1. Runaway

Oh my god...
Oh my god...
Oh my god...

I'm

freaking

doing

this, god

damn... this will

be so much easier in the daytime...

My backpack was holding down my pace, I was getting tired. The air was cold, it was eerily silent. 

I was not supposed to be out at night, but it was the only time that they would let their guard down. They thought that I would be too scared, to get away from them at night.

Shit! But I

am

scared...
Okay...you

got

this

Flo...
Inhale...exhale...

Then I heard it... a slight rustle of a tree branch, then a gust of wind blowing my long hair to the front of my face. I was about six blocks away from home, one more block to the intercity bus stop.

I decided to went straight to the bigger bus stop to avoid my parents, I didn't want to be seen just sitting around waiting for the bus.

I paced myself faster, but they were draining my strength. I could feel them lurking at me from the shadows, the goosebumps were long gone. I was feeling the coldness that was engulfing my surroundings. Their smell came next, the smell of carcasses, their dead bodies were making sounds on the damp pavement, some were coming from the woods just meters away from me.

I could see the neon signs, and dimmed lights of the twenty-four-hour small convenience store and dinner already. I made myself run to it, my breathing was heavy, sweats trickled down my forehead. It was a cold and windy night, but I was sweating running away from them.

You

can

do

this

Flo! 
Just

meters

away

now...
Keep

running...

I finally sighed and rested my hands on my knees, as I kneel in front of the small store. I looked at my watch, one more hour until the next bus arrived. I had already checked the bus schedule. I went to the counter, and buy myself a one-way ticket for the next bus. I didn't even check the destination. I didn't care where I was going, I just need to get out of town.

The sketchy old man was looking at me, he probably met several runaways in his time selling bus tickets. He didn't ask me any questions, he just handed me the ticket and told me to wait.

My breathing was slowing down. I couldn't smell or hear them any longer. I finally slumped to the empty chair after buying a can of soda, I need my sugar. I felt so tired, they almost got me.

Only one other person was waiting for the bus. He was wearing his hoodie and pulling it down like he was trying to sleep while waiting for the bus. I decided to sit, two seats down from him just to be safe.

He sensed my presence as he looks at me, then stared at me for a couple of seconds. It was a weird feeling like was studying me. I quickly looked away and open my can of soda, and start drinking it.

Then I heard it...the screeching tires of their car.

Oh

Shit! God

damn

it!

I didn't know why, but I quickly scoot myself next to the stranger, hoping my parents decided that I was not there, seeing that I was not alone. I hope they saw us, as two strangers waiting for the bus.

But I was not ready when my hand touched his unintentionally. The sadness was overwhelming, he looked at me instantly like he knew that I could feel him. His eyes look deeply at me.

"You...." He was just about to say something.

But his sadness was draining me, I haven't even recovered from my fatigue earlier. And now the feeling was truly immense, as I could feel my tears pooling, my vision was blurry. I was shocked, I never felt something this intense before, it feels like my heart was shattered to pieces.

Then my father was by my side, I didn't say anything, as he grabbed my arm forcefully. But he was putting on his worried look, and so did my mother.

I didn't fight back to father, I was giving up. The stranger made me give up, his feelings made me discard all of my urges to fight my parents. I was limp in my father's arm, and he made me stood up and called my mother to get my bag.

"Sir, is everything okay?" He asked my father.

"Yes, yes...I'm sorry to bother you...you know teenagers, you can't tell her no and then she decided to run away. Come on sweetie, we'll discuss this at home. Your mother was worried sick when she couldn't find you in your room." He told the stranger and quickly ushered me away.

I'm a twenty-one-year-old adult woman, but I like wearing my jeans and sneakers, which made me look like a teenager.

He didn't believe my father's words, making him stood up and took my arm and look me in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked me softly.

But his touch burned me as I feel his sorrow, it eventually made me sob while I took my arm away from him and shook my head. I could hear dad chuckled behind me, and pulled me back to him.

"I'm so sorry..." That was all I could manage to say to him. My voice was small and croaked, I was giving him my last strength to say it. He looks shocked and then looked at both of my parents, and they quickly pulled me away and took me back to the car.

That night I learned my lesson, I know that there was greater sadness than mine. My sadness was just the tip of the iceberg compared to his. I didn't know what had happened to him, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know.

Minutes later, we were on the road going back home when father decided to stop by the dark forest. Mother stayed at the passenger side, as he pulled me out of the car roughly to the ground. My knees hit the small rocks below, my palm breaks my fall and made me cry in pain. My body slumped to the ground, and I was once again drained of my energy. I could feel them closing in on me.

"Father please...." I begged him to let me inside the car. He was standing at my door with his arms crossed, and smirking at me.

"You asked for this Florence! I really don't have time for a midnight field trip, but you fucking made me do it. Why? Maybe I should just leave you here. They're coming, aren't they? Come here you ghouls, ghost, demons, or whatever fuck you call yourselves, here! ... she's fucking here, you can fucking take her!" He shouted into the woods.

Goosebumps trickled down my spine, they're coming... my parents couldn't see them, that was why they were not afraid.

"Father please..." I was tugging his pants, begging him to let me back in the car. But he slapped my cheek harshly, making me fall to the ground. Then seconds later I felt it, my feet were being dragged into the woods as I let out a loud scream.

"FATHER no please, I won't do it again, I promise..." Mother looked at me in horror when she saw my legs were being dragged by nothing into the woods, then father finally pulled me into the car and quickly got in along with mom.

"What the fuck was that Jared?" That was the last thing that I hear when I finally fainted from exhaustion.