Hunted Pages

You rush into the closet and pull clothes in front of you. The bedroom door creaks open. Then, silence.

You run behind the door. The floorboards creak as he comes down the hallway. He pushes the door into you as he makes his way into the room. You struggle to stay silent.

You sink back further into the closet to wait.

You turn your head and see your sister, Ruby, crouching on a box of books. You sit together, barely breathing, both staring toward the closet door.

You quickly make your way down the stairs. You try to open the first door, but it's stuck.

"One of us has to get to safety," Ruby whispers. "It can't end like this. Not for all of us."

"Okay," you say. With a deep breath, you run off of the porch. "Come and get me!" you shout. He is quick to oblige.

"I'll run for the car," you say.

You try to run, but he's too fast. He grabs you.

"Olly Olly oxen free!" Ruby's voice rings through the air.

Everyone comes out and gathers around the car, some happier than others with the outcome.

You take off across the yard and toward the car. No looking back.

You run as fast as you can. You can hear his breathing behind you. He's a fingertip away from grabbing you.

You slam into the car with reckless abandon. Safe. You're safe at last. With relief and jubilation, you shout to the sky, "Olly Olly oxen free!"

You can't take the suspense. You have to get out of here. You take a second to psych yourself up, and you run.

You swear he can hear your heart beating. Your hands have gone numb. He checks under the bed. Standing up again, he scans the room. His gaze stops on the door.

You run out onto the back patio. You have seconds before he catches up to you. There are large bushes on either side of the door, or you can try to make your escape through the yard.

You jump into the bushes just in time. He runs past you and out of sight. If you can make it to the front of the house, you can get to the car.

You run into the backyard. There's movement behind the shed. You run closer and see that it's your neighbor, Joey. He gestures for you to hide with him.

You run around the front of the house. The car is parked out on the street. Screams echo from the backyard. He's found the others. There's no time to think about it. He's coming for you. It's a straight shot to the car, across the open front yard. Or, you could sneak through the row of trees that line the driveway....

You take off across the yard. As you run, you look back. He's bolting straight for you.

You creep behind the first tree and stop to check if the coast is clear.

A hand lands on your shoulder and spins you around. It's too late. You cover your eyes and accept your fate.

Tired and defeated, you watch him do a victory dance.

You hurry behind the shed. Your friends, Greg and Lisa, are also there.

You scramble out from behind the shed without a word. Is it wrong to hope that they will slow him down? You run around the side of the house and try not to hear the screams.

"Behind you!" you scream, but it's too late for Joey. Everyone else scatters.

"Run!" Greg shouts. "Get to the car!"

From the ground, you listen as the voices grow more distant. "Run!"

You get up and creep toward the front yard. Maybe someone made it. Maybe he won't be back for you. Maybe -