Silhouettes

If I recall, it started on one early April morning. I woke up in a warm comfortable bed as the sun started to make it's first appearence over the horrizon. Waking up this early seemed to be a habit of my, despite this being my vacation time I simply chose to not stray to far from home and relax, so I rented out a house near the eastern shoreline of South Carolina. I did my morning routine as I fixed myself a cup of coffee and grabbed some fruit, this was normal until I realized I wasn't accompanied by my dog like normal.

I eventually came outside to see my chocolate lab, Terra, starring out towards the cliffs of the coastline. As I looked out I saw it, a thin dark outline of a person, a silhouette. He looked like a man based off his tall lanky build. This seemed fine to me, a man going for a stroll early in the morning along the rocky cliffs. But I noticed something odd about how this man carried himself, he was slow and walked in a jagged and somewhat spastic manor, I watch as he seemed to struggled to move along. Soon I decided to leave and I tried to bring Terra back into the house, however she wouldn't budge, she was fixated on the man and nothing else. But as I looked up I saw that the man had dissapeared.

I ran towards the cliff to see what had happened, what if that man had fallen. My heart was racing but as I got there I saw nothing, the man was simply gone. And yet I felt a presense looming over me, I looked back to see my dog now fixated on me finally walk back into the house. She was acting incredibly strange as she almost never left my side. I didn't know who that was but I decided to leave it for now, hoping the man had just slipped out of my sight.

The rest of the day was quiet to say the least. Terra was now even closer to me then usually, seemingly nervous but quite quiet. She didn't seem to want to go for a walk, on top of that as I watch the area around the house I saw almost no other living people, other than the odd bird or boat out on the water.

The sun seemed to set early that night but as I sat outside as the sun went down I saw something quite disturbing. It was the silhouette of the man I saw from before, I was sure about it, except this time his body seemed distorted. His arms twisted, his right leg in a limp. I was scared this time, and then I saw him lift up his arms make some strange faint noise. The dog was also gone, however I needed to get back into the house. But as I came in I saw Terra shivering in the corner.

That night was uneasy as I lay in bed in the dark I could hear the sounds of distant footsteps and the sounds of people speaking in a tone very loud yet distant and solemn. They seemed to reach closer and closer to the house, and often I left my bed to go see if any hikers had come in need of help. But there was nothing, until I once again noticed that terra was out on the lawn, staring off to the horrizon, until moving her head to the window where I was, staring at me. I figured I'd just let her sleep outside. It was until morning that I once again came out at the brink of dawn, I had rushed through my mornign routine when once again I realized the dog was gone. I then rushed outside yelling out her name. But then as the sun then pierced the scenary I saw once again a figure in the distance, this time though, it was Terra.

I ran out to find her but alas she was gone. I was starting to get fearful, I called the local sheriffe but they were no help and simply said they would keep an eye out for her. This time the day was cloudy with dark storm clouds just on the verge of breaking. I had gotten my dirt bike out and was riding alongside the cliffs searching for my companion. And I found her, on the steepest part of the cliff alongside a great dead oak tree as she slowly walked towards it. My heart was racing as she got closer and closer to the edge, also resistantly. And then she was gone. My beloved companion. Consumed by the jaggad rocks and waves. I cried. Despite my age death was not something I was accustomed to. Now I was alone.

As I stand in the bathroom staring myself in the mirror. I can start to her the deep howls of a dog, sounding almost like a pack. But also the mummering of voices and the continued shreiking howl of pain emerging from outside the house. I filled with sorrow and almost instinct slowly made my way out of the house where I stand still in the darkness. The noise, mummering, shreiking, laughter, ringing all hit me as I stare out to the sea. I collapse.

When I wake I am still outside of the house, but only semi concious, I look once again towards the cliffs as the early sun burns into my eyes, this time I see it again, a whole group of people, silhouettes in the far distance. I manage to get up and see a family. What seem to be a mother, father and several children all slowly walking along the path. The young ones trip over several times just as they continue moving and are left behind. This happens until all of them are surrounding the tree where Terra fell to her death. I couldn't take this, I sprinted all the way over to the tree once again, however i found nothing. It was time I investigated and then got the hell out of this whole place...

Nothing. Absoulutely nothing. No sign of any people, no sounds besides the occasional anima, not even of sign of my poor dog. I was feeling empty, the world was becoming isolated around me. I went back to my home, I was ready to leave and needed to get out to preserve any sanity I had left. But as I had reached the door to my home to get my shit ready to get out a blood cudiling scream pierced the sky, instantly causing me to lose all strength and collapse, but as I got back up I saw it, upon the cliffs upon the tree were the family cloaked with darkness. Their bodies hanging from the tree branches, their body parts mangeled and broken as they slowly swung in the breeze. As I watched in utter horror I heard the low cries, those which carry regret and fear. And in a moment the sun plummeted and their silhouttes vanished. All traces of the grisly event erased. The next few hours were darkness, as I ran about, vommiting, getting my things out and ready to go. I needed to get out of this fucked up world I was in.

Hours passed as I finally found myself prepared to make a mad dash for my truck and drive away. But then there was a scratching at the door, and a faint growl, just as terra used to do. Suddenly hit with fear and a sense of calmness I opened the door only to see the cliffs as they had been, but I soon heard a deep crying. I was moved towards the cliff, not knowing what had gotten into me as the crying grew stonger and the more seemed to join in until I had reached the tree at the highest cliff. The sun began to rise and I turned slowly around oonly to seem them.

Hundreds of them, adults, children, animals..Terra, they were mangeled, and brutalized corpses standing along the walls of the house as they slowly looked up to me. As they did they let out a silent cry of fear and pain, and with that the sun had risen and I felt myself falling backwards, into the dark depths below.