Scared Of My Friend
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I was in the middle of a conversation with my friend when I felt something tickle at my feet. It wasn’t anything too big, but it definitely caught me off guard and made me jump back into reality from whatever dream world I had been lost to for just that moment. When you’re alone as much as I am, sometimes those moments can feel like they last forever…or maybe even longer than eternity itself.
But eventually, after what seemed like an hour or so, I realized there really hadn’t been any time at all since this thing first started crawling up my leg. And now here it was again! This time on top of my foot, making its way slowly towards my toes before stopping once more.
At least I could see where it came from; right above me were some bushes growing next to the sidewalk behind us. The only problem is that we weren’t exactly walking down a well-lit street either, which meant these things might be able to come out whenever they wanted without being seen by anyone else around them.
That’s why I decided not to panic yet and instead try to figure out how best to deal with this situation if it ever happened again. For one thing, I knew that I couldn’t let myself get bitten again because then I would have no choice but to run home immediately while screaming bloody murder until someone heard me over their phone calls or TV shows.
So far though, I’d managed to keep calm enough about everything that nothing bad had actually happened. If I kept doing what I’ve always done thus far, hopefully, I wouldn’t need to worry anymore.
“Hey,” said my friend suddenly breaking our silence between ourselves. “What are you looking at?” He looked straight ahead at me, his eyes wide open as he spoke. His tone sounded almost nervous, which surprised me somewhat. I mean, I know we don’t talk often, but still.
Why should I be scared? I thought to myself, trying to make sense of this sudden change in him. Then again, knowing my luck lately, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise me at all. After all, I did just find out that I’m apparently going insane. Maybe this is another sign of that.
“Nothing,” I replied quickly, shaking my head slightly as I tried to look away from the bush directly above me. “Just thinking about stuff.”
My friend gave me a strange smile, nodding his head lightly. “Yeah okay, buddy…whatever you say…” He paused briefly before asking: “…so uhm, do you think it’ll hurt?”
The question took me completely by surprise, causing me to pause momentarily before answering. I didn’t want to sound like I was lying, especially considering how weirdly innocent it sounded coming from him. In fact, it reminded me of something that happened earlier today, when I went to buy groceries for dinner.
While standing in line, I noticed that two girls were whispering to each other about something very similar. They both asked questions such as ‘will it sting?’ and ‘what will happen afterward’? Now, I never got to hear their answers, but judging by how worried they sounded, I assumed they must have gotten bitten somehow.
However, unlike me, neither of them ran away nor screamed. Instead, they simply stood there waiting patiently for whatever was happening to end. This brings me back to my original point; maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to judge everyone who seems afraid of me.
Perhaps they aren’t necessarily scared of me, but rather what I represent. Or perhaps it’s just their own personal fears manifesting themselves through others…
Either way, I decided to answer honestly anyway. “I don’t know.”
“Oh yeah?” My friend responded curiously. “Well then, why not ask your mom? She knows everything!”
This time I couldn’t help but laugh at his words, shaking my head lightly. “No thanks,” I answered, turning my attention to the sky overhead. “She doesn’t seem to like talking to me much recently.”
He nodded his head softly, giving me a sympathetic smile. “That sucks man.”
After saying that, he turned his gaze back to me, taking a step closer to me. “But hey, if you ever wanna talk about it, I’m sure she won’t mind. You know, if you’re feeling lonely or anything.”
At first, I didn’t respond to him, unsure of whether or not I should trust him. But then I remembered how nice he has been to me throughout all of this, despite the fact that he obviously isn’t happy about having to spend time with someone like me.
It also helped that I felt safe around him, even though I knew that I probably shouldn’t. Still, given the circumstances, I figured I might as well take advantage of his offer. Besides, I needed to start trusting people again soon, otherwise, I would never make it anywhere.
So I smiled politely at him, nodding my head gently in response. “Thanks for offering, but I really don’t feel comfortable talking about this sort of stuff with her.”
His face fell slightly, his expression becoming apologetic as he glanced up at me. “Sorry bud, I guess I can understand that. I mean, I haven’t talked to my parents since last year.”
“It’s fine.” I reassured him quickly, waving my hand dismissively. “Besides, it wasn’t your fault anyway. I mean, you didn’t even know about any of this. And besides, I doubt anyone else could’ve done better than you guys have.”
He grinned widely at me, nodding his head happily. “You’re welcome, dude! So uhm, what now?”
I shrugged my shoulders lightly. “Now we wait.”
***
A few minutes passed by without incident, leaving us to stare blankly into space while trying to ignore the burning sensation on our skin. The longer it lasted, however, the more uncomfortable it became. Not only because it seemed to grow stronger over time, but also due to the fact that it started itching quite badly.
As a result, I found myself scratching my arms repeatedly, which made me wince every single time. At least I had the decency to stop once I realized how pathetic I looked doing it. Thankfully, my friend did the same thing shortly after, although I still caught him staring at me out of the corner of my eye.
Although I couldn’t see his eyes properly behind his glasses, I could tell that he was looking at me strangely. I wondered why until I remembered something that happened a couple days ago. After returning home from school one day, I saw him standing outside of the house, watching me as I walked towards the front door.
When I opened it, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me inside. Then, he began apologizing profusely, telling me how sorry he was for being rude to me lately. Apparently, he hadn’t meant to act that way.
All I remember is sitting down next to him on the couch and listening quietly as he spoke. By the end, he told me that he wanted to apologize properly sometime later. He said that maybe tomorrow night, or some other time. That was almost three weeks ago, yet here we are right now. Maybe he changed his mind?
Or maybe he doesn’t want to do it anymore?
Whatever the reason might be, I decided to leave it alone. If he wants to meet up with me, he’ll find another chance eventually. Even if it takes months for us to actually get together, I’m willing to wait that long. In the meantime, I need to focus on getting used to this whole situation. Otherwise, when the time comes, I will fail miserably.
As such, I decided to try and distract myself instead. This proved easier said than done, however, as the itchiness continued to intensify as time went on. Eventually, I gave up on distracting myself altogether, deciding to just sit there silently and endure it.
Unfortunately, this didn’t prove to be very effective either, as I ended up focusing entirely too much on the pain in my arms. To top things off, the burning sensation grew so intense that I couldn’t help but whimper loudly, tears beginning to form within my eyes. My hands were shaking violently as they reached up to cover my face, causing them to begin stinging terribly.
My friend noticed this immediately, turning to look at me with concern. “Hey man, are you alright?”
I shook my head vigorously, unable to speak through the sobbing. Instead, I simply pointed upwards, indicating that I needed water. Luckily enough, he understood exactly what I meant, grabbing a glass from the counter before rushing over to me.
Once he returned, he handed me the cup and waited patiently for me to drink it all. It took several seconds, but I managed to finish it off completely. Afterward, he held onto the empty glass for a moment, waiting for me to wipe away the remaining drops from my cheeks. Finally, I nodded my head slowly, allowing him to set the glass back down on the table.
Once again, we sat in silence for a few moments. However, unlike earlier, neither of us felt like speaking. We both knew that we would probably say something stupid, resulting in an awkward conversation. Besides, I already apologized for everything that happened between us recently. There’s no point in saying anything further.
Eventually, though, curiosity got the best of me. Since I was curious, I figured that I might as well ask him. “So, what do you think about this whole ‘alien’ thing?”
The question surprised him, prompting him to turn his attention toward me. His expression turned serious, making it clear that he was thinking carefully about his answer. After a brief pause, he finally responded. “Well…it sucks,” he replied bluntly.
“Yeah, I can agree with that…” I muttered, sighing heavily.
His response wasn’t particularly surprising, given the circumstances. Still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I guess I expected him to have a different opinion, especially since he claimed to believe in aliens himself. Granted, I don’t know if he really believes in them, or whether he was just joking around. Either way, I thought that he’d give me a better explanation than that.
After a short while, he cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “You’re not gonna freak out on me, are ya?”
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. “No, I won’t.”
He smiled slightly, nodding his head. “Good. Because I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while now, but I never had the courage to bring it up. So, uhm…sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, okay?”
I shrugged lightly, giving him a small smile. “It’s fine. Go ahead and tell me your thoughts.”
This time, he seemed a bit more confident, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Look, I know that you probably aren’t going to believe me, but I swear that I’m telling the truth. You see, I’ve seen these creatures before.
Not once, but many times! They appeared behind me whenever I was walking along the street, or even when I was driving my car. At first, I thought that they were hallucinations, but then one day, I saw them again. Only this time, they weren’t trying to hide. Instead, they came right up to me, staring directly into my eyes!”
I stared blankly at him, stunned by his words. He sounded sincere, but how could he possibly know about alien lifeforms? The only people who ever talked about aliens were conspiracy theorists, and those types of people usually made stuff up. Plus, if he did truly witness them, why hadn’t anyone else witnessed them too? If everyone is seeing them, wouldn’t someone have taken pictures of them? Or recorded video footage?
To make matters worse, he also mentioned that he had seen other humans with them. That meant that there might actually be others besides me. What if I wasn’t alone after all? How terrifying would it be to find out that I was the last human left alive?!
However, despite my initial shock, I soon began to calm down. Maybe he was lying to get me to stop being angry with him. After all, he didn’t seem like the type of person to lie to me. In fact, I was pretty sure that he was telling the truth. Sure, maybe he was exaggerating things a little, but I doubted that he was outright lying.
Besides, I still wanted to hear what he had to say. I mean, I was interested in hearing his story regardless of whether or not I believed him. Perhaps I would learn something new, which could prove useful later on.
As such, I decided to let him continue without interrupting him. This time, however, I kept quiet so that he could speak freely. Eventually, he took another deep breath, clearing his throat nervously. “Okay, here goes nothing…”
With that said, he leaned forward, looking straight into my eyes. Then, he spoke slowly, choosing each word very carefully. “I met them in the woods near my house. It was late at night, and I was heading home from work.
As usual, I stopped off at the store to pick up some groceries, then headed back to my apartment. When I arrived, I noticed that my front door was open. Naturally, I went inside to check things out. Everything looked normal, except for the fact that my fridge was completely empty.
Even worse, there was a note on top of the table in the living room. Apparently, my roommate had gone away somewhere, leaving me to take care of our place until she returned. She told me that I should call her if I needed any help cleaning up because she wouldn’t be able to come over anymore.
“At first, I figured that she must have forgotten to lock the door. But as I walked through the kitchen, I realized that everything was covered in dust. There were no dishes anywhere, nor any food in the cupboards. And worst of all, there was an ominous feeling in the air. Something felt wrong, almost unnatural.”
He paused briefly before continuing, glancing at me every few seconds to gauge my reaction. However, I remained silent, allowing him to continue uninterrupted.
Eventually, he continued speaking, his voice growing softer with each passing moment. “When I reached the bedroom, I discovered that my bedding was scattered across the floor. My clothes were thrown everywhere, and my drawers were half-open.
All of my personal belongings were missing, including my wallet, phone, keys, and computer. On top of that, there was a large hole in the wall next to my desk. Whoever had done this clearly knew exactly where to look, since none of my valuables were hidden elsewhere.
“Then, I heard footsteps coming towards me. Before long, two figures stepped out from behind the corner. One of them was tall and thin, while the other was short and stocky. Both of them wore black clothing, complete with hoods covering their faces.
Their skin was pale white, making them appear ghostlike. They both stood around six feet tall, and they moved silently, keeping close to the walls.
“The taller figure approached me, reaching out its hand. It pointed at my chest, then motioned for me to follow it. At first, I thought that it was going to attack me, but instead, it led me outside. Once we got past the gate, it turned right, walking deeper into the forest.
We proceeded further than I’d ever been before, eventually arriving at a small cabin. Inside, there was a single chair, a wooden table, and several chairs lined up against one wall.
“After the shorter figure sat down in the middle of the room, the taller man picked up a book from the table. He opened the cover, revealing a thick piece of paper. The contents of the page were written in blood, just like the note that I found earlier. A series of numbers followed by words appeared on the screen, along with a set of instructions.
“‘This is your ticket,’ the tall figure read aloud. ‘You will need to memorize these coordinates, then enter them into the GPS system installed within the device you are holding.’
“Next, the shorter man handed me a smartphone. It was brand new, unlike anything that I’ve ever owned. Its display was bright and clear, and it even came equipped with a built-in camera. Although I wasn’t familiar with how to use most modern devices, I managed to navigate myself to the location indicated on the map.
“Once I entered the correct coordinates, the GPS activated, guiding me directly to the coordinates shown on the page. Upon arrival, I saw a pair of headlights shining brightly into the sky above. For some reason, my heart started racing faster than ever before…
“Before long, the car drove off. Afterward, I waited for what seemed like hours, wondering whether or not anyone would show up. Finally, after about five minutes, I heard voices approaching from behind the cabin. I quickly hid under the bed, praying that whoever it was wouldn’t see me. Luckily for me, neither of the men spotted me. Instead, they began searching the interior of the building.
“They checked the refrigerator, examining every item meticulously. Next, the taller man examined the cabinets, checking to make sure that everything was locked properly. Then finally, he went back inside his own home, returning shortly thereafter carrying a large bag filled with various items.
“As soon as the smaller man left, I jumped out from underneath the bed. I ran over to the window, peering outside to examine the area. In the distance, I could see a group of people standing together near the edge of the woods.
When I looked closer, I noticed that they were wearing identical outfits. Each person’s face was concealed beneath a mask made entirely of leather. Even though I couldn’t hear them talking, I recognized the sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the night.
“I stayed hidden until morning arrived when I decided to leave. As I exited the house, I took only the things that I needed: my laptop, a change of clothes, and a flashlight. From there, I headed straight for town. By the time I returned to my apartment, I was exhausted. I fell asleep immediately upon entering my room, completely unaware of what awaited me…”
At last, the story ended. There was silence in the classroom once again, everyone staring blankly ahead.
It felt like an eternity had passed before someone spoke up. “So, who do you think did all of those terrible things?” asked the girl sitting beside me. She glanced at me curiously, waiting for my response.
My eyes wandered through the crowd, taking in their expressions. Everyone else seemed to be lost deep in thought; however, no one responded to her question. That being said, I didn’t really have any idea either.
If I wanted to find out the truth, I knew that I would need to talk to the mysterious woman. But she hadn’t contacted me since our encounter in the forest, so I doubted that I would get much information from her. And if she refused to tell me the details, then I might never know the answer.
With nothing more to say, I simply shrugged my shoulders. The girl next to me smiled lightly, shaking her head slightly.
The End