A Wild Goose Chase

  Darkness was upon the land and I knew I was to do my evening run. For some unknown reason I was exhausted and had a gut wrenching feeling. Remembering that I had done nothing but lay in bed all day, I gathering all the strength I could muster and made my way out of the kitchen and towards my closet. Choosing a grey tracksuit and a black runner shoes I left for the school’s gym. It was getting later by the minute; therefore, I settled for taking the shorter route through the woodland. “Are you sure you want to take this route at this time of evening, knowing the trouble you’ll be in if caught trespassing?” Ignoring my subconscious, I inhaled and exhaled a few times before continuing down the familiar gravel path.

  Beads of sweat trickled down my face. The gut feeling I pushed to the back of my mind a few minutes ago, has returned but not without bringing companion. I felt as though someone punched me in my abdomen and I am now experiencing the aftershock. My hands were perspiring leaving them feeling wet and clammy. My legs felt foreign and I imagined hearing strange noises. I was overwhelmed by a constipated feeling. I heard the whimper of what sounded like a man. I stopped and listened for a moment but I heard nothing but the choruses of crickets. The passing and honking of vehicle horns disappeared from my sense of hearing when I heard the crunching of leaves beneath boots. My first instinct was to hide.

  I got in a laying position and crawled towards a nearby pine tree. Knowing that such genus’s had not much bark I positioned myself into sitting, I closed my eyes then rested my head against the tree. “You do not have to do this. Think about your family, what do you think the people are going to say? Please don’t do this. I beg of you, I will do anything,” a man, I am assuming, sobbed. My eyes instantly snapped open. My heart started running at a thousand miles an hour. This is not good, I know it is not good. After a few silent moments another voice said, “I gave you time, and what? You failed me, for the third time.” There was a coldness in his voice which sent a chill up my spine. “I knew I wasn’t supposed to put so much faith in you but I did because you were my friend… On the other hand,” I could hear him smiling, “I am through talking, now you have to answer to my pistol.” My eyes roamed the area in fear only to be fixed on something in the distance.

  I was confident that the crunching of leaves would have come from behind the tree I am currently sitting in front of. Boy was I wrong. A few feet away from my ‘hiding’ place the silhouette of two men remained. There was a man standing and the other man was kneeling with both hands in a fixed position behind his head facing the opposite direction. Standing man pulled out what looks like a gun from behind him and aimed it at kneeling man’s head. Time started going in slow motion. He removed the safety then pulled the trigger. I watched as the bullet spin like a Tasmanian devil until it hit the back of the man’s head. An audible gasp exited my mouth as I watched his head being blown to pieces. His hands fall to his sides while his lifeless body falls face first to the ground. I retreated into the bark of the tree seeking comfort. The murderer must have heard my gasp because he is now walking towards me.

  The closer this man gets, the more I realize how familiar he looks. The moonlight shines down on him and he looks much more intimidating. The act he just committed and the cold calculating grey eyes is enough to make me want to pee my pants. It is now that I realize I am not breathing; my lungs screamed for air. The tears threatened to get out but I made up my mind that I am not going to cry I feel the sting in my throat and I swallowed my saliva to get rid of it. “Mr. Brown?” I said in a small questioning voice. I didn’t hear a response because black dots invaded my eyes and my breathing shallowed. Before you know it the darkness overtook me.

  “Good morning it is time to wake up.” Martha, one of my track and field partners said as she separated my window curtains to allow light to enter into my bedroom. I groaned the pulled the blanket over my head. “Leave me alone,” I retorted. “We will not be going to school to day because you almost drowned last night. Thanks to Mr. Brown who was passing by the lake, saw you and rescued you. Oh, Jake and the others will be here in a few.” She dramatically held her heart and fake sobbed, wiping away imaginary tears in the process. “Huh?” I questioned. I then continued to say, “I saw Mr. Brown murder someone last night and I didn’t go near the lake.” I frowned. Martha touched my forehead and both sides of my neck. “You need to sleep you have a slight fever,” stares in the sky with wonder, “must have been a nightmare. Go back to bed I will make you some chicken soup.”

  I feigned sleep until the guys came. They saw that I was asleep and decided against waking me. After they settled down, down stairs, and started playing their games. I snuck out through my bedroom window, climbed down the tree stationed there for escape and sprinted towards the front gate. I went straight to the police station and reported my findings. They shared a look that said, “I don’t believe but let us check.” They shrugged and followed me either way. Upon reaching the destination, there was no corpse. Instead there were endangered plants all over the area, in fact they do not look freshly planted. “Alright kid, there’s nothing here. We will be calling your parents.” They did call my parents and I was grounded for a whole month.

  Thereafter, wherever I feel as though I am being watched. Exactly three years and twelve days after, I decided to go for a stroll. I felt like I was being watched but I ignored it. I went as far as the other side of the woodland. I knew it was trespassing but I needed to clear my head. The scenery was beautiful. Trees stood tall and proud at every angle and the birds were chirping happily; everything was beautiful and great until I turned around only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun.