He turned at the sudden noise, his heart thudding again. The gate had squeaked! Someone had opened the gate and was at this moment walking towards him, to reprimand him or, he gulped, if it was one of THEM, to punish him for going against them... He ducked behind a large gravestone, just as a dark-haired woman walked slowly past. He breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't THEM, they always wore hoods or scarves to hide their hair and obscure their face and generally had some sort of insignia on them, two concentric circles enclosed in a square. This woman had jeans and a fitting shirt on. However, this did mean that he had a bigger problem on his hands. He had to make sure that she didn't follow him, whatever happened.
"Hello?" called the woman, the loud voice making him flinch, "Hello? Look, I know you're there. I saw you!" She sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "Stop playing games for goodness sake!"
He stayed as silent as possible behind the gravestone, cursing the Fates for making his life as much of a pain as they possibly could. Why did this woman have to be so loud and obnoxious? Why couldn't she be timid and scared to be in a graveyard at midnight?
***
Cate was now decidedly nervous. She would have been terrified but at that moment, thanks to the skills learnt in her line of work- when in doubt, sound confident- the loud voice and bored stance were helping her not to run away screaming at her situation. She was sure she had seen someone but now she was uncertain as to who, or what, she had seen. After all, this was a graveyard, it could have been a ghost or a zombie or... No. She shook herself out of her stupor. She didn't believe in all that rubbish. She knew there was someone there but why were they hiding?
As she was contemplating this, a rustle sounded to her right. She turned and saw a man, the same one she was sure, trying to creep out from behind the gravestone. Actually, forget try, he had already got nearly to the end of the row and was sneaking near a bush. Far too near; he had stepped into a pile of leaves and had frozen, his eyes locked on hers like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
"Hey! You!" she shouted, hating sounding so inarticulate but too desperate to catch him and talk to him to care. "Stop!" she called, stepping forward. Immediately he ran, darting this way and that about the gravestones. She cursed and ran after him, calling to him all the way.
"Stop! I just want to talk! Please, stop... please... Bugger." she finally panted, coming to a stop. She had lost sight of him and had run out of breath anyway. Where on earth had he gone? Behind another gravestone probably but which one? She scanned the area but nothing moved, nothing sounded and she had to give up the chase.
"Hello?" called the woman, the loud voice making him flinch, "Hello? Look, I know you're there. I saw you!" She sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "Stop playing games for goodness sake!"
He stayed as silent as possible behind the gravestone, cursing the Fates for making his life as much of a pain as they possibly could. Why did this woman have to be so loud and obnoxious? Why couldn't she be timid and scared to be in a graveyard at midnight?
***
Cate was now decidedly nervous. She would have been terrified but at that moment, thanks to the skills learnt in her line of work- when in doubt, sound confident- the loud voice and bored stance were helping her not to run away screaming at her situation. She was sure she had seen someone but now she was uncertain as to who, or what, she had seen. After all, this was a graveyard, it could have been a ghost or a zombie or... No. She shook herself out of her stupor. She didn't believe in all that rubbish. She knew there was someone there but why were they hiding?
As she was contemplating this, a rustle sounded to her right. She turned and saw a man, the same one she was sure, trying to creep out from behind the gravestone. Actually, forget try, he had already got nearly to the end of the row and was sneaking near a bush. Far too near; he had stepped into a pile of leaves and had frozen, his eyes locked on hers like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
"Hey! You!" she shouted, hating sounding so inarticulate but too desperate to catch him and talk to him to care. "Stop!" she called, stepping forward. Immediately he ran, darting this way and that about the gravestones. She cursed and ran after him, calling to him all the way.
"Stop! I just want to talk! Please, stop... please... Bugger." she finally panted, coming to a stop. She had lost sight of him and had run out of breath anyway. Where on earth had he gone? Behind another gravestone probably but which one? She scanned the area but nothing moved, nothing sounded and she had to give up the chase.
