Lucifer

0.1

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty!"

I pushed myself away from the tree and brush the droplets of rain off of my face. "I'm coming!" I shout out as I begin to tread further in. Though it stopped raining two hours ago, the ground was still soaked. As part of our Halloween tradition, my friend Marcus and I are playing hide and seek in the forest. As part of our agreement, we aren't allowed to go off further than a ten mile radius. To make sure we stick to that agreement, we've made a fence to barricade us in.

As I was looking around for Marcus, a sudden movement catches my eye. "Marcus?" I smile and began to saunter my way towards the movement. "Josh!" The familiar voice rings from behind me. Confusion and curiosity fills me as I turn around. Marcus stood behind me, smiling and waving. "You stepped out of the barricade, I win." He announces proudly. I shake my head, "No, you stepped out first, Marcus."

Marcus shakes his head, "Don't be such a sore loser." Suddenly, the sense of anger fills my chest, "I'm not a sore loser. You stepped out first, Marcus."

Marcus gives me a suspicious look, "Where was I hiding then?"

I pointed to a nearby tree where the shadow once loomed, "Right there."

Marcus shakes his head, his blonde hair following the movement, "There is no way. I was hiding in this new place I just found. It's a log cabin someone just built, but it's abandoned. Come on." He begins to walk ahead. I jog and pick up the pace. As we get closer, I let out a scoff, "You did step out of the barricade." Marcus rolls his eyes, "Just come on."

I follow closely behind him. As we get closer, I begin to realize the stench coming from the cabin. I made a disgust noise, "What is that smell?" Marcus shrugs, "Maybe the rain made the logs of the cabin smell, it is pretty old."

I shrug, "We're pretty far from the cabin still though." Marcus stayed silent, I watched as he focused on his footing. He probably didn't hear me. Getting even closer to the log cabin, I slow down and take a look around. Where we started seemed even further then where we were before.

"Marcus, it's getting pretty late. We should just head home." Marcus suddenly comes to a stop, his voice croaks as he asks, "Why? We're already halfway there."

I scratch my head, "It's getting dark and I promised my parents I'll be home soon." It was a lie, but at this point, I didn't want to go further. Marcus turned around, his eyes knitted together, the look of pure confusion spreading over his features. His eyes hold a playful look while his lips turns to a small smile, "Are you scared?"

I scoff at him, "Of course not. It's getting late, Marcus." Suddenly, his smile begins to grow in a more sinister look. "Come on, Josh. We're halfway there, you're just scared." Though his voice was challenging, his icy-blue eyes suggest a different story. I take a step back and nodded, "I guess I'm scared."

He nods, "Yeah, I can sense it. Come on, trust me, Josh. We've known each other since third grade, when am I ever going to hurt you?" Though he was trying to be comforting, his voice sounded as if it was daring me.

"I-I don't know." I brush the few strands of brown away from my eyes. "I guess you wouldn't hurt me." Marcus nodded, the sinister smile returning, "See? Now come on, we shouldn't wait any longer. The light is almost gone." With furrowed eyebrows, I continue to follow Marcus.

Step by step by step, we finally arrived at the log cabin. The cabin itself looks ancient, the right side of the cabin was covered with moss, and there were holes in parts of the ground. The stairs let out a loud creak as we stepped on it. I looked at Marcus, "Are you sure this is safe?"

Marcus nodded, "Totally. It feels like I'm finally home." I shook my head, "What?" Marcus eyes widen, "I said I wonder who lived in this home."

I shake my head slowly, "That's not what you said, Marcus. You also lied, you said this place was new." Marcus lifts his shoulders in a small shrug, "What if I did? What difference does that make? Come on, the inside is cooler."