Unlikely Friend

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

I tried to make as little noise as possible. Though, that was very hard to do with the limited amount of space I had. If I shifted, even just a tiny bit, it seemed I would always hit my elbow on the wall, or my knee on the door. This closest just wasn't big enough.

Why am I hiding in a closet, you ask?

My friends dared me to go into the haunted mansion in the forest. I still have no idea how they convinced me to agree. Anyone who has ever gone in never came back out. There has only ever been one survivor. When asked what he encountered, he described a sinister being that tried to kill him. It didn't talk. It would just moan and groan, as it chased you.

Sadly, I believe I have encountered this creature. He was far away when he spotted me, but I knew this was the monster, for it had groaned when it saw me. I turned and ran, as fast as I could. Going into the first room I saw, I noticed a closet and jumped in.

Now, here I was, hiding in a closet from the rumor monster of this haunted mansion. Suddenly, I hear the door breaking down, and I try not to whimper in fear. I hear him come in. Slowly. Purposefully. He seems to stop right outside of the closet.

'Please don't find me. Please don't find me.'

However, fate was not on my side. The doors were violently ripped off of their hinges. I let out a high pitched 'Eep!', and hid my face in my knees while covering my head with my arms. I stayed like that for a while, cowering in fear, and praying I don't die. After a few minutes with nothing happening, I braved a teary glance toward the creature.

As I looked up at him, I got to get a better look. It appeared to be male. He seemed to be young, about my age. He had a very lean body, with straps going up and down his torso and a loincloth around his waist. I look farther up and the first thing I notice is his hood. It's brown and has a scary face on it that makes me cringe. I look lower and see he has short black hair, and silver eyes. There was also a thin scar that went from the bridge of his nose, under his left eye, and across his cheek. If I wasn't so terrified, I would say he was very handsome.

He was just standing there, staring at me. He wasn't moving, just staring at me. As I looked closer, I could see an almost… disappointed look on his face. He seemed to be sad that I was scared of him. We stared at each other for a moment longer, before he turned around and left the room. I sat there, shocked. Surely that wasn't the 'sinister' creature that attacked and killed everyone.

Almost hesitantly, I stepped out of the closet and walked toward the direction that the creature went. After walking down the halls a bit, I heard a noise coming from one of the rooms. I open the door, trying not to make any noise. I peak my head inside and see the same creature from earlier. His back was turned away from me, and he didn't seem to notice me. His body looked to be shaking and he was emitting a strange noise. Was he crying?

I opened the door wider and slowly stepped in. Carefully, I approached him. When I was near enough, I kneelt down and, hesitantly, placed a hand on his shoulder. His head spun around and he looked ready to attack whoever was touching him. I gasped and recoil my hand. However, when he saw it was me he looked shocked. We sat there for another moment while I built up the courage to say something.

"Um, a-are you a-alright?"

His eyes widen, as if he didn't expect me to talk to him. Suddenly, he launches himself at me and pulls me close to him. I just freeze, unsure what to do. Slowly, I wrap my arms around him and whisper soothing words to him. He eventually lets me go. I give him a shy smile.

"Better?" He nods once, giving me a small smile in return.

"Um, I'm sorry to ask, but could you please show me how to get out of here? I think I'm lost."

It takes him a little longer to answer this time, but he nods again. He stands up and offers his hand to me. However, as soon as I'm on my feet, he doesn't let go of my hand. I look toward his face and see a faint blush dusting his cheeks. I just smile sweetly toward him, which cause his blush to turn dark. We both started walking, hand-in-hand, looking for an exit. Though, I wouldn't mind staying like this, just a little longer.