Hidden Within

Chapter Two

Tyler twitched. I felt the shivers that ran through his body. He hugged me tighter in sympathy for what I’d just witnessed.

Thoughts of ‘who’s out there?’ ran through my mind.

Tyler and I pretty much lived on our own. Dad was always on business trips and mum worked at the hospital most of the time. That was one of the worst parts of having a doctor as a mother.

We grew up here. Mum and dad bought this cottage back in the day before they got married. They married young, mum was only eighteen and dad was twenty. Three years later Tyler and I were born.

As we grew older everything was normal. The forest around our home was our backyard, the place we used our imagination for our adventures. Not once would we have thought of some stranger lurking around out there, especially not after seventeen years of living here.

“What’s going to happen?” I asked cautious of the answer. I didn’t want Tyler’s response to be ‘we’re going to be slaughtered next’.

“Can you show me where the head is?” Tyler rose to his feet as if he was willing to run into the killer.

“Are you crazy?” I exclaimed. “Have you lost your mind?” I jumped up. “We can’t go out there, it’s five-fifty” I pointed to the clock.

“Yeah, and?” Tyler obviously wasn’t thinking straight.

“And... It’s almost night time, which means it’s dangerous out there” I grabbed hold of his shoulders “the creep is probably waiting for you”.

“You need to stop freaking yourself out, I’m a big boy” Tyler wriggled out of my hands, picked up his dark grey jacket from his computer chair and slid into it. Leading me of his room, down the hall and into mine he examined my clothing. “Get changed into something more... I don’t know, escapable” he laughed.

I narrowed my eyebrows, staring at him in disbelief. I knew what he was implying but it wasn’t anything to joke about.

“Just get out of that dress” he turned to exit my room but I stopped him.

“I’m not going out there” I said bluntly.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll protect you” Tyler sounded reassuring but he’s no superman, therefore he’s not invincible. He wouldn’t stand a chance against a serial killer.

“How are you going to protect the both of us?”  Doubting Tyler was horrible but it was true. Tyler wouldn’t be able to save himself let alone the both of us. In a situation like this I didn’t have any evidence as to why I should be thinking positively.

“Ouch” he sarcastically placed a hand over his heart. “You cut me so deep” he smiled, “get dressed”.

Without any further protests Tyler left and I went through my wardrobe. I knew Tyler would have hunted for the head without me so I decided to go with him. I’d prefer to get murdered with him rather than sit and worry about what I let him face alone and if he’ll ever make it back.

I pulled on my black skinny jeans and a comfortable purple jumper. I laced up my Dunlop volleys and tucked my phone into my pocket and went out to find Tyler.