Hands in the Dark

Chapter Five Wandering Footsteps

Chapter Five Wandering Footsteps

            Tara walked along the sidewalk to her college, she glanced up to the stone fence in which also used to be a part of the asylum, at the top there were faces etched into the old stone, gargoyles, or at least that’s what she thought they were.

It was odd, she had walked this path to her classes before, but it was only now that she really noticed the carvings, but what bothered her wasn’t the twisted ghoulish faces, but the feeling of her being watched by them. Like their eyes were following wherever she went.

            You’re seeing things Tara, just ignore it… she thought to herself, but still the nagging feeling inside her head wouldn’t go away.

            Her hood was up as she walked, not that she was trying to hide, it was just another failing attempt to stop having whatever was following her go away. But it wouldn’t.

Tara looked over her shoulder for the fifth already and like every time before she saw nothing. “This is what Alex must have gone through…” Tara said to herself as she kept looking behind herself. I don’t blame him for running…

She collided with someone, making her stumbled back a bit and then looked at who she ran into.

Her eyes went wide at who she saw.

Jason Harkle, an old student from her high school. What the hell was he doing here?

“Oh, crap I am so sorry, are you okay?”

Tara kept her head lowered, thankful for the hood that she had on, and walked past him as fast as she could go. She didn’t have time for this crap.

“Hey!” he walked after her, Tara wanted to curse the man’s tall height of five foot seven to her merger five foot three. “What are you running away from?”

Jason’s hand yanked onto her hood, pulling it down to reveal her face.

“Tara? Tara is that you?!”

I fucking hate you life… Tara pulled away as she looked at him.

His hair was a darker shade of brown then her’s and matching eyes, he had a twig look to him, looking even skinnier then she did, dressed in a long sleeved shirt and slightly ripped jeans.

“Oh my god it really is you! Look it you! You look incredible, you’ve changed a lot since school, how’s your writing are you a novelist yet?”

Tara sighed. “Look I’m in a hurry, and could you please stop with that, I don’t even remember much of that first year…”

“Oh don’t be like that!” he rested his left hand on her shoulder and she swatted it away.

“Don’t touch me!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare touch me you… just get away from me and go away.”

He still smiled, as if what she said was a joke. “You don’t you remember what we all did in eleventh grade or ten? Come on, you have to remember that!

“Please!” Tara demanded of the young man. “I don’t want to remember anything of that godforsaken place I was forced to call a school! Or even you for that matter!”

He went quite, smile finally disappearing for good.

“None of you, but two of my friends bothered to help me, while the rest of you watched like it was some fucked up show.” Her eyes went dead of all feeling. “Don’t think that I haven’t forgotten what you and Aaron tried to do to me…”