Chapter One

Ever since that fourteen year old girl went missing, the village has been almost disserted. People flew from the village as quick as they could, but the Wane family didn't, maybe because they didn't have much money, or maybe because they didn't believe in The Tall Man, and just called him a myth, like most people did, and as it's been one hundred years since the girl did go missing, and her body was found sexually abused and dead in the woods, you can understand why people didn't believe in him, as no one had been missing since. The Wane family had been living in Crockwell for centuries now, in the same area and on the same street, and even perhaps the same house.

   Primrose was the beloved daughter of James and Martha Wane, although they didn't have much money, she still got something's she wanted. They have not talked about The Tall Man or his legend, maybe because they were afraid too, or maybe because they didn't believe in him or both. Crockwell has been a very quiet village, with no one talking to one another, or even saying hello as they pass on the street.

   But lately Crockwell has been a place of mystery and tears, five more teenage girls have been found missing, dead by now, their bodies sexually abused and then hung. Primrose has always been a interested girl, in anything mostly, especially about the old forest behind where they live. She was sat in the backyard one day, reading her book when she saw him. A man by the build, tall, very tall, 6ft 7' to 8' wearing a heavy jacket. At first she mistaken him for being part of the trees shadow, but she looked again.

   Her heart was pumping loudly in her chest, ringing in her ears. She gripped her book, unmistakably from the tension. Her breathes were coming in short pants but her name was called, taking her mind off of him and she turned her head to the back door, where her mothers voice was coming from. She got up and walked to it, taking one last look at the man before she went in, but he wasn't there. She shook her head and closed, then locked the back door.

   She went to bed that night, being the last one up, as usual at eleven o'clock, she locked the front door and the back door and then all the windows, before she headed up to bed, her pet dog following behind her. She lay on her bed, fully clothed, before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep. She woke up, later, around one o'clock, to hear dripping, she got up and walked to her bathroom, next to her to turn the taps fully off, and then went back to sleep. She woke up again later, to hear dripping, it wasn't coming from her bathroom and she wouldn't hear any other taps in the house, she tried to ignore it and reached under her bed, to feel her dog, he licked her fingers, and she fell back to sleep, being calmed down.

   She woke up later, three o'clock to hear the dripping again, by this time she was quite fed up by it, and switched on her light. It seemed to be coming from the cupboard next to her which led up to the loft. She got out of bed and pressed her ear against the door, yep, it was definitely coming from in there. It might be a leak, and she left the trapdoor open. She opened the door slowly. As quick as lightning, so quick she didn't have time to act a gloved hand covered her mouth and then a arm wrapped itself around her body.

   She tried to yell, maybe her dog would help her, but he was dead upon the floor, gutted. She couldn't fight the man off, he was too strong, really strong, she had no chance, or any hope of escape. He carried her downstairs, she yelled for her parents but as she saw the blood trail on the floor she guessed what they might be. She kicked the man in the shin but he showed no pain, then she whimpered and started to cry, he showed no mercy for her. She was thrown over his shoulder and put in an awkward position. She kicked, she punched, she screamed but nothing seemed to get through him.

   She soon noticed she was in the old forest, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She was dropped on the ground, primrose started to crawl backwards but he grabbed her leg and pulled her towards him. She cried harder and louder, begging him to stop and let her go. He smacked her around the face and she was knocked unconscious, what he did to her then, was to anybodies imagination.

   Primrose woke up, to pain, everywhere in her body. She was still on the forest ground, the mud clinging to her back, and dead leaves in her hair. She had only just noticed she was naked, and The Tall Man was sitting besides her. She saw him grab a knife and then straddle her waist, she had no idea what he was going to do, as her mind was foggy. He dug the knife into her stomach, and she let out a ear piercing wail. It took half an hour to scar it, Primrose looked down at her stomach to read, The Tall Man was here and a arrow pointing downwards.

   He grabbed her neck and pulled her up, he wrapped a nose around her neck and then she went up in the air, her legs kicking as they tried to find the ground, her lungs bursting for air as they could find any, and then SNAP! Her neck broke, killing her instantly. The Tall Man marked himself on the arm, and if you would see him in real life, you would see his body covered in marks, counting the victims he had killed. No one ever spoke of him, no one acknowledged him, everyone believed him to be a myth. The whole village was a lie.