Chapter 7:
Nathaniel barely slept that night. The shadows of the forest clung to his thoughts, swirling like smoke in his mind. Every creak of the house, every rustle of leaves outside his window, felt amplified in the stillness of the early morning. He tossed and turned, haunted by the whispers of the figures they had encountered in the clearing. "Find us... remember..." The words echoed relentlessly, refusing to let him rest.
When dawn broke, he pulled himself out of bed, bleary-eyed and disoriented. The sun streamed through his bedroom window, but it did little to chase away the darkness that had settled in his heart. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock—7:30 AM. He had missed breakfast with his family again.
As he trudged down the hall, he could hear his mother's voice floating from the kitchen. "Nathaniel! Are you up? You're going to miss your chance for pancakes!"
"Coming!" he called back, forcing a smile onto his face as he entered the kitchen. His mother stood at the stove, flipping pancakes with a practiced ease. His younger sister, Mia, was already at the table, her head buried in a book.
"Finally decided to join us?" Mia teased without looking up.
"Yeah, yeah," Nathaniel muttered, taking a seat at the table. He forced himself to focus on the cheerful atmosphere of the kitchen, but his mind kept drifting back to the woods.
"Everything okay?" his mother asked as she placed a stack of pancakes in front of him. "You look a little pale."
"I'm fine," he replied too quickly, shoving a forkful of pancake into his mouth to distract from the truth. The syrup was sweet and comforting, but it couldn't mask the anxiety gnawing at him.
Mia looked up then, her brow furrowed in concern. "You've been acting weird lately. Like… paranoid or something."
"I'm not paranoid," Nathaniel snapped, irritation flaring up within him. "I just haven't been sleeping well."
"Maybe you should talk to someone about it," she suggested gently, her eyes searching his for answers.
"Like who? A therapist?" he scoffed, pushing his plate away. The pancakes suddenly felt heavy in his stomach.
"Or maybe just a friend," Mia said softly. "You know I'm here for you."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I appreciate it, but I just need some time."
"Alright," she said, her tone shifting to one of understanding. "But don't shut us out."
Nathaniel nodded absently, grateful for her support but feeling suffocated by concern. He finished his breakfast in silence, trying to suppress the feeling that something was watching him from just beyond the kitchen window.
After breakfast, he decided to take a walk around the neighborhood—anything to clear his head. As he stepped outside, the cool breeze brushed against his skin, but it did little to ease the tension coiling within him. The sun hung high in the sky, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch toward him like fingers reaching out from the ground.
He walked aimlessly, glancing over his shoulder every few moments, half-expecting to see someone lurking behind him. Each time he turned, he found only empty streets and quiet houses. But that didn't quell the feeling gnawing at him—the sensation of being hunted.
"Get it together," he muttered under his breath as he passed by a row of houses. But even as he spoke those words to himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that unseen eyes were tracking his every move.
As he rounded a corner, he spotted a group of friends gathered outside their usual hangout spot—a local café. They were laughing and joking with one another, their carefree spirits a stark contrast to Nathaniel's inner turmoil.
"Hey, Nate!" called out Sam, waving him over. "Join us!"
He hesitated for a moment before forcing himself to smile and approach them. "What's up?"
"We were just talking about that new movie coming out this weekend," Sam said enthusiastically. "You in?"
"Sure," Nathaniel replied absently, trying to focus on their conversation but feeling increasingly restless. The laughter and chatter felt distant as if it were happening underwater.
"You okay?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes at Nathaniel's distracted demeanor.
"Yeah, just… tired," Nathaniel said, forcing another smile.
"You've been tired for weeks," Jenna chimed in, concern etched on her face. "Seriously, man. You should see someone."
"I told you I'm fine!" Nathaniel snapped again, the frustration boiling over. The laughter around him faded into awkward silence as everyone exchanged glances.
"Dude, chill," Sam said slowly. "We're just trying to help."
"I know," Nathaniel sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "I just… I can't shake this feeling like I'm being watched."
"Watched?" Jenna raised an eyebrow skeptically. "By who?"
"I don't know!" Nathaniel exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "It's just this sense that someone or something is following me."
"Maybe you should lay off the horror movies," Sam joked lightly, trying to diffuse the tension.
But Nathaniel wasn't laughing. "It's not a joke! I swear something is out there."
Jenna's expression softened as she leaned closer. "Have you talked to Elowen about this? She might understand."
Nathaniel felt a pang of guilt wash over him at the mention of Elowen's name. After their encounter in the woods, he hadn't reached out to her as much as he should have. Maybe she could help him make sense of everything.
"I'll call her later," he muttered reluctantly.
"Good," Sam nodded. "Just remember we're here for you too."
With that reassurance hanging in the air, Nathaniel excused himself from the group and began walking home again. The feeling of being watched intensified with each step he took; it was as if eyes were boring into him from every shadowed corner of the street.
Once inside his house, he locked the door behind him and moved toward the living room window. He peered outside cautiously, scanning for any signs of movement among the trees lining their yard. Nothing seemed out of place—just the gentle sway of branches in the wind—but that didn't quell the anxiety spiraling within him.
He paced back and forth in the living room, glancing at every window and door as if expecting someone to burst through at any moment. The walls felt like they were closing in on him; even the familiar surroundings felt foreign and threatening.
As evening approached, Nathaniel decided to distract himself with some reading—a novel he had picked up recently about a detective chasing shadows through a foggy cityscape. But even as he read the words on the page, his mind wandered back to Elowen and their shared experience in the woods.
He grabbed his phone and texted her: *Hey Elowen, can we talk? I've been feeling really off lately.*
The response came almost immediately: *Of course! Want to meet at our spot?*
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment before replying: *Yeah… I'll be there soon.*
He threw on a jacket and stepped outside once more, heart racing with both anticipation and dread. As he walked toward their meeting place—a secluded park bench nestled beneath an ancient oak—he couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking just beyond his line of sight.
The park was eerily quiet when he arrived; twilight cast long shadows across the grass as fireflies began to flicker around him like tiny stars come down to earth. He sat on the bench and waited for Elowen, glancing around nervously every few moments.
When she finally arrived—her silhouette framed by fading light—Nathaniel felt an odd mixture of relief and apprehension wash over him.
"Hey," she greeted softly as she approached.
"Hey," he replied, forcing a smile despite the unease swirling within him.
"What's going on?" Elowen asked gently as she sat beside him on the bench. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I feel like I'm being watched," Nathaniel admitted quietly, glancing around as if expecting someone to emerge from the shadows at any moment.
Elowen's expression shifted from concern to understanding. "I felt something similar after our last encounter in the woods."
"Really?" Nathaniel asked incredulously. "You didn't say anything!"
"I didn't want to worry you more than you already were," she replied earnestly. "But I've been having strange dreams since then—visions of those figures calling out to me."
Nathaniel's heart raced at her words; it was comforting yet terrifying to know that he wasn't alone in this experience. "What do you think they want?"
"I don't know," Elowen said honestly, her brow furrowed in thought. "But I think it's connected to whatever is haunting this place—and maybe even us."
Nathaniel shivered at her words; it felt as if they were standing on the precipice of something vast and unknown—a dark chasm filled with secrets waiting to be uncovered.
"Do you think we should go back?" he asked cautiously.
"I think we have to," Elowen replied resolutely. "If we don't confront whatever this is head-on, it will only get worse."
With a deep breath, Nathaniel nodded slowly; fear coiled tightly around his heart but determination surged alongside it. They had faced darkness together before—they could do so again.
As they made plans to return to the woods once more—armed with newfound resolve—the feeling of being watched intensified yet again; it was as if unseen eyes were observing their every move from within the gathering shadows surrounding them now…
And deep down inside him—a voice whispered urgently: *Remember… find us…*