The love that binds us

Untitled Part 1

I wandered through the woods on my way home, my arms out like I was a plane and I danced around like a bit of an idiot. The way home for me was quicker if you walked around the woods that basically cut the town in half but I didn't like going home, I didn't want to go back to that place. I skipped along and jumped off a large tree trunk that had fallen maybe last summer? I stopped and looked up but as I went to take the next step I froze. A boy, about sixteen... my age... maybe a year older? He stood shirtless, in torn shorts, dirt covered his body, blood painted across his face and chest, not something like a war paint but more like a savage beast had torn flesh from a still living body. He bared his teeth at me, they were tinted that slight shade of pink, like in the movies, which meant he probably just bit into something. Oh lord, please- Wait, does he have rabbies? Please don't fucking bite me. My heart beat so fast I thought it might fly out of my chest at this rate, he growled at me like a dog, no, something angrier, more vicious. He stepped forward and I froze, I wanted to run, scream and cry all at the same time but I couldn't move. It were as if I were one of these tree's, except made out of flesh and bone, and I feel like this savage might try to mount me or eat me, neither of which I want at this currant moment... I just closed my eyes. I could hear him coming closer, twigs snapping under his heavy weight, his stature was nothing to overlook either. A muscular chest and stomach, long legs that seemed strong, his hands and arms seemed like they could snap logs for Christs sake. He was breathing heavily and so was I. I could hear him stop in front of me, the wind carrying us in the moment, the smell of blood making me want to gag, the rumbling he emitted making me shake in fear, my body still unresponsive to large movement, as if I had no control any longer.

'Before.' He grunted and I flinched opening one eye to survey the possible torture I may be about to receive, only he stood there with a quiet atmosphere and a scowl. The blood around his mouth clearly visible and it was not some fake makeup someone had used, it made me swallow in nervousness, what the hell did this guy kill? Or more, who? 'I see you. Before.' His voice was gruff and I flinched again, his words were broken, almost sounding like a bad Russian mob boss as he spoke, his hand reached out and I stepped back. He growled at me and reached out, gripping me by the throat and pinning me against the large tree that I'd just jumped off. He growled and bared his teeth again, the canines were so sharp, a squeak came out of my throat but seeing as he still had his grip it sounded really weird. The look he gave me because of the noise made me nervous, his eyes seemed to sheen over as he moved closer in.

'TYLER!' Someone yelled, a howl sounded straight after and he stopped, tilting his head up and listening carefully as another howl sounded, he growled.

The boy looked at me once more, his hand squeezing a little tighter before he tore away and ran off into the woods, I took a moment to breath, feeling my neck where his hand had been, panic was seeping in. I crouched down for a moment to get my bearings, still holding my throat before swallowing hard; I started running home as quickly as I could. I practically fell in through the door and closed it a little louder than I should have. Leaning back against it I took a deep breath, what the hell just happened? I could feel tears starting to form but I couldn't cry here, and what the hell did he mean? He saw me before... Was he stalking me? I've walked through those woods a thousand times and never have I seen someone so dishevelled or... covered in blood like that.

'What's got you so scared?' My sister asked and I jumped near ten feet.

'Don't sneak up on me like that!' I yelled bending over and grabbing my chest where my heart would rest.

'I didn't...' She muttered before walking into the kitchen, my sister was younger than I was, she was only fourteen so I shouldn't have yelled, especially with what happens in this house but I shook the guilt off and I walked up stairs to my room. I put my things down and laid out on the bed thinking about what the hell just happened, who was that? Why was he covered in blood? What did he mean? Was he going to do something to me? What the hell just happened! I couldn't sit still and I ended up wandered around my room thinking, there's no way that I've never noticed or the town has never noticed a bloody boy missing and not had posters or a police warning or something, and why on earth was there so much blood on him? Does he think he's a wolf or something? Maybe he's got some weird genetic disease that makes him secrete blood from his mouth or something... Nah surely not? There was a knock at the door and I jumped before moving over quickly to open it a fraction, surveying the body on the other side of the door only to see my sister, she smiled softly, that was her pity smile, that means...

'What's up?' I asked and she looked at me like there was nothing weirder she'd ever seen.

'Dinner's ready, can you not be weird? Dad's having dinner with us and then he's got the night shift.' It hurt that she thinks the events that happen are entirely my fault but I nodded never the less and came out to dinner, sitting down quietly in my seat, never changing seats because that would upset him, we all sat and started eating quietly, I noticed dad watching me, his head was down but his eyes were trained on me with that calculated look and I begged that he would just leave me alone tonight. My prayers went unanswered, once again.

'How did the tryout's go?' I flinched. My father was a big man, he was a star footballer in high school and in college, he only went to a junior college but he makes it a big deal that his team went to states even though they were only a junior college.

'They were okay, coach is posting the positions tomorrow morning.' Please, just take that and leave it, you know that every year he does the same thing.

'Did he say anything to indicate if you got it?' Of course not, he's like a bloody steal trap, he doesn't want to let anyone in.

'No, he's pretty solid on that kind of thing.' I shrugged but it was to mask the flinch my body involuntarily gave when I realised that I'd used the wrong type of language.

'What does solid mean?' He asked seeming pretty pissed off. I flinched and the atmosphere around the table got cold. My father had a very short temper, especially when it came to me, once I was old enough to compete properly at football that was it, I never saw nice dad ever again, and that's coming from a kid who could compete at age seven.

'Ah, just... I mean no, he doesn't... He likes to contemplate and decide in private.' Dad threw his knife and fork down. Leaning back in his chair he ran his hand over his mouth, his other hand bracing himself on the table.

'Then why can't you just say that?' He was angry and I flinched. 'Why do you always have to fucking do this?' He said standing up and grabbing his bag before storming out and slamming the door, my mum jumped and I sat there quietly. My mum was a smaller woman, petite, but she wasn't a strong willed woman you read about in books today.

'Zach, he didn't mean it, he's under a lot of pressure-' Mum started but I couldn't listen to another one of her speeches about him being under pressure, he's been under pressure for nine years. I stood up and walked back to my room, leaving my dinner, I wasn't really that hungry anyway. I closed the door and sat on the bed facing the window, back against the door. I rubbed the tears away from my eyes, if he saw me crying he'd probably give me a good smack around and tell me to stop being such a fag. There was a knock and I jumped, looking up I saw him, and I backed away, falling off the edge of the bed, peaking up and over to see him standing there, he had a shirt on now and the blood was cleaned away from his face. How the fuck did he get up here, my rooms on the second floor, no, how the fuck does he know where I live? He really must be a stalker! Oh god, is he here to finish what he started before? Am I about to be murdered? Or raped? Fucking hell.... He reached forward and lifted the window. I scurried back to the wall, standing and trying to plaster myself against it.

'W-what are you doing?' I whispered as I watched him very carefully, the moonlight that shone through the windows gave him an almost angelic glow, definitive contrast to the bloody hellhound scene he plagued me with earlier. 'Who are you? Why are you here?' I said as he closed the window carefully, quietly, he never seemed to try and make a lot of noise, before walking over he stood up straight and showed off how tall he was, he was definitely over six foot, I was only just six foot if I stretched that extra inch, he stalked over and blocked me up against the wall, arms on either side of my head.