When Darkness Surrounds You

I am a normal person, I lived a normal life. I have a normal family and normal friends. My pets, habits, and desires are all normal. Out of all of the normal people on this planet, why did it have to choose me...

I suppose you want to know what I am talking about. It started when I was taking my pet dog out for a walk. I don't really like to take my dog for a walk, but I do it anyway, for her sake. It was about 8:30 at night, and I had just finished my homework. It was late fall, so it was extremely dark. As I walked down my porch steps, my dog began barking the the bushes in front of my house. I pulled her back as my neighbor's cat sprang from the bushes to escape my dog's attempt to chase it. It took a second for me to realize that I wasn't in any major danger, but when I did I took a deep breath and continued walking.

The streetlight at the end of our street was burnt out. Just beyond the dark curtain cast by the lack of the streetlight were the woods I took my dog to. She was an interesting dog, only seeming to go when she was in a forest or in some bushes, going outside of them only if it was an emergency. We walked through the darkness to the treeline, and my dog went in. Suddenly, I froze. Was that a pale face I just saw out of the corner of my eye, or just some leaves caught in the moonlight?

Now somewhat afraid, as I have yet to shake that irrational fear of the dark that every child has sometime in their life, I realized that I had left my flashlight at home. My parents always scolded me for not bringing it, but I just kept forgetting, as it was somewhat out of the way of where I get the leash from. I braved my fears and continued to move down the hill along the treeline, deeper into the darkness. My dog would've noticed if someone was there, she always barks at people. It must have been some leaves. Just as that thought crossed my mind, my dog began to bark.

Instinctively, I tugged on the leash to keep her from running after whatever she was barking at. She reluctantly walked to me backwards, still facing whatever she was barking at. I could see nothing, but perhaps she had smelled in. She ceased her barking after a few more seconds and led me further down the hill, not finished with what we came for. As we reached the bottom of the hill, I heard a rustling coming from the bushes. My dog didn't take notice, as she was getting busy. I, however, decided to take a defensive stance that I had learned in karate class a few days ago. Whatever was there, if there was anything, wouldn't catch me off guard.

After a few seconds with no sounds or movement other than the wind, I took a tentative step forward. Whatever was there, if the rustle wasn't just the wind, must have left when it saw me or my dog. Just then, the wind blew slightly harder, and I could almost make out words in the whistling. "Don't turn around..." I didn't think much of it, as I didn't hear it for a second. However, the phrase repeated, slightly louder this time, and I froze. Then I felt it. There were thin, sharp claws poking into my back and the side of my neck. They were placed so softly that I wouldn't have noticed it without my lack of movement, which is rare for me. Slowly the claws started pushing on me harder, and in a panic I spun around, flailing my fist and leash.

Branches. Of course they were only branches. Why the hell would some creature not just slaughter me with its claws against my neck. And what kind of creature has claws but speaks English? My mind was playing tricks on me in my fear. My dog had finished, and we started to head back up the hill. All I could see was a bit of light from the working streetlights ahead. However, I started to feel weak, as if I was winded from walking up the hill. I released my grip on the leash, and my dog trotted ahead on to the street. I was on all fours now, struggling to stand up. That was when I noticed the long, sharp, jet black blades that were the darkness's claws piercing my abdomen. Blood slowly dripped from their ends. They were so sharp that I didn't feel them slip through my body. I dropped to the ground, defeated. The darkness had me.

Three hours later, I was in a hospital room being operated on by surgeons. Apparently they thought I had tripped and impaled myself on some sharp branches sticking out of the ground. The fabrications people make to rationalize unusual events... I will never leave the light again, because next time I do, I won't be strong enough to survive the darkness.