Amanda’s Lies
October 16, 2004 was one of the coldest and wettest nights of the entire month, and of course I have to walk home. I force my malnourished legs to drag along the pavement to start my treacherous journey home. I look down at my phone only to realize I have to be home in 10 minutes with a 20 minute walk ahead of me. Frantically I pick up my pace and look for a shorter route. There! My answer happens to be right around the corner where the opening to the forest is now standing in front of me. I am never to step a toe inside these woods, but this happens to be my only solution so I take the risk. 5 minutes into my detour and I’m halfway home! I start congratulating myself when the once sound of my own two feet crunching down on the leaves doubled. I pick up my pace only looking back once. Black, deep, darkness is the only thing that I can see which terrifies me more. I am now running, sprinting as fast as I can, through the woods. I’m so focused on the cold wind scratching my face, and the warm tears rolling down my cheeks, I don’t even see the massive stump ahead of me and I trip. As I pick myself up, extremely startled, I feel two strong, sweaty hands grab me, something slip over my eyes, and a giant rock hit my head. I don’t think I’m going to make it home on time.
Confusion, dizziness, and fear is all I feel when I wake up in the backseat of the car. Between my own blood dripping down my forehead, and the fear I feel in my stomach I still manage to peek through the mask. As I’m peeking through I see it! Grey hair, blue eyes, and a shockingly familiar face. A friend of my fathers who I have not seen in a while. I slip my eyes back under the mask and contemplate everything I think I know. Why did he take me? What does he want with me? Questions swirling in my brain so fast I can’t think. I don’t want to draw any attention to myself so as quickly and quietly as possible I open the car door dodging his grasping arms and roll out of the car like in a movie. I crash to the ground as wet gravel, brown dirt, and unforgiving assfault spreads up my neck and down my back. I pick myself up, yet again, and run. My legs were running as fast as humanly possible staying as far from him as possible. I run all the way to my house and come bursting through the front door waking everyone in the house up. My parents storm in the living room with anger glued to their face as I start explaining. As my mom sits down in disbelief, and my father is unusually quiet before shouting “Liar!”, and heading back to his room. I follow him closely trying to get him to believe me. He turns around and looks me dead in my eyes and simply says “You were late,” is all he says when he slams the door in my face. Heartbroken and terrified I drop to the floor. The only thing I can feel is the emptiness in my heart and the carpet scratching my knees. I drag myself into bed, and close my eyes as one, singular salty tear rolls down my cheek and I drift into a deep sleep.
