My Trip Around The Cul-De-Sac

My Trip Around The Cul-De-Sac

One day I was out shopping with my friend. We finished and were walking back home.
  We got lost and ended up in front of an old, abandoned cul-de-sac. It appeared to be night there. It was surrounded with trees and 
was right by the parking lot of the super market. The lot was fenced in and an armed guard was standing in front of the padlocked gate. 
We walked over to the gate and looked through the holes; the guard didn't stop us.
  “What's in there?” I asked the guard.
  “You wouldn't believe me even if I told you.” the guard answered.
  We should've taken that as a warning and high tailed it. But no. We were like any other curious humans and just had to find out 
what was inside.
  My friend, Austin created a distraction, I don't remember was it was, but it was a big one. As the guard walked by to see what it was, 
I grabbed his keys.
  With Austin behind me, I unlocked the door, foolishly leaving the keys on the other side of the gate with the guard.
  To our utter most surprise, the guard locked us in.
  “Work your way around the cul-de-sac and I'll let you out!” The guard shouted.
  We could hardly believe our ears. The armed guard had padlocked us inside the lot and the only way out was to walk around a 
bunch of boring trees.
  So we started our way around the road.
  We heard most of the normal scary night noises with an extra one. A large creaking sound, like someone was following us, and an 
un-natural heavy breathing noise so close I could literally feel it's breath on the back on my neck.
  Slowly, I turned around. Nothing was there. But I could still feel it breathing heavily down on my face now. Austin could hear the creature.
  “What is it?” he asked.
  “I dunno.” I answered.
  Suddenly, that invisible --whatever it was-- reached out and struck us across the stomach. We went flying into a tree.
  Luckily we weren't hurt much and ran back to the gravel road of the cul-de-sac and attempted to run across it.
  A beast of sorts jumped out at us. And another one. Both appeared to be guarding the way around the first turn in the road. 
The first creature looked like a large dog with razor sharp teeth. I could see smoke steaming out of it's teeth. The second creature 
looked like one of those pictures in dinosaur books of an ankylosaurus, but instead of a club it had what looked like a shovel. With 
that shovel like tail, the creature dragged it into the ground and it came up full of dirt. The first creature breathed on it's tail and it 
ignited into flames. The creature held it's flamed up tail high and it was clear that it meant to fling it at us.
  I opened my mouth to scream but before I could utter a sound, a woman dressed in safari heyday style jumped in front of us. 
The woman was holding a jar of water that she brandished at the creatures. The creature appeared to hesitate, not knowing what to do. 
The woman took the lid off the jar and stuck her hand into the water and started spraying the things with water. The creatures reared 
and then took off for the forest.
  The woman turned around to face us. I bit my tongue. I had a million and one questions, but didn't ask any.
  “My name is Birda.” The woman said. I found my tongue and told her my name and told her Austin's name.
  “How did you get here?” The woman asked. We told her and she shook her head.
  “The guard told me that I could get out of here as soon as I went around the cul-de-sac, too.” Birda said.
  I stared at her and she continued talking.
  “I've been trying for a little over a year to get around it.” Birda said.
  “A year?” Austin said.
  “Yes. This cul-de-sac is bigger than it looks. I think that it's around a mile in circumference. But that's not the problem. Every step 
seems to be guarded by a unique creature. And the one that you never want to meet is the Hooded Skeleton.” Birda said.
  “Who?” I couldn't resist asking.
  “Don't worry. You'll know him when you see him.” Birda answered.
  And then Birda took us to her camp. It was primitive with a camp fire in the middle. Surrounding the fire were these things that 
looked like large cats with liquid blue coats.
  Birda got a running start at them and they retreated into the forest.
  “Welcome to my camp.” Birda said with a smile.
  “How come you haven't left?” I asked.
  “Well, as you know, we have to go around the cul-de-sac and there are many different beasts guarding the way.” Birda began.
  “Wait, there are more than those two?” Austin asked.
  “Many more. The trick is to learn their element.” Birda said.
  “Element?” I asked.
  “Yes, element. The two that attacked you were fire so I threw water at them.” Birda answered.
  “What about the Hooded Skeleton?” I asked.
  “I'm not sure what his element is, but I think it's light. So he can only appear in light. And most of this place is night. There is only 
one part of the lot that has light in it. The Hooded Skeleton lives there and haunts it.” Birda said.
  “Haunts?” Austin echoed.
  “Enough questions. You must be hungry.” Birda said quickly. She got her burlap sack out and pulled out a piece of purple fruit. 
It was about twice the size of a coconut and just as hard. It was covered in little bumps all over it. I had little desire to eat it.
  Birda laid it on the ground and then grabbed a rock and pounded it until it fell apart in two pieces. A brown, thick, slimy liquid was 
inside one of the halves and Birda grabbed a handful and ate it.
  Austin and I stared at her. Were we suppose to eat it? Birda noticed our hesitation.
  “Go on. It's good.” Birda assured us.
  So I stuck my hand into the cool slime and pulled out a handful. It tasted like sugar, cream, and honey mixed together.
  “Try it, Austin! It's great.” I said. Austin hesitated for a second longer before taking some of his own.
  “It is good.” Austin agreed.
  “Go to sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow.” Birda said.
  Feeling considerably full and safe, I fell asleep.
  Birda shook me a wake. I wasn't sure how long I had slept because it was still dark out.
  “What, what?” I said drowsily.
  “It's time to get up.” Birda said.
  “But it's still night.” I protested.
  “It's always night here.” Birda said, now shaking Austin awake.
  We set off on the dark, dreary road with only Birda's torch to light our path. We walked for hours. We heard leafs crunching and 
moving in the trees beside the road. Nothing jumped us or strayed onto the road at all. Remembering what Birda said about elements, 
I suspected that we saw nothing because of Birda's torch.
  After a while we stopped hearing the animals. It was almost complete silence.
  “Where are the animals?” I asked.
  “They aren't here.” Birda said simply.
  “Well, I know that! Why aren't they here?” I said.
  “Because of the Hooded Skeleton. We are close to where he lives.” Birda answered.
  “Oh.” I said. I allowed my sentence to trail as we came to a spot in the road that was completely bathed in light.
  The clearing was about 100 meters in a circle shape. At the far edge of the clearing was the gate! In the middle of the clearing was 
an old, worn-out, white jeep. 
  “This is as far as I've ever gotten.” Birda said slowly.
  “Race you!” Austin shouted, suddenly pelting towards the gate.
  “Austin stop!” Birda shouted, but naturally, Austin ignored her.
  Suddenly, the two creatures that had attacked them when they first arrived, came to the edge of the clearing and started flinging fire 
at them. I noticed that the creatures came as far as they could while staying in the dark.
  “Run!” Birda shouted.
  Austin and I obeyed. When we reached the middle of the clearing, a tall, cloaked man was standing straight in front of us. The 
stranger had come out of nowhere and towered above us. He was wearing a long, black cloak and we couldn't see his face.
  “The Hooded Skeleton.” I breathed.
  It seemed strange to call him that because, as far as I could see, the stranger wasn't a skeleton, but then again, I couldn't see much 
of him.
  “Run to the jeep! Hide in the trunk and close your eyes! It hates darkness!” Birda shouted from the other edge of the clearing.
  Austin and I turned around and ran back to the jeep. I opened the unlocked trunk door and curled up into a ball. I felt Austin do the 
same beside me. I realized that the door was still opened and without opening my eyes, I shut it. But it wouldn't shut fully with Austin
 and me in the car, so it stayed open about three inches.
  I felt the trunk door start to open. Every instinct was screaming at me to open my eyes and see what was happening. I resisted the
 urge for as long as I could before I looked out.
  The Hooded Skeleton was standing in front of the trunk, as close as he could get without actually  getting into the car. I then knew 
why they called him the Hooded Skeleton.
  His hood on down and instead of a head, he had a skull surrounded in fire. No, not fire, I realized, light.
    I closed my eyes, now out of fear.
  “Back! Back, Skeleton! You won't take these ones!” Birda shouted. She sounded somewhere towards the gate so I supposed it was 
safe to open my eyes. Thankfully, it was safe. Birda and the Hooded Skeleton were standing towards the gate. Birda had a jar with 
some black gas that looked like smoke swirling around in it.
  “Run to the gate!” Birda shouted.
  Austin and I ran out of the jeep and to the gate. Birda was right behind us. As soon as I touched the gate, Austin and I were 
standing outside of the lot, breathing heavily. Birda was no longer beside us and the guard was no where to be seen.