" Help!" she screamed as she tried to increase her speed. Shoes slapping the pavement, breath raged as she tore down the row of sleeping houses. Not even a single person had woken up to her screams and investigate the matter. Everybody was still cuddled up under their blankets.
Shanice proceeded to run even faster not daring to look back.
At the corner, she turned sharply then froze. She stood there motionless, her skin pale, her eyes wide and her lips trembling as if caught between a scream and a sob.
Just a few steps ahead, beneath a flickering street lamp, stood a shadow or more of a figure that came with this eerie atmosphere. Everything went silent for a moment there as Shanice stared at this figure. It was covered In a black cloak and one couldn't see the face clearly from a distance but one thing Shanice was sure of was that this was nothing close to being human.
The figure stood under the street lamp motionless like it was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
" P- Pl- P- Please just let me go," Shanice pleaded with the figure that just stood there not making a sound.
Suddenly, Shanice heard children laughing and it wasn't just normal laughs like when children play but it was more of mockery, they were laughing at her but Shanice couldn't see any children around and she didn't also want to take her eyes off the figure.
" EENIE!" The figure rolled the word from its throat In a deep, low guttural voice with a bit of rasp. At the same time it also took a step forward and as it moved one could hear the sharp, deliberate snap of bones realigning.
Shanice also took a step backwards not taking her eyes off the figure. She was filled with fear, the kind of fear that makes one want to cry. Her breathing became heavy and tense and all she could think of was the figure charging at her.
" MEENIE!" The figure now took two steps forward and let out this chilling evil laugh that made Shanice even more scared than she already was.
" MINY!!" This time its voice got louder and sounded angry for some reason. It had taken another two steps forward while Shanice went two steps backwards.
" Fuck this!" Shanice spun around, heart punching her ribs, ready to run but froze again. She was met by five children, something was off about them. They were dressed in clothes which were decades out of place, faces pale and blank and stared at her without daring to blink.
" Mr. MEENIE doesn't like that," They all said in unison before pointing to something behind Shanice. Shanice could feel someone breathing on her neck before whispering into her ear, " MO!"
She turned around swiftly but there was no ground, no air, no time. Just silence and then nothing.
When the street lamp flickered back to life, she was gone and the place was empty like nobody had been there at that time at all.
**********
" Police are yet to determine the whereabouts of Shanice Malby," said the news presenter on the television before moving on to other stories.
" This is like the sixth disappearance in a span of two weeks and these people can't be traced at all," Mr. Sanders said taking a bite of his toasted bread as he prepared to leave for work.
" It's really scary at this point. Dylan you better come home direct from school and be here before 6 p.m. Also please be around many people, just ensure you don't wander off into empty or lone streets," said Lin, Mr. Sander's wife as she packed food for her seventeen-year-old son Dylan.
" Okay Mom, I promise to be here before 6." Dylan hugged his mother and father before heading out.
***********
Twenty minutes later Dylan arrived at school, went on about his day as usual and by 4pm he was done with classes and it was time to head back home but he first had to link up with his friends for an hour or so before heading home so he headed to the school's parking lot where he was met by four of his friends waiting for him.
" Hey guys," He greeted them before proceeding to take a seat on a bench where all his friends were seated, " What's the plan for today?"
" Well we were thinking of having a sleepover at Emily's place tomorrow. It will be like a gamenight and stuff," said Chris, one of Dylan's friends.
" Well I'll have to talk to my folks but I'm sure they won't mind if It's you guys."
" Cool! Then tomorrow before 7 p.m let's all be at Emily's."
They all shook hands as the stood up ready to leave but were interrupted by Joshua, the school's bully, who's never finished a day without getting into a fight.
" Who messed up my tires?" he asked checking out his bicycle tires which looked slashed.
The five friends stared at him blankly and had no clue what be was on about. Joshua looked a bit angry and he was known for doing terrible things to people when pissed.
" So none of you want to talk?" He took out a pen knife and stared at the five dead in the eye. " Well let me just play a little game, Eenie- Meenie- Miny- Mo and whoever it lands on get's to go home with a tattoo."
" Bro, everyone literally hates you in this school, anybody could've slashed your tires," said Michael, another of Dylan's friends.
" Then let me choose!"
" Do your thing but just know you ain't touching either of us."
A low dry chuckle slipped from Joshua's lips, barely a sound, more like a breath catching on something sharp. Then he proceeded to chant the rhyme;
Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Mo,
Catch a soul who hides below.
If they scream or try to go,
Mark them first and strike them slow.
If they lie or say "Not me,"
Bind their name eternally.
My hand won't choose, the rhyme will know
Eenie. Meenie. Miny... Mo.
Joshua pointed his pen knife to Michael who was really about to lose it and getting angrier by the second.
" What was that? You even got the whole children's rhyme wrong. This is all pointless honestly, let's just go home and I'll have your bicycle fixed because I know you won't stop disturbing us even though none of us slashed your damn tire," Michael said as he left with Joshua to go get the bicycle fixed while the rest dispersed back to their homes to prepare for the sleepover the following day.
**********
The sun had set and darkness had taken over land. The street was quiet and Michael had just arrived home from fixing Joshua's bicycle. He walked up to their porch and reached into his bag for his keys because apparently his mom was out of town and his father would arrive from work approximately an hour later after him.
As he reached for his key, he felt it. It was like a pause, like the neighborhood had taken a breath and forgotten to let it out. This made him feel uneasy. He felt like he was being watched and that's when he turned around just to have a glance and ensure all was fine but that wasn't the case because across the street, near the edge of a neighbor's yard, stood a figure. He couldn't clearly see it as it was a bit far from where he was but unmistakably this was a figure of a man to him. It wasn't shifting. Just standing, half-swathed in shadow where the porch light didn't quite reach and without doubt, the figure was facing his direction.
Michael didn't dare waste a minute more on that porch and he quickly got his keys out, opened the front door, got into the house and locked it quickly. He headed for the window in the kitchen which had a better view of the neighbors yard and looked out but he could no longer see the figure. It was gone, just vanished.
Michael let out a sigh and assumed maybe whoever it was was just a person lost or maybe a friend of the neighbor.
" God I swear that person had me freaked out for a second there," Michael then pulled the curtains halfway closed then turned around and headed up stairs without looking back. Little did he know that a shadow slipped silently passed the window as if it wasn't walking, but sliding just above the ground. It's head turned as it passed, slow and deliberate, but the features still weren't clear since it was dark outside.
