Fear of the Unknown

Chapter 13 Tick Tock Hide And Seek

Bang! A loud thud jolts me awake in a startled haze. A harsh impact hits my head making me dizzy. What the hell? I thought. Another loud bang crashes an now I'm fully awake. My bedroom door is swinging in full force, back and forth. It lets out a loud bang making me flinch. The air around me is thick making it hard for me to breathe.

"Mom! John? Cora?" I call out.

There is no answer, the only sound that could be heard is my door. BANG! Now it's swinging harder. It's dark but a moonlight cast shines right at my door illuminating it. My heart is racing rapidly and I began to shiver. I run to the bathroom, the door almost hitting me in the process. I slip past just in time.

Once I am inside, I lock the door and let out a huge sigh. My fingers fumble for the light switch. I stretch out my hands and run it along the wall. I feel something wet and warm on the light switch making me recoil my hand. I roughly wipe the wetness on my hand onto my shorts. I somehow manage to flick on the lights. What happens next shocks me hard to the core.

Right in the mirror I'm looking at my reflection. But the mirror is splattered with blood and it starts forming into words. It read: I'M COMING FOR YOU. I back up fumbling with the bathroom door. I try to turn the knob but it wouldn't budge. An evil chuckle hushes in the air draining all the blood from my face. My blood starts boiling on the surface. I am now pounding on the door screaming.

"LET ME OUT!! HELP ME!!" I scream.

The lights zap out creating a red spark. I let out a bloodcurdling scream so loud that it hurts my own ears. I'm coming for you Beth.........a deep voice hushes right next to me making me jump.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" I sob uncontrollably. My whole body starts to shake and I can hardly breathe. Mom! John! Cora! Where are you guys? I thought. This can't be happening. Is this another one of my dreams?

This is no dream..... the voice hushes angrily.

I feel something cold touch my face and I let out a yelp. The presence chuckles and continues to trail what seems like a finger on my face. The touch made my hair rise up and skin crawl.

"Who are you?" I ask breathless.

The presence continues to let out a deep throaty chuckle before answering. You know who I am sweetheart.........I cringe at it calling me sweetheart. It makes me want to vomit all of my innards. Suddenly, everything clicks into place in my head like pieces of a puzzle. I know exactly who this is and the thought of it makes me want to cower and hide under my bed.

"Karl," I whisper.

  What was that sweetheart? Speak up dear. I let out a deep breath and say it louder. "You're Karl Riddle....."

Bingo! Darling, you are good. Now...let's say we play a little game? Ever heard of Tick Tock Hide and Seek?

I shook my head at him in the darkness. A part of me wishes for some light so I can see. But another part of me is glad for the darkness, preventing me from seeing him. That exorcism didn't work at all. I knew there was something fishy about that Francis guy doing his work for free. It seemed too easy. He basically had all of us fooled.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Girl, you haven't lived. Let's see, I'll make you a deal. You have two minutes to run as far away from here and hide without me finding you. We will have three games. One for each of your family. Starting with your mom, then your sister. Then John.

"What happens if you catch me?" I ask in fear.

They ...........die....he chuckles eerily.

Tears are now escaping me and running down my face. He comes up to brush my face and the tears turn ice cold. My whole body becomes rigid at his touch. It feels like my skin is alive with bugs crawling all over my body.

You better run sweetheart......your time starts.......right now .....I'm coming for you......

The bathroom door slams open and I run out as fast as I let my legs carry me. Adrenaline courses through my veins. A endless stream of questions run through my mind. How can I feel him? How can he come in contact with the living? I didn't dare look back for fear of slowing down. The wind outside almost knocks me out breath. My hair whips wildly behind me flowing like waves. I ran fast and came crashing into someone. Not caring who it was I try to keep running but the person grabs my wrist gently.

"Beth?"

I look up and see that it's Jason. A smile creeps up at my face but it quickly turns into fear.

"Jason, we have to go! Karl is chasing me, he's going to kill my family!" I cry wrapping my arms around him. He returns the hug wiping my tears with his thumb.

"Beth....are you feeling okay? Karl is dead....you probably just had a bad dream."

I push away from him angrily. How can he not believe me? I look back and I see him. A scream comes out of me drowning me in immense fear. Jason is now dragging me away realizing the reality of situation.

Say goodbye to your mom....... round two. You have thirty minutes before I go for Cora. I see him carrying an axe with an evil grin plastered on his face. A piece of rope is tied around his neck. He is covered in blood, no, more like drenched in blood. Karl is basically dripping with it.

"Beth, come on! Let's go!" Jason orders while dragging me.

We arrive at his house and he quickly grabs his car keys. He leads me into the passenger seat and gets into the driver's seat. Jason starts the engine and backs out of his driveway. He revs down the highway as quickly as he can. I break down sobbing hysterically. I hug my knees to my chest rocking back and forth.

"NO! NO! NO! MOM!" I cry bawling my eyes out.

"Beth, please........we need you to keep it together. We only have twenty minutes to hide before he has a chance to find us. You don't want Cora to die, so we need to get the hell out."

I nod my head but I still couldn't stop crying. It feels like someone punched through me, grabbed my heart and crushed it. My breathing becomes shallow and raspy. I start hyperventilating and I can barely breathe. A huge weight sits on my chest. Mom is gone, I will never see her again.

"Ssssh....Beth......I'll keep you safe." Jason hushes while holding one of my hands.

Jason drives on in the dark on the smooth highway. I didn't know where we were going but all I can think about is keeping Cora safe.  But the thought of my mother overpowers all my emotions and I break down again. I feel broken, into gazillion shards of glass being stepped on. How will I ever get through this? Everywhere around me it's chaos and brimming with eeriness.

My head is pulsating roughly against my skull making me squeeze my eyes shut. All I want is for this crazy situation to erupt to a stop.

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A/N Hey guys! So I have finally updated! Yay! This is one of my favorite chapters to write. Thanks again for all your support. All the comments and votes I get makes my day! So what do you guys think about the situation that Beth is in? Will she get out of it? How will she get back to Cora?

Please vote and comment. Any critiques are greatly appreciated and I love hearing them because they help improve my writing. Thanks again! :)