When I Woke

Chapter 2: When I Freak

"Jojo circus, mum's calling you!" Nicky shouted from the hallway.

"Don't call me that!" My 10-year-old self yelled back.

I put my comic book down and raced to the kitchen. A sweet fruity aroma wafted into my nose. I reached a hand to the plate of cherry cookies only to have it slapped away.

"Jo, these aren't for you," my mother chided. "These are for the new neighbors who just moved in across the street." She picked the plate up and placed it in my hands. "I want you to bring it to them."

"But mum..."

"No buts Jo. Besides, there's a girl in that house who's just a couple years younger than you. Maybe the two of you could be friends."

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the house, sneaking a cookie into my mouth. I was past the 'girls have cooties' stage but I already had friends who were the same age as me. Why did I need a younger friend?

As I stepped into their yard, I saw a small, petite girl sitting on a porch swing by herself, hugging a small stuffed penguin. She had short black hair and her brown eyes were pointed at the floor. That was probably the girl my mum was talking about.

She didn't seem to notice me when I stepped onto the porch.

"Um... excuse me?"

She didn't respond. Maybe she didn't hear me.

"Hello?" I said a little louder.

Her head jerked up and she saw me.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's fine."

Her brown eyes drifted to the plate of cookies. "So... what are you doing here?"

"My mum told me to give this to you and your family. I live across the street." Her eyes lit up as I handed her the plate of cookies. I didn't really know what else to say. "Yeah."

There was a bright summer smile on her face.

"Since you brought me cookies, we should be friends," she declared.

"What? No, I mean, we, uh, we just met, I mean I-" I didn't expect her to want to be friends. I just wanted to get this job over and done with.

"Yeah, you'll be my first friend here," she said, breaking one cookie in half. She took one half and offered the other to me. "What's your name?"

I hesitantly took the broken cookie. "I'm Joseph Adler."

"Well I'm-"

*****

My eyes shot open from the bad dream I had. I dreamt that I was about to get eaten some creature with sharp fangs. My mum was right when she told me to stop watching those horror movies.

As I sat up from my bed, I realized that I had a splitting headache. A groan escaped my mouth as I tried to hold my head in my hands. However I realized that my hands were tied behind my back. And instead of lying in my comfy bed at home, I was lying on a bed of grass in a dark forest.

My heart began to race as I took in my surroundings. Unfamiliar faces standing around a campfire, the black silhouette of the trees lined the perimeter, blood splattered on the ground and no one seeming to mind.

I struggled against the ropes that kept my hands bound all the while bearing with the pain pounding against my skull.

Get up and run, my brain instructed.