Lure To The Woods

V

My bed creaked underneath me as I bounced my leg. Ever since the incident, I had stayed in and it was beginning to drive me insane. It was a nice night out and I had nothing else to do, but I knew it was a bad idea. I hadn't seen Dug around school and Heather had reported him anyway, so that wasn't an issue, but there was still the stalker issue.

A thud came from my window and I practically jumped out of my skin as my eyes flew over to see what it was. I spotted my neighbour's cat outside the window, pushing its side into the window to encourage me to open it, so I pushed it open and began to give him a pet. As I entertained him, I looked out at the forest at the end of the garden. Shadows bounced around against the garden shed, reflecting figures of small animals coming from the tree line. The night was calm and the sound of the trees swaying in the light breeze was very relaxing.

I climbed up onto the windowsill, dangling my legs off the ledge as I lit my cigarette. Inhaling it, I felt a buzz as the warm smoke filled my lungs and then twirled out of my lips, dissipating into the night sky. I pushed my hair out of my eyes, keeping a careful eye on the tree line. If anyone appeared, you best believe I would go crashing backwards into my room and locking that damn window.

My mind had been pretty preoccupied with what had happened yesterday. Feeling that feeling of somebody watching me at school had set me on edge and at lunch today I had tried asking about the post it note, but everyone had promised that they weren't behind it. Unless it really was Dug, I was running out of possibilities. After the strange staring incident yesterday, Heather and I had decided it was better to keep these conversations private. Just in case.

I'm fairly certain that whoever was behind the feeling that I was experiencing was aware that I was onto them. I mean, how else would they have escaped from the classroom yesterday so fast? I was so close to catching them yesterday; I had probably made them nervous. At least I hadn't felt it again today while at school.

Fishing the post it note out of my pocket, I ran my fingers over the letters with shaky hands. The feeling I got when I touched it was unexplainable. The buzz was dull, but it was similar to when I inhaled a cigarette. I knew it was bad, but I craved it in an unhealthy way. I wasn't sure why, but this whole thing was consuming me. I thought about it constantly: the feelings, the strange looks, the mysterious person. I couldn't get it off my mind.

"Cameron!" A voice yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts.

That scared the shit out of me and I grabbed ahold of the window sill in a panic, ready to fling myself back into my room if it was anybody dodgy. Looking down, however, the grinning faces of the twins stared back at me from my backdoor gate. I flicked my cigarette butt away and made my way across the window ledge to the garage and down the drain pipe to greet them. It was a bit difficult without shoes, but I was practically an expert at this point.

"What's up?" I greeted the twins, figuring it wouldn't hurt to have a conversation whilst still in my garden.

"Dug was taken in for questioning during school yesterday, so that's why we didn't see him today. Apparently somebody reported him in school and their allegation matched up with a 999 call from the night before." Mike explained, "You coming out?"

"Promise not to run away if we get into trouble? I've got a stalker now, remember. Can't be risking it." I bargained, relieved to be getting out the house for a bit.

"Agreed, but I'd grab some shoes. Can't run very fast bare foot." Mike joked, gesturing to my bare feet.

That was a fair point. I grabbed some old shoes from outside the back door and slipped them on, ready to go. They had been left outside because they were muddy, but now they were dry the mud came off with a couple of slaps against the fence.