The Shadow on the Side

On those long nights where you find yourself alone, sometimes wandering the streets seems an unwise idea. You feel that even though you've lived in the neighborhood your entire life that you can recognize when danger is slithering in the bushes behind you.

This particular night, the weather was calm, warm, with a clear sky. I found myself wandering the roads on foot, alone. The entire neighborhood was quiet. Highway 85 runs not far from my home, but even tonight it was oddly still. I was out for fresh air for maybe 10 minutes before I realized why everything had become so still and silent. I could feel him before I could see him.

Behind me stood a shadow with differential height. He seemed to be having trouble calming his form and trying to blend in. I had already seen him and though he stood between me and my home, I knew that even the four walls would not keep him out. Goosebumps rose across my skin as my hair started to stand on end. There was a weird electricity in the air as he reached out for me. My breath caught and I fell to my knees, winded. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run. I was paralyzed with fear.

I have no idea how long I was frozen in his presence. Time stopped as the world blackened under that street light. Thankfully headlights of a car broke through his hold on me. I felt like 10 years of my life had been ripped away. The pain left when the connection was forcefully broken was immense. Even my veins were throbbing in pain. I looked up breathless where he once stood. The car was stopped where he once stood. The driver stepped out of it and started yelling my name. My cousin had come to the rescue.

"I just had a feeling, you know?"

I never found out what that thing was. I haven't seen him since. On nights when I find myself feeling the pull of the night, I decide to stay in and read instead. He is one entity I never wish to meet again.