Haunted

I needed to take a walk.

It was just your typical Autumn day. Chilly. Foggy. Mildly windy. Grey skies but a variety of leaf colors; oranges, yellows, greens. You could feel the chill of Winter approaching at any given day.

As much as I despised the chills, I sort of...needed it? The stinging of the cold wind on my face brought me back to Earth, made me feel sort of alive somehow.

It was just one of those cold, miserable days, but it was quiet, and quiet was something that felt rare to chance upon. The atmosphere, the trail I was walking along in the local park, it was aesthetically pleasing; especially because I was alone.

Or, I thought I was alone.

I just needed to get away from the noise, the people. The socially anxious and crowded public events do not always go very well together, but I had to go. My friends, they needed me there for my Photography skills, but they at least could understand when I needed a break.

Usually I tried to stick to nature photography. It's easier.

Fortunately, they had finished their performance just as I needed to get away. I handed them the memory card, told them I'd meet up with them later, and pushed my spare card into my camera.

It was time for an adventure. An...unexpected adventure.

There I was, just strolling through the park's nature trails - well, trying to stroll - taking pictures of leaves, trees, just anything scenic. Fog was settling in more, making for more atmospheric photos.

If only the wind would have let up...

I kneeled down to get a good shot. Maybe I'd stay there for a while...

Then, the wind. It was picking up so strong, so suddenly; my scarf was ready to either fly off of me and down the hill, or take me with it. Why was it feeling so heavy?

It almost felt like something was actually trying to pull me down, and this wasn't some ordinary hill, it was steep, and there were so many trees and rocks and shrubs and-

-voices...?

No, those couldn't be voices. It had to be the wind.

Right?

Just as I had thought "maybe I should go home" I felt something tug VERY roughly on my scarf, pulling me forward! Opportunely, I'd grabbed a thick tree branch; my heart was racing.

It was. Until it stopped.

It stopped when I heard a legitimate whisper, right in my ear.

This was definitely not the wind.

Everything felt so still, as if time had stopped for a few seconds. I could only hear one word, but it was a terrifying one.

"Go..."

Now, you wouldn't have thought that would be a terrifying word, but in MY situation...that was probably one of the last words I wanted to hear.

"Go..." and then icy hands grabbing mine.

"Go..." and then a force at my back.

"Go..." and then I'm falling and aching and falling more.

"Go..." and then...

...just wind again.

I could barely open my eyes, and everything was so blurry, but still I could manage to see her.

Just her.

Why was she so angry at me? I could feel it, and it burned deep into my soul.

I blinked and she was closer

and closer

and closer

and she looked like she was screaming but I could just hear the wailing of the wind...

...no...

...that's her wailing...

...that's...

...her wind...

...

...everything is so cold...

...

...

I just needed to take a walk.

Just a walk.

Now I'm always walking, and it's always windy, because she's always screaming, and it's always cold.

This place is all I know...