Dark, morbid, quiet calm. The forest stands ahead in a smattering of dark greens and browns. Melting into one another; a looming skyline backlit by the waxing moon. The treetops above melting with the moon, yet there is no light streaming onto the mossy ground. Twisted and gnarled branches grabbing and tearing. The quiet is broken by the panting of a ghastly face. Harsh and labored. The moss and algae covering the decayed and dying leaves soften the footfalls. Running. Running. Running.

"There's nowhere else to go," is hissed from between glinting teeth, sharp as knives, under the leering gaze of a man. Walking calmly. Stalking. Hunting. As if taking a nice stroll in the dead of night was commonplace. Although, perhaps, for him it is. Indicative only by the way he knows where to go. Walking, striding, hunting in his own territory.

Not much longer does a jackrabbiting heartbeat end. One final step over the whitecaps. One moment running, the next silence. No moon, no trees, no man with too many teeth and ominously glowing eyes that seem to know too much. Enjoying in the torment of those who don't or can't understand, and won't believe what's right in front of them. There is nothing around but a dark, morbid, quiet calm.

Adan doesn't remember his week starting like this. It didn't start out horribly, or foreboding. There were no omens of imminent danger and terror. It started on a sunny day with blue skies, maybe a couple of clouds, but otherwise nothing that screamed to stay inside and locked away until the danger passed.

"Adan! Wake up, son, you've got school in about an hour and I am about to hit the hay" Sheriff Mendoza chuckled as he watched his floundering son pinwheel upright. Long limbs scrabbling every which way on his way to the closet for some new clothes and a fresh towel. "Don't forget to pack a lunch this morning, I don't have enough for a school lunch."

"Good morning to you too, dad" Came the grumbled reply as Adan passed his father, giving him a tight hug and a quiet "thanks," as he passed by to the bathroom.

"Make sure you and Scott don't get into too much trouble today, okay son?" As warm whiskey eyes pulled back from the hug to stare into light grey. Said whiskey brown rolling at his father's common statement.

"Hey! It's not my fault Harris hates me! I barely do anything, and he hands me a detention for it," Adan squawked as his dad walked back towards his bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," the Sheriff continued to chuckle as he yawned on his way to his own room. "I love you, son, have a good day."

"I love you too, dad," came the muffled exclamation, as the showerhead turned on.

Arriving at school, Adan parked near the back of the lot to avoid the fancy Porsche and it's owner in the front row. "Great, Jason is already here. Probably waiting to sling another insult in my direction when I walk in," he mumbled under his breath, getting him and his things out of his baby blue jeep and heading towards the school.

"Adan! Hey buddy! What are you doing after school," Adan's best friend, Scott, came rushing up to him. Curly black hair flopping on his way, and crooked tanned jaw breaking out into a wide grin upon jogging over.

"Hey, Scotty-boy, I assume taking you home based on the hopeful expression on your face is anything to go by," Adan chuckled as he got inside and headed towards his first class, stopping by his locker to get some textbooks out. Before Scott could answer, he felt his neck hairs rising from being watched. Closing his locker, and looking around, he saw Jackson glaring him down from the other side of the hall. "Great, Jason spotted me, let's head to English now Scott. Speaking of, did you ever end up studying for the quiz, or were you still mooning over Alice?"

"Hey! We broke up last week, give a chance to grieve man! Not cool," said boy blushed as he seemed to lose focus on what was around him. "Also, I did study, despite your skeptic look. I told you, and my mom, that school would be coming first this year!"

"I know, buddy, I just love to tease you. You make it so easy. But, regardless, I'll be here for you if you need help. It was a big risk for you to take AP English this year, I don't want you to fail."

"Thanks, but you know we can't study together. We end up just eating junk food and playing video games. I-"

"What are the happy couple talking about, besides getting each other off," snickered Jason as he slung his arms around the two best friends. Earning an eye roll from Adan, and Scott ducking out from under his arm.

"Leave us alone, Jason, we can smell the ass on your breath-"

"Watch it Mendoza, or you'll get a taste of more than just that," the jock replied, making a lewd gesture and shoving the teen into the adjacent wall of lockers. Before Adan could reply, the first bell rang, giving everyone a couple of minutes before being considered late. Jackson shoved off from the boy, and continued on to class, chuckling with his lacrosse teammates on the way.

"Ugh, he's such an ass," Adan spat as he headed in his own direction, mentally preparing for the day if it was going to start with Jason harassing him yet again.

"Don't worry, Adan, he's just a bully. Plus, we have a quiz to take, to let's just try and focus on that," Scott chirped back happily. Ever the optimist, Adan knew he could get through anything with his best friend by his side. His mind began to wander back to the quiz, and the dark haired lacrosse captain who only seemed to glare at Adan while Jason was holding him up against the locker. Stupid, glowering, golden boy Diego Wright. He was the talk of the school. Everyone wanted to be with him, but not Adan, not at all.

From the woods, a pair of eyes glowed dangerously at hearing what was going on. A deep growl echoing in the silence at someone else touching what didn't belong to them. Slinking back into the darkness of the woods, the man kept planning and plotting the final details to finally get what was his. Nothing could stop him from finally taking. After watching and waiting for so long. Soon. Soon he would be able to finally claim.