Dear Readers,
Before we get into this chapter
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my story. It really means a lot to me.
I also wanted to ask you for something small. If you're enjoying the story, please consider leaving a comment. It doesn't have to be a long comment or a detailed review. Even just a few words about what you think, how you feel about a character, or what you think might happen next would mean so much to me.
Sometimes, as a writer, you don't know if people are actually enjoying what you've created when you don't hear anything from them. So even a simple comment can make a huge difference and encourage me to keep writing.
Your words might seem small to you, but they mean a lot to me. ❤️
Thank you for reading, supporting, and giving my story a chance.
With love,
Raven107004 🖤✍🏽
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Sarah stood outside the gate for several seconds.
Her hand rested on the handle, but she didn't open it.
She stared at the house.
The same house she'd grown up in.
The same house she'd spent months trying to stay away from.
Was coming back really the right decision?
She swallowed.
Maybe if I stay away from Adrian for a while...
Maybe the Scarecrow will leave him alone.
Maybe it'll leave me alone.
Maybe Rose will finally be safe too.
She took a slow breath.
Then she opened the gate.
The familiar creak echoed through the quiet yard.
Sarah stepped inside.
For some reason, the house felt... strange.
She hadn't lived here for months.
Yet everything looked perfectly clean.
The floors were spotless.
The furniture was neatly arranged.
Nothing looked abandoned.
It almost seemed as though someone had been living there in her absence.
Sarah's grip tightened around the handles of her two suitcases.
She dragged them inside.
The silence seemed to follow her.
She carried the suitcases upstairs and pushed open the door to her old bedroom.
She stopped.
Everything looked familiar.
And yet...
It didn't feel like hers anymore.
Her eyes slowly wandered around the room.
The walls.
The bed.
The curtains.
The small bedside table.
Memories came rushing back before she could stop them.
Her father laughing.
Her mother sitting beside her.
The sound of their voices filling the house.
A time when her family had still been whole.
Before everything changed.
Sarah sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the bed.
That's when she noticed something sitting on the small table beside it.
She leaned closer.
Drawings.
Her drawings.
The frightening pictures she'd made when she was younger.
Back when she had been bullied.
Back when drawing had been the only way she knew how to express the things she couldn't say aloud.
A small smile appeared on her face.
But it never reached her eyes.
She picked up one of the drawings for a moment before putting it back.
Then she opened her suitcase.
She began putting her clothes away.
One by one.
When everything was finally arranged inside the wardrobe, Sarah stepped back.
For the first time since returning, the room looked a little more like hers again.
She walked toward the window.
Outside, the evening sky had darkened.
Then she felt it.
Cold.
Sarah frowned.
The temperature outside had been warm all day.
Yet the room suddenly felt freezing.
She looked toward the window.
The curtains moved gently.
A cool breeze slipped through the room.
Sarah walked closer.
She reached for the window, intending to close it.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes widened.
Out in the middle of the field...
stood the Scarecrow.
Exactly where it had always been.
Motionless.
Silent.
Watching.
Sarah stared at it.
For a long moment, she didn't feel afraid.
Instead...
she felt something strangely familiar.
Memories surfaced.
All those times she'd stood beside it.
Talking to it.
Telling it about her day.
Her fears.
Her loneliness.
Things she'd never been able to tell anyone else.
For some reason, she'd always felt safe there.
Sarah's expression softened.
Then Adrian's face entered her mind.
The mark.
The attacks.
Everything that had happened.
Her expression immediately changed.
She slammed the window shut.
Then she pulled the curtains closed.
Her heart was pounding.
No.
She couldn't think about it.
She couldn't.
Her phone suddenly beeped.
Sarah nearly jumped.
She looked down.
Adrian.
She answered immediately.
"Hello?"
His voice came through the phone, frantic.
"Sarah? Did you get there?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Did anything happen? Did you see anything? Did it hurt you?"
Sarah frowned.
"Adrian, I'm okay."
There was a brief silence.
"Please come back."
His voice softened.
"I'm really worried about you."
Sarah sat down on the bed.
"Adrian..."
"Maybe this isn't the best idea."
"No."
She shook her head even though he couldn't see her.
"This is the best way."
"Just trust me."
"I know what I'm doing."
Another silence.
Finally, Adrian sighed.
"Fine."
"But I don't want you getting hurt."
"Please stay safe."
"If you need me, I'll come."
Sarah immediately shook her head.
"No."
"That's exactly what I don't want."
"You coming here would defeat the whole reason I left."
"I don't want anything to happen to you."
Adrian didn't answer for a moment.
Then he quietly said,
"Okay."
"Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise."
They talked for a little while longer.
Eventually, Sarah's exhaustion caught up with her.
She fell asleep.
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Several hours later, Sarah woke up.
She blinked at the darkness.
For a moment, she didn't remember where she was.
Then she remembered.
Home.
Her throat felt dry.
She slowly got out of bed and went downstairs.
The house was completely silent.
Sarah entered the kitchen and reached for a glass.
She turned on the tap.
Water filled the glass.
Then—
CRASH.
A sound came from upstairs.
Sarah froze.
Her heart dropped.
For a moment, her mind went straight to one thing.
The Scarecrow.
She didn't move.
She didn't make a sound.
Then she slowly reached for a flashlight.
Sarah walked upstairs.
One step.
Then another.
The house remained silent.
She reached the hallway.
Nothing.
She looked around.
Nothing.
Then she noticed something on the floor.
A picture frame.
Sarah stared at it.
She exhaled.
"That's what it was..."
She crouched down, picked it up, and placed it back where it belonged.
She stared at it for a moment.
Maybe that had been the noise.
Maybe.
It wasn't really a thought.
It was hope.
Sarah returned to her room.
But she didn't sleep.
Not that night.
She sat awake in bed, staring into the darkness.
The breeze continued throughout the night.
Every now and then, it brushed against the window.
Tap.
Sarah's eyes moved toward it.
Silence.
Then—
Tap.
Her breathing became shallow.
She didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even approach the window.
She simply sat there, wide awake, wondering if the next sound would be louder.
Or closer.
Eventually...
morning came.
Golden sunlight slowly slipped through the curtains.
For a few seconds, Sarah simply stared at the light.
The night was over.
At least...
that's what she wanted to believe.
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