In the Dark

Stealth is a good connotation to the sheer darkness in the wild. Absolutely, Kate hasn't realized that yet. She thought she would get to her flat before sundown. But, at this time of winter solstice in Charlotte, North Carolina when daytime is short, Kate thinks it would get late. So, she thinks a better way to put an end to her problem. Well, she can glide through the woods, but, it's quirky because it's off-limits for a teenager like her.

"Who cares? I'm all by myself," she thinks, and rides past a bare tree trunk. Suddenly, one of the tyres of her bicycle goes flat.

"Ugh," She sighs as she is distraught.

She, then, walks her bicycle along a lane, and gears up for what lies ahead of her. It’s getting darker, and the rod cells spur the night vision in her eyes. Kate can no longer push her bicycle, and abandons it. She feels her way towards an object, and her imagination runs wild at the moment.

"What if I stumble upon a bear's cave? Or a lion’s den for that matter? I'm gonna be eaten alive for sure." With this thought in her mind, she moves forward.
At this unearthly hour, a gust of wind blows over. All the trees start to waver like her mind. A jingling sound reaches her ears, and she senses her way towards its source. A pack of wolves howling in the distance sends chills down her spine. Kate can’t complain because she shouldn’t have ridden off the beaten track in the first place.

"This is all my fault!" she murmurs.

Holy crap! She stamps something icky, and she can feel it under her new Converse. Perhaps, it’s an animal poo or something. Disgustingly, Kate looks down, and what she saw churns her tummy. It’s a carcass to her horror, and she instantly takes to her heels. Kate speeds fast only to find a house that wears a deserted look. She catches her breath, and steps on the wooden porch that creeks horribly  which gives her creeps.

When Kate hestitantly peeps through a crack in the door, her breath hitches. Because, what she sees inside is a man lying on the floor with a pool of blood. Another ghostly figure is sitting on a chair, and staring at her with blood-shot eyes.

Before Kate can make a move, the door slams open and she turns back immediately. Good grief! Someone grabs her by my back, and she's petrified as hell. She doesn't know what to do, and remain silent. Thanks to her self-defence classes, her instinct momentarily kicks in, and Kate hits the person using the SING technique. She scoops him down to the ground, and the notorious beast squeaks and succumbs to her sudden attack.

Later, Kate finds a way to a nearby cafe, and calls the cops who sieze the house and to their dismay, the deadly man has escaped. Nobody knows his hideout thereafter, and now, Kate being in the comfort of her home, hears her doorbell ring in the wee hours. Would it be the man on the loose?

Her heart is pounding and mind is racing....  She stays alone in her flat for studies as both her parents are busy working in Washington, DC. Who knows she would get herself into trouble?

Kate silently listens to the clock ticking and the door banging. Unfortunately, she has no neighbors in the floor where her flat is sitting. Her night dress is drenching in sweat, and her throat is becoming sore. Someone seems to have snuck into her living room. If at all, she was a kid, she would have slid under the bed. Being a young adult, she has to muster up some courage to face the situation.

She slowly crawls out of her bed and picks up her baseball bat. Then, she slithers her way towards the living room. Every step she takes is becoming heavier with darn fear. The living room is partially lit with a lamp, and the color drains out of Kate's face as she sees a shadow of a huge moving creature. All of a sudden, the shadow disappears and nothing can be seen now.

Absolute silence prevails with only some crickets chirping. Kate let's out a suppressed gasp when the creature seems to approach her. The next moment what she felt is that she was flung in the air only to land on her bed. The creature claws its way to the bed and picks up a pillow and smothers her. Kate struggles with the sudden attack or revenge? They were on the edge of the bed and Kate seized the opportunity to fall down and grab the bat.

Her fear reshapes to courage, and she beats the creature-like thing to a pulp. Sirens are blaring in the vicinity, and Kate hears a heap of footsteps closing in on. All the lights are flicked on, and someone shouts, "Freeze." Kate can see cops piling up to her flat, and they handcuffed the bloody fugitive curled up on the carpet. The rest is history!