Walking through the darkness, I feel totally alone. Leaves and sticks crunch under my shoes. Though tired, I enjoy this walk, all though I have walked it many times. Mr. Bradshaw told me I shouldn’t walk alone. Not with all thats happened. But seriously? The murders have not happened for over a year now. Besides, i know not to talk to strangers and its less than a mile. I hate it when people treat me like I’m a little kid, I’m not. I just turned twelve.
Walking a little faster, I’ve noticed it has gotten quieter. Why aren’t the crickets n anymore? I stop, breathing slowly, looking all around me. I am about to take another step, when I hear a twig crunch behind me. I take off running as fast as I can, not looking behind me. I am almost out of the woods when I trip and land on my face. I hear twigs crunching fast behind me, I breathe in and look down, turn my head slowly and look up. It was Mr. Bradshaw. He was standing above me.
“Mr. Bradshaw! You scared the crap outta me!”
“Sorry son, I was making sure you made it home safely.”
“Well, I am almost there, I took the woods as a shortcut, my house is just another block away,
I can make it there on my own thanks though.” I was thankful it was just him.
“Son, I accidentally let out Sparky when I left. He followed me down here, but chased a deer, so now I have lost him, can you help me look for him?”
“Well, my mom will be wondering where I am..”
“I can call her and let her know where you were when I get home son, or I can even walk the rest of the way with you, and let her know when we get to the door.”
“Sure, in that case!”
“All right, let’s get to going.”
I followed him around, yelling Sparky as loud as I could with him, and whistling. looking for fifteen minutes I began to realize how cold my fingers and toes were beginning to feel. I asked him when we would be finished but he wouldn’t reply.
“Son, I think he chased him towards the river..let’s look down there.”
“All right, sir, but I’m starting to get cold, I could help you look for him tomorrow.”
“But we wouldn’t want him to get ate by some animal now would we?”
“No sir.”
We walked closer and closer. I would have never guessed how cold-like he could really be. I mean, he was a nice man. A hearty man. A little on the fat side, a full beard, fingers thick with calluses from the hard work at the factory. But his eyes, those eyes, a warm brown color, but cold as ice. My muck boots were soaking wet. So much for waterproof.
“Mr. Bradshaw, I think I better get going home….”
“No, now get down here son, I think I found him.”
And to my surprise, I heard a yowling from that sounded to be a dog. I inched closer and closer.
“It looks as if he is caught in a trap.”
“Really? But who would have traps out here?”
“I don’t know sonny, now get your rear end over here!”

Walking closer and closer I was peering over the edge of the cliff. I could hear the river. But how could I not hear him inching closer and closer to me. Then he pushed me over the edge. I fell. Crunch. I could feel the bones break. How am I not dead? Why had he pushed me? Why didn’t I just go home.

Laying there breathing slowly in and out, painfully, I heard the crunching of him moving closer and closer to me. Knife in his hand, I saw him standing over me.

“Now sonny, I told you, to not walk alone, there are dangerous people out here, and they aren’t always strangers. And to think you would doubt what someone like I can do, well, it really pissed me off. So son, I’m gonna have to kill ya.

I closed my eyes, and felt the pain of being torn apart and screamed to the heavens above me. Nobody found me until a couple of weeks after. When Mr. Bradshaw asked what happened, he replied with, “Well, that kid was like my son, I told him not to walk home alone, but he told me he knew a special shortcut. I shoulda just drove him home. I’m heartbroken.” And of course, they believe him