Scalpel's Edge

Chapter 3- The Woods

Ashlyn dreamed that night. She dreamed about the dark, very tall creatures that she had drawn earlier that day. She dreamed about the initials, JTK and EJ. She hated whoever they were and she wanted to yell and scream for them to stop screwing with her life. Then, she dreamed about the woods.

The woods just outside her bedroom window, the trees so close that as a little girl they would claw and knock at her window pains, begging that she let them in so they could kill her. Ash dreamed she was 5 again, and those branches were knocking on her window. She crawled out of bed, going to her window and drawing back the certains to show what was knocking, asking if he could come in. A tall slender man wearing a black suit was crouched at her window, clawing and knocking. He had no face, but she wasn't scared of him, insted she let him in. Sliding her window open and allowing the creature entrance. It "looked" at her and tilted its head, holding out a slim hand with long almost elegant fingers. She smiled at the faceless slender man and took his offer. He picked her up and lead her into the woods where he set her down again, the pine needles peirced her bare feet but she didnt seem to mind at all. Little Ashlyn looked up from her feet to see the slender man had gone. 

She looked around, the woods were dark and spooky and she had no idea where she was or what to do in this situation. Her hands came up to run through her hair, she was 16 again and still had that hanging feeling of dread. The feeling you get when someone is watching you. The leaves crunched around her and she took off running, her feet stung and she could feel them becoming slick with the blood welling up from the pine needle punctures. She ran to a building that happened to show up suddenly as always happend in dreams. Ash relayed that message in her mind, only a dream, but it didnt seem to help the situation as it all felt too real! 

She burst in, shutting the door behind her. It was a huge mantion, stairs to her right led up to another level and there was a archway on the main level to her left that lead to what looked like a living room but in the dark she really couldnt tell. She caught her breath and ran up the stairs and into a bedroom, shutting that door behind her again. Ashlyn could hear distant barking and snarling of a seemingly rabid dog somewere off in the distance. She went to the window to look out on the dark woods, every tree dark and dead. She shivered as she suddenly became cold. A glint of something in the dark caught her eye and she looked in the reflection of the window to see that there was someone or something behind her. she spun and pressed her back to the window, a black haired boy, about 17 was stairing at her, blue eyes wide like his eyelids had been... his skin was very pale and his white pull over hoodie was stained with blood. He had a knife raised and poised ready to strike and kill in one stab, his face had a cut in smile that made his grin look very big and desterbing. 

"Ashlyn Evens... time is up my dear"

He chuckled and went to stab her, the window gave way and she fell back first out of it. She hit the ground with a heavy thud, a branch stabbing into her side. She screamed out and clutched her side, now bleeding profously. She lay there dizzaly for a hearbeat but she knew that if she didnt get up and run it really would be her end. Cracking twigs and dog barks got louder as she gasped for breath, running and trying to pull the branch out was hard and taking up the energy that she needed to be able to servive the blood loss. Her electric blue eyes were panic striken as she huffed, growing tired and sleepy. A boy in a black hoodie stepped out from behind a tree, she didnt even get to see his face before she called out and collapsed onto him. She should have thought that action over. The boy mumbled something before she felt a sharp pain in her leg, Ash looked down at the silver scalple buryed there and screamed again, stumbling to get out of the phycopaths arms. She shook as she finally got away and all but ripped the scalple out and threw it at the boy, missing horrably. He chuckled before advancing on her, she took off again but she felt that with her limp she wouldnt last much longer. Her breathing was becoming shallow and her eye sight was bluring. Her light head felt as if the world was turning around and around. She was falling? Was this what it was like to die? Twins stepped out of the shadows and loomed over her as she fell to her knees in the grass and leaves. A smaller boy coming up behind her and laying her down on her back. The slender man stood between the twins and the pale faced one aproched out of no were, his face sill holding that terrifying smirk. Her vision was fading and she was blacking out as the boy with the black hoodie kneeled behind her head, placing it on his lap and whispering things to her as the white hoodied one straddled her waist bringing his knife to her neck and slicing it. 

"I-Isn't there... an-other way o-ut...."

She managed to choke out as her final breath left her body.

Ashlyn sat up in bed, panting and covered in sweat. She brought her knees close to her chest and let the terrifyed sobs wrack her body. Never noticing the two figures outside her window clawing and scratching to get in and kill her.