Part 9

As Anne stepped out of the restaurant to answer a phone call, I was left alone to enjoy the beautiful sunset view. The clouds were turning dark gray as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, and darkness began to set in. However, my peaceful moment was interrupted when I saw a creepy figure emerge from the trees.

The guy was standing with his face hidden in the shadows, but I could sense his presence. He was looking straight at me, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped outside to get a better look.

Suddenly, the moonlight fell on his face, and I realized it was John. His face was emotionless, but I could see the hatred in his eyes. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I asked him what he was doing here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice shaking with a hint of panic.

"Don't get your hopes up," John sneered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling my anger boil inside me.

"I know where William is," John said, his voice filled with hatred.

His words sent a shockwave through me. I remembered William, a close friend who had gone missing, and the mention of his name brought back memories that I had tried to push away.

"Do you remember William or have you forgotten him already and moved on with your plaything?" John taunted, his words filled with sarcasm and disdain.

I could feel the anger inside me reach a boiling point. I wanted to lash out at John for his insults, but I managed to control myself. I took a step away from him and headed back into the restaurant, not wanting to engage in any further conversation with him.

"Excuse me! What is your problem with me, John? I asked, my voice shaking with anger as I sent a hateful glare towards him. I mean, I don't understand why you hate me so much, especially when I haven't done anything to you. You always manage to get under my skin. When I asked about William, you said hurtful things, and now you're bringing him up again." I continued, frustration evident in my tone. He remained silent, which only served to increase my anger.

"Are you bipolar? One moment you don't like talking to me and my presence angers you, yet the next, you're inquiring about me to Anne behind my back, asking about my likes and dislikes. What do you want from me, John? Just tell me already!" I demanded, my voice rising with each word.

He stood there quietly for a moment, taken aback by my outburst. I was beyond fed up with him.

"Forget it, it's not like you're going to answer me anyway," I huffed and walked past him.

"Wait!" He said, roughly grabbing my arm. My heart raced as I glared at him. He quickly released me.

"I don't hate you, and I'm sorry for my behavior. It's not your fault, it's mine. So many things have happened recently that have left me on edge. William suddenly vanished, leaving me to clean up his mess. I was annoyed and angry, and I didn't know how to cope. I blamed you, even though you did nothing wrong, and I'm sorry for that," he said, looking down at his feet.

I took a few steps back, still unsure of what to think. Was he actually apologizing to me? He must be bipolar. I shook my head and turned away, running my hands through my hair. I could feel him trying to talk to me, but I couldn't bring myself to trust him.

"William came back and asked me to find you. He wants to see you, and he asked me to bring you to him. That's why I came to meet you here," he finished.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, my voice shaking as I glanced nervously towards the restaurant.

"I was on my way to your house when I saw you leave with your aunt, so I followed you," he said sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood.

Bipolar. I thought to myself.

"Okay, tell him I'll meet him at school tomorrow." I should head back. "Annee is probably waiting for me," I said, my doubt clear on my face. Just then, the beautiful waitress from earlier appeared by his side, her movements graceful. Wait a minute, how did she do that?

They both stood side by side, staring at me, and my suspicions only grew. Something was definitely going on, given John's sudden apology and strange behavior.

"Who are you?" I asked the girl, taking a few more steps back, as she prepared to flee.

"I warned you, John, to go easy on her, but you didn't listen. "Now look, she doesn't trust you," she said accusingly.

"Now I have to force her to come," she continued, her eyes changing to a strange shade of purple as she fixed her eyes with a hypnotizing gaze.

My hands began to shake as fear crept down to the pit of my stomach. I tried to look away, but I couldn't break eye contact. The sinking feeling in my stomach intensified, and I looked at her with utter terror.

She suddenly grabbed my hand, her eyes glowing bright purple, and fixed her gaze directly on mine. A chill ran down my spine as I heard her say, "You will follow me quietly!" I tried to resist, to say something, anything, but a vibrating sensation took hold of the back of my head, and my voice was no longer my own.

"I will follow you quietly," I heard myself say. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt like I was losing control of my own head. I realized she must have done some kind of mind control on me, making me powerless to resist her commands.

John and the girl crept through the dense forest, their footsteps muffled by the fallen leaves beneath them. I was taken under their spell, and my eyes glazed over as I walked blindly behind them. The woman was confident in her power, feeling the rush of control as they led me deeper into the wilderness.

My mind was foggy, my thoughts were jumbled, and I felt disoriented. I felt a sense of terror building within me, but it was dulled by the hypnotic magic holding me captive. I stumbled along, my feet moving of their own accord, as the abductors continued their journey deeper into the forest.

They were relentless, their desire for control and power driving them forward. They were deaf to my pleas and tears, completely absorbed in their own twisted intentions.

As the sun began to set and the forest grew darker, I started to come out of my trance. My mind raced with thoughts of escape, but my body refused to listen. I was trapped, a prisoner to her power, and the fear that consumed me was overwhelming.

I heard a faint voice in my head say, "Don't follow them." "Fight back. Restrain it!" I was familiar with the voice but couldn't comprehend who it belonged to. Suddenly, I heard the voice speak again, this time in my ear. I jumped, looking around for the source but seeing nothing. What is happening to me? Where are they taking me?

I saw the sinister looks on their faces and felt a surge of fear. I tried to break free from the spell, my heart pounding in my chest as I struggled against the magic holding me captive.

"Please...!" The voice spoke once more, and this time it sounded much more familiar. Who are you? I asked or thought in my head. After a pause, the voice replied. "Stanley."

I felt relieved and comforted that he was there to help me.

But the woman was too powerful, and their magic was too strong. The girl felt a sense of hopelessness wash over her as she realized she was at their mercy. Tears streamed down her face as she was forced deeper into the forest, her fate unknown.

The abductors' dark magic had cast a shadow over the once peaceful forest. "You are capable enough to fight back any spell that binds you."

"You are under compulsion," Stanley urged me. I focused on the darkness clouding her mind and tried to break free with all my strength, but I failed.

"Kristen, focus and try again!" Stanley urged me once more. I felt a surge of determination and screamed with a commanding voice inside my head or imagined I am not sure, I just did what I felt like, "Let me be free!" The cloud started to dissipate, clearing my vision. Relief flooded my mind and body as I got free from the compulsion, but I did not know how to escape these two people. John is definitely a traitor; if William wanted to see me, he could have visited my college, home, or anywhere els;; he wouldn't ask some strange woman to abduct me using magic.

I looked around her surroundings, shivering, and stopped myself from following John and the waitress. The feeling of helplessness became more prominent as nervousness made my throat go dry. But I was grateful to have Stanley's support, which gave me the strength to fight back and break free from the spell.

Terrified, my heart was pounding as I frantically tried to find a way to escape the two people who were abducting me deeper into the woods using their hypnotizing magic. I couldn't let them get the upper hand; I had to act fast before they discovered I was no longer under their control. The thought of them killing me or doing something even more heinous filled me with a fear that I couldn't shake.

I had to be brave; I couldn't let the fear take over. I had to come up with a plan and act quickly. With a burst of courage, I seized a broken tree root near me and swung it at the waitress, striking her head from behind. I then aimed for John, but he caught my hand before I could make contact. He pushed me back with a force that sent me tumbling to the ground.

The waitress stumbled, yelping in pain, and I felt a small glimmer of hope that I had managed to harm one of them. I quickly scanned my surroundings, but all I could see was darkness. Without a second thought, I started running in the opposite direction, hearing the waitress' angry cries behind me.

But my escape was short-lived. An invisible force stopped me in my tracks, and I was horrified to see the waitress loom over me, looking like she was ready to kill me if I took another step. My body was paralyzed with fear as she gazed at me with a challenging look. My hands were shaking by my side as I tried to take a step back, but I was frozen in place.

"You can't run," she said in a menacing tone.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to buy time and find a way out of this situation. "How did you make me follow you?"

She didn't move closer, instead, she was surrounded by a dark aura that I could see even in the darkness. I had no idea how I was able to see it, but I knew that I was in serious danger.

My screams echoed through the trees. "No, please! "Don't hurt me," I begged in terror, my voice barely above a whisper. I frantically searched John's face for some form of mercy, but he simply stood there, his expression inscrutable.

The female approached me with her hand outstretched, and I shrank back in fear. She spoke in a foreign language, and a shadow materialized before me, shifting and undulating like a ghost. I couldn't breathe, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

As she inched closer, I could feel my whole body shaking with fear. My eyes were fixed on her hand, fear gripping me as she touched her finger to my forehead.

"Ahhh!" I screamed in agony as a sharp pain exploded in my head. It was as if my skull was being shattered from the inside, and I crumpled to the ground, unconscious.