I pressed the fob and as the car winked goodbye, prayed it would stay intact. The bitter chill of the evening hit me. I pulled the collar of my jacket up around my neck and headed in the direction of home. In the stillness of the evening, the only sounds I could hear were the faint rustling of the trees and the click of my shoes on the pavement.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed through the woods. I snapped my head around, staring into the gloomy depths. Every fibre of my body stood on end. My muscles became taught like overstretched chords. The noise stopped abruptly. I stayed frozen in position, scanning the darkness for a source.
A logical thought occurred to me. It’s a forest Alex, probably home to hundreds of harmless animals that could have made that sound. That relaxed me. I continued walking, opening my bag and rummaging about for my iPod. I’d just finished detangling the earphones from around my books, when I happened to glance back into the forest. And saw the eyes. Red eyes. Unnaturally long and angled, burning like coals in the darkness. They shimmered with an intense hatred. Staring at me. I ran.
My feet pounded against the ground in a frantic drumbeat. Rustling to the side of me grew louder and more forceful as something followed. I could hear the thumps as it battered past trees. They shook violently, dusting off leaves like flakes of skin. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a thick, black mass darting through the forest and heard the sound of heavy, harsh panting. The ember eyes were always there, flicking in and out of my view, locked on me. The creature was matching my speed.
My heart smashed against my chest, my senses in overdrive. The harsh wind whipped at my face as I sprinted forward. Still it was there, watching, enjoying the chase.
What is it? My mind screamed. A wolf? Panther? But…red eyes?! My skin crawled as if someone had walked across my grave.
I threw off my bag and vaguely saw it clatter to the ground, spilling its contents like road kill. The weight change made no difference, I couldn’t go any faster. I wasn’t fast enough. The road seemed never ending, as if some cruel spell had been cast which meant I would be chased for eternity. Eventually though, I did see the end. The road split into a T-junction. The forest had been cut back and ended there. In a few seconds, whatever was chasing me would come into full view.
The thought made me want to vomit.
As I shot forward, a deep growl came from the close to my right and I stifled a scream.
A dawning realisation filled me with dread. Where am I running to? I can’t go home. My family!
So I made a decision. One I would never had considered before. I chose to stand my ground. After all, I had these new abilities. I could handle anything…couldn’t I?
At the junction, I split off to the right and spun around so that I was staring into the wall of trees. I clenched my fists into tight balls and tensed my muscles. Beads of fearful sweat rolled down my neck. The glowing eyes grew larger as the creature neared. Its throaty growl raised in pitch and it let out a demented howl. It was like a cross between a scream and a bark. The sound sliced straight through me and my knees went weak. My heart was in my mouth as the last of the trees twisted out of the way.
The creature pounced out of the darkness.
At the same time something flashed across my line of sight and dived at the black mass. A deep thud echoed around the street and I only caught a glimpse of fur before the creature was shoved back into the forest. It let out an indignant squeal and I heard its teeth chomping together as it tried to bite its attacker.
The two shapes rolled around in the darkness. Trees split and crashed to the floor as the fight intensified. Frozen to the spot, I stared, not sure what was happening or what to do. I got my answer when a voice shot out of the woods.
“Alexander, run!”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Spinning on my heel, I charged away. Behind me the epic battle continued. The cries of human and animal pain mixed together into a cacophony of agony.
Tears streamed down my face. I felt tainted, as if those eyes had stared into my very soul.
When I reached home, my hands were shaking so badly I could hardly get a hand into my pocket. The keys jangled together as I rattled them into the lock.
Once again no one was in. Running upstairs, I burst into the bathroom. I jumped into the shower and switched it on, not even waiting to remove any clothes. I slumped down to the tray and as the warm water rushed over my head, wrapped my arms around my legs and cried.
The shower helped. I felt human again. My sodden clothes were balled up in the washing basket and I was sitting on my bed, trying to get a handle on what had just happened. Something very nasty and very powerful had come after me. That much was clear. It had managed to keep up with me, which meant it had to have been something with serious speed. A large wild cat seemed the most logical explanation. I’d heard stories of wild panthers living in England. But the fur had been thick and shaggy, more like a dog’s than a cat’s. And those eyes — a nightmare straight out of a Romero film. Even thinking about them made me shudder.
Then there was the second fact. Something — someone had saved me. They’d called out to me. Called out my name. So this person knew me. Did that mean I knew them? They had moved so fast, I hadn’t even been able to tell if they were a man or woman. Faster than even I could move. Plus the strength they’d attacked the beast with had been incredible. Is it possible there are others like me? The thought was both comforting and concerning.
I needed to talk to someone. Confide. Grabbing my phone, I dialled Mikey. It cut straight to voicemail. I swore and dropped the phone onto the bed. I looked down at it again and sucked in a deep breath. My finger had tapped Gabriella’s speed-dial before I had a chance to talk myself out of it. As the tinging tone filled my ear, I walked around my room picking up random objects and setting them down again. After several rings, it connected and a slightly breathless voice floated from the speaker. “Hello?” “Uh hi Gabriella, it’s Alex.” “Alex! Hi, sorry I was training.” “Oh, if this is a bad time…” “Not at all. I’m glad you called.” She sounded genuinely pleased to hear from me. “How are you?”
“I’m…well actually I’m not too good. It’s uh…” I rubbed a hand across my eyes. What do I say? “I need to speak to someone — a friend about something. Are you free later?” She didn’t even pause for a second. “Where do you live?” I gave her the address. “I’ll be there in half an hour.” The phone disconnected.
The doorbell rang and I stopped pacing.
Running downstairs, I swung open the front door. My stomach clenched as Gabriella was revealed. She looked great, even in a baggy GAP jumper and jogging bottoms. Her thick black hair was pulled into a ponytail which rested on one shoulder.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Alex. You look…different!”
“So everyone keeps saying.”
We headed upstairs and I told her everything. I demonstrated by straightening the knotted dumbbell out of its pretzel shape. I ended with what had happened on my walk home. When I had finished, I held my breath waiting for her response. “That’s a lot to process,” was all she said. “Tell me about it. I’m still trying to deal with everything myself.” “So this thing chased you? Are you okay?” She shifted on the bed and squeezed my leg. The charges were still there. I nodded. “I think so, just a little shaken up. It could have been worse if that person hadn’t saved me.” Gabriella looked thoughtful. “So do you think what happened this evening and what’s happening to you in general is connected?”
“I think it has to be. I don’t see what else could be going on. I mean, that thing was after me.” I gave a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, what do you think?”
“I think you must have been chosen for a reason.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Gabriella shifted into a cross legged position on the bed. “Well, it’s like I said to you that day in the park, there’s something about you. I noticed it the day we met. It sounds stupid, but I felt drawn to you. Maybe these people — whoever they are, maybe they noticed it to. It could be that these abilities were always inside you, they have just been…unlocked somehow.” She gestured a slender hand towards me. “And maybe this animal thing noticed it too. That could be why it singled you out. Or maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she added with a smile.
I considered what she was saying and gave a careful nod. “I guess it’s possible about the ability thing. But I don’t understand why these people don’t just come out and talk to me, instead of being all cryptic. I just want to
