Friends at night

Chapter 17, Who and why

I made my way back to town, going east as soon as I reached it. I found the street rather quickly and walked to the end of it. There weren't many houses there, they were decent sized but normal. It was further away from town, but not that much. I am going to assume that this was a road under development but the town stopped putting money in it due to other issues. There was one house at the end of the road, it was beige with dark brown shutters. There was a small garden of flowers in the front, but nothing impressing.

I didn't know if I had a precise location or if I should just wait in the street, so I stood awkwardly and waited. I turned my back to the house to see if I could see anyone coming. My adrenaline kick was going down and I felt my ankle throb slightly. I ignored it, my anxiety is high enough to make my will stronger than pain.

I stood there and waited, keeping my senses alert. Any small sound seems like it was amplified and I can almost feel like I am being watched. I glanced at the house behind me again, no sign of human life in it. I looked at my phone screen rapidly, looking at the time. It was now nine thirty-five. I let out a soft sigh to try and calm my nerves and think straight.

I felt the urge to look back at the house again. It gave me a weird feeling. I felt like someone was genuinely watching me and checking my every move. I took my notebook and read the message again, making sure I didn't go on the wrong road.  After double-checking again, I was sure I didn't screw up.

I glanced at the house again. For some reason, it was making me nervous. I sat on the cold asphalt of the road, trying to understand the feeling of being watched. Every other house is too far apart to have a clear view of me and the beige house seemed dead. I shook it off again, holding my notebook tightly.

I felt something cold like a sudden concentrated icy cold breeze pass on my neck and down to my right shoulder. I felt a violent shiver take over me and turned around rather quickly. I was expecting so see something, anything to reassure me just a bit. But there was nothing but darkness and the lifeless house.

My stomach twisted unpleasantly. I went back to my former position, the chills persisting. I kept my gaze right ahead of me, waiting for anything to happen, something that could help. I rolled my bottom lip inwards, bitting it down with my teeth. 

I took out my phone, looking at the dark screen for an uncertain amount of time. Should I ask? Was it too risky? My finger lingered over the button to turn it on, hesitating. That's when something odd happened again. A shadow passed in front of me at high speed, making me look upwards. I heald my breath, glancing nervously around me. "Who's there?" I asked rather weakly.

The silence was my only answer. I took deep breaths, my throat feeling very tight all of a sudden. My hands were shaking but the rest of my body was tense and frozen in place. I looked straight in front of me, taking a deep breath and holding it this time, hoping it would slow my racing heart a bit. I exhaled, still staring at the faraway post light.

The breeze slowly lifted, gradually became a bit stronger. It wasn't anything intense, just enough to move a streak of my hair, making it tickle my nose lightly. I closed my eyes and kept holding my breath to calm myself, attempting to relax my body. I listened to the leaves in the trees move around with the breeze, the distant sound of cars from the town and the crickets singing their usual lullaby.

A faint noise slowly made its way it the mix of noises, one that was rather unusual. It was hard to pinpoint what it was at first, but it gradually got louder. It was a giggle, someone was giggling nearby. The breath I was supposed to let out got caught in my throat, I couldn't breathe. I tried to exhale, inhale and even to scream, but nothing was happening. My whole body seemed to be frozen, to the point where even my organs stopped working.