Lurking in the dark

It's out there in the dark somewhere; I can hear it breathe behind me - the hot blow of its breathing raising the short fragile hair on the back of my head. Maybe if I stand still it won't notice I'm here. I know its weakness, as long as everything is dead quiet it can't sense anyone's presence, but at the first sound it knows where you hide and will run for the kill. There is no escaping it. "Patience is a virtue" they say; well I think this "little" guy's life is guided by this principle. You can't stand still forever right? It is counting on that so it lurks in the shadows waiting for your one simple gesture.

My limbs are tired. Even breathing is torture. I have to be very careful with my every muscle movement. Sometimes I fear that even blinking too fast will endanger me; it's like you're trapped in a narrow chamber and if you dare take one little step you'll active the spikes in the walls that will pierce through your body.

Something makes me think that this fiend has moved away from me, somewhere close to my location that I am sure of. I can no longer feel its breath touching my skin. This makes me anxious. I didn't hear one thing when it stepped away from me – even the air didn't move around my weakening body. Until now I had somewhat control over it, but now… it can be anywhere. For as much as I know it could be staring me in the face right now.

How do I get myself in these situations? My mind is invaded by so much fear and insecurity right now that I can't even remember exactly how I ended up in this God forsaken place. But I struggle to remember, yearning for my memory – maybe if I can recall everything I can find a way out of this, maybe not… but it's worth trying, after all, this would also provide occupation during my struggle to stand still. This way I have something to concentrate upon and forget about everything else; maybe I'll get lucky and my heart will stop skipping beats and avoid having it pound too loud – every little noise could result in my death.

I remember waking up this morning with the sun shining down my face. Its golden warm rays were gently caressing my skin as I was rubbing my weary eyes. When I got out of bed my feet touched the cold floor releasing a shiver through my body. I walked towards the kitchen, dragging my feet, to make myself some coffee. I spent the next ten minutes desperately searching for some sugar, but as always I had forgot to go shopping the other day – I need a wife. Black coffee it is then. I was still tired and felt dizzy as I was stirring my deadly, judging by the color and the foul smell, liquid. But I closed my eyes and drank it all up faster than you can say "This is the worst coffee ever." I instantly felt its effect; it was as if someone pressed my "start" button and all my senses were pushed to the limit. Too bad it only lasts for a while, otherwise there'd be no addiction and in that case from where would the coffee makers get their money from?

Since it was Saturday I decided it's time for a little morning jogging in the forest. Have to at least stay in shape or otherwise they ladies will avoid me even worse than they already do. What's wrong with me anyway? I'm smart, I'm not that bad looking, I'm mannered… my IQ is higher than the normal average, actually scored almost perfect at my latest test. I guess that maybe I'm too smart for their liking. You can't actually toy with a mind that's meant to toy with yours, can you?

The sun was still up shining and the forest air was as fresh as it had always been. The birdies sang their usual melodies as trees accompanied them with their eternally wonderful symphonies. Who in the world would think about bringing along an I-Pod when you can listen to this utmost relaxing nature concert? If I'm not mistaken I think I even raced a deer to the riverside. Yes, I did. I actually remember how my muscles were contracting as my brain sent frightening impulses that ran like crazy through my body. It was as if the brain was the master and the muscles were slaves and the impulses were whips used to force them into focusing on obeying the orders given. When I reached the riverside, and had the deer outrun me by a shameful amount of meters, I took a break and sat there listening to the water squeezing its way through the rocks. Not more than fifteen maybe twenty minutes passed by and I decided it was time to get back to business. I saw the deer from behind the trees gazing at me with its olive eyes – "No; I don't want another race, enough humiliation for one day, thank you!" and with these words the little creature ran off chasing a yellow butterfly.

As I was running I felt strange; as if someone was watching me pinning me to the ground with only their gazing. I stopped for a second, jogging in place, and took a look around, but there wasn't anything out there except for the red and yellow trees. I thought that maybe that wretched coffee was "out to get me", angry that there wasn't any sugar to blend with its molecules. The wind was gently blowing, scattering leaves and signing a song that resembled man using a wooden flute in a classical music concert.

I cannot recall what I was thinking at that moment, but I do know that I didn't expect to trip right in that place where there weren't any rocks or anything else that could have stood in my way. I had hit my head, the strike provoking a somewhat harmless hemorrhage – nothing an ordinary bandage couldn't stop, if I had only one… and I think that was the first time I got really scared. I think it was the scent of blood that lured this demon towards me, but then again, if that was the case, then why doesn't it rip me apart right now as I'm standing in this dark place with blood pouring down my jaded face? At the same time I can't really think about any other logical explanation. Maybe it's one of those "I like to play with my helpless victims" type of monster. What's funny is that, if it is so, then I would be talking about the type of monster that I loved reading about in books and now that same monster is scaring the heck out of me – if it doesn't kill me quicker I might have a heart attack and spoil its fun. Anyway, I can't remember anything from that point on. Although I don't like admitting it, I think I fainted – and I'm sure I did if I ever got to see it.

I don't know for how long I can stand still like this. I can almost hear my muscles screaming with pain and feel my skin sweating as if I was working somewhere with a very high temperature. And what's worse is that I don't have any thoughts to help me ignore all of this. I wish I could see at least ten percent of what surrounds me, see if there is any way I could run to if somehow I'd make this demon chase me.

Every second feels like a day and every breath stings my lungs. For a moment there I thought I saw a light flickering somewhere distant, but I'm sure I'm just imagining things. I feel like I'm the desert desperate for water and having hallucinations of crystal clear water springs bathing the burning sand.

If I were to turn around searching for something that would help me escape I think it would take at least one hour of intense concentration upon not making any sound at all as I'm turning. A sudden pain struck through my back as lighting strikes in a stormy night. If you could ever imagine how hard it was to stand as still as one can and make not one sound while feeling tore apart… and after tormenting myself into not revealing my location, suffering in silence, it happened. I was bound to die. Due to the pain being so intense I released it through hot drops of sweat and fate stepped in. A small simple drop hit the ground making the faintest noise the human ear could ever perceive, but I knew the demon heard it and I knew this was the beginning of the end. Of my end.

I quickly turned as I heard the demon running towards me and there it was! My salvation, my deepest desire. A light! A small circle of light. I knew it had to lead towards the outside somewhere, it was my only escape, but it seemed so far away… I thought I would never reach it in time.

I ran; ran as fastest as I could, as fast as anyone could after going through what I had gone through. First thing that came to mind was "Where in the name of Lord is that deer? I'd show her. Outrunning me like that! Humph! Who does she think she is? If she were running by my side right now she'd lose my trace after the first two seconds." What a dumb thought considering the situation. Of all things in the world… strange the human mind, isn't it?

Somewhere behind the beast was probably close to reaching me; its breath pounding in my head, pumping up my adrenaline. My feet tiring, my heart weakening, the light seemed still so far away, so out of reach… could I stop and fight this creature? Or would it rip me apart before I even realized I had stopped? If I get out of here alive and safe I'll buy myself a bazooka and hire five SWAT dudes to jog along with me the next time I'm in for some exercise.

Must keep thinking. It's the only thing that would help me right now. When I get lost in my thoughts I could be walking on burning coal and wouldn't realize it even if half of my body was on fire. The light seemed to get closer. Or was I imagining things again? Before I had a chance to answer that the beast swung his sharp claws at me and cut through my skin unrevealing my flesh. There goes my theory about the burning coal underneath my feet.

My mind, for an instant, was completely separated from me. For a few seconds I thought that the light had gone off and I was about to fall to my knees in desperation, but then I realized that I had closed my eyes tight, my teeth screeching as I was trying to ignore the pain and keep running. It was as if I could think, but was not aware of anything else my body does. The creature was gaining on me. I heard it groan and swinging once more at me, but only this time I got lucky and it missed. I thought I ran for hours, maybe days when I finally reached the "entrance" to the outside. I felt so happy that I got out of there that I almost forgot that thing was still after me.

Decaying leaves breaking underneath my feet, the sun setting quickly as if it didn't want to participate at this life-or-death race, but I didn't give up. A whole flock of demons could be after me and I still wouldn't stop running for anything in the world. Where there is will, there is a way. Too bad that the one who came up with that saying didn't build an arrow pointing towards the way… oh well can't have them all.

I don't know how, but suddenly I was very close to home. I dared to look behind and to my surprise there wasn't anything behind me, not even a bunny rabbit. I would have stopped, but the chicken in me told me to keep running and so I did. When I got home I closed all my doors and windows, everything that could have meant an entrance to my house. I would have put up another brick wall if I could. I called the police and told them to come quickly as something was after me with deadly intentions. In two minutes I could hear the police cars gathering in front of my house – I was safe; no matter how vicious this creature was it surely wasn't stupid enough to put up a fight with men with guns, unless it had a Kevlar vest that I didn't know of. I told the sheriff everything that happened and he looked at me as if I was telling him about a movie I saw last night. He asked me if I took any drugs or medicine that could have provoked hallucinations. In a way I was expecting that, but a part of me was trying to think that he would believe at least one bit of what I say – of course I was wrong. I tried to convince him that hadn't gone insane and that everything I saw was true, but all was in vain.

For months I insisted upon this matter and at one point the sheriff got sick and tired of the subject and sent some of his men to look for the monster. They didn't find anything. A few months later he sent another troop, but they were unlucky as well. Seeing that I just wouldn't back of with this subject he took matters into his own hands and called medical help. An ambulance quickly arrived and some "men in white" took me away to the hospital.

After endless months of therapy and psychiatric help, they doctors decided it would be best for me if I got locked away in a straight jacket in the room with the padded walls. The more I said I wasn't crazy they more the believed I was. Rumors say that some of the people in town had gone missing. The police couldn't find them, nobody had heard from them… nothing; it was if they magically disappeared. The sheriff then came to visit me asking about the monster that had chased me long ago. I told him about its exact location and every cop in town was sent to check out that cave. They went deep, reaching its end and didn't find anything. Not even traces of blood or anything else that could point to something living there and killing people. That was the last time anyone from the police ever asked me about my, as they call it, imaginary friend. And yet people kept missing, but nobody would ever think that what I say is true. But I know the truth. I know it better than anyone else. I was never more certain that what I had gone through was real, not just a bad dream or a hallucination.

Sometimes at night and I can hear it groan in the forest, I can feel its breath on the back of my head, I can sense its presence lurking in the dark… no, I'm not insane, they are for not believing me. But they will believe me. They will. When they'll be struggling in that demon's grip they'll be sorry they didn't listen to me and I'll be happy to hear about their death.