I'm sitting in the dimly lit library all alone. My favorite Librarian whom I have known for four years, Mrs Curtly (A.K.A Curly) has left the keys to the library for me just as long as I lock the door when I leave, something she's technically not supposed to do, and could definitely lose her job over if anyone found out, but she's been doing this special for me for a long time since I've gained her respect and trust.

I'm studying some boring world history book when I feel myself drift off to sleep.

A quiet yawn escapes my lips as I rest my head down on my book I'll only sleep for a second I tell myself even though I know it isn't true.

Just as I'm about to drift off into dreamland, I hear a loud bang come from the back of the library. It sounds like a large stack of books falling. The sound instantly jerks me out of my sleepiness. I stand up and look around.

"Hello?" I call out as I cautiously walk towards where I think the sound came from, my heart pounding in my chest.

When I look down the aisle, there's nobody there, yet there's a good amount of books fallen onto the ground "great" I mutter sarcastically as I bend down in a squat position, picking the books back up.

"Bethany" I hear a strange voice whisper. The whisper is so quiet that I'm not even sure I heard it. I glance around the room but see nothing.

Goosebumps liter my arms as I briskly stand up and shove the books back into the shelf before walking back towards my table.

I turn the corner to where my table is but when I look at it there's a man sitting on it with a red mask and black hoodie. A scream escapes my lips but I cover my moth to stop myself.

"Oh okay, ha-ha, very funny. Whoever you are you can take off the mask now" I say uncertainly, if only to convince myself this wasn't real.

My stomach is in knots and I feel my heart thumping wildly in my chest, it felt as though it were trying to hammer right through my rib cage. But surely it was just a student right? Who else would do this?

I start walking towards the person ever so slowly, telling myself to be brave, that it's just a prank.

The person says nothing. If I hadn't just been here I'd be sure it was a statue of some kind, I couldn't even see it breathing.

When I'm inches in front of the person, suddenly he jumps up and grabs my forearm,

I let out a scream as I try to pull away from the person but the hand has an iron grip on me. It doesn't even budge when I yank as hard as I can.

"Let me go!" I scream as I kick and slap and everything else I can think to do. But the person looks as if he doesn't even feel any of it.

I look around the room for something to throw at him. My eyes land on a pencil inside a cup on the librarians desk.

I jerk as hard as I can and run forward. The hand is still on me but I'm able to move a few inches which is enough to grab the sharpened pencil.

Without hesitating, I stab the pencil into the guys hand.

He instantly pulls away and looks down at his hand, but he doesn't make a sound. As he holds his bleeding hand, I take this opportunity and make a run for the door, leaving my bag full of stuff behind. I swing the door open and run out, making a right. As I run down the hall I don't hear any footsteps but I don't slow down. I keep running until I reach the stairs door. I shove it open and glance behind me. The guy is walking down the hall towards me. Not running, walking. In this slow, freaky way, as though he was in no rush at all.

And somehow this is much scarier than if he were running after me. It was as if he knew he would catch up to me whether he ran or walked. I slam the door shut and run down the stairs as fast as I can without falling face forward onto the steps. I've never been good at running down stairs so it takes me much longer than I'd like. I see the glowing exit sign that hangs above the door that leads outside.

I hear the stairway door open and shut.

I shove through the door and run outside.

Quickly I take a look around searching for something to block the door with. Finally I see a medium sized broken off tree branch. I pick it up and shove it through the door handle and spin around to search for my car.

I run up to it and get inside closing and locking the door behind me. I try to start up the car when I realize I don't have my keys. I left them inside. With him.

I feel tears spring to my eyes as I look around for something to use.

Bang

I glance up at my rearview mirror

Bang

I see the door where I had stuck the branch move from the pressure of the man on the other side.

Bang

The banging was loud yet slow and almost...calm. Just like his walk.

I look around my car still searching for something, anything to magically help me out of this situation.

I open my glove compartment and instantly feel relief relax me even if it is just a little.

Bang

I had no memory what so ever of ever putting it there, but lo and behold my phone was sitting there on top of a large stack of junk.

I grab my phone and I find Abi's number

Bang

I hit call and wait as the phone rings brrring, brrring, brrring,

Bang. crack!

I look up at my rear view mirror to see that the tree branch had broken and the guy was now walking out.

"Hello?" Abigail's voice sounded on the other side.

I feel a tear slide down my cheek and sigh in relief.

"Hurry, Abi I need you to come and get me. I'm at the school library. I'll explain everything later just get here as soon as humanly possible!" I beg, my voice cracking as another tear slides down my cheek.

"Are you crying?" She asks, concern clear in her voice

"Hurry!" I exclaim urgently, unable to control my voice cracking yet again. "I'll be there in five" Abigail states before hanging up.

The guy is slowly, oh so slowly walking towards me.

Step. One, two, three, step. One, two three step.

His pace stayed the exact same as he walked towards me. I waited and waited for what seemed like hours, my heart beating so hard and fast I could hear it.

The guy slowly coming closer and closer.

After a while he finally reaches my door.

Knock (pause) knock (pause) knock

He moves so slowly it makes it a thousand times scarier. Creepier.

I feel the tears roll down my cheek.

The guy slowly starts banging harder, faster,

Bang bang bang bang

Soon there's not even seconds in between each pound.

I can't move, can't breathe, can't even think. I just sit here, completely frozen in shock and fear as he pounds on my window.

I hear the window crack. Terrified, I crawl to the back of the car and hide most of my face with my hands, as though this was any protection at all.

I look up at it to see a long crack running from where he punched all the way to the end of the window.

Just then I hear the rumble of a car. I look to see Abigail's moms car pull up to the driveway. I glance over at the window where the guy once stood but there was nothing there. No man. He had run away.

I step out of the car and run to Abigail as fast as I can. As soon as I grasp the doorknob I swing it open and jump in slamming it shut so forcefully the window shakes. I've never been so happy and grateful to see Abigail before in my life, to ever see anybody as a matter of fact.

"What happened?" Abigail asks, concern obvious in her voice.

And that's how I ended up talking non stop the whole way to her house and as we walked inside her room.

Finally I had told everything. And I mean everything. I told her every single detail.

At the end, her eyes were as wide as golf balls and her mouth was hanging open "wow" was all she said "yeah, wow" I say, staring at the wall behind her, my mind replaying what had happened and immediately chills run up my spin.

"Man, I can't imagine what she's going through. That would be the most terrifying thing ever. I'm surprised she's still able to talk. If it were me, I'd be in a corner crying" Abi thinks.

We sit there just staring at each other for a few minutes before Abi finally gets a grip and shakes her head "oh my lord baby girl, are you okay?" She asked as she grabbed me into a rib cracking hug.

"I mean, I made it out alive so I guess I'm alright. But is it okay if I sleep over?" I ask my voice noticeably shaky.

She gives a seriously kind of look "do you even have to ask? Of course you can, God" She exclaimed.

"Thanks Abi" I say, my eyes staring at the bed, my thoughts racing everywhere.

She grabs me a pair of her pajamas and I put them on. As we lay in bed we talk for about thirty five minutes about that guy. But soon after Abigail falls asleep and I'm left lying in bed still imagining it all.

I don't sleep for hours, and as I lay in bed going over everything that happens, for some reason when I picture that guy in the red mask, I imagine Jake behind it...

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The next day Abigail drives me to the school library to get my stuff that I had left behind. When I get back outside I walk to my car to examine the crack in my window, but as soon as I get a good enough look at it I stop dead in my tracks. No. It couldn't be. I quickly race up to it and stare in utter disbelief at the perfectly crack-less window. How? I was certain I had heard and seen him crack it the night before, how could it possibly be fine? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's not but...I know what I saw and heard..don't I? Each window is in pristine condition, not a single crack to be seen. A shiver runs down my spine, what the hell is going on? I can't ignore the fact that every impossible thing that's happened lately didn't begin happening until Jake moved here. Something is off about him, something that defies scientific law...

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