Chapter 2 going home

It’s dark outside now. I'm walking home, and I have to say I was right. It was a long day. 

Yawn.

 I look up at the sky and sigh heavily. I really wonder what it would be like if my life was better.

 Looking back down at the sidewalk, I see the lighting of the streetlamps illuminating my path. I yawn again,  exhausted.

 I can’t wait to get home and sleep. Plus, my back hurts. I think Haru jumping on my back several times a day has given me back problems. “I just want to sleep for a year,'' I groaned.

 I let my mind go blank. The bitter silence is starting to get to me. I'm trying to avoid thinking of something unpleasant, but I can't think of a single good thing in this world.

 There's nothing I'm looking forward to or even hoping for anymore. “Agh,” my head hurts. “I'm probably thinking too much,” I mumble as I press the palm of my hand to my forehead. 

Whoosh. 

I shiver as I realize how cold it’s gotten outside. It almost feels like it could be the middle of winter right now. “Huh,” I feel something wrap around my ankle. 

I stare at it for a minute before picking it up. “Seriously they still have these fliers everywhere,” I say before crumbling the paper up and tossing it in a nearby trash can. 

What a joke. The government still hasn’t given up yet. They’re still trying to get people to take a stupid shot over the ZETT126 pandemic that was almost seven years ago. Why do they still care? I grit my teeth in anger. 

The awful memories flood back into my mind. I let out a sigh. I need to stop thinking about this. Trying to push back all those memories, I let my mind fall silent for a while.

But the silence is obstructed by the sound of heavy footsteps behind me.

 I stopped and quickly turned around to see if I could spot anyone but there wasn’t even the slightest hint of movement so I slowly turned back around and continued walking.

    Maybe I'm just being paranoid. No one would want to stalk me anyway. No matter how much I tried to prevent myself from thinking about it, I still got a cold chill down my spine. It sounded so real.

     There it is again! My stomach was starting to turn as I felt the uneasiness set in. I walked faster as I heard the footsteps behind me pick up the pace. 

    My mind is racing with questions. 

I've really got to get home, but with whoever this stalker is following me I don’t want them to know where I live. 

Maybe I should just start walking towards the police station instead. Could it just be a cruel prank someone is trying to pull? Is this stalker gonna murder me? At that thought I stopped and I couldn’t hear anything but dead silence. To make sure this isn’t some sort of prank I decide to say something. 

 There’s practically a lump in my throat telling me to stay quiet, but regardless I stutter, “Who's there? I can hear you following me.” I receive no answer. 

    It remains quiet for a few minutes before I gulp, whispering under my breath, “Great, now I'm probably screwed.”

 I hadn't even started to walk again when the sound of the footsteps continued, the sound growing louder behind me making my uneasiness worse.

This isn’t a trick then. This is real. I look down at the concrete feeling the uneasiness and frustration consume me. I have to run but if I do, it will just make things worse.  

My mind has practically gone wild leaving me with only a few options. Start running and get caught, depending on the attackers physical ability. Just stand here and admit defeat and let them murder me. Or I could turn around and find out what they want. 

I have been so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize how close the stalker had gotten, practically right behind me. Shit, I was thinking way too long. Not having much choice I begin to turn around. A strong arm wraps around my neck and some sort of cloth presses against my face. 

Struggling to free myself I pull at their arms, desperately trying to lower them. My voice is muffled as I shout, “Get the hell off.”

 It’s getting harder for me to breathe. It’s like all I can see is some sort of fog blocking my view, but I refuse to die yet. I may be a total loser, but I don’t want to give up.

 Quickly I swing my head back and hit the stalker square in the face. They let out a heavy grunt, confirming the stalker's gender as male.

 I could feel something cold drip on the back of my neck, and the stalker's grip loosened. 

I took the opportunity to swing his arm back and take off running. 

    Footsteps close in before I’d even gone a block. Before I could look for an escape route, something hit the back of my head. My vision swam and my legs gave out. My face hit the cold concrete. 

I lay there motionless, head throbbing. So this is how my life is going to end. This pain is unbearable. I groan as my vision blurs. 

Footsteps shuffle near my body, but the pain is too much for me to do anything about it. The attacker grabs my hair and I scream. Then everything goes black. 

(Authors Note)

(just wanted to thank you guys who have read this far already and let you know that I will appreciate any feedback you may have. Also I wanted to apologize that it takes me so long to add more chapters but I'm working hard. So if you can stand it keep reading ok.) :)

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