Chapter 20

Sebastian

I’ve been running for a solid two minutes now, and I’m beyond lost in this neighborhood. I’m not sure where the entrance and exit is anymore. All the houses are beginning to look all too similar. I’ve ran past a certain red one with inconspicuous gnomes in the front yard at least three times now. If I’m not mistaken, he must possess some kind of power to put someone in a constant of loop, reality warping powers possibly. I haven’t seen or heard a single soul in this triathlon I’ve been doing. No, that’s actually for the best. I would rather it just be me in this terrible situation. How long have I been running…? I haven’t heard his sporadic, yet determined footsteps behind me for a good while. I need to take a second to breathe if I lost him then.

I jumped into the nearest bush I could find to regain composure. Checking my revolver, I noticed I had four shots left to deliver. It’s far from enough to put him down, but it’s just enough to stagger and give myself time to think of how to efficiently a stop to him. Crap, I left the extra ammo in the car. Just as I had that thought, I notice my car up ahead was completely demolished. All the windows were bashed in, a couple of tires were blown out, the hood concaved into a single point of impact. It was clear he stopped to take away any form of escape from me. That means he’s capable of some critical thinking, and not just some deranged lunatic causing mayhem. All of his actions are thought out.

I sat inside the prickly bush for a solid five minutes, thinking of different ways to put this guy down for good. A shot to the leg to incapacitate, then a couple to the head? Maybe take his bat from him…somehow. I don’t know, but I do see something ahead of me. It’s a flickering light coming from another house. Its inside, most likely the living room. I squint to see better, and I noticed a battered young woman with a face of despair trying to get my attention with a flashlight. I couldn’t believe it, someone else was also stuck in this loop with me. She must’ve seen me run around for a good minute now from her curtains. I know we both can’t work up the courage to exit our safe space right now, it’s too risky, I can understand why she didn’t want to step out of her home. Potentially letting this killer know her location is a stupid move, but I wonder how long she’s been in hiding. A few days? A couple hours? I don’t know.

I scrambled around in the bush to let her know I see her, but knowing that, I could also give away my position. I finally gave in and just said ‘to hell with it’, and ran out the bush at full speed towards her location. For some reason, I could feel some sort of presence behind me. It was almost as if someone was trying to grab me, but that only increased my speed. I got to the door, and opened it swiftly. She must’ve unlocked it before I got up to it. I shut it behind me, and began to catch my breath. A faint, yet irregular, sigh of relief could be heard near the main room. It was dark, so I couldn’t see much. My first thought was to pull out my flashlight, but I remembered that could alert the killer of our position if he happens to pass by.

“Hello…?” I cautiously asked. “Is anyone in here?”

A young woman crept out the darkness into the rays of light pouring in from outside. She appears to be in her late-twenties. She’s wearing a short, silky beige night gown with slight rips and tears all over. Her hair is a long wavy brown that reached down her back. She still had a look of worry on her face. It’s understandable, she’s probably not sure if I’m another psycho or not.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “Is there anyone else in here with you?”

She hesitates to speak. “…Uh, no…It’s just me. Are you alone too…?”

“Yeah, I came here to get a lead on this guy…but I ended up biting off more than I can chew. How long have you been in here?”

“I don’t know anymore. I was just sleeping and heard a noise downstairs and told my husband to check it out, but he never came back.”

“He just disappeared?”

“I’m not too sure. I went downstairs and grabbed a knife and looked all over for him, but no luck.” I honestly didn’t notice the knife she had in her hand. I must be losing my sense of awareness the longer this night goes on. “I walked outside and checked the neighborhood for a few minutes and it was as if everyone vanished. After a few minutes, I only saw one person.”

“It was a man, right? Was he dressed up like a milkman?”

“Yeah, I tried calling out to him, but he started chasing me. I didn’t know what to do, so I started running away. He hit me a few times on the leg and arm, but I managed to get away by cutting through some houses and came back to my own. I would peek out a few times, and noticed you running. So I tried to get your attention when you stop.”

“I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t know what my next move was if I stayed in that bush any longer. You have any idea on how to get out of this loop?”

“No Idea. I thought to just wait it out.”

This poor girl must’ve been waiting for anyone to show up. “Okay look, my only guess to get out of this limbo, is to kill this guy. I’ve already put some shots in him, but it only pisses him off even more. We need to set a trap. That way we ca-“. I saw her face become horrified. I immediately took the hint and ducked as fast as I could. Sure enough, I gust of wind brushed over my head and a loud slamming noise ringed my ears. He somehow managed to find us and got in the house without our knowing. I shot back up to my feet to get stability and fired off a shot to his shoulder. I jumped in front of the young girl and continued until I could only hear clicks from my gun. This definitely staggered him for a second, but he regained his composure and look up towards us. I could see his eyes slowly open, and immediately knew we had to get out of here. I cautiously gestured her behind me and crept towards the front door with him still in sight.

“Hey.” I said. “On the count of three we break for the door. If he attacks us, we-.” I couldn’t even finish my sentence. She ran for the front door and he quickly yanked out his metal bat that was lodged in the wall and lunged for her. I acted quickly and jumped in the way, getting hit in the head by the end of his bat as a consequence. Everything was slightly off but I regained my focus. My hands were locked on to his bat and so were his. We both struggled to get better control, but it didn’t look good for my end. He’s a lot stronger than he appears, and I’m exactly what I look like.

“HEY!” I yelled out. “Get your knife and stab him! Help me!” I turned to see where she was. The knife was on the ground, and she stood idly outside in the yard with a look of terror and confusion. I continued to yell, but it was no use. She turned, and ran away. I felt my stomach churn out of pure fear, but then the pain went to my head. He must’ve hit me with the center of the bat. I became dazed and lost my grip. I swung and managed to hit him a couple of times, but he shrugged them all off. My stance gave out as he aimed for my legs, and I pummeled to the floor, hitting my head again. At this point, I don’t know what’s going on anymore. I felt a huge impact hit the back of my head, and lost all composure. Why did she leave me?

*WHACK*

“…Where’s Donavan…..?”

*WHACK*

“...My sister was supposed to come home….Where-…….”

*WHACK*

“Wher-…..I can’t fee-….mmuuuuhhh-…..”

*WHACK*

“…Pfffft…ssaaa-…eeerrrgghh…….”

*WHACK*

*WHACK*

“……………-…………………..”

*WHACK*

*Whack*