Beneath The Mask

28. I'll Try To Be As Caring As Possible

Note: Contains a little bit of violence but no blood. I suggest people who are uncomfortable with the violence part, to just skip it. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Cath's POV:

I stood alone in the middle of the road. I always knew that this was how my life was destined to be. But it never occurred to me that now would be the time for it. The last soul that hung on to me too flew away. I didn't have anything or anybody holding me back. No one needed me anymore. I always seemed to cause chaos and trouble. Those were a few of the qualities I was born with.

The path ahead seemed lonely and dark. Something about it reminded me of myself. The familiar nauseating feeling erupted from the bottom of my stomach. Maybe it was because of the realisation that I had nobody. Or the cold harsh truth that my dark soul always brought only evil to those around me. Though I knew it all from the very beginning, it felt better not having to face it. But now I had no choice.

I slowly stepped forward. The whole place was vacant. There wasn't a single house or sign of civilisation in the neighbourhood. I took a deep breath and continued my path. Only the sound of my foot steps was audible.

It would seem like a better opportunity to guard myself against any impending danger. But it only made the matter worse. Even the slightest howling sound of the blowing wind and noise of the grass that moved along with it, made my senses alert.

I rubbed my hands against the length of my arm to keep myself warm. But it still didn't help. As I moved further away from my point of departure, the darkness began to creep up on me.

"Catherine." A soft whisper echoed through the empty land.

I froze as my heartbeat rose. I felt a lump on my throat. Only the sound of my racing heart was audible. I slowly turned around to inspect the surrounding with my heightened sense of perception.

"That must have been my imagination." I muttered to myself with the hope that I would believe it. But who was I kidding anyway? I could never convince myself even when Sam was around, let alone on a lonely road at the middle of the night.

I stood there for a few more seconds and scanned the environment. When there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I took a deep breath.

I stepped forward slowly, making sure that my shoes didn't make any noise. The familiar feeling of being followed crept up on me. It felt strange that I didn't get that feeling so far. When you get comfortable with the constant nagging feeling inside you, being normal would seem like a disorder.

I peeked behind my back every few seconds to be extra sure. The omnious sound of foot steps emerged from behind me. I halted on my step and as expected, the sound stopped again. My palms shivered in fear and sweat dripped all over my body. I slowly turned around and scanned all over the place. It was dark like a cave and my cell phone light wasn't helping either.

"Hello?" I called out at the emptiness ahead of me. I knew that making noise and giving away my location would only make it easier for the predator to attack me, if there was any. But It is always easier to run away from a known devil than from an unknown ghost. It saves all the energy and anticipation of the danger.

To my dismay, there wasn't any reply. I didn't know what I was expecting, but the silence only levitated my fears further. "My imagination is becoming more and more vivid by the day." I muttered to myself and started walking again.

This time I made sure to trod faster. And then the sound began again and increased in pace. Tears threatened to fall down my eyes but I controlled myself.