Chase at Midnight

I remember disliking night time when I was younger, now I hate it. I can't stand it. However, like everything else, there are exceptions. Whenever I'm outside, the dark doesn't bother me. I actually love it; no people, no sounds, no worries. Darkness in my bedroom though, is not preferred for me. I get anxious and paranoid, thinking that he'll come for me like he did before and wait in the shadows. At that moment though, I was outside, so I felt safer. The park was always my favorite place to be at night. No one was ever there, is was quiet, and the swings were open. I remember just slowly swaying back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...nothing else existed. Having Schuyler there would have improved the moment but I was okay. Having the face mask on was nice too; it made my mouth close and kept me warm. It had been getting colder the past couple weeks before. We were all waiting for winter, sick of the heat. Once it started getting colder, my mother was so excited, my father doubted her as a "real Brazilian"; all fun and games. 

I can't remember what exactly I was thinking before he showed up at the park. I'm sure I was thinking about the stars and how weird it was that we could see the moon during the day but not the stars. I opened my eyes to look up to see the stars but instead me eyes met him. At first, I couldn't tell what I was looking at. Then my eyes made out a shape; the silhouette of a man standing in the trees. He seemed to be peeking out from behind a tree, as if he'd been watching me. The light of the moon, and the streets lights across the park, we're the only light sources that made it even possible to see the silhouette. A small forest separated the park from my house and around my house, the forest continued onward until it reached the neighborhood that separated the Local Side from the City Side. 

Adrenaline didn't hesitate for a second and I could feel my heart jump into my throat. My stomach sank into my hips and my head spun. I couldn't tell if he could see that I was looking at him. I wasn't even sure that it was a person. I got off the swing and landed on the bouncy, rubber, tar that floored that part of the park. As soon as I stood and looked up, the silhouette was standing closer, out from behind the tree. I whimpered and I felt my eyes widened. 

'What the fuck is happening? Is that an actual person or is it just my imagination?'

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run but this person was in the direction of my house, completely blocking off the path. I began to take a few steps back, thinking that if I was physically moving away but watching him simultaneously, then I'd get far enough to turn and run away. I didn't want him chasing me right then. He'd definitely catch me. He seemed tall too. I was tall, but I fumbled more whenever I was frightened. 

I made it off the tar and onto the sidewalk without him moving. As soon as I reached the sandy playground though, he bolted, but he didn't run. He was simply walking; he walked quite fast though. He eyes were unnaturally wide and his arms were tightly at his sides. His legs moved with quick, short strides, his thighs hardly moved; acted as if they were glued together. Once he made it out from the trees and into the light, he stopped. I was terrified but got a good look at him. 

He wore beige and baggy clothes. They seemed worn out and tired. He wasn't wearing shoes and had on one sock. The sock was dirty and his big toe stuck out through a large hole. His shirt had blood stained on it and it looked fresh. This detail brought me to study his face. It was pale. Unnaturally white. Perhaps the light from the moon made it pop more. His nose was bleeding from a large gash at the bridge. He didn't even seem to notice it though. His hair was brown and unkempt. His arms were long and almost reached his knees. The things that scared my the most were his eyes. They were too wide for comfort and were practically bloodshot. His eyebrows were very thin and were blonder than his hair. It almost seemed like he didn't have eyelids. 

I continued to slowly walk backwards but this time when I moved I took wider steps. Suddenly, he charged towards me, running at full speed. I let out some sort of shriek and turned tail. The adrenaline hadn't left me, thankfully so running in the sand wasn't a struggle; for me anyhow. I heard a loud cry and looked back. He was on all fours in the sand and was pretending to drown. I slowed down a bit and soon stopped. I just stared at him, completely dumbfounded as to what the hell he was doing. He kept calling out for help and making gurgling sounds with his tongue. He half buried himself into the sand pit and was tossing it everywhere; he was totally hysterical. I told myself that he was on some sort of drug and that I could take him if he tried anything. I was panicking for no reason. I slowly made my way back over to where the swings were. Of course, I had one eye on him the whole time. I told myself I wouldn't be staying but the swings faced the forest that lead to my house. Once I reached the end of the rubber tar and my feet were standing on dirt and leaves, I turned around. He was gone. I found myself looking to and fro, suddenly panicked. Where did he go? 

"Holy shit..."

I slowly started backing into the woods and once the swings were barely in view, I turned around and sprinted towards my house. My heart rate was so high up, I thought it would suddenly stop at any given moment. Perhaps I was panicking for no reason and he just simply left the park. Then again, maybe he didn't. I refused to stop running. I was running so fast, I couldn't feel my legs. All of a sudden, I found myself throwing my hands forward, bracing myself for the fall. I let out a loud grunt and laid there in shock for a few seconds. A pain stretched throughout my foot and I groaned in exhaustion and discomfort. I slowly turned over and brought my foot closer to me. It seemed fine but it was warm and squishy inside my shoe. I couldn't see anything, thanks the night but I knew the skin had torn. I looked up and saw the God-forsaken tree root that tripped me. The adrenaline had starting to leave which cause an agonizingly sharp pain to slide down the cut on my foot. Groaning again, I sluggishly got to my feet. I leaned against a tree and held my foot up. I began looking around as I caught my breath and for a moment, I had forgotten why I was running. A branch snapping nearby gave me a friendly reminder. 

I perked up and felt my heart start up again. The sound of a man laughing erupted from a bush a few feet away. I gasped and started to hurry away. My foot sent shocks of pain up my ankle and calf but I kept going with a grunting effort. Soon, the laughing turned to giggling, then footsteps behind me. At that point, I felt myself become nauseous and I whimpered in the panicked haze that that freak sent me into. 

The shadows of the trees around me were nothing but black blurs as I gained speed. My foot was killing me but I didn't care. 

 The footsteps behind me got faster and I realized the guy was chasing after me. I didn't want to lead him to my house, so I took a hard right turn, almost vomiting at the pain swelling from my foot to my stomach. The steps continued to follow me. I could feel my energy slipping away and my foot was slowing me down. I headed towards a nearby stream where the noise could drown out any sounds I made and perhaps I could hide and regain my strength. 

 "Almost there, one more hill..."

The splashing of the stream ahead was heaven to my ears. I couldn't believe that I had made it without him catching me. I stumbled over to one of my favorite trees to climb and leaned on the trunk. It was a willow, the branches caused a temporary shelter, almost like a curtain. It was too dark to see anything in detail, just shapes, if it was big enough. There was no moonlight bright enough to pass the thick brush of the trees above. I heard the footsteps slow down in front of the willow before they stumbled over closer to the stream. Once I knew he was far enough, I took off my face mask, leaned over and vomited at the base of the tree. The pain in my foot had been making my stomach churn and churn until it erupted through my mouth. I groaned and lowered myself to the ground. My heart was still rapid and my hands and stomach were shaking. I laid there on the forest floor, bleeding foot, jeans splashed with vomit, thinking "I'm going to die here,". My lungs and stomach were on fire and I started crying, frustrated that I couldn't breathe. I just wanted to go home.