Heart pounding. Breathless gasps of air. Whole body shaking with pain, guilt, and fear. The only thing that can be heard are his footsteps and rain pattering against the cold, darkened pavement. He hooks left to find himself in an alleyway littered with garbage bags and rats. The rodents attempt to scramble up his legs to escape from the rain, feeling like cold pennies rummaging up his calf. He kicks them off with ease as each stride powers him forward. His head is on a constant swivel, straining for a silhouette of anything that might be that thing, the only thing encouraging him to run faster down that darkened alley. He veers right as he enters a quiet apartment complex and pauses to catch his breath.
The street is dimly lit by small streetlights and from the occasional apartment with their residents restless. He hears footsteps and spins around to sees two, glowing, yellow eyes bearing down on him barely visible in the downpour of the bone chilling rain. His heart skips a beat as he turns on his heels and continues with this never ending sprint. He throws himself into one of the nearest apartment building entrances, racing up the stairs to get to the top. Breathless and exhausted, he bursts through the door to the top and sprints over to the edge searching for it. He looks behind him to see that thing sprinting towards him. Before he even can think about what he’s doing he sprints back towards the edge and jumps. Instead of fear, he feels peace. The only peace he has received in a long time as he welcomes the pavement that will end this nightmare that his life has been for months. Always on the move, never able to get a moment's rest before it comes back, searching for him. Now, it will be all over.
Police arrive on the scene examining the dismembered body on the wet, dismal pavement. The only thing noticeable was his arm was covered with dark streaks leading up to his skull. Officers didn’t think much of it assuming a scar or a tattoo. Little did they know, something was lurking in the dark, waiting, watching. After the cops die down it slips down into the scene, collects what it needs then disappears into that cold, lonely night as quickly as it arrived. Only noticeable thing left were pools of blood and rain that drain into the gutter.
“Hey. Wake up. C’mon man this is your third time this week I’ve caught you sleeping on the job.” Mr. Soto was shaken awake, startled that he was asleep in the first place. “Sorry.” He replied. “I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.” He looked up at his coworker and friend with bloodshot eyes. He had taken up drinking again to try to wash away the stress and misery in his life. Bill Soto was a burly Texan who was the father of 3, and the owner of a few franchises in the downtown area of Derry, Illinois. These jobs that have now become burdens caused him to jump from business to business from six a.m. and stretched to two a.m. if there were bills to pay that day. Dan Henson, his coworker, was obviously concerned about Mr. Soto. Bill a genuine religious man with a family of four, who cared about this small franchise that he purchased when he entered that dump town. “It’s time to go anyway, I want you to get enough sleep if I am to see you here again in the morning.” Dan said with a faint smile on his face.
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