There

Shelter
There. There it was. A titan, a god, but to me, all it was was salvation.

Black streaks ran across the ground in front of it, and the sun tried to capture those in its glory;

but it could not, for the shelter that blocked it had already embraced the ground in front of it, and turned them-

yes, every meter of the ground-

into its will, black, cold shadows.

It did not speak of omens to come, for it was merely what it was to be- salvation to the soul.

I step in, and it welcomes me in.

Home
I have stayed here for exactly twenty days.

This building, made by the people who destroyed the earth in fear of themselves destroying the earth

(they already did)

, built this magnificent structure to house lost souls.

I call this place my home, now.

No more of the horrors of the wasteland outside, no more of the horrors of the monstosities that threaten to eat me alive.

No more.

I can finally rest.

Betrayer
It was in the middle of the night when the sounds reached my ears from the hallways-

a screech. Footsteps.

Ghosts? Monsters? I do not know.

And thus I grasped the flashilght lying beside me, my dog, man's best friend, and stepped out into the hallways to confront the beast lying there.

But there was no beast.

Only dark streaks.

I was in this building's domain, now, and it made what it wanted of me. The doors- which I tried- were locked, and the key to open it was lost.

The building lied. It was no salvation. Neither is the sun out there. There is no hope. There is no rest.

There is only me, and the thing inside of this building.

I pound my fist against its walls, and the dark sentinel of the night, the betrayer, listens, and turns away.

House of Horrors
I have nightmares now.

Too many of them.

They come too often.

Even in the daylight hours, when I am alert and awake, I hear it:

strange noises coming from the dark bowels of this metallic beast.

But the doors to the basement are locked. There is no key.

This 'House of Horrors' threatens me. It frightens me. It wants to close me off, and swallow me, digest me, bit by bit, hour by hour, breaking off a tiny piece of reality each day.

But I tell you- that won't happen!

Not now, anyway.

Not until the monster down there opens the doors and comes for me.

I thought they liked the light outside.

I thought they'd give up.

I'd like to think I am wrong.

Monster
This monster, this creature that threatens to swallow me whole- I fear it might win.

The noises have almost ceased. They have retreated to the merer midnight hours of this earth, coming only when I am resting, and never anything more.

But tonight, when I went out, there was something more than darkness there.

The monster finally decided to let go of itself, and let the outside do its work.

And as I struggled with the flashlight, I could hear something walking slowly down the darkness towards me. Finally, I pressed the button in the thick darkness.

And there was something there, creating its own dark streaks on the ground as I screamed.