13 Mistakes

I ran down the porch steps and through the damp grass clutching my skateboard in my right hand, my phone almost slipping out of my pocket. I was starting to wish I never brought it. I hopped on my board and immediately realized that I wasn’t wearing the right shoes for this.

“Dammit” I muttered as a dashed back inside, unaware of the fact that my phone was lying on the asphalt of the driveway.

As I was changing my shoes, I realized I left my phone. “For Christ’s sake!” I yelled. Forgetting to tie my left shoe, I ran to the stairs. Then I tripped. I fell face first down the stairs. “Ow, s**t!” I yelled. My nose was numb, so instinctively, I reached for it. I saw blood on my hand. Great. I rushed outside and saw that my phone wasn’t there, but there was a shady looking woman holding it running out of the driveway. “Hey! Stop that’s mine!” I exclaimed. She only quickened her pace. “For f**k’s sake!” I sprinted after her. Damn good thing I was on track.

I chased her for a good 3 minutes before she started slowing down. I pounced. We both fell to the ground and I snatched my phone off the ground and stood up, preparing to confront this a*****e. She slowly turned her head to face me, and an awful grin spread from ear to ear across her face. Then she released a scream that made my blood curdle.

I ran for my f*****g life. I looked back and she was on me. I ran faster. I made it back home with a solid 20 yards on the woman. I fumbled for my keys. My keys. S**t! I left my keys inside. I ran around the back and found the spare. I looked behind me and she wasn’t there. I ducked behind the shed to let her pass. Five minutes, and she wasn’t there. Phew, I said, wiping the sweat from my brow. I went to the front, unlocked the door and went up to my room. I also remembered that I hadn’t even brought my board with me when I went back outside. I decided to stay in my room for the rest of the day.

10:00 pm rolled around, and my mom came home. S**t, how was I supposed to explain the blood dripping from my nose? She’d freak! I decided to pretend I was sleeping. She came up and said good night even though she thought I was asleep. She then went downstairs again. It worked! Thank God. Now I just needed to find some way to clean myself up. I looked out the window and saw the hose. I could turn it on lightly so it wouldn’t make noise and try to wash the blood away. How the hell would I get to it though? I decided to try to use the big rope in my closet to get down.

I tied it up to my bed, opened the window, and began climbing down. It was dark out, and to be honest I still was a little afraid of the dark at the time. Then my phone in my pocket buzzed. I felt I had a firm grip on the rope so I let go with one hand and took out my phone. Stupid me.

It was a DM from my crush. Score! At least one thing went sorta well today. I didn’t have time to respond because some loud bang from the shed startled me, causing me to lose balance and fall the remaining story down to the patio and break my ankle. It took everything I had to not scream as loud as I could. That hurt like a b***h! As I struggled to get up, I saw some yellow eyes look at me from next to the shed then dart away quickly. Oh dear Christ. Luckily I had good balance so I hobbled over to the hose on one foot. As I was cleaning the blood from my nose, I heard
Some rustling in the bushes near the shed. I needed to get the hell back inside. I took out my phone as I was finishing up and saw what the message said. “Hey cutie, I snuck out and I wanna see u!”

Oh my God this is awesome.

I replied immediately. I didn’t want to seem too eager so I said that I couldn’t get out at this hour because of my mom. I heard a little beep from somewhere but didn’t think anything of it.

“C’mon babe, right outside your house.”

I was a little freaked out, but said okay.

My heart sank when I heard the same beeping sound loud and clear from the shed as I sent my message. My blood ran cold. I rushed to the rope I made and began my ascent. My foot felt like it was on fire. Immediately I heard leaves crunching and footsteps coming my way. I didn’t consider how much harder getting back up would be. I tuned and saw the same woman from earlier who tried to take my phone. She somehow managed to get her filthy hands on my crush’s phone. That meant… No I don’t want to think about it. I kept climbing until I heard the sound of a gun being loaded from below. S**t. Then the most horrendous voice said:

“Come down little one”

Oh dear lord Almighty. I had no idea what to do. I slowly turned and saw the woman holding a pistol in her hands aimed at my head.

“Don’t be afraid now… ”

Okay, s**t was getting crazy now. I was freaking out. Then I remembered I had my phone. I slipped it halfway out of my pocket and dialed 911. I put it on speaker and said my address quiet enough, I hoped that this hag couldn’t hear. Then I added. “Help”

I slowly began to descend the rope like the woman said. She began to giggle. I was now scared. “Alright, come here now.”

Then I heard the back door open and saw my mom come out with a shotgun in her hands.

“You w***e, leave my son alone!” She screamed.

The woman shifted her aim to my mom. Stupid of her. I took the chance to uppercut her in the jaw, causing her to fall over. She dropped the gun which I kicked over to my mom.

“Honey come here!” My mom said. I ran to her, tears in my eyes. I hugged her. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. The woman had her hands on the gun again. My mom aimed at the woman’s feet and pulled the trigger. Click. I watched the blood drain from her face as we both realized there were no bullets. The woman let out a terrifying laugh that most likely woke the whole neighborhood. She took aim at my mom. Then I heard the words that to this day I still cherish.

“Freeze and drop the gun!” An officer yelled at the woman, an assault rifle in hand. I let out a sigh of relief. She smiled and fired. He was hit in the knee and let out a groan then shot her in the hand she held the gun in. She screamed and ran. My mom and I went to help the officer as 15 others swarmed the yard and took her down. They cuffed her and called the ambulance. As it arrived, her body shriveled up and turned to ash, then floating away in tiny particles. The wounded officer recovered fully 4 months later and we went to thank him as he re-enlisted. I wish I could say there was a happy ending, but you have to be really f****d up to think finding your crush’s body in a lake some 4 weeks after the incident is happy, with huge gashes in her arms and legs. And every night I pray to God that I and everyone I know and love stays safe. Even thought it is nothing but fear, it still pains me every time I put my head on the pillow and see my crush’s ghost looking at me, and me knowing there must have been something I could have done to prevent it.