Her Last Gasp

  The autumn air was crisp, and almost electric. The sky was getting darker and darker until it was almost completely black as a large wall cloud raced in from the west. Meteorologists had been tracking "the storm of the decade" for weeks, curious to see what nasty conditions would trail behind it. Children in the small town of Norburn pressed their innocent faces against the windows of their homes watching in awe as it came closer. Their parents did the same, expecting the worst. Outside the dead leaves scattered about as the wind continued to intensify. Echo Ratchford knew what the storm would bring. She had seen it many times before, through a recurring nightmare. It was the perfect weather. It was finally time for "the shadow man" to make his ominous arrival.

Lightning struck, and a beautiful tint of purple illuminated the clouds behind it. This was only the first stage of the massive storm, but it was already destructive. The wind howled and the rain pounded hard on the ground, making it impossible to see anything at all. That included the shadow man.

Echo waited for the man who caused all of this. She knew what he wanted, and she was the only one who had it. She fumbled with her hands, a sign of worry. She couldn't help but wonder why her? Why was she the chosen one? She closed her eyes for a split second, hoping to wake up from whatever nightmare she had trapped herself in. Thunder cracked and her eyes flung open, she was still there and this time not alone.

Her eyes met complete darkness, but she knew he was there. She could sense him. She could feel his dead, cold eyes watching her from every direction. She knew there was only one shadow man, but didn't know the extent of what he was capable of. She watched, kept her eyes locked on the same spot hoping to see him. Lightning struck, and still no sign. Echo began counting.

One.....two....thr-.....

Thunder clapped and a freezing hand touched the back of her neck. It's fingers were long and narrow. Almost sickly bony, and no flesh could be felt. She turned around quickly and saw him. Where there should have been a face, there wasn't. It was black, ominous, and empty. He wore nothing but a dark grey cloak, which was hooded for his protection. Echo had seen this man before, but he still managed to send shivers down her spine.

The storm continued to ruin everything around them. Echo stood still, knowing the next words to escape her mouth may change the course of history. Nervously, she mumbled waiting for the words to escape. Her body wouldn't allow any noise to break through, not shocking for someone struck with ten different kinds of fear. After moments of contemplation, she finally built up enough courage to speak.

"I brought it as you asked" she trembled. She was staring into a dark orb, where his face should've been, hoping to see some sort of facial feature. Nothing, but she could feel his emotions for some reason, and she knew he was smiling. It wasn't your average smile, it was a much more twisted and sinister one.

"Thank you". His voice was almost deafening it was so loud. The storm, to Echo's surprise had stopped as he spoke. It was almost as if he had froze time, for that very moment. Everything was calm, too calm for her liking. She was distracted by his voice, and the disappearance of the storm to realize all he had said.

"What did you say?" she questioned nervously, not knowing if asking again was the right thing to do.

"Thank you, young Echo" the shadow man sneered. It was as if he was trying to mock her.

"I'm sorry?"

"What don't you understand? You have what I want. I will take what I want. I shouldn't even need to thank you child. I can sense your fear, that is why I am. I was hoping it would make the process easier."

The shadow man knew how to toy around with emotions. He had done it several times before with other children. Some were older than Echo, some younger, but they all experienced the same fate, and Echo would soon meet her fate as well.

After hearing all the shadow man had to say, Echo was furious. With all the hard work she had to go through just to make it this far, all she had gotten was a 'thank you', an insincere one at that. She could feel his smile fade, and she didn't know what to expect next.

"Is a thank you not good enough for you?" Anger filled Echo, but these emotions weren't hers, at least not presently. She couldn't help but stumble backwards. His boisterous voice moved back with her. You have to stand your ground, echo. This is only a dream, you'll wake up shortly, and it will all be over.

"Thank you is not much of a response considering-..." She couldn't get her full sentence out before he was screaming again.

"Considering what?!"

Echo took a deep breath, contemplating if she should be brave or stop before she made things worse. She had not always been brave, but quickly learned when she started experiencing these authentic and lucid nightmares. The shadow man looked at her, the best that he could.

"Considering what?!" He screamed again, this time closing in on her. She continued to back up until she had backed herself into a corner that was once not there. He was controlling everything.

"Considering what?! Tell me!!!!" At that point, Everything came back. Screams filled the air as the glass shattered into the hopeless children's faces. Parent's cuddled their children, crying as they knew the end was near. Thunder cracked in the distance and lightning displayed a horrific, yet somehow beautiful light show behind the clouds. The wall cloud had finally progressed into an enormous funnel. Nothing was going to stop the shadow man. Not now, Not ever. He would never leave Echo alone.

"A thank you is not good enough considering the cost!" Echo screamed, as her back slammed into the corner and she fell to her knees.

Echo gasped and fumbled to cover her mouth, but she was frozen still. She tried to close her eyes as the shadow man began to reveal his true face. Her eyes were locked on his. She tried to scream, hoping someone would hear her desperate cries for help, but the storm was too intense. This one loud gasp, would be her last.

Echo Ratchford knew she was dreaming. She knew her parents had to work late. She knew she should've stayed awake until they got home, but she didn't. She knew there was no one home to hear her screams. We never know what will happen when we say our prayers and drift off to sleep. Some of us wake the next day, and some of us don't. Echo, at this very moment knew she wouldn't wake up tomorrow. She slowly took her last gasp as the shadow man smiled, he had taken another victim. Her name was scratched off of his list, and a new one emerged; John Claude-VanDam.