Chapter 8 - Thunderstorm
My brain was working heavily on how to react in this very, very unfortunate situation coming up for me. I had to decide quickly! I could already see the lights of Joshua’s truck, coming down the street.
I just tossed my bike, which has become completely useless by now, in a bush beside the street, and got on my feet. I quickly realized that if I wanted to escape my evil cousin, I really had to hurry up. But where to hide? Joshua knew every rock in that small wood I was now stumbling inside - at least, I did too, thanks to my childhood and the many fun games we played in there.
Too bad, that a „fun game“ wasn’t exactly what was going on right now - at least not for me. As I was getting deeper and deeper into the forest - luckily, my feet were carrying me through the woods pretty easily, a fact about which I was surprised by myself. Must have been the adrenaline…
I stopped behind a group of big firs, which were pretty helpful to hide for a short moment. I tried my best to eavesdrop what was going on - but to my demise, a big, heavy thunderstorm was building up exactly above the wood. A heavy thunder occurred and a streak of lightning was clearly visible through the dark, cloudy sky. And the rain got heavier too…what to do now? I was stuck in a wood, rain falling down, a thunderstorm forming up…and being in a wood during a thunderstorm wasn’t the best idea, that much I knew.
And even adding more to worry about, I heard the heavy door of my cousin’s pick-up being shut. Damn it! He was coming for me!
At this stage, it began to dawn what I brought myself into. It was definitely my own fault and I had pretty much provoked it. But how could anyone deal with such an ass of a cousin? Who made you kneel in front of him and call you „good Dog“? And what did that messages on his phone mean? I had no clue. One thing was for sure though: I needed to escape this brute!
I looked around, but I did not saw anything. Joshua was nowhere to see. The woods were moving due to the heavier rain falling down now and because of the wind that came with the thunderstorm, it was almost impossible to see someone who was used to hide and seek behind trees and bushes. I knew I had a few minutes ledge due to him arriving a bit later than I had. But still, I had to move. I couldn’t wait here - he’d definitely find me, because as a child, the group of these firs were popular at hiding.
I stepped out back into the woods again, and just as I started to hurry a bit, I stumbled over a rock which was hidden by foliage. I fell into a little puddle building up from the rain falling down, wetting my t-shirt and jeans shorts I was wearing. Just as I was standing up again, I was pretty sure that I heard someone behind me. Not very close, but I was sure there were heavy footsteps somewhere behind me. I did not dare to risk a look behind me, I just kept going.
In the meantime, I was almost soaked up from head to toe - my low Air Max Sneakers were not really the best footwear for fleeing from another guy in the forest. I felt my socks being soaking wet - a feeling which I absolutely hated!
I ran through the windy, rainy forest, and I wasn’t quite sure if Joshua was behind me. At least, I heard no more footsteps. But that might also be because it was thundering like crazy, and pretty loud too. Fuck! I was stuck in the wood, in a damn thunderstorm, hunted by a crazy jock - I can’t deny that I was a bit afraid.
Luckily, I remembered a little hideout not that far from the point I was coming, which probably wasn’t known by Joshua. My sis and I had discovered that just a few months before she left with my mom. It was a little, old shed that was formerly used by the local forester - which was also why we were never able to hide there or use it for our games - we were afraid that the forester wouldn’t be too happy to have kids or later teenager rummaging in his stuff there. But one day my sister and I got curious, so we went to the shed and looked inside - and realized it wasn’t used anymore by the forester. All his stuff he used to keep there was gone, and the shed wasn’t in such a good state anymore.
As I was arriving at the hovel, I saw it did not get any better in the last months:
I didn’t care. I was just happy that I could take a break for a moment - so I slid into the shed and leaned onto the wooden wall. I tried catching my breath, and suddenly realized I was shivering. It wasn’t particularly cold, but with the rain and the wind, a wet t-shirt wasn’t the best clothing. And my soaked up, wet socks on my feet, didn’t really help out.
A bright lightning cut through the darkening wood, followed by a massive thunder once again. As it faded away, and I finally caught my breath, a strange feeling hit me like a brick. I wasn’t alone!
TO BE CONTINUED
