The Stranger in the Woods

The rumbling continues as the skies angrily lash out on the outskirts of the city; lightning strikes deeper in the woods. The destructive noise of raindrops splashing against the window had started to seep under Misty’s skin. She ignored the otherwise wildly soothing melody of nature and concentrated on her research. She browsed the internet like a hungry dog chasing after its prey.

Stretching out her hands after hours, she reached for the glass of water. She was staring at the window, the flash of lightning had barely filled the room when the loud crashing sound frightened her out of her chair. The glass slipped down her slender fingers and the laptop bathed in every last drop of water.

Instilled by panic, Misty froze in her place gasping at the sight of her old laptop dying right in front of her eyes. “No, no, no—” her scream echoed through the minimally furnished room. Like a headless chicken, she ran all around the place searching for tissues or cloth, anything that could salvage her prized possession.

She found the tissue box lying behind the laptop, and frantically stripped the box off all its papers to absorb the spilt water. The screen was blank, her heart sunk to the bottom of her belly. Another lightning struck the ground, and the power went out along with it. Bewildered, Misty looked around, nothing but overwhelming darkness pierced her brown eyes.

The screen lit up distorted, a sense of hope was restored only to be snatched away in the next instant. An eerie figure of a man could be seen along with a woman. What is this? A video? She punched in random commands to stop whatever it was, but it had developed a mind of its own. Her heart was ready to jump out of her mouth; the creepiness of the whole ordeal had no bounds. The mysterious figures disappeared in a few seconds, various colours flashed through the screen before it died again.

What the hell was that? The notion hadn't escaped her head when someone started banging on the front door. She stumbled on the chair hardly avoiding a fall. There was no time to come to terms with the breakdown of the laptop; the distorted video added to her troubles, throwing her in a state of utter confusion.

The banging grew louder, with a turbulent mind she rushed out of her room. “Is anyone home?” came a man's voice from the other side followed by the loud banging. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her phone – the only source of light in the house. “Miistyy” a gruff voice chased her back before she could find the door. “Who’s there?” she blurted out in fear. Her breath grew heavier. With the flashlight, she scrutinized every nook and corner of the room but she was all alone.

“Can you please open the door?” the man pleaded. The chain rattled when she turned the knob, and the door was unlocked to a stranger drenched in rain from hair to toe.

Misty's eyes were still attempting to find the source of the gruff voice when the man greeted her with a hello. She turned to him, lightning struck again making her jump out of her skin and the phone tumbled onto the ground. It stopped working, she hastily bent over to pick it up. Fighting back her nerves, she slapped the phone on the palm of her hand, long-pressed the power button several times but to no avail, it was dead. Water dripping from the man's coat made a cold contact with her toes. The darkness forbade her eyes to see anything but his contour, he stood there silently shivering in cold.

“Who—who are you?” her tremulous voice was inaudible next to the sound of rain. “I am sorry to disturb you, my name is Mark. My car broke down a few miles away and my cell phone is dead. I need to make a call, can you help me?”

There was a delay in her response, he had spoken his part but she stood there numb for a few minutes trying to understand. “Uh... sorry what do you need?” she questioned him attempting to sort through the chaos in her mind.

“A phone. I need to make a phone call” he repeated himself, louder this time.

“Phone?” she paused briefly “Right, phone. But it’s... it’s not working.” She stared deeper into the dark as the rectangular piece of metal – now useless – rested in her hand.

“I really need help. Do you mind if I just come in? Please.” His shrill voice was breaking up.

“Well...” she paused to pull herself together, “look, if you go down to your right, you will find a house within 10 minutes. I am sure you can find a phone there.”

“I tried before coming here, but no one answered the door.”

“What—are you sure? They are always home on weekends.”

“Not tonight it seems.”

She was sceptical of allowing a stranger in her house. On some other occasion, she would not have given it much thought. But it was an unusual night, abnormality being the centre of the events. She had more than one reason to shut the door on his face. She was of no help to him with a dead phone, broken laptop and no power; but the nearest house on the other side was half an hour out. Her fingers clenched on the handle of the door nearly shutting it close but was held back by her conscience. She had been a victim of the unannounced storms and was never turned away by strangers who helped her to safety.

“Aright, come in,” her voice was marked with an invisible tone of anxiety. “I’ll go find some light, stay here and be careful with your steps,” she added.

With a steady pace, she disappeared into the dark, letting her memory and touch guide her to the kitchen. She scoured through the cabinets, carefully analysing the shapes of the objects. It was a struggle to find anything without the aid of light. With much difficulty, she found a few candles in the last cabinet.

Candlelight chased the dark corners of the kitchen as the charred matchstick hit the wooden floor, the smoke lingered in the air. She refilled the kettle and allowed the water to boil before finding her way back to Mark.

The flame flickered as she walked. The veil of darkness was lifted, her gaze laid on Mark who faced the main door. His deep blue eyes were intensely staring outside, a pool of water had formed by his feet. He was 5’9 with a sturdy build, half a foot taller than Misty. His wet hair was of the dark brown hue, a little stubble had grown on his glistening cheeks.

Of all the things, his eyes caught her attention, she was entranced by him. Noticing Misty in the room, he turned away from the door to look at her, a smile appeared on his lips. Flustered by his charms her face was flushed red. A little smile was starting to appear on the corner of her lips when the melted wax rolled down the tilted candle, slightly burning her fingers. It broke her trance, she let out a moan.

“You alright?” worried, he rushed over to her. She nodded her head and gently tossed a towel at him, “use it, you will catch a cold” she said avoiding eye contact. Her mind traced back to a few moments ago when she was charmed by him, it had never happened before. Another turmoil was starting to brew in her heart. She placed the candle on the table, catching a glimpse outside, scanning the darkness to find whatever he might have been staring at.

She took a deep breath, and with a quirky nervous step, turned around to face him. He stood in silence holding onto the towel, waiting for her to speak.

“Mark, is it?” she broke the ice.

“Yes, and what can I call you?” he had stopped shivering, his voice sounded different than before.

“Misty, I am Misty. So I think I have a power bank lying around somewhere. You can charge your phone...” she was interrupted by a whistling sound, “...that must be the water. Would you care for some coffee?”

“Tea—please and no sugar.” He replied immediately.

“Sure. I will be right back.” She quickly retreated to the kitchen.

She confirmed that she wasn't followed before turning off the gas. An unpleasant feeling was keeping her on her toes around Mark, yet she dropped her guard for a moment without realising it.

The grip of remorse was tightening around her chest as she brewed the tea. Stop overthinking Misty, she ordered herself. She tried to empty her mind, hypnotized by the hot water swirling around the teapot with each stroke of the spoon, eventually changing its colour.

A smile on her face masked her uneasiness as she carried in her hands two cups of hot tea. Her footsteps slowed when she found him gazing outside again. The towel was lying on the ground – still maintaining all its folds – where he stood before.

The smile was now replaced with dismay, “Mark?” she called out to him.

“Misty” he smiled at her, hands tucked in his coat pockets.

She forced a smile on her lips, “what were you looking at?” She wasn’t keen to hear his answer but she did long to hear him say 'nothing'.

He silently closed the distance between them. Misty was late to react, she took a step back only to meet the wall behind her. She had no choice but to stand still as he leaned closer to her face. “I was looking at him,” his breath brushed against her skin. A cold and distant look appeared in his eyes. A chill ran down her spine rendering her speechless and shaking like a leaf. The tea was daring to spill, but he grabbed her hands to support the cups. His touch was cold and his low voice even colder, “you are shaking, why don’t you let go of these?” he said.

She slipped out of his grip, leaving the cups in his care. “Is there someone in the woods?” she said, anxious to walk away from him. She stood at the edge of the door, eyes peeled to spot another person, but it was too dark to see. “I don’t see anyone” she added in her tremulous voice.

She tried to calm her nerves with slow deep breaths without turning to look at Mark. Suddenly an arm grabbed her from behind, a sharp and slender knife sneaked up to her neck, threatening her life. She couldn’t dare to move or speak a word, fear had crippled her senses.

“Oh he's there,” he whispered in her ears and moved her away from the door to pin her against the wall. Mark had absolute control on the knife and on Misty's life. The air was thick, the flame of the candle flared violently with the wind. He smiled viciously at her, but she maintained her silence.

“It’s no fun if you don’t scream and beg,” subtle disappointment backed his words. The knife had started to pierce her skin, drawing a few drops of blood.

“You gonna kill me?” she blurted out, trembling uncontrollably.

He laughed hysterically, “You are an interesting one. They usually beg to be spared.” There was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, “I like you." A drop of blood trickled down her chest. Her heartbeat was louder than the rain. “Why don’t we have a little chat?” He said pressing the knife, digging deeper into her skin.

“You lied to me” her voice was hoarse. The pain was numbing her senses, she wanted to scream but her vocal cords were twisted in fear. She tried to devise ways to escape but came up empty.

“I wouldn’t put it that way, all I did was fool you. When you live all alone in the woods, it’s only a matter of time before a beast shows up on your door. And you were kind enough, or should I say foolish enough to let one in?” It brought him immense pleasure to speak about it.

The knife dug deeper, she struggled to breathe. He continued with rising excitement, “The neighbours not answering was a lie of course but you believed it anyway. But my car did run out of fuel you see and then I found your house. It would have been troublesome had there been a company so I cut off the power. But boy, was I lucky? Not only were you alone but your phone broke." He laughed wickedly.

The reality finally caught up to her. With every word he spoke, her despair multiplied, tears gushed out of her eyes. “I don’t want to...” before she could finish her words, blood splattered on his face, with a single stroke of the knife he flawlessly severed her vein.

“Had you not opened the door for another minute I would have left.” He said, breathing heavily. He looked down upon her with a sense of satisfaction.

A sharp pulsating pain resounded through every inch of her being, her hand clutched to the hem of his coat. She choked on her breath and limped onto the floor. Consciousness was leaving her behind and darkness was ready to consume her whole. An array of bright colours flashed in front of her eyes before everything went black.

When her eyes opened, she found herself in her room, there was a video playing on the laptop. I have seen this before, her fingers traced the keyboard. The video continued to play, a woman wearing a black dress was walking towards a man, their faces were blurred, he took her away and the screen went blank.

She looked around, the rain had stopped. It was too bright, making it difficult for her eyes to adjust. Where am I? She touched her face, it was cold, a memory flashed through her mind. Mark, he... he was, she ran to the living room, her body was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. This can't be… no. For a split second, a sharp pain pierced her chest but disappeared without a trace. What was that? That sensation, I know it but I can’t remember.

She spotted her reflection on a window, she was wearing a black dress, the same as the woman from the video. She walked to the door, a man was standing at the mouth of the woods, he waved at her. She fled down the porch. Shrouded in fog, her surroundings were dreamy and serene.

“Who are you?” she asked the tall man dressed in a black suit. His enchanting golden eyes pierced her soul but they were far from hostile.

“A stranger,” he replied in a silvery voice.

“What is this place?”

“You will have your answers soon. We shouldn’t stay here for long.” He held out his hand, “shall we?”

She lifted her hand, their fingers were about to meet when she froze, her gaze fixated at his feet.

“He said—someone was standing here, was it you?” she asked after a long pause, her gaze lifted to meet his.

He nodded in affirmation, the trees started rustling without a trace of wind.

“Then why didn’t you save me?”

“I tried to warn you. I am but a mere guide, not a saviour.” He looked at her with moist eyes, dipped in pain.

“What if I don’t go with you?” Feelings, now alien to her, passed through her mind. "I want to live," she added.

“If you don't come with me, you will be stuck here for eternity, where neither the dead nor the living can exist—” he paused, slightly distressed, “I have said enough for now. We have to move.”

Misty was empty, devoid of feelings. Something was missing, something was incomplete, she could sense it but couldn’t place a finger on it. The stillness in her mind scared her but she could only experience the fear as a concept.

“Let’s go,” he said, nudging his hand to slightly touch her fingers. She glanced back at her house, there was a strange pull calling her towards it. Before her feet could turn back, her fingers accidentally touched his and he wrapped his hand tightly around hers.

A gust of wind travelled through the fog. He gently pulled her closer with a smile and started walking. There was an unspoken sense of safety around him, she gave up any resistance she had and matched her pace to that of the golden-eyed stranger guiding her through the thick mist shrouding their path.

The End