Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-32764586-20180921010540

I'm not too sure about this one, but figure it would be worth a shot. ___

Faster and faster he ran, his legs carrying him as far and as fast as they could. His blue shirt swayed in the breeze, and the darkness surrounding him seemingly grew denser and denser with each passing minute. His breathe had gotten heavier and heavier as time went on, and beads of sweat dripped from each and every pore along his body. Taking a minute to stop and rest, he placed his hand on the brick wall beside him. He hadn't a clue how long he had been running for, nor could he remember what exactly he did to deserve to be placed in his current predicament. However, each and every once of those concerns were completely nullified upon hearing his name called out in the distance behind him. The voice was hoarse and raspy, with almost a sickly coughing to it. The voice made his blood run as cold as the air surrounding him.

"Steve," groaned the deep, menacing creature. Steve turned around. backing up ever so slowly away from the noise, his breathing completely still. He could hear the sound of faint footprints approaching, and they belonged to a creature far worse than any man he had previously encountered. Again he turned and ran, not daring to look back once more.

Earlier that day, Steve visited a bar within a town he had never been before. It was just a normal day, one that would seemingly go well. He was on a road trip to visit his great aunt, for her 90th birthday had come, and he wouldn't miss it for the world. After downing a few pints of beer, he tipped the bartender, thanked him, and exited mostly sober, excited to get on the road again.

Upon leaving the bar and stepping out into the streets, he noticed the landscape was barren. Not a cricket chirped within the midnight sky, and not a house within view stirred with any activity at all. Cautiously taking a few steps, he felt his heart begin to speed up, as a sudden feeling of loneliness consumed him.

What seemed like minutes of walking in the direction of his hotel room he purchased in the town turned into more minutes, and then even more. Each and every building he passed seemed the same, and not in a neighborhood-like fashion either. Each house had the same white and blue paint job, each lawn had the same cut and decorations, and a shiny red car was parked in seemingly every driveway. The only true distinction between them, logically, would be the...

Steve stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at each and every house within 200 feet of him. At first, he checked slowly and calmly. But then, his footsteps sped up, and his eyes widened. Every adress at every house was the same. And that was when his heart stopped, for he had realized a truly dreadful fact.

He was lost. Completely, utterly, hopelessly, impossibly lost.

Steve ventured onward, desperate to find his way out. He jogged down the street, looking to spot a difference within the houses and properties. Yet, no matter how long be walked, the road always seemed to continue, without any turns in sight. It was almost as if they looped constantly. A neverending stretch of road with identical features, and seemed completely barren of all life. Steve even began knocking on the doors of different homes to try and ask for help, but nobody ever answered. Pulling out his phone to make a call, he frowned in dismay when he realized he had no signal for whatever reason.

Now, he wasn't sure how long it had been when he saw it, but he could never have missed it. Upon walking further into the the empty town, Steve spotted a man. Or, atleast, it looked like a man. Almost instantly after seeing this mysterious person, Steve's breath became still, and he felt his body begin to quiver. No mugger or murderer could ever instill the amount of fear that this being did. His skin crawled and his heart raced to levels he hadn't previously thought possible. He knew it was not a man. The dark, shadowy figure standing in the distance was far too dreadful to be human. It watched patiently, not moving an inch.

And then it took a step towards Steve. And another, and then another. Each step it took caused Steve to flinch as chills ran up and down his spine. Slowly he backed up, his fight or flight response kicking in, and when the creature began sprinting at Steve, its body seemingly spazzing and twitching all the while a shrill cry erupted from its throat, Steve's choice was an easy one.

He chose flight.

He ran as fast as he could, never turning back to view his pursuer. His feet pounded heavily against the ground, his legs churning as hard as they could. Suddenly, another alley popped into view, and he decided that perhaps he could lose whatever that thing was there. Within mere moments he was retreating down one of the many passageways of the alley, the creature still hot on his heels.

Steve ran and ran until he could run no longer. Looking up, he hopelessly stared at a wall of grey stone. The alley, his salvation, turned out to be no more than a dead end. He was cornered, and thus completely and utterly unable to stop what was to come. He saw the being walking... no, gliding towards him, moving gracefully. He saw its face, bloody and mangled. It bore a shirt completely faded in colored, and torn pants. Its bony feet moved across the rough terrain, the skin and nails peeling off the toes, all the while worms and maggots crawled around and feasted upon the decaying flesh it possessed. Black tar mixed with blood drooled from its mouth, and its eyes were soulless and sunken.

"St..Steve," The wretched, vile creature murmured. Its purtid breath smelled of rot and decay. One could say it was the very essence of death itself.

Steve revealed a small pocket knife concealed within his pocket and gripped the hilt tightly, turning his bear knuckles white. Before he could even move the creature.. the thing.. moved at blinding speeds, approaching him in a split second. It grabbed Steve's wrist and snapped it in one fluid motion, causing him to drop the knife and clutch his arm in pain. Steve stomped his foot several times and cried out in utter agony, but his cry was cut short and the monster picked up his knife and struck Steve in the leg, tearing through flesh, muscle, and tissue. Tears welled within Steve's eyes as the creature kicked him against the wall and punctured his ribs with the blade while simultaneously pressing its long, sharp nails into his stomach, pulling out chunks of flesh until the white bone was slightly visible through the ocean of blood dripping from Steve to the ground. With little hesitation, the monster snapped Steve's legs and arms backwards, making a sickening snapping sound before he collapsed to the ground, no longer able to move.

Tears streamed down Steve's face as he looked at his aggressor. He watched as the disturbed beast tore its decomposed nails and teeth into his stomach and chew the insides within. He watched as the beast gargled his blood within his mouth and revealed a pair of razor sharp, black as charcoal teeth, revealing a sick, gruesome, blood-stained smile to Steve as it feasted on his internal organs. His vision became blurry and darker as he witnessed the beast moan and groan his name, "Steve", over and over, even when its mouth was full of raw skin and bloody flesh. He watched as the creature dug into his arm and forcefully ripped out his bone, bringing it to its mouth and chewing it, foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal.

And Steve's last vision before he succumbed to his injuries was the beast's face. That pale, bloody skin. That greasy black hair Those sharp, black teeth. And... those eyes.

Shallow...

Baggy...

Soulless...

Lifeless...

Crystal white eyes. 