Black Shadow

Prelude

Prelude

She hadn't seen it coming. How could she? Who sees death coming for you, especially with a smile on it's face. It loomed over her, this faceless killer who had taken millions from their homes. Their lives had ended but hers hadn't, not quite yet.

Edging away from it she clawed her way along the ground, the rocks scrapping her forearms and knees. The trail of blood behind her would be easy enough to follow but she didn't want to die alone in the dark. Dragging herself forward by the tips of her fingers she slowly moved towards the opening. Heart pounding so loud she thought it'd hear her and though it did, it was enjoying the chase, the last fight a human would commit when it knew it was going to die. It was toying with her as she gained ground out into the open.

Her arms ached, her throat was dry and her head spinning while the rain pelted her from overhead. The cold seeped through her to the bones, an unsettling chill in the air. The sky was weeping, the trees sagged and it slowly followed her, a smile visible on it's face. The fear she felt recently in relation to this creature, the pain it caused her. She knew she wasn't going to survive and she was tired of running. It'd only been a week but it felt like years.

Dropping down against the trees roots she watched it gliding closer and closer to her as it's darkened hood slid down to uncover it's face as it stepped under the shade of the tree. Coiling out from it the darkness engulfed the tree as it leaned down towards her. It had become a blur to her as her body started to shut down, with only it's outline visible and the unending darkness surrounding her. Letting go of her surroundings there was only the fear it created. Until it came back into focus and the unending scream sounded from her lips at the horror she finally saw, that had been her unending torment the past week, only now seeing it for what it truly was.