Where Shadows Lurk (A Poor Example of My Writing Ability)

Darkness

        I stand on the edge of my porch in the cold air my breath makes clouds in front of my face. I can't help but take a mental panorama of the peaceful scenery. The stillness is calming. The darkness, soothing. I take a step down from the small patio of the foster building, and start walking. Pulling my heavy hoodie closer around me. Not that I was cold, I just didn't want to get seen. It's a dangerous thing to be out so late for me. Well, not dangerous per say. And it's not just dangerous for me, everyone I walk by is in just as much danger as I am. But, I am the only one who knows he is in danger. It's the fear that kills me.

        I see one out of the corner of my eye, this one is following an old lady. They tend to hang around the elderly, easy prey. This one looks like an oversized dog, the same glowy-purple markings that they all have. This creature in particular has a mouth that seems to split all the way down the length of its body. The shadows it stands in seem to be fused with it's feet and seems to tug back on it as it walks making its movements staggered and slow. I keep watching it out of the corner of my eye until the old lady walks under a lamp, the light spreads far around the sidewalk of the city. The beast looks to almost take a step, and then walks in the opposite direction. I let out a shaky breath and continue walking.

        The questions always bug me... What would I have even done, anyway? I could have helped her, But here? In the middle of the city? I would be better off walking back to my apartment and curling into a ball on my bed and trying to forget I let her die.

        The worst part is, is what happens after they manage to kill you. You don't just die, you are erased. Like you never even existed. No one to mourn your loss. Nothing to remember you by. They aren't just hungry creatures, they're self-righteous reapers. Killing who they please.

        As far as I can tell, they don't even need to kill. They do it... Almost for the fun of it...

        I stop dead in my tracks, I wasn't paying attention, and now, inches from my face, it's breath gently pushing on my dark hair, stands it. The dog-like creature I had seen following the elderly lady. It senses I could see it. I shouldn't have stopped... I have no choice now... No, maybe it didn't notice my faltering step. I can still get away form this...

        I start walking again, only barely moving around the beast making it look more like I am moving with the group that had walked by. When they notice me pushing through them they give me weird looks and some shout at me through the gentle city noise: "Hey, kid, watch where you are going!"

        "Sorry..." I reply quietly and push through the small crowd. I was wrong, the creature is still hot on my tail, climbing switly around obstacles and leaping effortlessly over large groups of people. I curse under my breath and turn to face it as it closes in, I look around for a place to fight it. I choose an ally, taking a sprint in its direction only looking back for a second to see it still following.

        When I reach the ally, I run all the way to the end, and turn. I see the creature squeezing into the small space of the alley, it's shadowy shapeless body changing and shrinking only slightly. I take a few calming breaths to try to concentrate. Reaching out with my mind into the darkness around me, pulling on the very material that makes up the things. It snarls, deep and angry. It is inches from my face by the time my mind gets a shaky grip around the darkness and i am able to control tendrils of it, lashing them out at the creature. The dark tentacles slash across the beast sending purple fog blood into the air. It screeches ear-splittingly and I lose concentration. Bad mistake. It slams its body onto me, knocking the breath out of me. It's chilling body keeps me pressed into the ground and keeps my mind racing.

        I make strangled noises as it warps it's body into a great serpent wrapping around me and caressing my head in it's forked tongue. I wince away from its maw, feeling it crushing me slowly. I curse at myself and my bad concentration trying harder to forget I am dying. To forget that I am fighting... I am simply back at home, playing with lesser shadows on the walls, killing them like a child kills ants. My eyes pulse a brighter green then their normal dull green color and it knows it has messed up. It tries to sliver away but the shadowed sword that had formed around my hand was already driving deep into its black, purple-marked flesh "Die!" I yell at it as I bring the sword up, cutting a huge gash up its body and send it into a burst of black and hues of purple.

        The sword unravels from around my hand and I feel myself falling too little too late. I am unable to catch myself as I fall backward smashing my head into the solid ground. I maintain my consciousness for a few minutes, feeling my warm blood pool around my head as i begin slipping away.

        It's strange, I thought I had heard laughing as I slipped away... The laughter of something purely evil. Such darkness in its laugh, it surprised me. That is the last thing I can remember from that night.

        The deep, soul-piercing laughter of the undefeatable. Someone who is truly happy that I am lying there, dying. I knew there was no way it could be human, but the silhouette I saw walking away looked pretty human to me.

Hello everyone and any fans of Where Shadows Lurk! I've started rewriting so here's the first chapter! Not much has changed, a few grammar and spelling errors and a few minor details changed.