees were looming over me, casting dark shadows and frightening shapes. Gripping my steering wheel tighter, I thought of my dad.
He was the sheriff, someone who watched over our town. He became the most important person in my life when my mother passed away many years ago. He was my hero, and right now I needed him most.
The town came into view, and I pushed down harder on the gas. Small shops and houses passed in a blur before I finally slowed down, randomly parking my car in front of the police station. I scrambled out of my jeep and sprinted towards the double doors, pushing them open and stumbling inside the reception area. I received a number of shocked stares. Not only because it was way past midnight, but because my hands were caked with blood, and my clothes were in an equally bad state. Officers rushed towards me, but I held my hands up.
‘’I’m f-fine. It’s not mine.’’ One of the younger officers gently took my arm, leading me further into the station. We passed a number of doors before we stopped in front of one with a nameplate bearing a familiar name: Styles. He knocked on the door before opening it, allowing me in first. My father looked up at me from a stack of paper, his eyes widening when he took in my appearance. He rushed from his seat behind the desk and stopped in front of me. His hands reached up to hold my face, inspecting me closely.
‘’What happened, son?’’ he asked. I could only shake my head and bury it in his shoulder as tears spilled over. A sense of safety washed over me as his large hands softly rubbed my back and his familiar cologne invaded my nostrils. I kept telling him to not put on as much, but he never listened. I heard a door close behind me, indicating we were left alone. Fisting his shirt in my hands, I finally let go. I released all the fear, grief, guilt and shock. I cried for Emma, for not knowing what happened to the others and for finally being safe.
***
‘’A… beast?’’ my father asked, sounding confused. After getting me calmed down and cleaned up, he made me sit down and tell him everything that had happened. It had been difficult, but I tried treating it as if it didn’t really happen, as if it was just a story I was telling. A dark, terrible story. As I had been pouring out all my memories, I realised how ridiculous it actually seemed.
‘’Yes. I wouldn’t lie to you about this,’’ I insisted. My father gave me a hesitant look. He slowly shook his head and rubbed his tired eyes. He had a good reputation as sheriff, but right now his seventeen-year-old son was endangering that. I felt so stupid, but what else could I do?
‘’I know, son. We’ll just have to see for ourselves.’’ He slowly rose from his seat, walking over to his office door. His sentence had left me confused, but I finally caught up with the meaning of it.
‘’Y-you? No! You can’t go out there! Not yet,’’ I stammered. The hand that was previously holding onto the door knob fell to his side, followed by a heavy sigh.
‘’You suggest we wait? Let me guess, until daylight?’’ It sounded as if he was mocking me, but I frantically nodded my head. I couldn’t let him go out there, not while the beast might still be there. Things always seemed safer in the light of day, and right now I needed to know that my dad was going to be safe.
‘’Please just listen to me. You saw me earlier, it’s dangerous out there. Plus, it would be easier to see during the day.’’ I could see the wheels turning in his head as he considered my plea. He was obviously trying his best to believe his son, but I could see his trust slowly waning.
‘’But what if one of them is still alive? We need to go there as soon as possible,’’ he tried to reason with me.
‘’No, dad. I don’t think they’re alive. And the soonest I’m letting you go will be when the sun rises.’’ He was visibly struggling, but eventually his shoulders slumped in defeat. Opening his office door, he looked at me.
‘’I will trust your judgement on this one. This could cost me my job, you know.’’ I nodded, suddenly feeling guilty for putting him in this position. It was a selfish act, but I needed to know he would be safe. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone else.
‘’Ok, kiddo. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll inform the others.’’
***
Because I refused to leave, they let me rest on the couch in the waiting area. I was lying under a scratchy blanket, trying to get some sleep. But every time my lids shut, I could see those burning, red eyes. I could still feel Emma’s hand in mine, could hear the screams echoing in my head. I was restless. Hours passed and when the time came, I watched anxiously as a group of officers including my father prepared to leave. The sun had just risen and I bit down on my bottom lip, eyes following the cars from the window until they were out of sight.
I ran my hand through my hair – again. It had become a nervous habit of mine, something I wasn’t really in control of. Even though my body felt heavy with exhaustion, I couldn’t stop fidgeting, waiting for them to return.
But what if they wouldn’t?
What if I sat here, waiting for hours?
I shook my head, trying to get rid of the bad thoughts, but after seeing the horror in that mansion it was nearly impossible to stay positive. Even when I could finally hear the engines, I was convinced I was imagining things. It had only been about an hour. What eventually caught my attention, was the commotion. I was expecting them to return in silence, their expressions grave and head bowed down in sadness. Leaving the blanket on the couch, I stood on my wobbly legs and slowly shuffled towards the sound of the screaming.
The double doors opened, and in came three officers, dragging someone with them. It was a boy, maybe around my age. He was covered in filth, his clothes ripped and his raven black hair a mess. He was thrashing around, screaming. What really confused me, was what he was screaming.
‘’N-no! Bring me back! Please let me go! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!’’
I stood nailed to the ground as I watched them drag the boy further into the building, leaving behind an echoing silence.
Thank you for the votes! I couldn't be happier :) This was the second chapter already..
Who could that boy be(obviousmuch)? And why would he want to go back? You can find out more this Monday!
Laters xxx <3
