Post by CertainUncertainty on Apr 22, 2015 10:34:02 GMT -6
Insomniac
For the fourth night in a row, I was unable to fall asleep. Seriously. I tried everything I could think of - warm shower, read a book, glass of milk, sleeping pills - but still I was left staring at the ceiling. Count sheep. That was the only thing I hadn't tried, so I gave it a go.
Fifteen minutes later I gave up on that too.
With a heavy sigh, I rolled out of bed. There was no point in wasting time lounging around. Maybe I just needed a walk. It was late - terrible idea in hindsight - but if I stuck to the building's perimeter, I should be okay. I stuck my feet into my favorite pair of shoes and tugged on a coat. Just a quick, brisk walk around the building.
Outside it was quiet, weird for the section of the city I lived in. There was a highway nearby and the street the building was on was a popular one. I figured, if anything happened, then someone would be able to hear me if I needed help.
My footfalls on the pavement echoed, the shadows seemed to ripple with each step. The first corner I turned was fine. All was well, no suspicious characters though the absence of sound still irked me. It was just too quiet. I might have heard a dog bark off in the distance and maybe even a passing car, but it seemed muffled, muted even.
When I turned the second corner, I knew something was definitely wrong.
Suddenly, it got colder and there wasn't any sound at all - no wind, distance noise, nothing. A chill ran up my spine as fear quickly set in. I didn't see anything but cars from the building's tenants in their normal spaces. A light post flickered, off and on, suddenly a man was standing underneath it.
Holy shit.
I made an about face and hauled ass in the direction I came from. I hadn't seen the man's face, but his shoulders were too square to be a woman. He was taller than me, so if he really wanted to attack me, I'd have a tough time fighting him off. The fear I felt escalated, and it seemed like the shadows were darker, more like ink. Something was definitely off.
I was near the first corner again, and noticed too late that the man was there. I skidded to a stop, then took a few steps back. He raised his hand and his shadow darted out ahead of him towards me.
I screamed and turned again, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"
A light cut on inside one of the apartments as I ran by, so I drew breath to scream again but something slammed into the back of me, knocking me to the ground. The force of it left me breathless, slightly light-headed. I rested on my forearms as I blinked, trying to clear the hazy feeling. Fuck that hurt. Something wrapped around my ankle and I looked back. It was the shadows. Inky black tendrils snaked their way up my legs, fueling the fire to fight and I tried to at least get to my knees, but as his steps got closer, the shadow got stronger.
Foolishly, I reached back in an attempt to grab whatever it was so I could free myself, but instead lost my arm to it. With only one arm to try to get away with, I knew I wouldn't make it. Again, I tried to scream for help, but this time the concrete underneath me gave way suddenly and I fell into a void.
Fucking insomnia.
