Gray clouds rolled in from behind the mountains. They hung low, heavy with an impending August rain. Spasms of wind gusts blew the girl's hair around her body, making her seem even more surreal to Nathan.
Goosebumps rose on his arms, but whether or not it was from the cold or from the sight before him, he did not know.
Nathan's body leaned against the rough bark of an old oak tree. It's coloring leaves rustled in the wind, and a few of them floated down to the forest floor on the wind.
Nathan let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his unkempt dark blond hair. "What do you want, Evelyn?"
"I- I don't know where to start."
"How about the part where you're supposed to be dead?" He clenched his jaw and then sighed. "Look, Im sorry. It's just... this is all too much for me."
Evelyn was quiet. Her eyes refused to meet his. Instead they focused on the dead leaves that littered the ground. "I can't remember who you are," she finally whispered.
"What?" Nathan asked incredulously.
She raised her head. Her sad brown eyes met his. "I can't remember anything."
Nathan's world faltered. His mind buzzed with unanswered questions. A soft buzz spread throughout him, spreading outward from his chest. He felt shaky and wrong, like pieces of a puzzle wouldn't connect right.
He slid down the tree trunk, suddenly too tired to stand. The bark snagged and caught on his nice suit jacket.
"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are. I just know that I know you somehow," she continued.
Never in a million years did he think that she could possibly forget about him. It was all too much. How much could one person take?
"I can't- I can't do this. It's too much." Nathan put his head in his arms. "I'm sorry."
"No. Please. I need your help. I can't pass on without you." Tears fell off her face and dispersed into mist.
"I can't help you. Don't you see that? I can't handle it! I don't even know how to help you!"
His angry words seemed to echo throughout the forest, bouncing off the trees. Rustling leaves and swaying branches filled the silent gap.
The sky above grew darker.
"I know this might be a lot for you, but I need your help. Please. I'm begging you." Tears continued to fall down her face.
"I-" His words were cut off by a clap of thunder. It echoed off of the mountains. His eyebrows scrunched together. "That's strange. We never get thunderstorms in August."
A violent gust blew through the trees. Suddenly, the almost bare tree branches turned into skeleton arms with outreached fingers.
Lightning cracked and streaked to the earth, lighting up the dark gray sky.
"Something's really not right." Nathan got up off the ground, terror now flooding in his veins.
"Do you feel it?" Evelyn whispered.
Nathan did feel it, the overwhelming sense of wrongness. It was like that little tickle in the back of your mind when you're all alone in the middle of the night. It reminded Nathan of late night shadows dancing across walls, and the feeling of someone watching you.
"We should get out of here."
Another clap of thunder.
Something was in the forest with them. He could tell.
Every sound made Nathan jump. Every shadow made him cower away.
He began to slowly back out of the forest. The edge of the woods wasn't far, and just beyond it he could see rolling hills of waving grass.
He continued along, but with every step the wind picked up. His suit jacket did little to stop the harsh wind from biting his skin.
Evelyn followed closely behind, the wind seeming to not affect her at all. The only thing that convinced Nathan that she was real was her hair whipping around in the wind.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"I really don't know."
Another loud clap of thunder echoed off the mountains. The sound of heavy rain came closer and closer until Nathan became drenched.
The rain chilled him to the bone. His clothes stuck to his skin like a second skin.
Evelyn remained untouched by the rain. It went through her like she wasn't but a shadow or cloud.
His stomach wound itself into knots and twists with every second that passed. The edge of the forest only lay another ten feet away when something rustled the dead leaves on the ground.
It wasn't the crunch of his or Evelyn's footsteps or the tumbling of the leaves in the wind. It was heavier than that, like something big was making its way towards him.
Fear, pure and ice cold, sluggishly traveled through his veins, freezing him on the spot.
"We need to get out of here," Evelyn hissed. "Something's coming."
But Nathan was paralyzed. Inside, he was screaming, telling himself to run, but his feet wouldn't obey.
The rustling grew louder and louder. It was coming closer.
Nathan's heart hammered away in his chest. It was beating so hard he was surprised Evelyn couldn't hear it.
A deep guttural groan filled the air.
"Oh god," Evelyn moaned. "Please move."
Thump... rustle... thump... rustle...
A rotting black hand with long, jagged fingernails reached out from behind a tree.
A scream of pure terror tried to rip itself free of Nathan's throat.
"Please run," Evelyn whimpered.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins, burning away all traces of fear.
Without a second glance at the hand or Evelyn, Nathan took off. He ran like he never had before.
His lungs screamed along with his muscles, begging for him to stop, but the adrenaline kept him going. The rain pelted his face like mini bullets. His bare feet sunk into the mud, making it harder to run.
"Keep running!" Evelyn ran beside him, the rain pelting through her. "I don't know what it is, but I know it's not good."
The wind whipped the grass around, and they snagged on Nathan's pants.
He ran to the bottom of the hill where the road carved itself out of a mountain side. The road was slick with water, the cars long gone.
Streams of rain water flowed down the mountain in the side ditches and road. Gravel dug into the bottoms of his feet, but he continued running. He needed to get home.
His feet hit the wet pavement with a slap, slap!
A stitch in his side was forming, and he gasped for air. His lungs burned for more air, but he couldn't get enough. Pain radiated in waves from every single muscle.
"Just a little bit more," he gasped.
He turned right on his street. There, up ahead, his house lay like a safe haven. With one last burst of energy, he crossed his yard and flung open the door. He slammed it closed and dashed up the stairs.
"Nathan? Is that you?" his father called.
He heard the soft murmuring of his sister and father and then them retreating to the living room.
Nathan inhaled gasps of oxygen. His whole body felt tired and weak. HIs muscles ached and threatened to give out on him.
Evelyn was nowhere to be seen.
He stripped off his dripping wet clothes and changed into a dry t-shirt and boxers.
His knees buckled, and his legs gave out on him. He collapsed on top of his bare mattress and curled up into a ball.
Nathan's feet throbbed and his heart raced.
Slowly, he fell into a restless sleep.
A/N
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-Sophia ^_^