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Pursuit

I woke up around several hours later, the light dimming almost gone. 

'Shit how long did I sleep?', I frantically got up brushing the dirt of my uniform, 'My parents are going to kill me!'

While I was worrying over the wrath I'm going to face at home, I almost passed by a fallen letter. I picked it up and brushed off the excess dirt, turning the envelope around. There was no address or anything of the sort, only a green seal separating me from whatever lay inside. I would have noticed if it was there earlier, or maybe I was too worried to bother looking around.

For a brief moment I contemplated whether I should open it or not, it most likely wasn't sent for me, someone could have dropped it while they were here, but I was too curious to just lay it back. I peeled open the envelop before taking out a short slip of paper and a photo which dropped to the ground face-down. 

All the paper read was 'To Aamira Ali Khan'. Weird. I went to pick up the photo, but what I saw rose goosebumps on my skin.

The photo was of my sleeping figure by the base of the tree in this exact location, a shadow of a person falling over me.

Someone was here, looking back at the dimming sky, my fears only multiplied. It hasn't even been 24 hours and this stalker was making a second appearance. I began rushing my way out of the gardens, but the gates were already closed.

'Oh, shit' , I sneaked around the walls of the place in hopes I can find some hidey-hole or something like that. My search for one was futile, save for a few grooves in the brick wall. I tried my best to scale the 4 meter wall, the leaves were getting in my hair and the twigs scratching at my legs. I finally reached the top, swinging my legs over the wall. My uniform was slightly torn and dusty from grinding against the chalky bricks. I leapt to the spot of grass behind the wall, a jolt of pain shot through my leg, causing my eyes to blur with tears 'Shit'  I was never an athlete, and now I regret slacking off in P.E.

After the pain slowly subsided I limped my way to the main road, despite being around 6-ish the sky was already pitch black as a result of daylight saving. I walked back up the street through the darkness, just 2 more blocks and a cemetery to pass before I reach home. The idea of going past one this late at night sent shivers up my spine. 'The sooner I get home, the sooner this will be done with'.  

I picked up my pace, nearing a jog cruising past the first block. My leg kept on shooting me with jerk of pain, so I slowed down to a brisk walk. I was near Fallon's street, maybe I could stay over, but I immediately shook the thought away. 'No, I don't want to be around Emilie, it'll just be awkward.'

I passed the 2nd block and saw the cemetery up ahead. Our town was famous for it's cemetery, it was huge and took up an entire block. As I walked past the towering green hedge blocking my view from the graves, I tried keeping my sights forward, ignoring the tendrils of branched that brushed my shoulder, sending chills down my spine. I remember joking with my cousins about it being corpse hands reaching out to grabs us to their graves. I said that to scare my youngest cousin Aaliyah, now the story's come back to bite me in the behind. 

While I was halfway towards the edge of the hedge, I remained silent, there was no cars passing by, which creeped me out more. I felt the beginnings of the hair behind my neck stand on end, I sucked up a breath trying not to breathe too loud, in fears of what, I don't know. While listening to the eerie silence of the night broken by the sound of my feet trudging across the pavement I both felt and heard the thuds of a second set of footsteps not too far behind me. 

I'm definitely dying tonight

'Act like you don't notice', I kept telling myself, not breaking my pace. 'Maybe, it's just another person like me scared, and heading home', I kept assuring myself, still shaken by where I am. The hedge clears and I near the end of the block, I turn right, right in full view of the rows of graves kept in by a black, spiked fence, which did nothing to ease my fears. 

There were modern graves lining near the edge of the fence some with a flag to indicate their status as soldiers who fought in the war, there was sometimes a marble bench placed in between rows of graves, maybe for the ghosts to come out and talk on like in that one movie with Mammootty and the saint. There were bigger sarcophagi's near the center of the place and more far back closer to hedge, marble stone reflecting the light of the moon. It looked both haunting and unearthly. 

I could see the outline of the person behind me out of the corner of my eye. They were picking up their pace walking faster once they saw I noticed them coming. I quickened from a walk to a half-assed jog, the footsteps of the creepy asshole behind me began quickening now, the thud of footsteps louder, ringing out against the night. I broke out into a run, running as fast as my throbbing legs could handle. I wasn't too far from the end of the cemetery just past the gate, a few more houses and I'll be home. 

This scene was becoming too familiar. My heart was thumping hard in my chest, my breathing was all out of wack, and a dull ache was forming near the top of my stomach. My pursuer was hot on my heels I could feel the vibrations of their footsteps through the concrete floor. 

My mind was blank save for the thought I will die tonight, I can already here church bells ringing in my ear. 'What a horrible way to die!' and I was still so young as well. A hand pulled back my shoulder another clad with a handkerchief pressing against my mouth and nose. As my senses started to fade away there was only one slightly petty thought left on my mind.

Chloroform? How cliché.