Light of the Dark

Follow the Leader

•Y/N: Your Name
•F/N: Friend's Name
•E/C: Eye Color

Author's POV: Flashback

A young Y/N played tag with her friend, F/N, in the park near their homes. From the corner of her E/C eye, Y/N swore she caught sight of something moving in the shadows. A chill rolled down her spine, though, she wasn't sure if the feeling was pleasant or nerve-racking. She stopped suddenly, no longer chasing after her friend, to stare into the trees of the surrounding woods. Her stare didn't go unnoticed by her friend, who realized the game was put on pause. She ran up the child to see what's up.

"What are you staring at?" She asked in a loud tone that snapped Y/N out of her daze. F/N wanted to know so bad what she was looking at.

"I thought I saw something move by that bush." Her finger lifted to point towards the bush, where she saw the movement. Y/N's eyes never left it; in fact, she felt compelled to go towards whatever possibly lurked in the woods. Suddenly, F/N released an excited gasp while shaking her friend's shoulders frantically.

"What if it's a bunny?! Let's go catch it," she suggests, feeling ecstatic at the thought of catching the soft rodent. A smile grew on Y/N's face at the possibility of gaining a pet rabbit and hoped her parents would allow her to keep the small creature. With the nod of her head, Y/N and F/N ventured into the woods to search for the animal, even if that wasn't what she saw. The two were blinded with excitement and payed no attention to where they were going. By the time they realized this, it was far too late, for they found themselves lost within the maze of towering trees. With tears clouding the kids' eyes, they attempt to find their way back. Y/N shivers upon hearing a low whisper near her ear, a small gasp escaping her lips.

"Follow me," it says softly in a deep voice. The sound echoed in the little girl's head. She turned to her friend, who was too busy trying to figure out what direction they came from.

"Did you say something?" She asked F/N. Her friend tilts their head in confusion.

"No, why?" Their eyebrow raised, for they had no clue how the girl heard something when no one else was around.

"Nothing. Never mind." Though she came across as calm, that voice made her a bit nervous. She gave a quick once-over at her surroundings to check if they were indeed alone. She saw no one. F/N shrugs their shoulders at Y/N's behavior and leads the way, though, they actually had no idea where they were headed.

The two wandered for nearly an hour before they take another short break. The sun had all ready set, and it was getting quite late. The night sky is decorated with numerous stars and a quarter moon to give the children a bit of light in the dark wood. It appeared that all hope of ever getting home was lost. F/N had all ready began crying about never seeing their mother again. Y/N's eye catches a glimpse of a dim, blue glow. She turns her head and finds that it came from behind one of the many trees. Her eyes widen, and she begins to walk towards it with slow, hesitant steps. Her friend soon notices this.

"Y/N, where are you going?"

The girl does not care to answer as she continued towards the light. The hairs on the back of her neck rise upon hearing that deep voice again in the back of her head.

"That's it, Y/N, follow me," the voice beckons. Noticing the girl was getting further away from them, F/N ran to catch up. The glow led the way back to the playground the two had played in before getting lost, and reunite with their worried parents. Y/N's mother takes her daughter by the hand to escort her home, but Y/N's gaze lingers on the woods they had escaped from. Leaning against one of the far trees is a thin man.