The Echoes of Shadows (Part 1)

A walk in the woods always helped release the tension I had in my body. The winter chill bites through bone, but the woods, coated in a fresh layer of snow, was so beautiful. With a thick coat, why wouldn't I go for a short walk?

I wind my way along the narrow path, the pine trees seeming to close in, their beautiful green colors glowing in the moonlight, slicing through the trees.

I wasn't far from home. Just a five-minute walk. My Mom makes me swear, on nights' like this, that I don't go far. "The woods weren't safe", she'd chide.

I continue on, my sneakers sinking into the moist ground.

"Hey, pretty girl. What are you doing out here at a time like this?"

I spin around to see the speaker. A woman, maybe in her mid-thirties, with a black dress and tights on. Wasn't she cold?

"I was just getting home," I mumble, turning around to start home.

The woman doesn't say anything, and that was that.

~~~~~~~~

I blink quickly. What had woken me? I pull my phone to check the time. It was ringing, which must have woken me up.

The number was unknown, but I still click answer. "Hello?"

The other end buzzes static.

"Jerk," I mutter. "They called me first."

I hang up and put my phone back on my bedside table.

I sneeze as I go to lay back down. I hope I didn't get anything from being in the woods? No. Stop it, Cece. Mom is making you paranoid.

As soon as I put my head on my pillow, my phone rings again.

I sigh heavily, but sit back up, grabbing my phone.

I click answer yet again. This time, the voice on the other end speaks. "Bless you." Then, the call ends.

"What the heck?" I mutter under my breath. "What was that?"

~~~~~~~~
The next morning, the heavy amount of snow closes school and I bundle up to walk.

The forest seemed more cheery, but it was still so quiet.

I walk myself along the narrow path. "You again, child?" A voice asks. The same voice as last night.

Today, I could see the woman better, in a white dress with white tights, and hair tucked into a wide-brimmed hat. Her eyes were barely darker than the snow, in an almost creepy way.

"Just out for a walk," I mutter. Something about this woman unnerved me, chilled me more than the cold air did. "It helps me clear my thoughts."

"Well," She smiles. "I'll let you be on your way. Good day, Cece."

I start to walk past her, walking barely a step when her words register. "How do you know my name?" I turn around, slowly.

The woman smirks. "I know a lot about you, Cece. About how you woke up in the middle of the night. You thought someone prank called you." She pauses. "Oh. And Cece? Bless you."

My feet freeze to the snow covered ground, fear pulsing in my bones. "It was you."

She doesn't move and I slowly back up a few steps, before I take off running.

I throw a glance over my shoulder. The woman was smiling, evilly. I wasn't even looking when I careened into a hard chest.

"You really thought you would get out of this so easy?" The man I had run into cackles.

He was broad-chested and had his hair covered with a hat. His eyes were the same white as the snow. They were even lighter than the woman's.

"Cece, Cece, Cece." He hums. I was on the ground. I start to scoot backward, keeping my eyes on the man.

I crash into a pair of thin legs. Off-white eyes look into my own. "You're a stupid, stupid girl, Cece."

Move. My brain screamed. I had to get out of here.

I look to the man and he smirks. He kneels down to the grounds, grabbing my ankles, holding them down with one hand. I scream. They wouldn't do anything in the middle of the day, right?

Behind me, feet crunch across the snow. I scream again, flailing my arms, trying desperately to hit something. Anything. Someone. Anyone.

Then, the first bite of pain. My head flashes as something hard hits my temple, my mind spinning out of control. Would I ever get out of here?

I open my mouth to scream again. Nothing comes out. There was a russet taste in my mouth, like the time Evie dared me to lick a penny. Would I ever see my best friend again?

And my parents. They would be devastated if I come back hurt. Medical bills are hard to pay.

I didn't even realize that my wrists were tied. And my ankles were still being held down by the man. And I couldn't talk. Why couldn't I talk? Was there something covering my mouth?

The man pulls me by my wrists to my feet and smirks. He then moves out of my line of vision, and I turn my head.

The man and woman both were behind me. The man was whispering to the woman, while the woman held a long stick.

The woman hands the stick over to the man and grabs my chin, steering my head to the front.

"Keep your eyes forward." The woman barks.

Then, a sharp jab in my back makes me stumble forward.

"Move!" The woman screams, her face twisted, her eyes a blank mask. This time, they really weren't the windows to her soul.

As the woman drags me forward by my wrists, the man jabs me in the back.

My adrenaline was pumping. Could I escape? This was only something you saw in horror movies. Normal teenage outcasts don't get kidnapped. When people disappeared in our area, they seemed a world away. This couldn't happen to me. It probably wasn't. I was dreaming. I had to be.

Eventually, we reach a clearing in the woods. The man jabs me in the back, hard, and I sink to my knees.

The woman kneels down in front of me, an almost sad expression on her face. Except for her cold, rigid eyes."You know, Cece, we'll almost be sorry for doing this. I would be devastated if my daughter never came home."

The man kneels down next to the woman. And he smiles. "And I'm sorry as well. But it's just too fun, to see you beg for your life, see you bleed out. So, Cece, say goodbye."

The next second seemed to drag out. My Mom's warm embrace, my Dad and I climbing on snowy hills and the snowball fights, Evie and me, in her room, doing each other's hair and talking about our new favorite hit songs. I had gone through all the long projects, the hidden gossip, the laughs, the tears, for this? Just for it to all be taken away so quickly.

But it did. And the stick came down on my head so hard. It hurt so bad. But then, it didn't hurt. Then, nothing hurt.

The beauty of the glow stood just a step away. And I would do anything to get there.

Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Evie.

And with that, I reach it, and my life blinks out.
~~~~~~~~
A walk in the woods helps me relax and release tension. The fact that I'm dragging a body behind me should be irrelevant.