I understood then. I understood what it all meant. Everything that happened. The man pulled his hand away from it and then pointed and mangled finger toward it before, very clearly, shaking his head from side to side. All I could find myself doing was nodding.
He wasn't the one trying to harm me. All this time, all those instances, he was trying to protect me. That creature could only come in the light. And this mangled man had been trying to keep me safe. He didn't want someone else to repeat his mistakes.
I moved out the very next day and never looked back. Whatever it was, it was confined to that house and, so far, nothing has come at me from another light source. However, that thing will always stick with me in my mind. Every night, in my new apartment, I made a habit of wondering around the house, making sure every light is off, every curtain is closed, and made sure to plunge myself in quiet, comforting, and safe pitch darkness.
