Chapter 15

I was walking home after the movie, honestly it was boring. I wish Fran had made it... It wasn't like her to miss an outing altogether like that.

I studied the concrete as my mind fell into a trance, thinking about what might've kept Fran so busy. I was just wandering home, I've done this a thousand times... But the concrete was different today. I looked up and realized I had wondered off from my normal route... Odd, I tried correcting my course, but something felt off about the street I would normally take.

I decided to just keep walking the way I was going. What was weirder is that I hadn't seen any shadow monsters on my walk home. Normally that's how Fran and I would meet up again after her super hero stuff.

"well that's strange, how are you avoiding all of the shadow men?"

A voice I never heard before spoke. I turned to look around but no one was there.

"normally you'd be surrounded by now. You're very lucky it seems..."

It was a smooth male voice low in timbre and sly like a fox

" who are you? Where are you?", I cried out to no one.

The voice spoke again,

"oh Steven to think even now you still can't see me? Well that doesn't matter. Good luck with the shadow men, after what's happened to HER you're going to need all the luck you can get"

A bird flapped it's wings and flew away as I stared down each dark alley way looking for the man. Her? Did he mean Fran? What could've happened?

I ran home as soon as the man stopped talking, my feet went on their own, somehow I knew exactly where I was going by I didn't know why. This is not my normal route at all. I didn't dwell on that thought I needed to check on Fran.

***********

I stood there in utter shock. What happened here?
Ambulances, firemen, policemen... What happened?

The paramedics wheeled a person into their truck, she looked like she had blonde hair...

"oh... Oh no..." Tears started swelling up in my eyes. How is she injured!? I ran up to the paramedics but was held back.

"no please she's my friend! I have to see if she's alright!"

Frans parents were standing in their door way crying.

This couldn't be possible, this had to be a bad dream.