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 wandered 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 superhero stuff.

"Well, that's strange. How are you avoiding all of the shadow men?"

A voice I had 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 its wings and flew away as I stared down each dark alleyway, 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, but 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!"

Fran's parents were standing in their doorway, crying.

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