What Hides in The Shadows

e.

Peeling and hidden behind layers of black mold, the walls gave off a chilling darkness. Corners were filled with dust and skeletons of the past, painted in shadows and cloaked in smoke. Dense and stagnant the air was, having not been disturbed for decades. Dented and decaying, utilities littered the damp ground. All the color had fled the objects long ago; however, gruesome red stains streaked some of the walls and accented the dismal earth underfoot.

Beginning to wander, the dark haired man stepped into the room. Immediately he coughed, having been the first one to breathe this air for years. His eyes squinted, thinking he saw someone standing in the corner. He calls out a greeting, more of question due to the fact that he doesn't know what he is seeing. Inching slowly forward, his feet scrape the ground, breathing labored, heartbeat elevated. Again, he asks if there is anyone there.

The shadow turns around and runs toward the man, shoving him onto the ground. He yells, terrified. Cold surrounds him, nearly to suffocation. His limbs become tingly, and his brain refuses to function. Gasping for air, he looks up to see the shadows twisting, retreating to the comfort of the corners, to wait for another victim.

The man just lays, accepting.