Psychotic craze
Blood and more mud.
I could already predict what was going to happen next as I hurried along the pavement trying to get away from the massive side puddles that had gathered at the edge of the road. I knew that any second now a car would come rushing past and the puddle would fly towards me leaving me covered with dirty rain water. My ankles started to hurt as I walked extra fast trying to distance myself from the puddles when I heard a vehicle approaching from behind me – It sounded like a big vehicle as well. I inwardly groaned and decided to take my chances as it whizzed past me.
Nothing was going right! I clenched my fists angrily spitting to get rid of the puddle water that had just entered my mouth. I was slightly muddy and wet before but now I was utterly drenched.
“Whoa, what happened to you?” Toby asked casually. I turned around to see him leaning against the wall with his hands in his pocket, he looked completely at ease and more importantly he looked dry.
“Stupid rain, stupid mud, stupid puddle and stupid driver.” I muttered quickly trying to hold some tears in, I was feeling especially emotional today. I shot him a questioning look as to what he was doing here.
“Daniel asked if I could walk you home.” He grinned approaching me.
“Daniel should know that I am capable of walking home by myself!” I mumbled frowning at the squeaky sounds my shoes were now making as we both walked along the quiet road.
“That is probably true but you are new to this town, you could get lost and plus someone has to keep an eye on you.” He smirked and I shot him a confused look.
“Since you are a pushing people off a cliff professional, it’s my job to protect the citizens of this town.” He laughed and I was surprised he remembered what I had said.
“I choose my victims carefully, like that idiot who rushed through that puddle – he’s definitely getting it.” I glared into the distance.
“Okay, I won’t stand in your way with that one.” He punched my shoulder lightly as we both fell silent. I could tell he was dying to ask me why I had ran off crying in the hallway earlier but I really didn’t want to talk about it and I was guessing he wasn’t sure whether to bring it up or not. Although he said he already took a guess, I bet he wanted me to confirm it.
I carried on walking crossing a small side street road unaware that Toby had stopped, once I was on the other side I realised that I was now alone once again and I stopped too. Glancing around I saw Toby had trotted down the little side street and was standing in front of a wooden gate. He waved me over grinning.
“Short cut.” He whispered looking around suspiciously and I knew that this wasn’t a legitimate short cut. He quickly swung himself over the gate with complete ease and then stared back at me eagerly.
“Do you need help?” He asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes and swung myself over the gate with just as much ease but then frowned when my shoes landed in a deep muddy patch.
“Oh, did I forget to tell you to land towards the right? This bit is always covered in mud.” He laughed and before I could whack him he sprung into the trees taking my hand as he did. We ran for a few seconds before he stopped and let go of my hand.
“That guy that lives over there usually shoots at anyone who uses this as a shortcut, but you just need to have your timing right, look for any witnesses, jump over the wooden gate and then run north for about 10 seconds until everything is clear.” Toby stated smugly folding his arms. I looked around me and saw the moss covered trees and muddy ground.
“You should know better than to wander in woods with a stranger.” Toby grinned again his eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Actually, if anything you’re the one in danger.” I laughed brushing past him I started to walk on the little path that had been etched out onto the ground by countless people using this as a shortcut. It was windy and occasionally the odd root would trip us both up but we walked in silence once more.
“So, I’ve been thinking.” He started after a few minutes of silence.
“I didn’t know you could do that.” I teased and he swung his arms for me no doubt to put me in a headlock or something, I dodged and ran ahead.
“You push people off cliffs and you say I’m the one in danger here and you’ve moved to a new country. I know what that all means.” He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly. I stopped to walk back in pace with him to know more, interested by what he had to say now.
“You, my friend are on the run from the English police and FBI aren’t you?” He smirked.
“You got me.” I sighed putting my hands up and he laughed.
“Although, I rather like dangerous girls.” He winked and I felt by cheeks burn a little red, I hurried on forwards so he wouldn’t see. Ahead, the path stopped and as it stopped I stopped looking around frowning.
“What good is a shortcut if the shortcut can get you lost?” I asked wearily.
“It’s easy, once you get to the end of the path just walk right for the next 5 minutes and you should start to see an opening and another gate, flip over that and you should come out at the south end of your street.” He smiled taking the lead; he pushed back an overgrown branch out of the way and held it back as I passed. I thought back to my street and realised that there was a gate and a bush and some trees.
“I swear it takes the same time walking through the streets.” I muttered and he laughed.
“20 minutes through the street and 10 through the trees.” As he said that I heard some rustling in the bushes behind us, I turned quickly hoping that I wouldn’t see anything or anyone there. The rustling stopped as I turned.
“Did you hear that? What was it?” I asked nervously, hoping the answer would be a nutty squirrel.
“Oh my God! There’s someone there!” Toby all of a sudden screamed, but he wasn’t behind me anymore, I spun around so fast and tried to bolt in the first direction away from the rustling but I tripped over a root in the ground and then my foot slipped against the mud, I fell onto the ground with a thud as I heard laughter.
Toby emerged from behind a tree grinning like a fool but then his expression quickly changed when he saw me on the floor, face flat in the mud and then I was aware of a stinging pain in my nose as it had hit something hard on my way down.
“Oh crap! Alison! It was just a joke; I didn’t know you were going to – Are you okay?” His voice was getting closer and closer; I groaned into the mud and felt a warm liquid trickle down from my nose.
“Uhh –” I couldn’t get my words out as the blood trickled out of my nose, I managed to turn myself onto my back where I clutched my nose in distaste. Sitting myself up I saw Toby’s eyes widen as he ran towards me in concern.
“This is your entire fault!” I managed to blurt out as he examined my nose.
“You only knocked it, it will be fine, it has to be otherwise Daniel and Ms Palmer will both murder me!” He squealed tilting my head forwards.
I pinched the bridge of my nose willing it to stop bleeding as Toby crouched down besides me with a tissue; he was wiping my face gently, hopefully getting rid of the blood and mud.
I sighed in defeat; this had to be one of the worst days ever.
Nothing was going right! I clenched my fists angrily spitting to get rid of the puddle water that had just entered my mouth. I was slightly muddy and wet before but now I was utterly drenched.
“Whoa, what happened to you?” Toby asked casually. I turned around to see him leaning against the wall with his hands in his pocket, he looked completely at ease and more importantly he looked dry.
“Stupid rain, stupid mud, stupid puddle and stupid driver.” I muttered quickly trying to hold some tears in, I was feeling especially emotional today. I shot him a questioning look as to what he was doing here.
“Daniel asked if I could walk you home.” He grinned approaching me.
“Daniel should know that I am capable of walking home by myself!” I mumbled frowning at the squeaky sounds my shoes were now making as we both walked along the quiet road.
“That is probably true but you are new to this town, you could get lost and plus someone has to keep an eye on you.” He smirked and I shot him a confused look.
“Since you are a pushing people off a cliff professional, it’s my job to protect the citizens of this town.” He laughed and I was surprised he remembered what I had said.
“I choose my victims carefully, like that idiot who rushed through that puddle – he’s definitely getting it.” I glared into the distance.
“Okay, I won’t stand in your way with that one.” He punched my shoulder lightly as we both fell silent. I could tell he was dying to ask me why I had ran off crying in the hallway earlier but I really didn’t want to talk about it and I was guessing he wasn’t sure whether to bring it up or not. Although he said he already took a guess, I bet he wanted me to confirm it.
I carried on walking crossing a small side street road unaware that Toby had stopped, once I was on the other side I realised that I was now alone once again and I stopped too. Glancing around I saw Toby had trotted down the little side street and was standing in front of a wooden gate. He waved me over grinning.
“Short cut.” He whispered looking around suspiciously and I knew that this wasn’t a legitimate short cut. He quickly swung himself over the gate with complete ease and then stared back at me eagerly.
“Do you need help?” He asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes and swung myself over the gate with just as much ease but then frowned when my shoes landed in a deep muddy patch.
“Oh, did I forget to tell you to land towards the right? This bit is always covered in mud.” He laughed and before I could whack him he sprung into the trees taking my hand as he did. We ran for a few seconds before he stopped and let go of my hand.
“That guy that lives over there usually shoots at anyone who uses this as a shortcut, but you just need to have your timing right, look for any witnesses, jump over the wooden gate and then run north for about 10 seconds until everything is clear.” Toby stated smugly folding his arms. I looked around me and saw the moss covered trees and muddy ground.
“You should know better than to wander in woods with a stranger.” Toby grinned again his eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Actually, if anything you’re the one in danger.” I laughed brushing past him I started to walk on the little path that had been etched out onto the ground by countless people using this as a shortcut. It was windy and occasionally the odd root would trip us both up but we walked in silence once more.
“So, I’ve been thinking.” He started after a few minutes of silence.
“I didn’t know you could do that.” I teased and he swung his arms for me no doubt to put me in a headlock or something, I dodged and ran ahead.
“You push people off cliffs and you say I’m the one in danger here and you’ve moved to a new country. I know what that all means.” He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly. I stopped to walk back in pace with him to know more, interested by what he had to say now.
“You, my friend are on the run from the English police and FBI aren’t you?” He smirked.
“You got me.” I sighed putting my hands up and he laughed.
“Although, I rather like dangerous girls.” He winked and I felt by cheeks burn a little red, I hurried on forwards so he wouldn’t see. Ahead, the path stopped and as it stopped I stopped looking around frowning.
“What good is a shortcut if the shortcut can get you lost?” I asked wearily.
“It’s easy, once you get to the end of the path just walk right for the next 5 minutes and you should start to see an opening and another gate, flip over that and you should come out at the south end of your street.” He smiled taking the lead; he pushed back an overgrown branch out of the way and held it back as I passed. I thought back to my street and realised that there was a gate and a bush and some trees.
“I swear it takes the same time walking through the streets.” I muttered and he laughed.
“20 minutes through the street and 10 through the trees.” As he said that I heard some rustling in the bushes behind us, I turned quickly hoping that I wouldn’t see anything or anyone there. The rustling stopped as I turned.
“Did you hear that? What was it?” I asked nervously, hoping the answer would be a nutty squirrel.
“Oh my God! There’s someone there!” Toby all of a sudden screamed, but he wasn’t behind me anymore, I spun around so fast and tried to bolt in the first direction away from the rustling but I tripped over a root in the ground and then my foot slipped against the mud, I fell onto the ground with a thud as I heard laughter.
Toby emerged from behind a tree grinning like a fool but then his expression quickly changed when he saw me on the floor, face flat in the mud and then I was aware of a stinging pain in my nose as it had hit something hard on my way down.
“Oh crap! Alison! It was just a joke; I didn’t know you were going to – Are you okay?” His voice was getting closer and closer; I groaned into the mud and felt a warm liquid trickle down from my nose.
“Uhh –” I couldn’t get my words out as the blood trickled out of my nose, I managed to turn myself onto my back where I clutched my nose in distaste. Sitting myself up I saw Toby’s eyes widen as he ran towards me in concern.
“This is your entire fault!” I managed to blurt out as he examined my nose.
“You only knocked it, it will be fine, it has to be otherwise Daniel and Ms Palmer will both murder me!” He squealed tilting my head forwards.
I pinched the bridge of my nose willing it to stop bleeding as Toby crouched down besides me with a tissue; he was wiping my face gently, hopefully getting rid of the blood and mud.
I sighed in defeat; this had to be one of the worst days ever.