The moon was in the sky.
It was half-moon.
It was quite late at night.
I was sitting in the back seat of the car, looking out of the window.
I was feeling cold.
My hands were covered with Barbara’s blood.
I was rubbing my hands together to remove the blood from them.
I reasoned that by doing this, I would clean my hands.
Also, I was having a panic attack.
I was thinking about why someone killed Barbara.
She was an old lady, as everyone told me.
She had no enmity with anyone.
I tightened my lips together.
Tears shimmered down my face.
I sighed deeply.
This town gives me a strange vibe.
I mean, at first Barbara was murdered, and a minute ago I came back from the scene where I heard that someone was killed in a house fire, and the fire had been ignited by a man.
These strange incidents were forcing me to believe that something strange was going on in this town and the people who live here were not aware of the danger.
My head started aching.
I held my head with both of my hands.
I started cracking my knuckles.
I stretched my arm because I was feeling tired now.
When I was thinking that I laid my eyes on the rearview mirror, and what I saw startled me.
I suddenly lower my gaze.
The diamond sweat started appearing on my face.
I drew a long breath to calm my nerves.
I raked my fingers into my hair.
The woman who was driving the car was staring at me from the rearview mirror.
I know her gaze is fixed on me, so I do not want her to see me acting out.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
I did a decent job after what happened earlier in the police station.
That is I believe.
Hailey was sitting in the passenger seat.
Hailey was quiet.
The woman did not take her eyes off me.
It seemed like she wanted to ask me questions.
I just locked my eyes on the right side of the window.
Hailey was browsing on her phone.
The woman started talking.
Her voice was low and firm.
“My name is Marinda Ken.
George is my husband.
You met him earlier at the fire incident.
She is my daughter, Hailey.
You are thinking that I am talking too much, but I am trying to create a friendly atmosphere for you because Marty and Dorian told me that your aunt just passed away “.
Marinda pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I am sorry we are meeting at this difficult time.”
I was just silently listening to her.
I did not say anything.
She started talking again.
Her voice was cracking the silence.
“So, tell me your name.
“Have your parents and you visited this place before?” I try to avoid having a conversation with her once more, but she is persistent in making me talk.
Marinda left me with no choice.
I silently lowered my gaze.
Her voice echoed in my ears.
“Kid, are you okay?
I just want to know that you are okay.
Just look at me.
I shifted my gaze from the window to the rearview mirror.
A faded smile appeared on my face.
“My name is Chloe Bell.
My parents are teachers at school.
I came here to visit my great-grand-aunt, but I could not arrive home on time, and later, she came to the police station on that condition.
I started sobbing.
“What do you mean you don’t arrive home on time?” Marinda asked.
Her voice was laced with suspicion and worry.
I wiped my nose with the bottom of my shirt.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.
“I lost my bag, in which the address and the phone number were.
That is the reason I was at the police station.” My voice was filled with shakiness.
“Don’t cry, it’s not your fault,” Marinda advised.
Her voice was soft.
“Hailey, do you want to say something to Chloe?” Hailey did not pay attention to Marinda.
Marinda got angry and snatched the phone from Hailey.
“What?” Hailey yelled.
Anger vibrated her voice.
“Mom, give me my phone back.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror.
Marinda turned to look at me.
In the meantime, our car crashed into something.
Hailey screamed.
“Ahh,” I sensed pain in her scream.
My head hit the right-side window, and Marinda hit her head on the steering wheel, and she started bleeding from the forehead.
I glanced outside through the window and saw Hailey standing outside.
Marinda opened the seatbelt and unlocked the door.
“Get inside, Hailey,” Marinda yelled.
There was urgency in her voice.
Marinda then shifted her gaze from Hailey towards my face.
I noticed worry on her face.” Are you okay?
Chloe” Her voice was muted and penetrating, soft yet impossible to ignore.
Without saying anything, I extended my hand and reached the car door.
“Yes, I am fine,” I spoke with a firm voice.
As we both got out of the car.
We saw Hailey walking down the road.
Something was lying on the road.
Marinda was calling Hailey.
There were tremors in her voice.
“Hailey, Hailey, Hailey.” But Hailey was not paying attention.
She dropped her hands on her sides and kept walking.
Meanwhile, something runs out of the forest, snatches Hailey, and vanishes in the forest.
Marinda screamed and ran in the direction where the thing had taken Hailey.
I was scared, but I started running after Marinda.
I was running in the forest, and in a second, I lost sight of Marinda.
I was just hearing her scream like someone was ripping her apart.
Marinda was also screaming Hailey’s name.
“Hailey, Hailey, my child,” fear made Mrinda’s voice shake.
Her screams, laced with pain.
I found myself in the middle of nowhere.
I took a good, deep breath.
I calm myself and look around.
I concentrate on the screaming and where it is coming from, so I run in the east direction.
I also called her name.
My voice was loud.
“Hailey, Hailey.” The screaming stopped.
After a few agonizing minutes, I finally stopped running.
The screams were replaced by the silence.
I stayed there for a minute but later started walking with muffled steps.
My feet barely touched the ground.
A heavy darkness pressed in, accompanied by a disquieting silence.
I called Marinda two or three times.
“Marinda, Marinda, Marinda.” My throat became dry.
I placed my hands over my head.
She did not respond.
I could not see anything.
As I walked further, I saw something on the ground.
It looked like a pile of leaves.
This is the only thing that came to mind at that moment, but when I came close to it, Hailey was lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Her eyes were wide open.
Her body was covered in large scratch marks.
Her clothes were ripped.
Meanwhile, she closed her eyes and started groaning with the pain.
I got scared and dropped on the ground, then I started to slide backward.
I feel warm breath on my neck.
Turning my head, I met with a pair of yellow eyes, burning bright in the darkness.
A chilling growl echoed around me, and I saw a dark liquid pooling on the ground from the tips of sharp fangs.
Afterward, I stood up and started running toward Hailey, but I stumbled and fell to the ground.
I started crawling, but a minute later something grabbed my right leg and started dragging me.
I started screaming.
“No, no, no, Marinda, Marinda,” I shouted.
My voice piercing the stillness.
“Can anyone please help me?” I was grabbing the grass and trying to stop myself.
I was scared for my life and that it was going to kill me.
I thought it killed Marinda.
I began calling out Marinda’s name.
“Marinda, Marinda,” my voice was a mixture of despair and fear.
I did not hear any response.
Meanwhile, at one point, it stopped dragging me.
I was so scared and did not want to see what was grabbing my leg.
I was just lying on my belly and did not move a muscle.
Suddenly, the thing grabbed my leg again and shoved me against the tree.
I was just lying there motionless.
There were scrapes on my knees, elbows, and palms.
I was feeling pain in my back.
I opened my eyes and saw that the thing was not there.
The moment felt right to flee.
I pushed myself up and ran, a painful limp dogging my steps.
I didn’t dare look back.
Without warning, I felt a stinging scratch on my neck as an unseen assailant attacked from behind.
I fell and placed my hand on my neck.
At that moment, I saw someone attack the creature.
It was dark.
And I did not have clear vision because of the darkness.
I passed out.
After that, I do not know what happened.