Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Be Afraid of What's in It.

Hometown

     I live in a small town on the edge of The Lake. I've lived here my entire life. I've never wanted to leave. But only recently have I noticed something: it's nice enough during the day, but at night it's...eerie. That's the only way I can think to put it. Because of this, I avoid leaving my house at night. Unfortunately, tonight, because I was held back by my boss at the accounting firm, I was forced to drive home in the dark. For the first few minutes everything was fine. I was slightly anxious, but otherwise fine.
     Then It started. I don't have a name for "It", but I noticed that the few headlights that occasionally passed me resembled shards of ice looking for something to impale so closely that I shivered violently. The dark outside seemed to press against my windows, it settled into my mouth only to escape with every rattled breath I took, the darkness put so much pressure on the windows that I was sure they would shatter. I returned my focus to the road. I realized I took a wrong turn, in my rear view mirror the highway spread out behind me like a worm writhing its way through the dead earth. Foliage surrounded me, animals peered out of the leaves with eyes like yellow bruises, and the trees...the trees seemed to whisper threatening things, so vile and terrible I thought I'd be sick.
     I managed to turn the car around. After what seemed like an eternity, I was back on the highway. The veins on my arm were leaping off my skin, I could feel every nerve tingling.
     Finally, I once again recognized where I was. I passed over the large bridge cutting across the river. I remembered a boy killed himself here roughly a year ago. The death was strange; he used a knife. He didn't jump. It seemed like he'd wanted to leave a message at the time. Now I don't care. I just want to get home.
     These disturbing thoughts preoccupied my mind. I barely saw the hitchhiker on the other side of the road. Her eyes were soulless, her face gaunt. She looked like a ghost. I didn't understand why these thoughts invaded my brain.

     As of now I am close to my house. I am so close I can feel the warm living room, the light of the TV. But I feel as if I'm being followed, and there's a ringing in my ears that sounds more like a scream. I feel like I'm being watched. I feel like the animals with the bruised eyes are surrounding me. My chest feels hollow, or to better describe it, it feels like a box that is slowly being inhabited by spiders, crawling and clicking, watching my soul from the ledges of my ribs.
     I pass the park that sits beside the church graveyard. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there are children there right now. Alive or dead, I'm not completely sure.
     I see my house. It and the dwellings surrounding it stare at me mournfully, as if they are on the brink of death. I pull up in my driveway. Slowly, the darkness seemed to loosen up. Everything seems to return to normal. I look at the clock. I only left work five minutes ago.