Is this my illusion?
1204 Words
Chapter 33
Sophie POV
My day was spent horribly since I couldn't even concentrate at work. I got a call from Xander when I got to work this morning, and he told me he had something to take care of, so he wouldn't be present in the office, which made my day more boring.
After spending the whole day behind my desk, it was finally closing time, and just before I walk out of my office to head home, my phone suddenly starts ringing, and I stop to answer the call.
"Hey, it's me, Asher," his familiar voice sounds from the other end, and realization dawn on me that I haven't really thanked him for the favor he did for me yesterday. My mind has been so occupied with so many thoughts that I couldn't even think of anything else.
"Hey," I reply to him as I walk briskly toward the elevator.
"So, what do you say about the ice cream date tonight? You can't say no," His voice sounds from the other end, and I sigh briefly. I don't know why he is insisting that we go on this date, but I just hope she's not trying to pull some shitty game with me? I'm not in for that. I already have a boyfriend, and there's no way I would cheat on him.
"Alright," I finally walk inside the elevator.
"I'm waiting for you at the parking lot," The call drops dead afterward.
As I walk out of the building a few minutes later, I find him leaning against a flashy car in the parking lot, but the car today is different from the one he took me home with yesterday. How come he is using this expensive car when he is just an employee here?
"You kept me waiting," He rolls his eyes as I walk closer to him, and I feel my heart flutter. I don't like the way he is getting overly comfortable around me. It's suspicious, and I can't help but feel unsafe around him.
"Hmm," I nod my head and hop inside his car, regardless. I feel strange chills go down my spine as soon as I step inside the car, and I gulp down the sudden lump that forms in my throat. I suddenly feel a bit nervous, but I assure myself that I'm just being paranoid.
"Why did I agree to go out with him?" I ask myself after he hops inside the car. I should've found an excuse to avoid this, but would he have listened to me?
"Uhm... We should really be fast about this. I still have some works to do at home, and I need to head back early," I break the dead silence that reigns in the car since I got inside, and he glances at me.
"You don't look calm. Are you nervous?" He asks instead, and as if his words held threats, I feel more agitated now.
"I'm... I'm calm," I try to defend myself, but I know that I would just look stupid since it's written all over me that I'm nervous.
"You shouldn't be scared of me, Sophie. I'm not that bad, and besides, it's not yet time to..." He pauses as I glance at him.
"I mean, I understand how you feel, but I'm not a bad person," He tilts his head to look at me with a smile on his face, but I would be a fool to trust that smile of his.
The rest of the drive to the ice cream joint was filled with silence, and we finally arrived after what seemed like forever.
"Do you like it?" He asks as I lick the ice cream he got for me, and I nod my head excitedly. The ice cream makes me feel much better, because why not? It has been a while since I last had ice cream, and it has always been my favorite thing to take.
I thought Asher was kinda suspicious, but it turns out that I was just being paranoid. After spending hours together, he finally offers to drop me at home when I told him that I wanted to head back, but I quickly decline.
"You don't have to worry. I will take a cab home," I'm glad he didn't insist to take me home, and just went away gently.
I have been waiting for the bus at the bus stop for about ten minutes, and they are yet to be here.
Sitting all alone here while looking at the few vehicles passing by, the image of the scary creature I saw yesterday popped up in my head, and I gulp down nothing as I cringe. It feels as though it's lurking around the corner and watching me, but I know that it's just my hallucinations.
The bus finally arrived, and I leave for my house, looking forward to throwing myself on the bed and drifting to dreamland.
'Where are you?' Xander's message pops on the screen of my phone, and I scoff angrily. I know he must be busy since morning, but he could've made out time to call me, right?
'In the bus. Why?' I reply to him rudely.
'You should get off wherever you are now, Sophie. It's not safe there' his message pops on the screen, and I squint my eyebrows as I stare at my phone, wondering what he is talking about.
"What does he mean?" I mumble before I turn my gaze to look around myself, but nothing seems to be off in the bus, which means that everything is intact.
'Why? The bus is already moving, and I can't tell the driver to stop' I reply to him. My phone suddenly starts ringing, with Xander's name popping on the screen, and just when I want to answer the call, the light in the bus suddenly goes off, as thick darkness takes over everywhere. My phone was fully charged before I left the office, but it suddenly go off, and we are all left in the thick darkness.
"Wh... what's going on?" I mumble as I look around, expecting reactions from the passengers, but at this point, it feels as though I'm the only one here.
"Is anyone there? What is going on?" I finally scream out for help, but my voice only bounces back at me. The bus suddenly makes a loud screeching sound, before it stops abruptly, and there is it again. The creature I saw yesterday that I thought was my imagination, it's walking slowly toward me, its scythe pointing forward like it's going to rip my heart off with that. I feel my body go cold, my heart freezes in my chest.
I try to scream, but my voice fails me.
"Don't touch her!" The grim reaper suddenly stops abruptly when the familiar voice of Xander echoes in the bus, and I feel my hope that died moments ago, restored.
I watch as the grim reaper slowly turns around, and suddenly, the light came on again. The bus was already at the last bus stop, and everybody was alighting as if nothing happened. Was I the one hallucinating, or was it real? What exactly is happening to me?
- Writer
