Footsteps

PLEASE READ! This story contains potential threat or fear to readers. Including murder and suspense.

She stumbled; men shouted behind her, panicked, fearful shouts. All their sirens, headlights and floodlights illuminated the dark night and the trees’ thick trunks, which glistened with small droplets of recent rainfall. Years ago, she would have been terrified in this situation, dark, not knowing who was out there – but then it hit her, she was someone she might have feared, a criminal, a kidnapper, a murder. She feared the existence that her life would tumble into- her hopes shattered... she had just begun to 'open up he life again' as she'd put it.

Just leaving the forceful fist that would clench her nerves- always looking over her shoulder.

 The leafy floor was covered with small crimson flowers that matched the dark stains that soaked her clothing. She pulled up, the weight from the man’s body she carried was overwhelming, his eyes were closed, not flickering, he had a red stain creeping up his chest and onto his neck. The woman’s dark hair stuck to her forehead and upper neck, she was sweating, running was almost too much for her, but no, she wouldn’t stop, not now, she couldn’t get caught.   

She fell, the little burn’s waters swirling around her knees, and the jagged, rocky riverbed stones poked into her knees, she laid his body down upon the crimson floor, the flowers matched perfectly, she stopped, and longed for the small chrysanthemum’s simple existence, peaceful, sheltered, and safe, nobody would come tramping along to tell her she needed to do this or that or pay her bills or find a new apartment or anything, she could be free. But then the 10 tons of guilt, realisation and anger fell upon her against. Not that she felt worried about herself, but she was scared... she cried for the man shed killed, for his family for the people that would never be the same again- grief would consume her- many years she would push the guilt down below the surface. 

 She continued faster now, her ripped trousers flapping in the light breeze. Little sharp branches, curled like small fists scraped her face, at least if she did get caught the cops would have a tough time recognising her. She stooped, almost toppling, her feet had hit concrete, for a moment her heart stopped, her face bathed in light, she thought she'd been caught, it was over, no one would consider that she didn’t mean it- especially since shed run straight away, the act of someone guilty. But only shone light, with a cloud-covered moon spreading light into her little clearing. She had hit a ; it was bumpy and overgrown barely a car had passed this area during a year, the silence now was noticeable, no lights could be seen definite pause in the trees. Behind her no shouting or fearful footprints of people behind her- she was utterly alone. She would risk it. She fell, her head hitting the mossy bank where the tree-line ended, her eyelids fluttered, her limp body pressed against the squidgy moss that flitted up the roots. 

The forest was still and peaceful one again.  

When she next woke, she was startled. None of where she laid down the night before was the same...

It was still dark- she, due to the moon just creeping up into the Indigo sky, that she had slept all day and into nightfall. Her whispers echoing through the gloom, apparently unheard.

Echoing, Echoing… The weak moonlight hung over the forest like a curtain blocking out the morning light, as if forever. 

The night was still, eerily still. Nothing moved, or breathed… only one thing disrupted the silence, her voice, ringing through the thick trunks and gnarled branches. Although her voice was whispering into the eerie night, it sounded like shouting. 

Footsteps, Footsteps… 

A crunch in the leaves… a twig snapped… someone or something darted through the branches around her to avoid detection. Her shadow emerged from the gloom of the tree cover… 

She stood petrified in the dark, only her eyes moved. Darting around, taking in every detail of the forest floor that he could until her eyes could see no more… 

“Who’s there…?” Her lips moved slowly and shakily, as if he were being watched…  

A gust of wind sailed through the trees, rather odd as the night held no wind, the boy froze, only his terrified eyes darting around once again. 

Snap. 

A twig broke behind the woman as she cowered, she never fell victim to fear. 

Crunch. 

Leaves rustled. 

Someone or something else was creeping towards the clearing. 

She flipped around combing the darkness, he had no idea where the thing was coming from, or where it would emerge… 

A final crunch.  

A large shadow fell behind the fatigued figure. 

She turned slowly to face the thing that had thrown darkness over her. 

She looked up.  

An excruciating scream. 

Darkness. 

It was Sakura season in Japan when news of the 'murderer, but victim' reached my ears. I should explain. I'm Rosa Rivera-Ortiz. I'm, presumably, what they would call an up-and-coming at a detective agency in Japan. I'm not from Japan- I'm here- now- because I've been assigned the high-profile case of Sehar Khan. You know, 'murderer and victim' Sehar Khan. It was all over the paper on the morning I arrived, although I already knew everything there was to know about the crime it was interesting to hear the presses view.

To be honest- this was my first ever proper investigation, and I'm determined to get it right.

I now was where it had begun...

I stood on the outskirts of the forest Khan had disappeared into. Not many people knew that this was where it happened. Just to stop any fear of her returning and terrorising nearby homes.

I strode into the forest, It was bright and oddly calm. Not a single bird chirped after I set foot into the forest's depths. It was as if I'd just been swallowed by the trees themself. Up ahead I could begin to see small droplets of red, sickly liquid dotted between the blooming flowers the hugged the floor.

I was searching for other signs of human life here when my foot hit something hard.

What I found when my eyes fell upon him you don't want to know, something that made my heart skip a beat.