how did this happen. . ?

13 - rusty nails

Winter break has come and gone, and it was officially time to return to campus. You loved being home for the holidays, but you were ready to get back to school and your job. You never thought you would say it, but you missed your gas station job. Sure, most of it was you missing Sally and the pay, but you missed it, nonetheless.

Another thing was your weird friends. BEN hasn't visited in a couple of weeks, you haven't seen Toby since that night he attacked you, and you haven't seen any of the others since break started. You were ready to be back.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" your mother asked as she placed a bowl of soup in front of you. It was still snowy outside, and soup was the best way to keep you warm.

You wrapped your hands around the porcelain bowl, hands warming up thanks to the heat radiating off the bowl. "I'll head out after breakfast. I'm probably going to meet up with some friends for lunch, to catch up."

Hopefully, BEN and Tim will be back on campus. You wanted to hear about their winter break stories.

Your mother continued the conversation, asking questions and discussing their plans for the coming weeks. All you could think about was seeing your friends.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of you packing your car and preparing to move away again for the next several months. One moment, you were hugging your parents goodbye, and the next, you were back on campus.

It took less time to move out than to move back in, but there was a distinct lack of your two usual helpers.

Tim always insisted on lifting your mini fridge like it weighed nothing, despite grumbling the whole time. BEN mostly hovered around and complained about your taste in posters while hacking your dorm's TV to play glitchy music videos.

Now? Just silence.

No glitching laughter echoing from your laptop. No quiet shuffle of heavy boots outside your door. Not even a knock.

You finished setting up your room alone, your favorite blanket draped over the end of your bed, and your nightstand neatly organized. Everything was exactly where it should be, and yet everything felt... wrong.

You checked your phone. Still no messages.

You hadn't realized just how much time you'd spent with them until now. Just how much of your strange new normal had they become?

By the time night crept in, the campus had mostly settled. Lights were out in the hallway, muffled voices replaced by a cold hush. The snow outside reflected a pale glow through your window, casting long, slanted shadows across the floor.

Surely, they'll visit soon.

That was the last thought you had as your eyes fluttered shut.

~ ~ ~

You weren't the type of person to have super vivid dreams or horrifying nightmares, so walking through a forest that was nearly entirely pitch black was a new experience. In your hand was a flashlight that only lit up three feet ahead of you. You crept through the trees, stopping to look at a piece of paper with a circle and an X scribbled on it, nailed to a tree with a rusty nail.

Some papers had that symbol. Others had messages scribbled in shaky handwriting:

"He sees me."
"Don't look behind you."
"Leave while you still can."
"NO EYES. STILL SEES."

Your breath hitched as the wind began to pick up. It whistled between the trees in a haunting tone that sounded almost like someone whispering your name.

You took a few more steps and came across a wooden sign nailed to a crooked tree: "He's Watching."

"Where am I?" you muttered, the question cold in the night air.