It’s been a week and 4 days now, no sign of my friend. where did you go? School has been boring without your happy-go-lucky personality and you’re falling behind in every class. I’m worried this isn’t like you at all to leave without saying anything, your parents don’t sleep much anymore and they look sickly. I have visited them three times by now hoping they have even the slightest of information but aside to a scrap of your jacket alongside the road nothing has been found not even the police have found anything else besides that.
It’s a new day now I wake up and drag myself out of bed. my alarm set to 6:30am buzzing in my ears letting me know that school is just around the corner. My mother walks in with a coffee and by the look in her eyes I know she’s worried about me. I think back briefly..when did I pass out? I know it was beyond one in the morning. She sits on the foot of the bed and puts her hand softly on my shoulder. she sits and talks for a while before dismissing me from school for the day.
I’m thankful for this but I’m already awake so I get up and I get ready for a walk. I live a five-minute walk from my now missing friend. I put on my hoodie and step out the door, the morning sun and breeze greeting me with a bitter cold feeling. I set out towards his house and end up walking past it in what feels like seconds. My school bus that would normally pick me up passes me by and someone shouts out the window I’m assuming at me so I give a dismissing wave and continue on my path. as I’m walking I feel the urge to look towards a patch of trees. Catching something in the corner of my eyes I give a slight jump. I see nothing, whatever I saw in the corner of my eye is now nowhere to be seen. I feel a weight on my shoulders that I know isn’t there so I straighten my head and continue walking just like before. I check my phone, I’ve been walking for about twenty minutes now. I let out a defeated sigh, I’m now where you went missing. Aren’t I? I feel it. maybe that’s where this weight has come from. like I know this is where you stood last before whatever unfolded. it happens again..I see something out of the corner of my eyes. This time I look again and call out “Hey, anyone there?” Nothing but the breeze responds. I scan the area with my eyes before something stands out. its a scrap of something..I step off the safety of the roadside and towards the forest. the weight I was feeling on my shoulders now pushing down on me. like something trying to push me underwater while on solid ground. I ignore it..why am I so captivated by this scrap? I don’t know until I get close enough to grab it. I reach my hand out and wrap my fingers around it and pull. Bringing it up to my face and inspecting it as if I’m meant to.
It was familiar, like something I’ve seen over and over. My heart sinks. its another scrap of your jacket..but this one is stained. a crimson color and I know it’s blood. I stand there holding it. what do I do? I feel frozen in place, frozen in time. do I bring it to the police, to his parents. or do I look around myself? I don’t have to think long to decide. I’m sick of not knowing, I’m sick of seeing your parents like this so I’m gonna do what I can to figure this out myself even if I’m not the bravest person ever. I take the first step into the treeline and then the second. The weight that was on my shoulders is now gone as I feel like I’m getting somewhere like I’m gonna find you and bring you home myself.I continue walking until I find another scrap of your coat, this one bigger than the last two. I keep walking and walking until I see something that flips my stomach. The rest of your jacket..it’s too cold to not be wearing this especially for longer than a week.so why aren’t you? you aren’t stupid you know this..something bad has happened to you hasn’t it? this isn’t just a runaway this is something more. So much more. I hear something, it called my name. I spun around quickly a huge smile on my face it has to be you..it’s you I found you and I’m gonna bring you home! I did the 180 so quick I almost fell over. but as I do the 180 so does my heart. It isn’t you..it looks at me as I stare at it’s coal-like eyes. it’s got a twisted lipless smile spread far too much across its face. I freeze up and my entire body gets a chill. it gives a small giggle and reaches into it’s hoodie pocket..a hoodie? This thing clearly isn’t human so why does it have on clothing? I continue to look at it, unable to move from my spot. “What are you?” I call to it. The twisted smile it had before now turns into a scowl, one that is almost disappointed or something along those lines. “What am I?” it shoots back. it’s face changing again. From a scowl of disappointment to a thoughtful face. “I never really stopped to ask myself that question, so I cannot answer” I hold up the piece of material from my friends jacket and hold it up to the creature. unsure to why I’m not afraid of it I ask. “Do you know what happened to my friend” the once almost human expression it was giving off is now gone. it’s mouth twists into a nasty snarl and it gives off a heart chilling laugh. “I ate him, and I’m gonna eat you next..your friend was much too small to fill me up” this hit me. I don’t have time to process it before I start running, past the creature and right back where I came from. as fast as I can and it starts chase. it yells up at me “Your friend tried running too!” I run faster and faster, almost losing my footing more than once on this fall mud. I see the road again, and I run I continue running and running until I’m back up on it. I hear a heavy horn blast. I turn, it’s a transport. And then it happens..splat..it’s over..I can feel my heart racing. but it wasn’t me that was hit. it was that G******n creature. the truck driver pulls along the road and yells at me before seeing just how shaken up I am. he asks if I’m okay and offers me a ride home. I’m only twenty minutes walk away but I graciously accept this offer. as he steps on the gas and we begin to move I look in my mirror..it’s the creature back in the forest I just ran from, looking dead at me. This truck hit it like a wall. why is it not dead? This only sits in my mind for a little before I decide, I will find out what happened to my friend. this will not be the last time I see that creature, It knows stuff that I need to.
To be continued.