Feathers

Chapter 5

I looked around the whole pier for Aries.

What in the world? One minute he is there behind me and the next he vanishes. I thought to myself. Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me

After a half-hour of looking, I gave up and checked my phone. I saw that Bree and Ryan were blowing up my phone with missed calls and unread text messages.

36 text messages from Bestie

16 text messages from British boi

5 missed calls from British boi

15 missed calls from Bestie

I was almost scared at this point to call Bree back. I unlocked my phone and called Bree. It took not even two rings passed before she picked up the phone.

"Omg! Alex! Where are you? Are you okay? Stay where you are we will find you." Bree started yelling into the phone. I had to pull my phone away from my ear.

"I'm okay Bree, I'm walking towards the arcade now," I said. Attempting to comfort her. I hung up before she could answer and speed-walked to the arcade.

Once I was off the pier, I saw Bree and Ryan in front of the arcade doors. They finally saw me and waved me over.

"ALEX!" Bree yelled. She ran over to me and bear-hugged me.

"Don't ever disappear like that ever again! You scared the living hell out of me!" Bree said, almost yelling in my ear.

"Bree, i- I can't breathe," I advised. She let me go and I took a deep breath in.

"Girl, you're too strong," I said trying to catch my breath. But Bree wasn't having it. She didn't laugh or joke about how strong she was. I could tell that she was scared. It was silent for a moment, I think Bree was just trying to find the right words before talking to me. The silence was suddenly broken by Ryan.

"I saw you run off with some guy. I think it was the same guy from our first period," he said, stating the obvious. But Bree didn't know that. She instantly turned around and looked at Ryan and then at me.

"You did what?!" she yelled. She sounded like an overprotective mother.

"What did you do? You ran away? With him? The guy from your nightmares?" she put her hands and her head on and started walking around between me and Ryan. She stopped in front of me and just looked at me in disbelief.

"Did you guys-" Her voice trailed off. She sounded very scared and worried.

Until I realized what she was going I say.

"Ew! No Bree. We didn't kiss. Or anything like that," I shouted.

A small wave of exhaustion fell over me. I yawned. I wasn't getting sleep the past few days.

Bree exhaled in relief.

"Listen, Bree, I'm tired and I need to go home soon. So let's get you home. I need sleep," I said.

We all started walking to our cars. We were quiet the whole way there.

We said our goodbyes to Ryan. Bree and I got into my car.

We weren't that far away from Bree's house. It was like 15 minutes away from the pier.

I drove in silence, overthinking what happened today. For some reason, I wanted to cry again. I knew overstimulation was not my friend.

I just wanted to get Bree home. Get to my house and take a really hot bath. We were halfway to her house when she was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry Alex," she said. I took a quick look at her, then looked back at the road.

"What for?" I asked in confusion. She went silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry for yelling. I was just overwhelmed and afraid that I lost you. You like vanished when we were done playing around with the claw machine," she took a breath in and out before continuing. Bree sounded like she was about to cry. It made me feel guilty for leaving them alone without making sure they absolutely knew where I was going.

"Ryan said you went to the bathroom. So I believed him. So we kept playing more games until 20 minutes passed. I checked the bathroom and you weren't there." She hesitated again before she  continued.

"So I started to panic and we searched everywhere for you," Her voice started to break. I knew Bree was somewhat sensitive when she felt lost or she lost something.

"We blew your phone up. I called you 15 times. Texted you. But you wouldn't pick up," she continued. She kept fiddling with the seatbelt and her fingers. She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. I just contenued drive in silence. I didn't know what to say. I mean she was only seventeen.

"When you called me I felt so much relief," she said, she looked at me. I still didnt say anything. I honestly didnt know what to say. She looked back down unto her lap and continued to fiddle with the seat belt.

We finally pulled up to her driveway and I stopped the car. I looked at her for a few seconds before I pulled her into a hug.

"I am so sorry Bree. I promise I'm okay. I promise I'll call you when I get home. I'll explain everything," I said as I pulled away. She wiped her tears and smiled.

"I'm just glad your safe," she said smiling. She got out of the car and headed inside. I exhaled a huge breath before driving off.

My house was farther than where Bree's house was. It was about a twenty-minute drive. I drove down the dark street that lead to my house. I had turned the radio on. "Party in the U.S.A." was playing as I nodded my head and quietly sang to myself.

My phone buzzed and I quickly looked at it and saw that a random number had texted me. But before I knew it my car hit something. Something really large and heavy. I panicked and slammed on the brakes.

I just sat there, panicking to myself. Oh please God. Don't be a homeless person.

Maybe it was a deer? No, it was too heavy to be a deer. A bear?

I got out of the car holding my phone and flashlight on. It looked like I had hit it and it toppled over my car. I started to walk slowly behind my car. Until I saw it. It was laying on its side. It looked to be a man. A very tall man. He looked like he was wearing dark red and black clothes.

OMG, I RAN OVER A HOMELESS MAN! I screamed in my head.

I walked over to the body and kneeled beside him. When I took a closer look, I realized that he wasn't wearing dark red and black clothes. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all. The dark redness and blackness was his skin. My eyes grew in fear. The dark redness looked to be burnt skin. The more I looked at this man, the more it didn't look human at all. It started shifting around. I froze. To afraid to move.

GET UP ALEX. MOVE! GO! I was yelling at my body to move, but my body just kept still. I was paralyzed in fear.

The creature started to stand up. My eyes followed it until it was almost fully standing up. The creature looked to be seven feet tall, with a small hunch. The creature had full black eyes and it had its mouth slightly open. Its teeth were a bloody bone color. It had misshapen horns on its head. It's jaw looked to be unhinged.

I screamed at the top of my lungs as it screeched an ear-wrenching sound. It tried to launch itself at me but I rolled over to my left dogging it by inches. My body was in auto-fight or flight mode.

My body chose flight.

I sprinted to my car and slammed on the gas pedal. Not caring if I had my seat belt on or not. My car made a screeching sound before zooming off.

Leaving the horrid creature behind me.

Notes:
Yay! A longer chapter this time. And I'm not sick anymore. And my motivation is off the charts. I'm so happy to get this chapter out.
Anyway, see the u in the next chapter.