Fox Hunt

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     My hands shook, and my visibility was limited as water gathered in my eyes. I could hardly hold the gun up right. "I sw-swear, if y-you come any closer, I-I-I'll shoot."

An eerie laugh cracked out of the unpredictable villain before me. "In that state?" He looked at his belt buckle, and dropped it. Had it worked? A ray of hope enlightened me, till I saw what he was really doing. He grabbed the knife, and took a step closer, and closer.

"STOP!" I shrieked, as waterfalls poured down my face. His crackling chuckle echoed through my ears. I did what I did out of self-protection. I pulled the trigger, and blood doused my clothes.

The door opens, and my mother walks in. "Cecily!" she screams, dropping a stack of books she was holding. "What have you done!" she cries, and falls where she stands, "What have you done to your own father?"

The villain glared at me, while clutching his leg. As blood seeped out," You little monster," he gritted his teeth." You'll pay for this!" I turned and ran out the back door, never looking back.

I sat, leaning against the wall of an abandoned building, and let memory terrorize my mind. That had been a year ago, and I have never gone back to that house. I tried not to dwell on it too much, I wanted to sleep that night, and that memory has a way of keeping me awake.

I got on my feet, pulled my black hoodie up. A clank noise sounded down the street, and my heart rate escalated. I looked over my shoulder and saw that I was still alone. I took deep breaths, trying to calm my heart rate. I'm safe, I told myself, Nothing's gonna change tonight. Yet a small feeling of danger lurked in my gut.

I slowly started to walk down the back alley, on my way to go through dumpsters and find stuff to sell. I was so close to having enough money to hop on a bus, and leave this town of haunted memories. I thought no one would see me in the back alley, but over the year I have made one friend. And he always knows where to find me.

"Hello Fox. I know it's you." A recognizable voice called from the shadows I crept through.

I stopped, and turned towards the voice," Hello, Cory."

Cory and I met almost a year ago, when I was hungry and tried to pick pocket him for some cash. He told me I was clever, and gave me the nickname Fox.

He walked up to me." Nice night isn't it?" he said and handed me his phone.

'Someone's been watching you,' the screen read.

My heart stopped, and dread flooded my gut. I was going to get what I deserved. After a year of running, I knew he had found me.

"Yes, it is," I nodded to him, subtly letting him know I'd gotten the message. I tried to pull my hood lower over my face.

"Fox," he said in a hushed whisper, "You need to disappear."

I just nodded, and noticed that my hands were shaking.

Cory pulled me into a hug, "I'm gonna miss you."

I was still in a paralyzing shock, but I managed to say," I'll miss you too."

He looked down at me, and gave me a short kiss, "Goodbye, Fox," He said before walking away and disappearing.

I hardly had time to process what was happening. Suddenly my mind was playing tricks on me, and every shadow seemed to become the villain. I had to escape. I had to leave before he caught up to me. I could do it to, I was so close to having enough money to leave.

A giddy feeling of hope spiked my adrenaline, and I started sprinting to a dumpster, not far from a wealthy neighborhood. There had to be something in it I could sell.

"Hello daughter,"

I stopped in my tracks. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. Please, let it just be my mind playing tricks on me. I heart became erratic, and I slowly turned around.

There he stood. The villain, my father, not looking at all different.

"Wh-what do you want? How did you find me?" My voice broke as I spoke.

"Oh, I've always known were to find you. But I couldn't let you leave town without any closure could I?" He said.

"No, no you couldn't have. You couldn't have known." My voice shook, and my eyes darted away for possible escapes.

He took a step closer, and I backed up, ready to turn and run back down the alley.

"Cecily dear, your mother's worried about you. Now that you've had your fun running around town, why don't you come home?" He said, in his eerie low voice that sounded like he was half dead.

I shook my head violently, I had to get out. I started to turn to run when I heard Cory step in.

"Fox!" he called.

"Cory," I turned around and saw the brave boy come to my side.

The villain crackled, "Is this your boyfriend? He's not going to be any help."

I knew he was right. Cory couldn't do anything to help in this situation.

"Cory," I whispered and looked up at him, "You need to go. Right now."

"No," he said, "I can help you."

Suddenly I saw blinding red lights and heard sirens blaring.

"Ahh!" I screeched and covered my ears.

My father crackled in laughter, "You stupid girl! I was stalling! Waiting for the police to get here. They're going to take you away. They're going to give you what's coming to you. I have a busted leg to prove your guilt!"

"I could get you arrested to!" I screamed at him, as the police started to get out of their car," You are guiltier than I am!"

My father walked up to me, and met my eyes, "You're not getting arrested, Cecily. You're going to a mental hospital. You're going to get treated for your anxiety, and abusive behaviors." He laughed suddenly, "I'm saving you, you silly girl!"

The police came, said some things, and I vaguely heard Cory yelling my name, but everything was a blur. My father was giving me help? All this time I called my father the villain, but what was I? I would have wished him dead, before wishing him to get better. Deep down I knew that even though I had shot him in the leg, I had been aiming for his heart.