Chapter 1: Another Nightmare
“If I find you, you are dead.”
“No, no. Please. I'm sorry,” I cried.
I raced through the forest, my heart pounding. I could barely see through the tears running down my face.
All I had in my mind was one word: Survive.
“Raine,” the voice bellowed, drawing nearer.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't kill me,” I shouted with every single ounce of desperation in me.
The shiny dinner dress I wore was torn in several places. My bare feet were caked in blood and mud. I tried not to think of how far away from home I was or about Nicole, who would be waiting for me.
“You can't hide from me, Raine,” the voice sing-songed maniacally.
“I will always find you. Even in your dreams, baby girl,” he continued in that sickly sweet tone.
No. Don't let him get to you.
My knees were beginning to give out from exhaustion, but I pushed harder. All I could think of was how to make it back home alive. I needed to make it back alive.
“You are so f*****g pathetic, Raine. You think I would let you go that easy?” He punctuated the question with a fit of roaring laughter.
The sound startled me and I found myself tripping over a rock and falling. And falling.
At least this would be a better way to die.
“Shit.” I winced as my face scraped the prickly roots littering the forest floor.
Panic replaced pain as I tried to get up– “Aargh!” I screamed in pure agony.
My little toe snapped, and I fell back down, squirming and biting my lip till it bled to keep from screaming.
He heard me scream.
“Oh, little Raindrop, you can't move now, can you?”
“No need to move, darling. I can smell you,” he growled.
Shit. s**t. s**t. s**t. s**t. Holy f*****g s**t.
He was getting closer, and I was pinned in place from the acute pain in my foot.
You need to move now, Raine.
“Don't make it easy for me, Raindrop. Killing you like this would be an insult to my pride. I will find you anyway, so go on. Run!”
I heard his feet shuffle within hearing range. Oh God. My eyes darted around, looking for a place to hide, but I knew it was futile. I had to keep running.
To hell with it. I groaned and cried out as I pushed myself up from the ground and stumbled along the path. I could hear his footsteps getting closer behind me. That was enough motivation. Adrenaline pumped my feet as I picked up pace, my broken toe forgotten.
This time, I didn't stop or fall. My heart hammered furiously in my chest as fear pooled within my belly, spreading throughout my insides.
“Running like I told you to. Good girl,” he drawled, not sounding out of breath at all from chasing me.
The tears were pouring down in torrents now, the fear of him catching up with me lodged like a fishbone in my throat.
“What can I do to make this right?” My voice was barely a whisper, but I knew he could hear me.
He chuckled in response. “It's too late for that now, Raindrop.”
I huffed and panted through my tears, pushing myself harder and harder towards the clearing up ahead.
“I didn't do it, Richie. You know this.”
He suddenly sounded enraged. “You f*****g did, bitch.” The manic laughter burst out of his mouth again. “And I will kill you.”
“I'm going to have so much fun carving out my name on your skin, baby.”
He was intentionally pushing me to the edge of a bad breakdown and doing a great job of it.
“Please,” I begged. “Please Richie. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please.”
He was gaining on me fast, and I was growing weaker.
Nonononononononono–
I sighed in relief as the forest path spilled into a clearing and up ahead, I could make out what looked like a school building.
“Good job, Raindrop. I'm impressed." There was a hard edge in his tone.
A sudden burst of strength propelled me towards the building as hope started to well up in my chest.
“Try not to mess this up, darling. If you do, you'll die quicker.”
“No, if I can just make it there, I will be safe. I can call my parents. I'll scream for help.”
"You're no longer begging. Interesting.” His voice was a distant murmur like he was faraway. But he could still hear me.
He could always hear me.
I reached the building and heaved myself onto the fence. Just before I jumped over, I turned back and my heart sank. He was right behind me.
My initial despair gave way to crippling anxiety as I realized the school was empty. I ran frantically through the hallways, trying to open the classroom doors, but they were all locked.
At the back of the building, I found an open window and crawled in. I was in a locker room. I started looking for a telephone, hands shaking.
I froze suddenly. The sound of a window clicking shut echoed in my ears.
There was no time to think as I immediately wedged myself in between a locker and a wall. I slid down to the ground, my lips quivering. I clutched at my old necklace as his shadow began moving around the room.
I had never been religious, but I found myself reciting the Lord's prayer, the words coming out in quiet sobs as my eyes followed his shadow round the room.
My prayers started coming out faster.
“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us...give us…” The words died in my throat.
His shadow had stopped moving.
I closed my eyes and tried to stay still. I could hear my heart drumming in my chest and wondered if it was possible for a heart to fall out.
“You really haven't learned anything from me even after all these years, Raindrop?”
My eyes flew open as I let out a piercing scream. His eyes bore into mine, and I clearly saw the malice brimming in them.
He wouldn't let me go. I knew this even as I pleaded with him, my voice shaking in fear. “I–I would never sp-eak…..about it to anyone. I s-.swear…p-please. Just let me go. Ple-please,” I cried.
He laughed and raised the knife he had been concealing under his jacket. I raised my head and stared at the glint of the knife.
“Silver is a beautiful color” I thought, as he brought the knife down.
“WAKE UP!!”
“WAKE UP!!!!”
“WAKE— oh you're awake!” Nicole cried into my arms.
I had somehow rolled down from the bed and was huddled on the floor, crying and shivering uncontrollably.
I had another nightmare and my screams woke my little sister up again. Oh God.
“I'm sorry, Nicole. I'm really sorry for scaring you. Shh. Don't cry. I'm fine baby, I'm fine now.”
She raised her teary face from my chest. “You're sure?”
I looked into her brown eyes and lied like I've been doing every night.
“Yes darling. I'm sure.”
