My life

Chapter 4

The moon shone brightly, making the tree look gloomy from the group's angle. The leaves casted a shadow on the ground, making it almost impossible to see her unless she moved too quickly. The scene would have looked like nothing but a drug deal if not for the body in their midst. She couldn't tell if the person was dead but the fact that they weren't moving was enough to send a chill up her spine. It was no secret that the town was unsafe in the dark but Chloe had never experienced it firsthand. The stench of cigarette was thick in the air, probably coming from the bunch before her. She noticed for the first time that one of them was holding a cigarette. The person bent down, Chloe watched with her breath held, scared to witness what was going to happen next. She wanted to look away, she did but the scene in front of her called her like a siren.

The person holding the cigarette touched the body with the bottom of the cigarette. She heard the muffled scream of the person on the floor. She felt bile rise to her throat at the realization that they were torturing the person.
Female laughter could be heard in the silent night.

Chloe blamed herself for being naive enough to believe that Laila actually wanted to be her friend.
She stood there, unable to move. She knew she'd never be able to forget this, every muffled scream,every laughter, the stench in the air, it was all ingrained in her memory. She knew they'd kill her if she got caught.

Chloe never really feared death, she almost craved it but now, faced with the possibility of death, she realized she was a coward, she was scared, scared of dying.

They delivered the final blow, and this time she was sure the person was dead. They all laughed casually, like they just watched a skit.
Chloe has seen darkness, faced darkness but this was real, her experience was nothing compared to this. They still hadn't noticed her.

She noticed they were heading towards her. She wondered if she had been seen. Their movement was casual, like they were taking a stroll on a normal day.

The possibility of them passing (the tree she was hiding behind) without noticing her was low and she knew it. She contemplated her next move as they got closer. She could feel her heart beat faster as the adrenaline pumped through her veins.
Running was her only option but she couldn't get her body to move, she was paralyzed by fear.

She stopped looking, choosing instead to rely on her ears. She considered sitting there and waiting for them to find and kill her too since the chances of her escape was low. Her hands began to shake, she willed her body to move, but the fear was too great. She almost gave up, but at the last moment she remembered Maya. She considered what her friend had been through and how selfish it would be of her to stay there and die so she moved.

Her body felt light, she almost lost her balance but she steadied herself and ran as fast as she could.

"Hey!" One of them screamed in surprise

"Don't let her get away!"

They ran after her like she knew they would. She had no hope of getting away but she kept moving, for Maya. Her ears were ringing, her pulse was racing. She could feel her her flailing in different directions, they were hot on her heels. Her cheeks felt cold from the tears. She knew she wouldn't be able to escape, how long would she run? She didn't know where to run to, she couldn't lead them to her house. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to her.

"Help ! Somebody help me!" She screamed out desperately but no one was around to help her, it was late, everyone was in their homes. The familiar feeling of helplessness and hopelessness crept up on her, she was going to die. She turned a corner, coming upon the road. There was no chance she'd lose them now but she kept running. Her head ached, her vision was blinded by tears but she kept moving. She heard the engine of a car coming from behind her and almost collapsed with relief.
The car stopped beside her

"Get in" she recognized that voice. Without hesitation, she got in. Grateful for an escape.

•••

The lake sparkles under the moonlight, making it look dark, darker than it usually was. The night was cold, but "Bill" didn't feel it, despite the fact that he didn't have his jacket on. His attention was on the shivering girl sitting in front of him. Her long black hair was a mess around her, her cheeks were stained with tears. She had stopped crying a while ago, choosing instead to stare at nothing. It was obvious she was lost in thoughts. He didn't know where she lived and couldn't take her to his house so her brought her here, to a place she was familiar with.

He hadn't known why those people were after her or who they were, he had simply acted on instinct, instinct to protect her.

"Thank you" she finally crooked out, her voice low.

He wanted to help her, to comfort her but he didn't know how to so he choose instead to just stay silent and watch her.

"Ready to go home?"

She nodded.

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