I Will Follow You

Recap:

Mari received an envelope with a verse of lovely poetry inside of it. It was a love letter. She thought that Jeremy was the one who sent the letter to her so she was so ecstatic and over the moon about it.

Continuation

It was late in the afternoon, the sun is beginning to set and the dusk is overtaking the beautiful sky. Mari was all alone in the riverside just under the bridge practicing her swings.

She was firmly holding onto the metal bat and swinging against the air as if she was hitting an imaginary ball thrown at her at a very high speed. The swooshing sound and the swish are really audible from the sheer force she was batting. It was a quiet twilight time and she felt like she was one with her surroundings.

From the corner of her eye, a quick and sharp glimmer of light shone from nowhere and she thought that she heard a clicking sound similar to a shutter. She paused and let her bat hit the ground. She slowly turned towards the direction of the light that distracted her.

"Hello?! Is anybody there."

Before she knew it, the darkness of the night crept like a venomous snake and the sun called it a day and it was totally dark. There were streetlights but their artificial lights wouldn't cover but a tiny part of the place.

She took a little step forward and called out again.

"Hello? Who's out there?"

Her grip on the handle of the bat became tighter as she wounded it up over her shoulder and was ready to strike. With utmost care and gradual speed, she stepped closer again. With a scattering sound and panic flattering, Mari was sent back to the ground landing on her butt. Numerous birds flew away from the bush. She took a deep breath and let out a big sigh of relief and her fears were truncated since she then learned that it may have been the birds that she heard. They could have made the sound from pecking on the styro food container on the ground.

She picked up the trash and took it with her to throw away in the garbage bin under the lamppost.

She then picked up her things and decided to walk back home.

While she was walking, she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was someone behind her. She walked faster and put her head on a swivel so she could be wary of her surroundings.

She may have been posing as a delinquent in school, but Mari was not stupid, she knows that she wouldn't walk away scathe-free when push comes to shove and she was cornered by some assailants. She thought that she would have an advantage if she's in a place that she knows best.

She turned into a corner and slowly walked so she could see if she's really being followed. And when she looked back there were multiple silhouettes behind her, she didn't wait for them to get anywhere closer and she ran as fast as she could.

She ran and ran without looking back. The fear she was feeling and the fatigue all the running is giving her is slowly but steadily taking a toll on her breathing. She took turns on the corners of the street in an attempt to lose her pursuers.

When she reached the brighter part of town she began to feel dizzy and out of breath. She didn't let herself be fazed and she kept on running until her sight became all blurry.

The door opened in the presence of Mari and on the other side, Jeremy was standing in wait.

"Welcome to McDon...Mari?" he wasn't able to finish the greeting and he was grateful that he was able to catch Mari as she fell unconscious into his arms.

"Mari!"

When she came to, Mari opened up her eyes and she saw Jeremy's face looking down on her. She reached out to touch his face, "Oh Jeremy..." she then closed her eyes and pouted her lips as if expecting a kiss.

Jeremy looked down at Mari's face as she woke up. He managed to carry her into the breakroom of the fast-food chain and he laid her there. He felt bad for laying her head on the hard metal piece of the chair so he used his lap as a pillow. Mari opened up her eyes and she looked a little bit dazed. She pouted her pink lips and Jeremy stared at them and he felt a warm breeze crawl upon his face. His lips pouted themselves but he took control over himself back in time.

Mari, regaining her consciousness opened her eyes once again and blinked three times. She immediately got up but Jeremy's head was on the way and they bumped into each other's forehead.

"Ouch!"

"W....w...what am I doing here? Where is this place? Why am I here?" Mari was so embarrassed and her face so flushed.

"You were running, and you lost consciousness in front of the restaurant," Jeremy answered while gently scratching his forehead.

"So why were you running anyway?"

"Oh yes, that. I thought I was being followed."

Mari narrated the whole situation in front of Jeremy.

"Is that so? Are you alright? Have you seen who's following you?"

"I didn't get a good look at their faces. It was so dark and I was scared."

Jeremy observed that Mari's hands were shaking as she was relating to him her story. He thought that Mari was a girl after all. Behind all those delinquent stuff, she was still a high school girl, frail and delicate inside.

"Would you like to call the police? Your parents?"

"Nah it's alright, I'm not even sure that they were after me. Maybe I was just a tad paranoid."

"Alright, you just stay here and rest. I'll walk you home after my shift. Is that okay?"

Mari just nodded shyly.

"I'll bring you something to eat."

And with that, she has forgotten about her ordeal and she was able to smile.

Hi you!!

How have you been? May this day bring you a wonderful experience and a whole lot of positive vibes. Also, a lot of smiles I hope, it's a better world when you are all smiles, you look a whole lot better smiling.

That was a scary bit that Mari experienced. So you..take care always okay? Stay away from the dark parts of the streets.

Anyhow, I really appreciate you being here, and as always...

Cheers!!!

Author's Links

Noise : https://noise.cash/u/MeitanteiKudo

Torum: https://www.torum.com/signup?referral_code=meitanteikudo

Telegram:meitanteikudo

Twitter : boynextdoor1409

Series    : The (Not So) Perfect World of Jeremy
Episode   : 031
Title     : I Will Follow You
Published : 15-Nov-2021
Author :  © RB