Can I ask you a question? Are you afraid of the dark?
Now your answer may differ based on who you are and where you come from. Like me for instance. I come from a small town called Duskwood. If you live in Duskwood then you know why I am asking this very question. You see, three days
ago a girl named Alice disappeared without a trace. No note, no clues, just gone like she never existed. Those
who saw her that day all say the same thing, "What are you asking me for? I don't even know the girl, never heard
of her."
I think that's bullshit. I will admit that the people in Duskwood aren't the friendliest but when it comes to
gossip, they eat it up like fried chicken. But this time it's different. I say it's like she never existed because no one has said a word about her disappearance. Nothing in the paper, nothing on the news, no fliers or anything. So far the only person who cares is me. I doubt anyone else would be interested or even care enough to help. It makes no sense though. Ali was the sweetest, kindest, and smartest person you could have ever met. I'm the luckiest person in the world to even know her.
Anyway, so I have decided to take it upon myself and find her. I can't just pretend that she never existed, I
lo-...really really like her... as my friend. So I'm going to tell you what I know and then I guess we'll take it from there.
As I told you before, Ali went missing three days ago and I've talked to the police and told them everything but surprise surprise, they didn't listen. I know something was wrong the night before Ali went missing, but I didn't tell them all I knew. See the night before Ali disappeared I got a text from her, she wanted me to
come over. And usually I would never hesitate to go and see her but this time I was grounded. And no I wasn't
grounded for skinny dipping with Ali in Dark Minow Lake, so don't even ask. The point is I couldn't come over or I would be double groundedand have to my mom's house, but I couldn't let her down so I sneaked out of my window and rode my bike over to her house.
When I got to her house I was surprised to see that her window was closed and locked. That was strange because Ali always kept her window open. She says it's to let the fresh air in but I really think it's so I can sneak in anytime when I'm not supposed to be over. Did I mention that we get in a lot of trouble together? My dad says she's my partner in crime but I just like to think we are more adventurous than the other teens in
Duskwood.
I knocked on the window softly, and she hurriedly pulled me inside and shut the the window tight. After I pulled myself off the floor, she hurried over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I didn't think much of it because we actually did a lot of cuddling, that's just what made our friendship so special. I wrapped my arms around her too and she whispered to me "I'm so glad you're here. I know that you'll protect me."'
You know that feeling when someone says something that sounds natural but you can tell there was a hidden message, well that's the feeling I got. Alice wasn't easly scared, that's actually one of the many things I love about her.She could be fearless and courageous but still logical and percise. But now she seemed frightened, I could feel her
shaking in my arms. I pulled back from our hug and looked at her, really looked at her.
Her pupils were dilated, she had dark circles around her eyes, and she was sweating. I put my hand on her forehead and she was burning up. She for sure had a fever. "Ali, you're burning up. You need to get into bed and get some sleep right now. " I said separating myself from her and pointing to her bed. She looked at the bed and laughed. "Sleep? I haven't slept in three days Ryan! "
I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her embracing her in a secure hug. I gently started moving us over to her bed and we crawled in under the covers. She snuggled up close to me and I pulled the covers up over her. "He's coming for me. I see him everywhere. " She said sheepishly with tears running down her face. I could here her breaths get deeper and more quiet. "Who's coming for you Ali? " I whispered but she was already asleep.
