When it ran at him, all he could think about was his potential demise, about the painful death that awaited him. As the beast charged towards him, Jasper had closed his eyes, had accepted what he believed was to come. But, to his confusion, he was still breathing, his heart still beating, his mind still racing. He felt it exhale an oddly calm breath on his face, making Jasper shudder with fear.
He opened one eye, then the other, until he saw before him curious, he dare even think it, friendly eyes inspecting his face. The creature raised his hand to Jasper. He flinched, but was greeted by the comforting, albeit unsettling feeling of a warm palm on his cheek. The action seemed unsure, its motion shaking in nature. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, as did Jasper. For a moment, a memory tried to surface in Jaspers mind. Suddenly, creatures hand dropped and the feeling was gone. Then, an angry huff broke the silence.
Jasper took a step back, trying to put some space between him and the oddly humanoid figure in front of him. His attempt at space between them was thwarted with a single step forward. The beast lowered to a crouch and reached beside it, its large hand wrapping its long fingers around a nearby stick, as if planning to strike him.
'Oh god, not like this!' He thought to himself.
A surge of panic filled Jaspers body. It travelled from his chest and through his legs and into his ankles, until his feet took action. Without even realizing, he was racing through the woods, branches and undergrowth scraping his clothes as he past. Twigs and leaves crunched behind him, getting louder. He kept running faster and faster, and soon the trees end came into view. He tripped on a log, hitting the ground as a pain shot through his ankle. Jasper hollered in pain, a cry of anger echoing from farther behind. He quickly tried to get up, wincing in discomfort as he limp-ran the rest of the way to the school's football field.
He stopped to catch his breath, his ankle throbbing with pain. Jasper rolled up his pant sleeve to check the damage. His ankle was already swollen and turning a fleshy purple color. He sat down against a nearby tree, trying to process what had just occurred. It all happened so fast. He had seen the creature, had seen it with his own eyes. It wasn't anything like the rumors said.
It was around Jasper's height, maybe about 5'10", and was pale and covered only partially in light brown hair. Blue eyes highlighted the anger on its face. It had proportions similar to a human, but with a much leaner, much more muscular build that made it look terrifying. And yet for a moment, for a rather short moment, there seemed to be some humanity in those soft blue eyes. But if that were so, why would it attack him?
He brushed himself off and headed towards home. His friends must have left him shortly after they spotted the creature, but where were they? They seemed to run in the direction they came, but he couldn't be sure. Though, he couldn't help but be angry at the leaving him the way they did. They were his best friends, how could they just leave him to die?
"Some friends they are." Jasper muttered to himself.
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The way home was eerily peaceful. The street lights illuminated the dark, lightless homes, few cars passed him as he made the two mile trip home. As he walked, Jasper couldn't help but wonder what he should tell his mother. Jasper's mother and father were loving, always making sure to make him feel valued and trusted, but they weren't the most lenient when it came to being out late past curfew. Maybe they'll believe that he was at a friends, or maybe at the library?
But what if he told them the truth? Surely they would go crazy if they found out that he went into the woods and faced that horribly dangerous creature by himself, let alone that he did all that and stayed out passed ten. He shook his head to himself. No, he couldn't tell them the truth. He continued to brainstorm excuses as he turned onto his street.
'Well, here it is...' Jasper thought to himself.
His home wasn't much, it was just brick walls with cracked eggshell paint. The windows were cracked, some even shattered with just a storm window protecting the interior from the elements. The gutters were loose, leaving water stains just below the off-white plastic. Plants has begun to overtake the exterior walls of the house. Jasper dodged the overgrown vines weaving along the walkway to the front door. He limped up the chipped steps, pulled the spare key from behind the dead potted plant, and opened the door.
Thankfully, no one was awake to scold him for being out so late. The front room was void of any life, dimly lit by the street lights outside. He tripped trying to maneuver the couch and cat tree. Jasper thought about eating, but something about nearly being bludgeoned to death and spraining his ankle kind of ruined his appetite. Instead, he headed through the hallway towards his room.
Pictures of family and friends greeted him as he walked to his door. Some he knew, some he didn't. Most of his family was lost before he was born, most getting pneumonia or the flu before being 'taken by God' as his mother would always put it. Some though, like his cousins, came to visit regularly on the weekends.
His room welcomed him with the smell of incense and the warmth of a small heater plugged into the wall to his left. The comforting feeling of home was a much welcomed alternative to his night thus far. He laid down in his bed, which was rather comfortable considering it was just a box spring and a mattress pad, and tried to relax. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, but something was nagging him.
He tried to put it out of his mind as sleep finally came to him.
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