✓ Kiergan
"We have arrived, kids!" Our classroom teacher, Mr. Zeke had announced as we got to the Agua Piedra Campground, and our only supposed purpose was to go check the Rio Pueblo River, which the majority of us found a bit ridiculous.
Grudgingly as it had seemed, everyone of us left the school bus, and got down, only to be surrounded by the quiet of the campground, which was encircled by pine and fir trees, stretching high into the sky.
While I took in a breath of crispy air, which carried an earthy scent of moss and pine resin, Thane came and dropped his hand on my shoulder. "Dude! We're here! Whoop!"
"Why are you so excited, anyways? You couldn't stop talking about this place." Despite everyone being angry at the choice of place for our yearly camping, Thane had never stopped babbling about the place.
"You'd see!" He patted my shoulder and ran off to meet the other students who were already walking towards the camping site, close to the river.
I stood behind, watching all of them leave, a strange uneasiness gripping my heart. It was as though a pair of eyes were piercing into my soul, so I snapped my head towards the direction, darting my eyes around, but there was nothing.
Just the forest.
However, as though the realization spell bounded me, I started walking towards the forest overlooking where I was standing. Whispers from many voices at the same time echoing in my ears. "Come, Kiergan boy. Come and find rest."
My legs continued to take me deeper into the woods, although I tried to stop myself from moving, they kept on moving against my will.
Inside the woods, I saw a young girl in a torn white dress run by, and I called her to stop, but she didn't, so I chased after her.
After a couple of minutes, I was in the middle of trees, standing tall on both sides, when suddenly sparrows from nowhere came cawing and started rounding me. I crouched to guard myself, then suddenly they were gone, but I was now inside a dark and narrow cave with parts of human bones laying aimlessly on the floor.
My heart began to race against my chest with a pace that they never had, as soon as the whispers began again, stronger this time.
"Come, hither, o lil boy. Come, and you shall be saved."
"Help! Help!" I finally began to shout when the whispers seemed to have transformed into hands drawing me and dragging me into an abyss.
Suddenly, my eyes caught the little girl again, and I followed after her, but deep into the cave, although I knew that might be a wrong choice, it seemed as if the girl had an answer to something I needed to know. "Little girl! Wait a minute! I just want to have a word with you!"
With a sudden motion, the girl stopped, and turned to look at me. The sight I was met with seized my breath, and I let out a wrenching shout of horror, while I sharply shut my eyes closed.
The girl was. . .
. . . Faceless!
Suddenly, my eyes snapped open on their own accord, with my chest heaving against my already wildly pounding heart, as my eyes searched around, just to notice that I had never left where I was and I was still standing beside the school bus.
"Mr. Stormsurge. What are you doing here?" I jumped and turned as soon as a familiar voice called my name.
Mr. Zeke was striding towards me with a devilish smirk. He didn't look like him anymore, but was now as though an animal in a human body, with his glowing eyes, and his distorted body structure.
I began to take steps backward, my body trembling at the sight, but tripped on a stone and fell to the floor, as I began to drag my butt against the floor. "Stay away! Who are you?!"
"I am going to kill you and make your soul mine! Then, you'll find rest!" Mr Zeke growled, and the beautiful atmosphere of the pack turned cloudy with a gloomy and black atmosphere. It was as though night had come, or rather the eclipse had just happened.
"Mr. Zeke, what has come over you?!" Please, don't kill me!"
"Come, hither, o lil boy!" He also began to recite the same thing I had heard earlier, and my whole body turned icy cold.
"Who are you? Don't come near me!"
"Let me devour you, and let you find peace."
"I don't need your hell of a peace! Stay away from me! Stay the goddamn away from me!" I removed my shoes and began to throw them at him.
However, suddenly, he launched at me, and was standing before me within a split second.
My legs remained stuck to the ground and I couldn't move an inch, my head banging loudly, and my heart beating wildly.
He came closer, and I dropped to the floor, putting my hands up against my face, ready for the man to grab me and tear me apart.
But then, a hand gently touched me and I jolted, my heart almost flying out of my chest.
"Kiergan, what's going on?!" Mr Zeke's calm voice slowly found its way to my ears and I stopped shivering.
Slowly opening my eyes, I peeped between my arms, only to see Mr. Zeke staring down at me with a confused and concerned look.
"Mr. Zeke." My voice was barely a whisper, low enough to not recognize my own voice.
"Yes, it's me. What happened to you? You look so miserable." He asked as he helped me up.
"It was nothing. It was simply a mere prank." I chuckled awkwardly and scratched my head.
Mr. Zeke arched his eyebrows at me, clearly not buying my words. "Are you sure all that you performed was just a prank?"
"Yes, Mr. Zeke. Worry about yourself now! I'm feeling as though I'm a thousand dollars rich!" I punched him slightly on his hand, and picked a race.
"Stormsurge!" He called after me, and I paused in my step for a minute. "You know you can tell me anything, right?!"
I nodded my head and ran off without looking back, although I could still feel his eyes piercing into my back.
How could I possibly tell him that I just saw him as a monster? Or perhaps, all that had happened to me in a few seconds.