Fear grows once again inside me as I crawl through the hole, but I don't let it stop me from getting myself out of that shed; if I don't leave now, I might never leave again. Sure, I am terrified about leaving but I have to get back for my family, for Piddle, ...for Skylar. Tears roll down my cheeks at this thought. Skylar had warned me, she had made me promise, a promise that I carelessly broke. In that moment I decide that nothing is going to stop me from getting back; I have to see my best friend's face at least one more time. I make my way through the thorns, careful not to run into them face-first again. I have to limp with my hurt foot and ankle, and when some thorns brush up against it I fall to the ground in pain. I crawl the rest of the way out of the brier patch, and I'm now back in that same place where I had first seen the outline of the shed. As I look around, I suddenly feel confused. Which way had I come from? Suddenly I feel assured of the right direction, and start out on the path in front of me. I can already see that it is going to be a long trek. My right foot throbs underneath me, and my wrist is searing with pain. I have to stop several times to rest my foot; it is so painful to take just a single step. When I first started my journey, the wind was at a standstill, but the farther I go, the stronger the wind gets. I'm suddenly grasped by terror; the footsteps, faint as can be, are here. I pray that they won't catch up to me, and that maybe they're just my imagination this time. So I keep going. I can't afford to slow down now. At last, I am flooded with relief as I find my tulip poplar tree.
“I'm almost home now, just...keep...going...”
Suddenly the wind begins to roar all around me. Leaves swirl around in the air, and my heart almost breaks in two as I hear that dreaded sound. The footsteps are here, loud, and coming close to me, but I'm so close to home now; I am going home. I pick up the pace, and am now in as full of a run as I'm capable of with my foot. I finally reach the edge of the woods and start to sprint the best I can towards my home. As I put my foot down to take the next step, I land on my toes wrong and fall down in agonizing pain. I scream out as tears roll down my face. I look back as the piercing scream erupts through the air at the edge of the woods. I get up quickly, and slowly limp towards my porch. Just as I am getting closer to my safety, another scream rips through the air, but this time it's different. Instead of the terrifying screams that I have grown so familiar with, this scream is of... a girl. She's in danger, she needs help. Then another sound comes, but this time instead of a scream, it is a voice I hear.
“Nessie! Nessie! Please help me, Nessie!”
It's the girl! The girl I had heard in my dreams! She is here, and real, and needs my help. But I had to get home right? This was my chance at safety! The girl calls out again: “Nessie, please! He has me by the wrist! Please, Nessie, please!”
That horrible monster's screams pierce the air.
I look down at my own wrist that had once been held by that vicious creature, and with much doubt, I make up my mind. I have to save her. I hobble back towards the edge of the woods, jaw clenched. Then the tears come again: I might never get back home, but if this is the last thing I do, I will be satisfied.
YOU ARE READING
The Endless Night
Action"...never walk out alone..." Rumors have haunted the property around the little cottage for years. Vanessa Görtz and her family have just moved in and her parents are taking these rumors seriously. Vanessa decides to take matters into her own hands...
