Adding to the Papers

“Do you want to be known as a chicken for the rest of your life?” Kathleen’s brother’s words pierced through her mind, as she continued her way down the road.

The road she’s walking on has an infamous reputation. It’s known for the many disappearances in her town. Lots of people desperately try and cross this road, try and see if they can be the first person ever to cross it alive. But they’re wrong. They’re always wrong.

The only thing Kathleen brought with her on her journey is a measly flashlight and her phone. As she makes her way down, she thinks of all the missing person posters she came across as she walked silently down the road.

Missing: Amber Dickson

Missing: Tyler Stradlin

Missing: Victoria and Justine Walsh

 Tyler Stradlin was Kathleen’s best friend. The last time Kathleen saw him was 8th period math. He told her that he’d become popular at school if he crossed the road. Kathleen tried to talk him out of it, how he was being stupid, but his mind was already made up. Kathleen didn’t believe the legends. The legend about little Evie Parks.

Needless to say, that was the last time anybody ever saw Tyler Stradlin ever again.

Kathleen keeps going down the road. She hears the sounds of dead tree branches being crunched under someone’s feet. But it couldn’t be hers. No, it couldn’t be. There is nothing beneath her feet except for asphalt. She’s walked over the dead tree branches already, so it couldn’t be her. Could there be someone following her? Kathleen spins around, but her flashlight only lands on dead tree branches. 

“It’s probably nobody,” she tells herself, hoping for it to be true. She turns around and begins walking again.

Her flashlight begins to flicker. No, no, no, no, she thought. This is the absolute worst time for you to flicker now.

This always happens to the people who dare try and cross this road. Just as soon as they’re near the end, their flashlight begins to flicker. Then it turns off completely.

And that’s exactly what her flashlight did. Kathleen shakes it to try and get it to work, but all it does is make her arm tired, so she stops. It’s pitch black, she can’t see a thing. She realizes that she brought her phone with her. She hurriedly takes it out of her pocket, to no avail.

Her phone is dead.

Kathleen instantly regrets this, as she sees a pale little girl in a bright white dress walk across the street. She stops right in front of her, but she doesn’t look at her. Kathleen knows who this is. She never believed the legends, but she should have.

Little Evie Parks. That poor girl. 

All she can do is stare in horror as Evie makes her way over to her. She tries to run, but she’s stuck. Paralyzed. She can’t move. 

Kathleen snaps out of it and quickly runs in the opposite direction. It’s impossible for her to think that she’s going to get out of this alive. Seeing a little girl in a white dress, walking towards you, and then you running away is just cliche.

Kathleen doesn’t know where she’s going, and her path is dimly lit by the light from the full moon.

Her only mission is to get away from Evie and off the road.

Out of pure fear, she turns right without knowing it and wanders off the road.

Kathleen tries to look for anything to hide behind, but her poor eyesight under the dim moonlight can’t see a thing. She forgot her glasses at home.

The only thing she can see is grass. 

Then she realizes she’s off the road. She realizes that she can’t see Evie anymore, but after all, she can’t see anything at the moment.

“Come back!” She hears a little girl shout. “I just wanna play!”

Kathleen hears giggles from behind her, and without thinking, she turns around, only to come face to face with Evie.

“Wha-what do you want from me?” Kathleen stutters. 

Evie looks her up and down before replying. “The same thing I always want.”

“What’s that?”

Evie grins.

“Revenge.”

Evie lunges at Kathleen and Kathleen lets out a blood-curdling scream, before falling to the ground, with little Evie desperately trying to claw her heart out.

“Get off me!” Kathleen demands, trying to keep Evie as far away from her chest as possible. 

But Evie doesn’t budge. She’s glued to Kathleen’s chest and doesn’t plan on leaving until she gets what she wants.

With one arm, Kathleen tries to push Evie off of her, and with the other, she searches the grass, hoping to find a rock or anything she can find that would get Evie away.

She finds a pebble and throws it at Evie’s eye. She jumps back and yelps in pain, giving Kathleen enough time to escape. 

Kathleen runs in the opposite direction, where silhouettes of trees stand in front of her. A forest. Without thinking, Kathleen plunges into the forest.

Kathleen doesn’t care where she goes, she just wants to get away from Evie.

But little Evie Parks is a sneaky one. Somehow, someway, Kathleen heard her giggles from close behind. It sounds like she’s right behind her, and Kathleen realizes that she is when she feels Evie’s breath on her neck. 

Her screams fill the air as Evie pushes her onto the ground. Kathleen can only see her white dress and her pale skin, her long brown hair covering her face. 

And in the blink of an eye, little Evie Parks stabs Kathleen.

Her vision becomes blurry, and blood flows out of her mouth. 

And the last thing she sees, before plunging into a deep sleep, is little Evie Parks, grinning at her.

Missing: Kathleen Peterson