Ā Ā Ā I watched the mysterious man walk up the sidewalk to the corner of my street. I felt a little wave of panic and ducked down below the window. I sit by the window everyday and usually I watch the birds or the few cars go by and appreciate nature. But recently itās been different. This man has been coming to my street almost everyday this week. Whenever I see him I usually duck down and hide because last time I watched someone walk by, they complained that I was creepy. Normally I would just hide when someone walks by and they leave within a minute or so. But this man stays there for a while. Iām not sure how long, I havenāt watched him long enough to know.
Ā Ā Ā I peeked back up to see if the man was still there, he was. Just standing there. Staring down the street. I couldnāt tell if he was looking at anyone or anything. I couldnāt see down that side of the street. He started walking very slowly down the street. I watched him go, thankful that he didnāt look up at me. I decided that I would be ready for him and tell my family that I would go for a walk. I would follow him, I donāt trust him. Itās probably nothing. But it gives me a bad feeling.
Ā Ā Ā The next day I waited. He never showed up. I waited for a few days. He finally came back after almost a week. I didnāt know why he disappeared, but I did know that it was finally my chance to follow him. I grabbed a flashlight knowing that it would be dark soon, I knew this would also double as a weapon if need be. I double checked my pocket for the lighter that my dad had given me years ago before he died. I used it as a good luck charm, I never took it out of my pocket. I ran downstairs and out the front door, as I knew that he couldnāt see me from there. I snuck around the corner to discover he wasnāt in the same place. He had already started walking. I hurried after him, using the trees and bushes next to the sidewalk as an advantage. I tried to make as little noise as possible. Thankfully the wind hid any rustling that I was causing.
Ā Ā Ā I followed him for what seemed like forever. I heard a noise behind me and I turned around to make sure no one was following me. But when I turned back, He was gone. I stood up straight from my hiding spot and looked around. There were two ways he could have gone. There were two streets in front of him before he disappeared. I snuck up to the fork in the road. I looked down the street one way. Suddenly I noticed that it was getting darker as the sun was setting. The first street had a few lights down it. As I turned my head, I suddenly noticed that I was looking at his back. I gasped quietly as I jumped back. I quickly dove into a bush to hide in case he heard me and turned around. I was thankful for the still blowing wind. I stayed in the bush for a bit, then I peeked out. I looked back to where he had been standing, and now he was walking down that street. I followed him quietly, realizing there were no lights on this street. There was still enough light as the sun was setting, but I knew that it would be gone soon.Ā
Ā Ā Ā He went into a very old beaten down looking house in front of a forest. It was a small house, it looked like it had been through hell and back. I watched him go inside, but he left the door open just a crack. I watched from a bush, waiting. For something, anything to happen. After what seemed like forever, I gave up watching and slowly went up to the house. The sun had set completely by now, so the only light I had was just the moon. I walked up the creaky steps. Suddenly, I got a wave of confidence. I walked up and creaked the door open. I had no idea what I was going to see, or what might happen. I had absolutely no plan for going in here, but I knew I had to. I knew that was a bad idea, but I couldnāt stop myself. I looked inside, I couldnāt see anything. When I stuck my head in, I noticed a strange smell. I knew that I should know what the smell was, but I couldnāt place it. I decided to ignore it for the time being. I held the flashlight tighter as I fumbled around with it to turn it on. It switched on briefly before it quickly flipped off. I pressed the button a few more times, only earning one more flash of light before going completely dead.Ā
Ā Ā Ā I gave up on the flashlight, reaching in my pocket for the lighter. I flicked it open and turned it on. Light finally filled the room. It was an empty living room. I didnāt see anything but walls and the floor. I made sure to leave the door open. I searched around the house, I found absolutely nothing. There were no closed doors, except the back door. I wondered if he maybe went out the back door into the forest. But now the door was open, just cracked open, like the front door was. I walked towards it, suddenly a gust of wind swung the door open and blew the flame of my lighter out. The wind then slammed the door closed, scaring me causing me to jump backwards. I slipped and fell backwards, the lighter flew out of my hand and on the ground behind me.Ā
Ā Ā Ā The ground was slightly wet, and of course since I had just fallen, it was all over me. I suddenly realized that the liquid on the ground was the source of the strange smell I noticed earlier. I began feeling around for my lighter. I wondered if the liquid all over the ground was blood or something. He seemed like someone who would be capable of murder. Maybe he was just covering it up this way. But it didnāt smell like blood.Ā
Ā Ā Ā I found my lighter, I stood up, holding my hand closer to my face to smell it as I lit the lighter with my other hand. I realized what the smell was as soon as I flicked the lighter on. The liquid was gasoline. Which was now all over me. As I was lighting the lighter. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. My hand burst into flames. My genius instinct was to pat it on my pants. In my panic, I dropped the lighter. Suddenly there was fire everywhere. I watched it all happen, I could hear myself screaming from pain. I desperately looked around for an exit that wasnāt blocked off. There fire was everywhere. It seemed to be in a circle around me. It just kept spreading. I screamed for help, still desperately trying to put the fire on myself out. Then there was a new smell, I looked at my hand that I had flicked the lighter on with. It was black and sizzling. I was going to die, and that smell was my own skin burning off. This is not what I had planned.
