“No…” I say, trying to reassure myself as I shake my head. “You’re being stupid, Leonor.”
Except… What if I’m not?
I have been receiving some fucked up gifts lately, about five months of them actually, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that I just saw a black shadow dart toward my Prius. I also have PTSD, paranoid tendency, and terrible anxiety, so I could definitely be making it up as well.
My mind plays tricks on me so easily, and being out here alone after already having a scare, yeah, I’m sure that’s it.
“Right.” With a firm nod to no one, I start walking again, rather slowly, while I swing my backpack around and pull out my keys before fishing for my phone. “It’s all in your head. Everything is fine.”
A loud electrical clicking sound comes out of nowhere, followed by several more, and I damn near jump out of my skin and drop my bag as the huge construction spotlights turn on one after the other. I swallow hard as I frantically look around at the eerie as fuck lights that now dot the property, the buzzing and humming of their bulbs causing them to flicker occasionally.
My pulse is through the roof, my heart pounding in my ears as I cautiously bend to grab my shit while trying to keep an eye on my surroundings. But I freeze when I see that black blobby shadow move around to the back of my car. IknowI saw it this time.
Which is exactly why I take off in the opposite direction and right into the overgrown field.
A stupid move I’ll think about later since Chase is at the mansion and that’s really where I should go, but it’s locked up and he was going on lunch. There’s no guarantee he’d be there to help me.
Or believe me when I came flying up the driveway screaming.
The pinging of metal on metal has my feet moving faster and when the unmistakable sound ofsomeone chasing methrough the goddamn dead crop follows a few seconds later, I swear my heart is going to explode.
Whoever the fuck it was that thought planting corn all over this goddamn property just so it could die and become a nightmare straight out of a horror movie, deserves to be kicked in face.
I start zig zagging as I run, the dried out stalks ripping into my bare arms, smacking me in the face, crunching under my boots as I push myself to go faster. I can hear someone behind me, the same sounds but muffled coming closer and almost in sync with mine.
It’s getting darker by the second and I briefly curse my inability to keep track of time because I stayed so fucking late, late enough to lose so much sunlight so quickly, but even still, this isn’t my fault.
Not if someone is really chasing me.
Judging by the panting I periodically hear, someone is.
And they are gaining on me.
I veer right toward one of the paths carved out by the crew, one laid down so they could start mapping out the sunflower field, following it for a minute or two before I switch to another then cut left. The noises behind me stop when I do, so I crouch down and turn, trying to see anything at all through the darkness.
But I don’t.
I can’t seeanythingand I’m not sure if that’s scarier than being chased or not.
A small crunching sound has me flinching and I slowly start to back away, hoping I can sneak through all this shit and get back out into the main property without them noticing, but I should have known better.
As soon as I turn to run, I trip over a goddamn rock, twisting my ankle before I land on my hands and knees. I quickly flip myself over, my palms on fire, my ankle throbbing. I’m breathing so hard I might hyperventilate, my chest pumping while my eyes widen, desperately trying to see anything at all. Andthat’swhen I see the monster that’s been chasing me.
Just above the stalks, a black hood stops short of where I’m laying, less than maybe two feet away from the toe of my boots, and I have to cover my mouth so I don’t scream.
The hood shifts back and forth slowly, no face or form underneath, and I know I need to move.
It’s a matter of seconds before this black mass sees me, and I’m a fucking sitting duck for when it does.
As quietly as possible, I start scooting away, ignoring the pain radiating through my limbs so I can try to escape, and making another goddamn mistake as soon as I get to my feet.
With a yelp I can’t control, I put too much pressure on my ankle but I ignore it as soon as the hooded shadow’s head whips in my direction, and I run. Limping, hobbling, moving at any possible speed, I race toward the spotlights in hopes that someone else is around.
Someone without a murderous agenda, anyway, because this shit happening twice in one lifetime isn’t exactly on my bucket list.
I can see the back of the mansion from here, the over the top garden, the big beams of light hitting the columns on the back porch like a sign to safety.
They aren’t though, because I’m a moron and not only dropped my backpack with a fucking gun inside it, I dropped my keys and I can’t get into the house without them.
