This happened to me when I was 17. The incident has caused me swear off all social relationships, and I haven't been able to be on my own ever since.
I was at a late-night party without permission from my parents. The party was at this mansion of an acquaintance through my friend, and I didn't know anybody there. Since I needed to leave quickly so my parents wouldn't know I was out, I tried finding my friend to drop me home.
Unfortunately, I found out he'd been taken to the hospital because he'd had one too many. This was a time before mobile phones, so I had nobody I could call. I tried to find the host to call me a cab, when I noticed someone.
It was a young man – looking about 25 or 26. He lurked around listening as I asked for the host of the party. I realized he'd been at the corner of every room I'd been in, and was certain he was following me.
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I made my way into the mob that had formed in the party to shake him off; sitting near a guest who seemed to be the most popular person there. However, he seemed to be inching closer through the crowd.
I found myself outside by the parking area after squeezing out of there; the man still seemed to find me. He was inside, but was pushing around the people trying to spot me.
I ducked behind a car to avoid being seen, when I heard a voice.
It was the man I'd sat beside earlier on, the one who'd been the life of the party. And he revealed he'd noticed and followed me out to make sure I was all right.
Feeling this man was the person I'd be most safe with, I had him drop me home.
While driving, I tried to make chit-chat to pass the time. What came to my attention, however, was that he didn't seem to know the other guests at the party.
"How come you were there, then?" I asked.
"Tonight felt like the night," he replied, not looking at me but at the road.
"You had a lot of admirers," I laughed, trying to make the mood congenial.
"I developed people skills," he said without adopting the friendly attitude I had, "so I could stay on top of my game."
I was confused at his lack of interest in talking; he'd been completely different back at the party. The road was long and straight, with nothing by the sides other than empty land. There was a forest that appeared on the way to the city, and our car was heading for it.
I didn't like the idea of entering such a secluded area in silence, and tried to make small talk again. The man, though, began looking in the rear-view mirror as if expecting someone to appear in it. He also kept looking around the sides of the windows like he was scoping the place out.
The more I looked at him, the more deranged his features became present. His face seemed as if he was running out of time.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from tremoring.
