The night was gloomy and the feeling of death came upon me. It was the night before Halloween, and I was just leaving my friend Beth’s house. Her house was located beyond the forest, leaving me alone to walk through the dreadful and unknown all by myself. My whole life I’ve always been told by my mother, “Don’t enter the forest Kylie, or you will meet the deranged man that lives there.”
A few years back before I was born, eighteen years ago, there was a younger man who would snatch up and kill who ever entered the forest. He always wore a black mask to cover his face so he wouldn’t become recognized by his victims. After my dad left us, my mother always wondered if it was him that was killer, but she always blew it off like it was nothing. I never met my dad because he left right before I was born. My mother and I still have no idea where he’s at now. All I’ve seen of him is pictures, with this sneer grin that he always makes.

But of course I didn’t believe any of this nonsense; I came to the entrance of the dark and unknown forest. I looked behind me and in front of me, sideways and up, just to make sure I was alone. I began to walk, my feet dragging against the cold dark ground. “This isn’t scary at all” I thought. The cold, yellow moon sat above the forest, guiding my way through. Fog seen afar, brought a vision of cataracts to my eyes. Every sound made back and forth caused me to turn and rotate till I was driven dizzy with insanity.

“It’s not that I’m scared. I’m just making sure that I am alone, and there is nobody following me,” I wondered aloud. Just then I heard the shuffling of feet and the breaking of branches. I came to a halt, making sure it was me. But I couldn’t hear anything. “Oh, it must have been me doing that.” I began to walk again, keeping an eye out, when I heard the sound again. I stopped again, but this time it wasn’t me I could hear it getting closer and faster. I ran, moving faster and faster ignoring the briars that caught at my jeans, and the dark leaves that grimed my skin.

All I could think of is to get out of there. I stopped and looked around and saw about four feet off the ground was a hollow tree, that looked like it had been struck by lightning. I climbed into the tree and hid from the unknown stranger. I peeked around just in time to see a dark, unbelievably tall, man with a black mask on, holding a silver shimmering blade in his right hand. The lighted moon hit him in a way that made him look beautiful; he had long shaggy brown hair, just like mine. He took a step out of the shimmering light and looked my way. I quickly drew my head back in and I slid more into the tree, hitting my head on a sharp piece of wood. I knew that I had cut my head pretty bad when I saw blood dripping from the top of my eyebrow down to the middle of my cheek.

I took my jacket off and wiped away the dripping blood. I knew the man was going to get me. I knew he saw me. But I knew that if I didn’t get out of this tree he was definitely going to kill me. I moved yet again towards edge of the tree and peeked out, the man was nowhere in sight. I thought I was free of the dark figure; until he suddenly grabbed my ankle and began to pull me down. He was stronger than me but I had to do something. I grabbed onto the bark of the tree, and with all the strength I had in my, body I pulled myself away, at the same time letting my foot meet his face. Jumping up from the ground I ran as a fast I could through the scratchy forest branches and shrubs. I could see a light in the distance, so I forced myself to make it there, hoping it was the way out of the forest. The light came closer and closer. As I got closer to it, and I could see that it was coming from an old, battered cottage. A little comfort came over me knowing there was someone in there that might be able to help me. I ran up the old creaky front steps up to the porch. There was no time to knock, so I just let myself in.

“Anyone here? Please, I need help!” I yelled.
I started running around the cottage frantically, but found that no one was here. “I’ll just hide in here, hoping he won’t find me!” I thought. Trotting around, trying to not make a peep, I found a hiding spot right behind the burning furnace. I had the shivers, so, hiding there, I warmed myself. Only a few minutes later, the front door opened. Peeping over the furnace, I saw the grungy man standing as tall as could be and looking around. I quietly pulled my body further and further behind the furnace, making sure he couldn’t see any part of me. Just as I thought he was going to leave, I peeked yet again to make certain I was wrong once again. He grabbed my face, holding it so tight that I couldn’t scream for help.
He dropped my face, and I screamed, “Help me!” He grabbed my throat this time and shoved me up against the hard paneled wall. Trying to catch my breath, starting to lose consciousness, slipping away, I grabbed his mask and pulled it off and revealing the killer. There stood my father, just a glimpse of his face that looked so much like mine, and his shaggy brown hair. Then, I was gone.