The Watchers

No one has ever read this and this is the first thing I have ever properly written so please comment and let me know what you think and give me any feedback. Also I would just like to apologise for not yet having a title, I'm afraid it will just have to come whilst writing the story.

I just want to say a huge thank you to bestandbaddestfemale for making me a gorgeous book cover!! 

Chapter 1

“Shoot!” It’s gone, I’ve done it again: I’ve missed the last bus. What do I do now? I’ll have to walk the whole three miles home. Unless… no, I can’t do that, but I can and I will. As I head towards the edge of the woods, towards the short cut which my dad has made me promise since I was ten that I would never take. Especially on my own; at night.

A memory jumps to the front of my mind of the last time I was here. It stops me dead in my tracks and I have to wait for it to pass. A lot has changed since then. I take a shaky step into the dark foreboding woods. Just ten minutes and I will be home, just ten minutes.

The eerie silence immediately puts me on edge and I find myself jumping at every noise. It’s just a rabbit, just an owl, just a bat, just… footsteps? The feet snap a twig and I jump around, I was right there is a man, a huge man hidden in the darkness of the tree’s shadows where the moon’s spotlight can’t expose him. I quickly turn off the main path onto the rough, snake like pathway which will lead me to my house.

Footsteps still, I can still hear footsteps, even on this barely used path. I peer around my shoulder. He’s still there, closer than he was before but still hidden beneath the canopy of darkness. I pick up my pace, just eight more minutes and I’ll be home, just eight more minutes. The heavy footsteps seem to be getting closer and closer. The steady but deafening beat drowning out all the sounds which had previously terrified me. All I can hear, all I can think about are those footsteps getting closer and closer.

Panic rises from the pit of my stomach to my throat where I force myself to swallow the screams and fight the almost overwhelming urge to curl up and let out the sobs which threaten to take over my body. But I keep my poker face; I am cool, calm and collected, on the outside anyway. My only give away is that my entire body is shaking like a leaf. But on a fresh, crisp night who can tell that I’m not shivering from the chill that lingers in the air.

I take a deep breath and try to be cool, calm and collected on the inside. Once again I peer around my shoulder to see the man’s silhouette. Closer again; but he has not yet reached my natural spotlight. Just five more minutes and I will have reached the safety of my street, just five more minutes. I walk faster, as fast as I can without provoking him to run after me. Faster - faster towards my home.

That’s when I realise that I am no longer listening to the footsteps. I listen but I can no longer hear them. I stop abruptly and try to hear any noise above the pounding of my heart. Nothing; I can’t hear any footsteps. All I can hear is my poor racing heart and my shaky breathing. I slowly turn around; afraid of what I might see behind me. But there’s nothing, no one there. I try to search the trees but it’s too late now, too dark and with the moon cowering behind a cloud all I can see are the creepy silhouettes of the trees. 

I keep all of my senses alert but start to walk again. Just three more minutes and I’ll be back home to my dad, just three more minutes. With the darkness impairing my vision I start to rely on my other senses to alert me of any dangers; the man or otherwise. I can hear the gentle crunch of the frosty leaves beneath my feet. I can taste the crisp, misty air that surrounds me and offers an extra layer of disguise to anything lurking in the woods. I can feel the chill in the sir that keeps everyone wrapped up nice and warm indoors.

Just two more minutes and I’ll be out of the woods and under the safety of the street lamp’s protective beam, just two more minutes. The moon starts to creep out from behind the cloud to once again shine its spotlight upon me and light my pathway out of the woods and to my home.

But then a twig gives way to a large, heavy foot right behind me and it lets out a snap. But there isn’t a twig beneath my feet.

I turn round to come face to face with the man. His huge, dark, void like eyes staring straight into mine like two black holes trying to devour me. His huge body towers over my small, slight frame. He lifts his two huge, muscley arms and reaches towards my face, to touch me whilst I just watch him; too scared to even move, just frozen to that very spot. I am just a small, defenceless, vulnerable girl who can’t do anything to stop him, except watch.

But then my instincts kick in; my girly instincts. I swallow hard and then take a huge breath ready to let out an almighty ear piercing girly scream. But then my animal instincts kick in, my predator instincts. As adrenaline courses through my veins I take a small, unnoticeable step backwards and let my leg snap out and my foot strikes his temple. Hard.

I watch him sway on his feet and I have to jump to the side as he falls forwards on to the ground. He’s knocked out cold.