Rising Smoke

Chapter One

        My shoes crunch the leaves along the sidewalk as I walk. Someone is following me. I can feel their stare on me--it's penetrating, but every time I look behind me, the street is empty. No one, but a cold, desolate street, with the occasionally parked car.

        I pick up my pace. My hands in my pockets start to sweat, from fear. This is something different, something not human.

        I turn a corner and the spell is broken, then I feel it as the hair at the back of my neck stand up. The street up ahead of me is empty too. Where are all the people? I mean it's cold out, but not that cold.

        Someone is still following me, so I duck into some random coffee shop. Ahh, it's warm and it smells nice.

        I order some black coffee and sit by the windows to look out. I still feel it, the stare, but I'm safe, there are two other people in here. One at the register and one sitting a couple of chairs away. The people following me wouldn't dare attack with witnesses.

        I scan the outside of the shop, looking for... anything. Anything that can show me who is doing this. Why are they following me? I'm no one. I mean I'm someone just not that interesting enough to actually be followed or stalked. I live in a suburban type of home. I go to school. I play soccer. I'm just a regular teenage girl.

        But as I think back throughout my whole life I feel like someone has always been watching me. Not enough to where I would notice, but just enough. Almost as if they were keeping tabs on me. Why? As I sit in the coffee shop, staring out the window, I have a million questions going through my head and no answers.

        My coffee arrives with a napkin. The barista taps the napkin. I look at it.

        There's a note:

        They're coming.

        That's all. That's all it says. I look up, she's gone. So are the other patrons I noticed when I arrived. What is going on?

        I grip my coffee, even though it burns my hand. Who's coming? Why are they coming for me? I flip my napkin over.

        There's another note:

        Leave. Out back.

        I glance up, leave my steaming coffee on the table, as I make my way to the counter. Scooting around the counter, I push open the employees only door.

        Inside is a hallway and at the end is the exit door. I start sprinting towards it. The door behind me opens up. I don't turn around as I sprint to the door and shove it open. I hear footsteps behind me, I step out and let the door slam shut behind me, as I pound down the street. I hear the back door open and close and more footsteps.

        Rounding the corner, I count to hear how many footsteps. Five? Six? Why would they send so many after a small girl? I'm just a couple inches above five feet for Pete's sake!

        I hear voices. They are yelling but I can't understand it. It must not be in English. The footsteps are getting louder. Not good.

        Shit!

        I ver off in another direction. I look behind me, there's no one. I stop hearing footsteps. I slow down. My breath is coming in and out of my chest, raggedly. I'm gulping in air as much as possible. I spin around. I know I heard footsteps, but there's no one around.

        Looking cautiously around, I creep along the sides of buildings trying to stay hidden. Where do I go? Obviously they have to know where I live. No one is around, even though I am in town.