Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-32764586-20171018233506

This should be done in a few days [hopefully before deadline] so here's part of it. Hope it is any good

At first, David couldn't exactly tell what had ripped him from the loving caress of sleep. He had previously been asleep in his comfortable wrapped in a warm blanket and resting his head on a soft and fluffy pillow. Annoyed, he rested his head on the pillow and gently let his eyes fall. It was then as he jolted upright in bed that he realized what had awoken him. Although almost drowned out in the wind that whistled a soft melody through the night, he could hear what sounded like footsteps and nails dragging across the wooden exterior of his home. Curious, David allowed the soles of his feet to plop on the warm rug beneath him. Sleep still cooed to him, and he eventually dragged himself along the perimeter of his room to the window. There he drew the blinds to get a better look. The soft pitter-patter of rain thumped against the thin glass in a soft beat that David soon found himself humming to. Combined with the inky dark blackness of the night, his visibility was heavily impaired and he was unable to see what was making the noise.

David tucked himself back into his cozy bed, and when he did this as if on cue the noise began again, irritating David more and more by the minute. Sleep evaded him now, and he knew with the repetitive sound lingering he could not and would not sleep at all. David jerked himself out of bed in frustration and trudged to the dresser where a thick black flashlight stood. He grabbed it firmly, its handle cold as ice despite the warmth and comfort of the room. David walked through the narrow halls of his home with determination a bright fire in his eyes. He approached the front door of the house and grabbed his heavy trench coat hung on the coat hanger. And with that, he twisted the doorknob and exited the warmth and comfort. Instead, he now faced the chilly Autumn air and the drizzling rain which pounded against his back and face. He crept down the steps that led to the front door and clicked the flashlight on, its bright yellow light penetrating the darkness. He walked around the sides of his house in search of any animal that might have been the origin of the noise. It was when he reached the rear of his home that he heard a peculiar sound from the wooded area behind him.

The sound was strange yet, surprisingly human. David stood frozen in attention facing the woods. The shrill cries of what sounded like a man screaming for his life came from the intimidating outline of the enormous trees in the distance. They rocked gently in the wind and beckoned to him to come closer, and the foliage at the entrance of the wood didn't bode well at all. David swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth and stepped towards the woods. His mind naturally alerted him of the danger he felt, yet his actions betrayed his thoughts. Slowly and steadily he approached, gathering more and more distance from his home and closer to the underbrush. He felt the sensation of rain cease as his body went numb, and yet his mind was active. He yearned to see what could have made that noise, for curiosity, or maybe for the thrill. Whatever the case, he had gathered the courage to meet the edge of the woods and peer into the endless darkness.

The soaking underbrush grasped at his clothing like tiny fingers that desperately clung to every thread. His flashlight proved most ineffective as its once protective glow seemed to faint quite an exponential amount. Undeterred, David set foot inside of the wood. He had been there many times, although never at night. In the darkness, his surroundings were unfamiliar to him. With each step, he took a moist leaf or twig underneath his boot squished and snapped. His body shuddered with each passing minute of his aimless trek, although whether he was afraid of just cold he was uncertain of. The eeriness of being in an unfamiliar place on a night such as this has no equal. His toes curled as the wind that once violently rattled the vegetation quieted, and the rain that persistently beat against his body turned into a light drizzle. The branches softly danced in the night, caressed by the wind and sprinkle. The soft melody of the crickets ceased. It startled David how quite the forest had become. As unsettling as the dark was, the dark devoid of noise invoked the strongest fears lurking in a man's soul.

David admired the quiet of the woods with the only audible sound soft tapping of water falling to the ground. He could hear his thoughts, the breeze, his breath, even his heartbeat. He held no desire to move, just to stand and be still. Still as the nature surrounding him. Still as the firm oak that stood before him, an impenetrable wall of wood. And in the stillness of the night, his ears picked up a very familiar noise. It was a voice and a very raspy sickly one indeed. One that made David forget the soft gentle breeze. A voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A voice that compelled him to run, but at the same time seek the origin of the noise. It was the weeping that had drawn him out of his home in the first place. Yes, the reason he was even out in the woods at all. He would have chuckled at himself upon the realization that he had forgotten why he was even out there if it weren't for how unsettled he was. The cry did indeed sound like a man crying... and yet, no man should have ever been able to make such a sound no matter how dire the situation he was in. It was that of terror and pain, yet David could have sworn he heard slight giggles amidst the crying.

David stood, for at the time that was all he felt he could do. He shuddered as the cry overcame the sound of the wind and was now all he could hear. It dragged out even further and its voice became scratchy and stressed. David wanted to retreat back to his home, perhaps call the police, maybe just go back to bed. And perhaps he would have had the shriek stopped as abruptly as it had started.

David stood, for at the time that was all he felt he could do. He shuddered as the cry overcame the sound of the wind and was now all he could hear. It dragged out even further and its voice became scratchy and stressed. David wanted to retreat back to his home, perhaps call the police, maybe just go back to bed. And perhaps he would have had the shriek stopped as abruptly as it had started. David eyed his surrounding now that his eyes were more adjusted to the darkness. He turned and began to walk back to his house. He didn't know what lurked beyond his vision, and he didn't care to learn. And so, he turned and walked at a speedy pace, uncomfortable now with his formerly pleasant setting. He took long strides on a seemingly endless path that would return him from the trenches of the dark to his house. He could see the rays of light seeping through the windows, welcoming him with open arms. His heart slowed along with his breathing as he approached his home, so close to where he belonged. He walked into the driveway, gravel crunching beneath his feet. He ascended the front patio steps, the wood creaking from below. He reached his hand out and grasped the cold doorknob. He was home.

That's when he heard a loud thump from far behind him. David hustled inside and slammed the door shut. He locked it shut and peeked outside of his window towards the woods, which now appeared far more menacing than they had before. His eyes fixated on the forest line where he had heard the thump. He clicked his flashlight on and pointed it ahead, its bright fluorescent light illuminating the dark. That's where he saw it. A figure, tall and dark, stood next to a tree. It wrapped its arm around the tree and its hand rested on a branch. Half of its body stay hidden behind the tree, and the other half stood exposed. David cupped his hand over his lips, which now felt dry and parched. The two stared at each other for the longest time, never breaking their gaze. The creature then shifted its body, coming out of the tree line. It was then, by the light of the flashlight and the moon, that it was revealed. David squinted at the creature, his heart pounding in his chest, beating and screaming in fright, He had expected many things, perhaps a monster, a ghost, a demon from hell that came to collect his soul. Anything but this.

There before him stood a man, and a man was all he was. David rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and yet when eyes focused on the man again he knew his eyes did not deceive him. There was nothing special about him. He sported a large beard that swayed in the breeze, and very long legs and arms. He was tall but slender, with only a few pieces of tattered clothes to shield him from the weather. David watched as the man sat on the ground in a crisscross fashion and rocked slowly with the wind. His lips moved as if speaking something, but David couldn't tell what he was saying.

David stood, for at the time that was all he felt he could do. He shuddered as the cry overcame the sound of the wind and was now all he could hear. It dragged out even further and its voice became scratchy and stressed. David wanted to retreat back to his home, perhaps call the police, maybe just go back to bed. And perhaps he would have had the shriek stopped as abruptly as it had started. David eyed his surrounding now that his eyes were more adjusted to the darkness. He turned and began to walk back to his house. He didn't know what lurked beyond his vision, and he didn't care to learn. And so he made his way back toward his house 