A lurking Evil.
Strangely I hear a rustling noise in the brush somewhere down the nature path. I hear growling which makes me sore afraid. I walked down the path to see what could be making the noise, my book forgotten temporarily. I make sure to see my surroundings and not stray from the path. I see something hiding behind a tree. My pulse quickens, I am about to ask who or what is there when I see glowing red eyes staring back and me. I shriek and run as fast I can back to my park bench. I hear it following me. It’s running impossibly fast. I quicken my pace, hoping I can outrun it. Hoping that whatever this animal is, it will give up its chase. I have no intention of dying today. As I am running, I see something what looks like a person from behind about to tackle me. I throw my hands up to protect myself. Out of nowhere, there is a blurred flash and this insane person flies away from me, back into the trees.
I fall to the ground, I hear the sound of snarls in the distance, and what sounds like fighting. I lay there for a moment, feeling frozen.
After a moment of shock, I picked myself up and ran. I collect my belongings from the park bench, I head straightway towards my car. With shaking hands I unlock all the doors, start the car and for several minutes stare at the nature path where something sinister nearly attacked me. My mind is still boggled as to what could have happened. I saw everything with clarity. The thing I saw standing behind the tree was a person. A man to be precise. A man that moved as fast as the wind, had red eyes like a demon. If I did not know any better, I would say it was Mr. Crandall. Yet, that would be preposterous. Mr. Crandall maybe a perverted asshole but, he does not have red eyes, and no living being can move as fast the speed of light. This is not a movie with Superman.
Something evil was in that nature path yet, something good also. Someone saved me today. I have no idea who it could have been. Someone who could move just as fast as the insidious creature who nearly claimed my life, also saved it. Perhaps God saw my hour of need and sent a guardian angel. Whoever it was, I owe them my eternal gratitude. May God be with them. I drive away, heading back home. As I drive past, I see Crandal glaring at me from the inside of the café. I concentrate on my driving as I race home.
I pray that once the school year ends. I never have to see this man again. I cannot fathom what Hunter would do if he knew my teacher had not only sexually assaulted me but, also is now stalking me. Sometimes I see a killer look in Hunter's eye when he becomes angry, especially if the situation is an extreme case such as this.
I never want to see this man again, and I pray to God that I never do. I am excited to attend a final college tour of Cambridge to meet my teachers and learn where I am going to be staying. My stepfather wanted to buy me a tenement to live in but, I declined, I want to have the full college experience. I gave in to the car for transportation, I refused the Jaguar, it would stand out too much, and I did not want everyone there to treat me like I was a spoiled rich kid.
I was thankful when he let me choose, and I chose a 1968 Ford Mustang. If I had to have a car, this one would be perfect but not as flashy in my opinion. I did not want a car that screamed rich but, would still be a beauty. Hunter had it imported for me. After the crazy day I have had, I arrive at home.
“Hello” I call out into the house.
“Molly good you’re home” My mother smiles, I embrace her with a hug.
“Yes, I am home now, do you need any help with dinner?”
“No, I can manage, thank you though.”
“Of course,” I smile at her as I place my shoes on the window seat and open a window for them to air out.”
“How was school dear?”
“It was barely exciting.” I tell her sounding bored. School for a long time now has always been boring for me. I excel to highly than many of the other kids. If I wished to, I could complete my assignment for the entire year within a month.
“Oh sweetheart, I understand. I was the same way.”
“Why is it so easy for me to ace classes that other students find challenging? Are some people right that I am a brainiac like Einstein?”
“No, that is not fully the reason, I cannot tell you the full reason right now but, I will soon.” She says as she kisses my head and walks back into the kitchen.
I smiled, that conversation was a bit confusing. Why can’t she just tell me what is on her mind? Why would she mention waiting? I headed up to my room to put my school belongings away. I change into some comfortable clothes after wearing my school uniform all day. I wash my face, wash my hands, and brush my teeth.
I descend the staircase and walk into the kitchen when I get a whiff of the smell of chicken and something else edible. I walk into the kitchen. My mother greets me with a cup of hot tea. I thanked her and walked out the back door. She tells me that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.
I sit down on the garden recliner. After a long and weird day at school and enjoy my tea. I heard a car pull into the driveway. It is surprising how exact my hearing lately is becoming. If I focus hard enough, I can hear the sound of deer from what feels like a mile away.
I realize my stepfather is here for a visit. I hear them talking in the kitchen. I begin to hear my mother giggle, and I can already tell he is distracting her from working on dinner. I hear the timer on the counter going off. My mother pulls the dinner from the oven and yells at me.
“Dinner is ready, we will be right back” They make their way up the stairs. I can hear them laughing, I hear kissing, and sucking noises. I can tell they are beginning to frolic; I just hope they close the windows if they shag, I do not want to hear that.
I tune out the sounds of their playful bantering upstairs. I am incredibly happy after so many years my mother has someone like Hunter who loves her and has become a father to me. I just do not understand why mother just does not marry him or be a bit bolder and move us in with him. His house is bigger than ours, I learned a while ago that he has money.
Kids at school talk about him. I see jealousy and hatred with many of the girls. I do not understand it, he is my stepdad, it is not like anything else is happening, that would be weird.
I walk back inside the house. I noticed that mum set up dinner before they went upstairs. The table is set with the cutlery and flatware wrapped in the napkins arranged on the table. Next to it is a bowl for soup that is cooling, a small plate for the bread she as laid out and a large plate for the chicken in the serving dish on the table next to the serving bowls of beats, corn, carrots, and steamed spinach.
I sit down and begin to serve myself. I go to the fridge, I find some of the goats milk in the glass pitcher. I find a glass cup in the cupboard and pour myself something to drink. I sit down again, and as I am finishing cutting up the chicken breast, I hear the sound of walking around upstairs. I hear hushed whispers which I am beginning to listen to more clearly.
“Promise me you’ll never tell Molly about this” mother says.
“Lucinda, I would never do that, I enjoy every succulent morsel you are willing to feed me sometimes when I visit. I mean you do not have to, and I would never mention it to Molly.”
“I love you, and I want to. I try to accept what you are; I wish I was one of you!”
“No, you don’t”
“Yes, Hunter, I do, you have no idea what my life is like, the monster I keep at bay within my own mind. Sometimes I feel like I am fighting a losing battle.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t tell you, and I pray the day never comes where you’ll find out.”
“If someone is threatening you Lucinda, I can help” Hunter told her.
“No, you can’t help with this, except to either change me or kill me.”
My mother sounded deeply troubled. What was going on with her? I know at times she acts a bit peculiar but, I never would have thought anything else. She sounds so scared. The way she is talking is like there is a darkness in her she cannot escape from.