Set Me Free

Chapter One

The early evening sun cast a rich glow across the town. The clouds in the sky took on all shades of purple, pink, and orange. The air was beginning to cool, as autumn was not far away, and a light wind blew through the streets. She tightened the scarf around her neck, hoping to block the brief cold. Clutching her school books to her chest, she traveled along the deserted street with nothing but the dark houses as company.

As she walked, she took a quick peek over her shoulder. She was catapulted forward as her shoe was caught on a rather large crack in the sidewalk. She hit the pavement face first. Her books skidded ahead of her, coming to rest a few feet away. She grumbled inaudibly as she slowly picked herself up.

"Damn it, Cai." She mumbled under her breath. She brushed herself off and proceeded to re-gather her books. Stuff like this had been happening an awful lot lately. Whether she wanted to or not, she always found the time to make a complete idiot of herself.

That is just one of the struggles that come with being the new kid. Cai had just moved to Haddonfield from yet another small town that she didn't even bother to learn the name of. Ever since she was small, her parents were constantly moving from place to place, dragging her along for the ride. She had lived in so many places that she just decided to stop keeping track. Her family never stayed in a place for more than a couple months at best. Then it was off to "new frontiers" as her father would say.

And now she was here. She had been living in Haddonfield for roughly two weeks, enough time for her to be enrolled in the local community college. People always say that college is so much better than high school, that everyone makes friends no matter what, but they are mistaken. Cai had been attending the college since a week ago, and still nothing. In fact, it was the exact opposite. She was constantly being pushed and shoved through the halls rudely. And her fellow classmates would always turn their noses up at her as she walked by. The worst part was the constant fear of being chased down by the college's resident bullies. Even though she was a young woman, the students at the school didn't pay that any mind. They treated her as if she was just an outcast. Not any specific gender or class, just an outcast.

Cai swept a lock of her long, dark hair out of her face. She kept her head down as she walked along, partially to watch for any more cracks in the cement, but mostly not to draw attention to herself. She just wanted to get home and barricade herself in her room, curling up on her bed and listen to her music. And when her mother would walk in and ask how her day went or how many new friends she made, Cai would say the same thing that she's been saying for years. "My day was fine, mom. I didn't make any friends, but that's okay."

A tear slid down her cheek. Her face remained expressionless, but the tears flowed anyway. She just couldn't understand why people did find the time to get to know her. It was always the same wherever she went. Everyone saw her as a stranger that needed to be avoided and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why.

The sound of a revving engine brought her out of her trance. Her head snapped up and she turned to look behind her. The sound had come from a dark blue jeep that was stationary at the far end of the street. Cai froze in her tracks, recognizing the vehicle. It belonged to a boy she learned was Jeremy. He was the leader of the group of students that bullied her. He was in the driver's seat, yelling over his shoulder. His posse was shouting and whooping from the back of the car. Three were seated, but the other four were nearly spilling out the sides of the jeep. They were waving around bottles of what Cai believed was beer.

She just watched, hoping they would drive away, but out of nowhere, a redhead named Tyler stood up and pointed straight at her. "Hey, guys!" She bellowed loud enough for Cai to here. "Look who it is!" The rest of the gang stopped their banter and stared at her.

Jeremy took a swig of his drink and tossed the bottle from the vehicle. It shattered on the pavement. "Well, well." A malicious grin spread across his face. His voice grew louder. "Someone's out a little late, don't you think?"

Cai didn't speak. Not that she didn't want to, though. In fact, she wanted very much to tell them to leave her alone, but her mouth wouldn't listen to her brain. She was standing stock still on the sidewalk, unable to move willingly.

"What are you doing out so late, huh?" A blonde girl standing in the back of the jeep spoke up. "Don't you have a curfew to be home by?" She laughed at her failed attempt of sarcasm.

Tyler wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I think we should… help her along, don't you Jeremy?

"Yeah, I think we should. Her parents might worry." Jeremy and his gang grinned wildly as he stepped on the gas. The car screeched on the road, before gained traction and lurching forward. There were more howls and calls from the passengers as the blue monster sped towards her.

Finally, Cai was able to regain control of her body. She immediately whipped around and began running for all she was worth. She threw her books to the ground as she ran. The noise of the car and its riders grew ever closer and she knew they were going to run her down. She risked a glance backwards to see the jeep was gaining. She knew she would never make it home in time. Her house was much too far away.

Cai ran for her life as the car kept coming. The rumble of the engine mad her her feel as though her bones were vibrating. She took another glimpse over her shoulder to see the jeep twist off the road an up onto the sidewalk. She returned to her gaze forward, desperately searching for a place to hide, or at least someplace that the car couldn't fit.

Her eyes caught sight of an old house that looked as if it was falling apart. The paint was peeling and the shingles on the roof were coming loose. She didn't see cars parked around the house and there weren't any lights shining through the dirty and broken windows. She thought it was her best chance. It would at least give her a few extra seconds of escape.

Cai took a hard left as the car nearly caught her ankles. She barreled up the steps and wrenched open the door. She ran up the stairs, nearly flew into one of the rooms, and hid in the closet. She sat there as her heart raced. Her breaths wavered as she fought to regain lost oxygen.

Minutes passed and there wasn't the sound of footsteps searching for her in house. She worked up the nerve to open the closet door. She took a nice long look around before calling it good. She slipped from the small room and made her way over to the window, being sure to stay out of sight. The room she was in overlooked the street she had previously been. Down on the sidewalk, with the car now parked back on the street, was Jeremy and his groupies. They were all in a line on the sidewalk, looking confused. Jake scratched his head and said something to Tyler, who then replied and said something to Jeremy. Cai couldn't hear what they were saying, but at least they weren't coming after her anymore.

Jeremy cursed to himself. That little bitch was crazy. "How could she go in there?" He asked aloud. He wasn't sure why, but he hated her guts with a burning passion. Ever since she came to Haddonfield, he'd seen her as a thing of disgust. He loved picking on her and making her feel scared out of her mind. And he was so close to finishing her off, when the creepy shit just had to go into the one house that he, nor anyone else, would dare approach.

Jake scratched his head in confusion. "I have no idea, man. Do you think she even knows about the house?"

"Apparently not." Tyler cut in. "Anyone in their right mind wouldn't dare to go into that place."

Chrissie huffed and folded her arms across her well-endowed chest. "Well, she isn't in her right mind in the first place!"

A soft spoken voice came from a pretty, brown haired girl with glasses. "Maybe she thought it was her only safety." The girl said. "Maybe she wouldn't have gone in there if we hadn't chased her."

"Shut up, Dana!" Chrissie shouted. "Admit it, you hate her, too."

"I don't hate her," Dana called back. "I just… well… She's just a student like us! She doesn't deserve to be treated badly."

Tyler shivered dramatically. "But she gives me the creeps!"

Jeremy glared at the house before hopping back into his jeep. He didn't care if the bitch wanted to die or not. "Come on, guys. If she wants to get herself killed, then let her. Just one less asshole to deal with in Haddonfield."