Chapter 1 - Whispers
~ Charlie’s POV ~
I hear a whisper, but no one is there. I spin a full 360° just to make sure. Was I dreaming? I think to myself. I continue to walk down the road, but I hear it again. I freeze, trying to make out what the voice was saying. “Hello?” I call out, my voice wavering at the end. “Is there anyone there?” Nothing. Not even a slight breeze. Everything is deadly quiet. I shudder and tell myself that it is probably just the wind or some kids playing games in the next street over. I take a deep breath and continue to walk down the road, quickening my pace as I do so. I reach the end of the road and walk up the path leading to the town’s park entrance. Something rustles behind me and I stop, just short of the gate, my arm stretched towards the latch. Something isn’t right. It’s too quiet, especially for a park. An icy chill rushes down my spine, making me shiver. I whip around to see if anyone is there, but there is no one. I start to panic. “You’re not safe here! You need to leave!” my mind screams at me. My heartbeat quickens as I slowly walk back down the path and onto the sidewalk. I hear a snapping sound behind me. Startled, I break into a sprint, racing to get out of the street. “Where are you going Angel?” the voice whispers. I freeze. “I’m not going to hurt you” the voice continues to whisper, but I can hear the smirk in the tone. “They’re lying! Walk away before they hurt you!” My mind screams. I try to move my legs but they won’t budge, I’m too scared. It is as if they have suddenly become glued to the sidewalk. I take a deep breath and slowly circled around. Before me, a few meters away, is a hooded figure dressed in black and wearing a ski mask. I take a deep breath and study the figure. I can tell by from the way they are standing that it is a man. “Who - who are you?” I stutter, tears welling behind my eyes. The man smiles at me. “I’m not going to hurt you” the voice repeats. I shiver, frightened by the fact that I didn’t see his mouth move once while he spoke. What is happening? I panic. The man laughs, but again, his lips don’t move. I’m struggling to think straight. Then it clicks. But it seemed impossible. “He’s in inside my head” I whisper under my breath. “He’s talking to me inside my head.” The man watches as the realisation spreads across my face. The man laughs again. The fear hits me like a bullet, square in the chest, making my stomach drop through the floor. I look at the figure, watching him smile back at me. His piercing eyes roaming every inch of my body. “What do you want from me” I whisper, a single tear sliding down my cheek. He smirks. His voice returns to my head, this time slowly singing the song my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. Tears start to trickle down my face. I fall to my knees, grabbing onto my head, scratching at the skin and wishing his voice would go away. I look up at him in agony. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!” I scream at him, tears gushing down my face and onto the pavement. The man walks the distance between us and crouches down in front of me, cupping my chin. “Never” he says aloud, eyes sparkling demoniacally like black orbs. And then the world goes black.
