The Forest

The Forest

It was a cold winter night in a small town near Toronto. Sebastian was walking back from a community centre where he volunteers over the weekends. The forest he was walking through always seemed sketchy and gave him a weird feeling. This time it was even more scary than usual because the street lights inside the forest were broken but it was the fastest way to get to his building so he tried to ignore the bad vibes. Suddenly he felt something standing over his shoulder.
“Help me” a little girl's voice whispered.
“Wh...What?” Said Sebastian out loud, shocked and scared to death.
“Ugh I must be tripping out, I really need to stop smoking” he said, trying to make himself believe it was nothing. He started walking faster through the forest which seemed darker and colder with every step he made. Cold sweat started dripping down his forehead as he started running to get out of the dark forest.
“You can't escape me Sebastian, I'm inside you.”
“No! Leave me alone Robyn, you've been dead for years!”
“But, we were meant to be together, my darling. How can't you see? After all these years I'm still waiting for you, I forgive you for what you've done to me just join me on the other side.”
Sebastian went mute, ignoring Robyn's voice as he finally entered the plaza next to his building. He felt relieved and safe. He ran into his neighbour Josh who noticed something was wrong.
“What's wrong Sebastian?” Asked Josh, “You look like you've just seen a ghost!”
“Pft, don't be ridiculous Josh, I was just enjoying some cardio, you should definitely do the same instead of eating all those donuts” said Sebastian, walking away, entering his building. He seemed happy and energetic again, like nothing happened. He was in a hurry to get home now, he didn't want to miss his favourite show. When he got to his door, he noticed that they are wide open. He was worried that someone might have robbed him. For some odd reason there was no power in his apartment so he reached for his pocket to grab his phone and call his landlord. All of a sudden a bright flash blinded him, it was her. She was standing right in front of him, with a warm smile.
“Happy Birthday, silly!” She said, walking closer to him. “You thought I forgot about your special day?”
“This... This isn't happening, you're not real!”
“Oh but I am, I came to surprise you, you're coming with me now!” Her warm smile turned psychotic as the loving spark left her eyes. Sebastian couldn't move, he was terrified. She came close to his face violently putting her hands around his neck choking him, laughing and screaming from joy. “All these years, my darling. I've been waiting for this moment. How does it feel to be on that side of violence? Killing you would be a gift, your punishment will be life.
Another bright flash came across his eyes as he sat up in his bed breathing heavy, covered in sweat. “It was all a dream”, he mumbled.