“Shit.” I said.
The man turned on his side and threw up more blood.
“Oh, that’s gross.” I said feeling queasy myself now. He coughed again. Then groaned. He turned his head and looked right at me. He seemed to grin at me, in a rather sports-manly manner, as if congratulating me on my win before collapsing face first into the pool he’d just created.
My half-digested supper (left-over rice and spare ribs for what it’s worth) hit a nearby tree as I retched and coughed.
I walked away. That was the best thing to do, just get outa there. I began to feel shaky, weak and tired as I trudged through the wooded area. Was this not impossible? I mean, bad guys were only in my infantile imagination, weren’t they?
Clearly not,
I winced as I trod on the twigs; not only did it make too much noise – I had to be stealthy – but it really hurt the sole of my feet. God I was missing my trainers! Why’d Dick take everything but my jeans and underwear, anyway?
I practically dived to the ground – out of sight. I was sure I’d just heard footsteps other than mine. I readied my knife as best as I could in this position.
I waited there for nearly five minutes turning my head from side to side trying to look everywhere at once. I could hear birds or bats or something twittering and flapping through the trees. And eventually my eyes rested on a shadow. Had it been there before? I couldn’t tell but it wasn’t moving. Or was it? I stared intently at it, hardly daring to breath. If I couldn’t see him properly that meant I was surely just as obscured, Right?
“Hello?” I said bravely and preparing myself for another attack. The shadow said nothing. I wanted to move but I seemed momentarily paralysed. I pulled myself up, the air felt like treacle, it was like pulling out of a dream you could no longer cope with.
I looked at the shadow and from this angle it looked suspiciously like a tree. Fuck’s sake,
“Don’t call me an idiot.” I muttered.
I started trudging through the trees again, horrible little pine needles getting stuck in between my toes. I kept imagining Imhotep following me, and could not shake the feeling of being watched. I supposed it was something to do with the dark.
I came to the edge of the trees onto the green of hole seven. I crouched down to stop myself being visible to anyone that may be stalking the grounds. There were still two other guys out there and the woman in the car. Plus they mentioned more people coming up. I looked right and left, as if crossing the road. Something caught my eye.
A figure standing just separate from the next miniature forest. Right at the top of the slope. Another lying tree, I guessed.
I stepped out of the trees I was taking shelter in with the intention of getting across to the next set of trees (from then on going through the trees and get back to thirteen). The tree shouted at me incomprehensibly and then began to run in my direction. I bolted out of my hiding place. Instead of going for the trees across from me I ran down the slop. I knew that if I went straight for those trees he’d catch up for sure.
I fell. I must have stood on a stone or something as a pain hit my foot when I thumped it down. It debalanced me and I tumbled head over heals two or three times before I managed to pick myself up.
I was aiming for the stream now. Get across the stream and then see what happens. Maybe he’s a witch and won’t be able to cross it. I thought inanely. Or is that vampires or something else entirely? The “bridge” across the stream was nothing more than a slab of concrete, maybe about a metre across and maybe eighty centimetres wide. I was just five seconds away from it.
I looked back to discover that he was two seconds behind me.
I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I toppled of balance my face hit the slab of concrete and I felt bits of gravel poke into my face.
