Chapter Six

I hadn't been able to sleep that night. The image of that boy was still imprinted in my mind. The blood-stained clothes, dirty feet, even the grime beneath his nails. My mind kept going back, playing scenarios where I'd done something differently.

I don't know what it was about that boy that made me want to do things over, but there I was, lying in bed, wishing I'd been able to help him.

My mind wandered some, and I began thinking about what might have happened if only I'd followed him into the forest. As I was thinking about this, I heard something. My eyes grew wide as I sat up in bed, staring out the window across the room from me.

My mind was telling me that I'd simply heard the cry of an owl, or an injured bird. But the more I thought about it and replayed the noise in my head, the more it sounded like a scream of terror. My hands began to shake in fear and my legs began to tremble as I drew back my covers and (literally, in case there was something under my bed) jumped out of bed and sprinted for the door, heart pounding so hard that it hurt.

I ran down the hallway""then stopped.

Where was I running to? Certainly not my father's bedroom. Still shaky with panic, I reached over and flicked on the hall light. I squinted for a few seconds, waiting for my eyes to adjust, then continued down the hall and to the kitchen.

I turned on the kitchen light and casually headed over the refrigerator.

That's when I heard it again.

A blood-curdling scream ripped through the all-but-peaceful night, making me freeze with my hand on the door handle.

My heard began pounding again when whoever was screaming stopped abruptly.

[i]No,[/i] I thought. [i]They didn't stop... They were cut off...![/i]

My heart, along with all my other organs, leaped into my throat. I released the handle and ran over to the sink, leaning down and hurling until my stomach muscles felt as if they would never unclench.

The pain in my gut was so intense that I couldn't help but burst into tears. I knew that my crying had nothing to do with pain, but thinking of the real reason just made me cry harder. So I forgot about my fear and focused entirely on my abdominal pain as I headed back to bed, turning off the kitchen light and leaving the hall light on and my door open.

I drew the blinds on my window, blocking out the terrifying night.

Reviews

[africa]

This masterful. A genius in action.