Step one: Water

"Stop! You'll get in trouble for this! You're hurting me!" Ash yelled, frantic as a knife, led by the most unforgiving of hands, slid its way across his face, cheekbone to chin.

The sting was electrifying, shooting adrenaline into his veins. He wanted desperately to claw out Mikes eyes, Though that would just lead to more pain. And besides, he didn't know anyone who had ever gotten out of Marcus and Billy's grip. They were loyal henchmen to Mike.

They pushed Ash harder against the rickety old railing, rusty from years of rain. A long low creak sounded from it, and Ash winced, shivering with fear.

"Hold still runt! Or I'm giving you a root canal!" Mike finished his demand with a much-to-close jab towards Ash's face. He laughed as he ran the knife along Ash's other cheek.

"Please! Stop! Help! Someone please, help!" Ash had gone into a state of panic, hyperventilating, his chest bobbing up and down rapidly.

"Hey, Mike...I think we should finish up. There's a car coming." Billy said coolly, glancing at the water rushing below them. It was always like that after a storm. It had been since the dam had broke downtown.

"Let's push him over." Mike said, smiling a merciless grin into Ash's eyes.

"N-no. You can't-" Ash started, frozen with fear. "I can't do what, honeybuns? Because I think I can throw you over. And that car is gettin pretty close, dont'cha say?" Mike cut in, staring Ash down. The railing creaked again. The car was only 50 feet away now.

"...Mike, I think that's a little too harsh-we could really get it this time." Marcus started, a look in his eye that said something bad. "We have to, or else that car is gonna beat us. We run as fast as we can, got it?" Mike said, devilishly looking at Ash.

"Fine, but if we get caught... I tried to stop you." Marcus said, glancing at the car again. Mike growled. "Fine, throw him now!"

The fear inside Ash had become so great that he couldn't even bring himself to breathe. Hands locked onto his shoulders, and threw him hard. He soared through the air. The water rushed up fast.

WHAP! Ash's body connected with the blackish bubbling surface of the rushing flow of water. He was submerged. He screamed, but only the water heard his voice. He swam up, surfacing, getting pummeled by waves. The sides of the river were so close. If only he could grab on to something-

He froze, stopped thinking about the water, the current, the bullies. And looked at the figure that stared at him. Where did it come from? What was it doing here? Why wasn't it trying to help him? Did it even know he was there?

"Hey! Help! Throw something!" He yelled to the figure, hoping it would look at him. The face that saw him next made him regret he ever spoke at all. He screamed.

He swam as hard as he could to the other side of the river, reaching for the roots that hung down. He finally gripped one, after slipping off many, and clambered ashore. His heart thumped so loud he feared the thing could hear it. He swallowed his fear. Something like that couldn't possibly exist, could it? No, that was just your mind.

He panted as his rush of adrenaline led him up to the road. A breeze sent a chill through his body. He gratefully jumped over the guard rail onto the sidewalk that ran through his town. He started at a gallop down the road, wanting so badly just to have a hot shower and sleep.

Though nothing happened, he glanced nervously behind himself as he came to his house. Something about that figure just wasn't right.

He ran up the steps as fast as he could when he spotted his house, unlocking the door, and slamming it shut as he came in. He locked it again, making sure no one could get in. Finally. He was safe.

He practically gasped air for a full minute, the adrenaline not quite worn off yet. He let his head tilt back, thumping into the door. He closed his eyes in relief. He slid down to the floor, letting his body rest.

He swallowed, his throat dry from screaming. A grin ran across his lips, and he laughed. Wow, he'd thought he was going to die, and he made it safe back to his house with just a few cuts! He must be invincible!

He calmed down a bit, and realized that he was getting his mother's floor wet with water and blood. She would throw a fit. He made his way toward the paper towels, grabbing a wad and going back over to the door. He sopped up the stuff, making sure he'd got it all before going upstairs to change.

"Ash! Where have you been?!" A shrill voice hollered behind him. Crap. That was not good. "Mother... I'm sorry, I just got a little caught up with some friends, that's all..."

"Caught up with friends?! It's ten o'clock, your soaking wet, and you won't even look at me. What really happened?!" She piped furiously back.

Ash swallowed. He couldn't turn around, because then she would know that he had been beat up, but what else could he do? He tensed, and turned toward her.

"Oh my god Ash what happened to you?!" His mother yelled, running to him. "Oh god are you ok?!" Ash winced at the tone of her voice. He really did not want to tell her what happened. Those bullies could come back even harder if his mother chewed them out, but he also couldn't lie to her. She always knew when he was lying.

He sighed. "Mike threatened me with a knife. His friends held me down, and they threw me over the car bridge over the dam river because someone was driving up..." he left out that he saw the figure, because he didn't even know if that had been real or not.

"Ugh, I'll deal with those bastards later. You need bandages, a shower, and sleep. Did you have dinner yet?" She said to Ash, pacing. "Um...no not yet." He said nervously, looking at the stairs, tiredness taking over.

"Well, get a microwave burrito then." She said, opening the fridge and throwing one to him. She went up the stairs then, in search of bandages. Ash sighed, popping the processed junk into the microwave and pressing 1 minute.

* * *

The bed was so comfortable. Usually. Ash lay in bed, full, showered, and bandaged. But even so, he couldn't rest. The thing he saw, wouldn't he have forgotten it by now if it wasn't real? And it's face... it had smiled at him like he was an appetizer, its blank white eyes staring into his soul. It's mouth had moved too, but he couldn't hear what it had said. Maybe it was a hallucination though. After all, he was panicking at the time.

He sighed, letting his fears slip away as he rested into a fixed sleep, the dark welcome to him.