A Creature Unlike Any Other

A creature Unlike any other

“I remember….”

I remember when I was able to sleep every night, when I was able to relax…. when I was happy. No one else can see this creature, no one will even talk to me and those who do run away with a nervous expression. The creature is tall and lanky, unsettling. He- She—It wears a long black cloak; I feel a chill anytime it comes near. I can’t help but keep running from it, keep moving and not stop. I don’t know what will happen if it catches me, but I don’t want it to.

After one close call, I hid in an alley way, aware of every creak and snap in the world around me. My lungs screaming at me to stop running. But I couldn’t stop now that thing could be anywhere. My eyes are scanning and scanning for anything, anything to tell me to keep going, anything to tell me there’s danger near. I don’t want to believe that this thing is real, it doesn’t make sense, it can’t. Lost in thought a shadow covers me, I turn to see what I feared. The same creature towering over me. I run past unable to grasp the situation calmly, the beating in my chest becoming almost too much to bare. And yet… it still follows me. Hoping to trap me in its web, it thinks it can outsmart me. If outsmarting a monster is what I have to do to survive, then I have no choice.

I pray to whomever will listen, I pray asking for forgiveness for all my sins in this life, any sins that I’m about to commit. This will be my last stand, this prayer for happiness in whatever comes next fuels my dedication.

I walk around the now darkened city, I hadn’t noticed I had come this far, that I was this far from home, this far away from them… I could feel hot tears rolling down my cheeks and a shake in my body. The thoughts of never seeing them again plagued my mind, it played in my mind with other similar thoughts.

‘Their not here.’

‘What if they forget me.’

‘…..What if I never see them again.’

These thoughts swirl in my head like a tornado, worry’s, fear, and despair reach me. I don’t want to run anymore… I will fight, but I don’t want to anymore. If it wins I’ll let it.

I’m done.

The creature approaches me, It seems to know as well as I what needs to happen. It pulls a scythe from under its black cloak. The clock from somewhere chiming, going, tik tok, tik tok, tik tok. Over and over, it goes telling me that its time. Its hard to remember, but I believe the date is October 31st, the day of Halloween, almost like my own horror movie.

The creature stepped forward as I readied my fists, I was scared, but I wouldn’t show it, couldn’t. The… thing steps closer but instead of raising its scythe to slash it reaches out a hand. A hand that is as bare as bone, a hand that has known pain. Confusion washes over, I look up into the hood, to see… a face. The face isn’t anyone I recognized but somehow felt comfort in. The thing only held its hand out to me, never a word uttered. Giving up this fight I take its hand. And in a deep, husky, and sore voice it thanks me and tells me not to run next time.

The beeping of a nearby machine wakes me up. I look over to see the heart monitor showing a steady beat, beat, beep, beep. It keeps going, I sigh as I lean my head back into the pillow, the hospital beds were never made for comfort; but it wouldn’t matter, I’m sure I’ll be out of here soon. I look over to read the small calendar on the table….

Today is October 24th.