Late At Night

Into The Woods And To My Death

The moon was out, shining light on the land,

turning everything an eerie gray.

The trees and grass swayed in the wind and thrashed around every single which way.

The sky was black with the occasional star glowing faintly in the distance. Luminescence from the moon caused a blanket of glitter that made the lake beside me glisten.

I sat in the forest alone, in the dark, for I had just run away from home.

Away from the pressure, away from the judgement, from everything I had once known.

Usually I'd return, the woods I was now in was used as my "Happy Place".

But this time, there was no going back; no, I left without a trace.

My parents were out so I burned my possessions and threw them into the lake.

Leaving nothing to remember, nothing to hold, nothing for me to take.

This way I was happier, alone in the woods, without having to worry about things;

like the pain and hurt, the grime and dirt, and whatever else the life I left brings.

The past is the past, what's done is done; my future is all I have left.

The life ahead with my words unsaid is now my primary quest.

As I walk down the path that acts as a trail full of fallen leaves and dust,

I am nearly pushed down to the ground by a tremendously large gust-

of wind that sends the trees themselves into a fearful fit,

A branch falls down only feet away, I was so close to being hit...

Again and again these gusts of wind wreak havoc on this dull green and dampened course.

I hear crashing of waves from the water of the lake grow greater as the wind gets worse.

Finally, it stops, nature settles down and everything is still.

Then comes a scream from the depths of the forest that is high, ominous, and shrill.

It's source is near, coming from my right, from the middle of a dense group of trees.

Then in the quiet that follows I make out the sound of shoes; underneath them crunching leaves.

The pace quickens, from a stroll to a jog, from a jog into a sprint.

For some reason I stay in the same position, waiting for some further hint-

or clue of exactly who it is that's running to its prey. Then realization hits harder than the branch that fell earlier; the running is coming my way.

I break into a sprint in the other direction, now home doesn't seem such a bad place.

This cat and mouse chase makes me quicken my pace, the run for my life has become a race.

The unknown behind me still seems to get nearer, no matter how fast I run.

Though I run and run, still I find myself being easily outdone.

I have to stop, my chest is burning, my muscles are on fire.

I must rest, I can't go on, even though the situation is dire.

I bend down to my knees to catch my breath and nearly collapse the floor, and to my surprise as I stop running, the race is now no more.

Whatever is chasing me has stopped in its tracks as I had done the same, and this only frightens me more because whoever is doing this is merely playing a game.

I stand erect, still regaining my strength, and nearly have a heart attack.

For something is behind me, breathing down my neck, poking me in the back.

A sharp stab of pain goes through my stomach and my body begins to go numb. The world around begins to fade like the last few beats of a drum.

My eyes drain of sight, my body drains of life, and I fall down to the floor.

I know it is only a matter of time before I am no more.

In these last few seconds I see a figure that hovers above the ground.

I see it look at me with soulless eyes and laugh; but it makes no sound.

It wears a cloak that is black and a hood that covers the majority of its face.

The world goes dark and my consciousness becomes less and less; home after all wasn't such a bad place.