Page 50 of Speak No Claim

The more questions I found myself searching answers for, the harder it was to focus. When suddenly, the woods went silent. The birds didn’t chirp, the insects didn’t sing, and the breeze even seemed to die down.

I shivered, feeling the chilly air. The hairs on my arms stood straight up as I rubbed them, trying to stir up heat. It wasn’t enough. Without the sun, the temperature probably dropped by ten degrees.

Peering down, I checked my wound. My blood had bled through the cotton fabric. It looked nasty, making me think I might actually need stitches.

How do I explain this to someone?

I turned slowly, feeling someone’s eyes on me but finding nothing. No one. Just endless trees and headstones upon headstones, each one appearing more expensive than the last. I spun back around, beginning to walk a little faster. Once again, I counted my steps, trying to concentrate on something other than the looming feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Five steps.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Twenty…

A twig snapped, and it wasn’t below my feet, stopping me dead in my tracks.

Silence.

I peered above, mouthing to the crows, “Am I being followed?”

More silence.

I nervously scoffed out a chuckle. “Maybe it was a squirrel?”

Another snap answered that for me. My pulse stumbled, loud and hard.

Spinning, I asked out loud, “Hello? Is someone there?” I scanned the trees, stepping toward it before I realized what I was doing. “Who’s there?”

Only silence.

The sensation hit me when a crow finally answered me from above my head. It was distressed, confirming my suspicions that someone was there. It squeaked out a loud caw into the night sky, its wings flapping excessively.

It was all the warning I needed. I spun around and started moving, heading home. My pace quickened, faster and faster. In seconds, I heard a footstep behind me. My heart hammered against my ribs, thinking…

“Don’t run. If you run, they’ll know I’m aware they are there with me.”

Quickly, I heard another step, then another and another and another…

I broke that chain of events, running off like a bat out of hell. The trail blurred beneath my feet as I sprinted through the trees, branches clawing at my arms.

All I heard behind me were footsteps. They weren’t running after me; they were just following.

I ran as fast as I could, not bothering to look back when the Graves Academy came into sight. Within minutes, I was tearing through the courtyard into the first building I saw.

It was the one Luna warned me not to go into, saying it was only for the Brotherhood. By the time I ran in there, it was too late. I couldn’t go back now. Darting toward the back of the room to hide, I was instantly met with someone instead.

I loudly gasped, stopping so abruptly that I fell to the ground. Right there at the center of the room was someone dressed in a floor-length black cloak, with the hood over his head. It was dark in there. I could barely see. Every part of them was covered. I couldn’t see their skin or face, just a huge body standing in front of me like a fucking serial killer or a horror movie.

For a moment, I thought maybe it was a statue. It didn’t move, not even when I fell on my ass. It had no reaction to me. Crawling back, I tried to stand, and when I did, they cocked their head to the side in a menacing way.

Lifting my hands in the air, I surrendered. “I know I’m not supposed to be here,” I blurted, eyeing what appeared to be a dagger in their grasp.

Is this how I die?

The polished blade reflected the moonlight that trailed slightly behind them. It was the only light in the room. My words echoed too. The dagger wasn’t raised, though. It wasn’t pointing at me either. It was merely at their side with the sharp end aiming down.