Misunderstood monster.

CW: Mental illness and references to violence.

I'm walking down the street in a dark night, my steps making a soft noise is a stark contrast to the quietness of the street. My gaze fell at my feet as I continue to walk, all of a sudden, a cold breeze hits my face and hair sending a cold shiver down my spine. I lift my head and move my gaze around, my eyes scanning the surroundings intensely as I hear the soft shuffling coming from the corner of the alleyway, I slowly shift my gaze towards the darkness of the alley, my head moves to the right as I squint my eyes a little in an attempt to adjust my vision to the dark, I cannot see anything suspicious as my mind continues to tell me to leave this place as quick as possible, for once, I ignore to listen to my brain and take a soft step ahead and continue to walk until I hear another soft yet a little louder shuffle than the last time, I stop in my tracks and turn around, my gaze firmly fixed on the spot trying to examine what's in there causing the noise. My mind travels to hundred different assumptions about the sound, something inside me wants to take a step towards the dark and conquer the fear but my body betrays my mind, it says the opposite, to take a step back and get out of here, but the curious side of me wins as I steadily take a step closer to the dark of the alley,

It shuffles,

Yet again, I'm not going to listen to my frightened side as I keep taking slow and deliberate steps towards the corner because I am hellbent on finding out who is in there, I take another step but freeze in my position as it shuffles again, someone is there, someone who is unaware of my presence, should I walk away? Or should I oppose my mind like I always do? my mind continues to question me about my decision and next move and debates on whether I check the corner or not, I can feel my steady breathe and my heart pounding in my chest, I step closer to the alley, closer, and closer, now just standing at a few feet away from the darkness. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves down and take another step ahead, I extend my arm to feel the dark as in a flash of light a tall humanoid creature appears in front of me, he seems to be stretching upwards unnatural sending a jolt of electricity within me as I unconsciously step back trying to regain my composure, my breath quickening as I try to speak up but words seems to be stuck in my throat, I take another step back staring up at the creature who seems more like an entity than a human, his hair is darker than the night, scattered all across his pale face, his eyes so wide and staring straight into my soul, his pupils are going to pop out within a blink of eye if he keeps staring at me like this, his eyes looking at me scornfully holding a hint of vengeance. He steps towards me, his form radiating a Strong, overpowering scent making it harder for me to maintain my stern demeanour, my knees trembling, unable to stand straight as I take a step back and he seems to be more than offended by my harmless action as he lets out a sharp roar in response to my retreat, creating another level of terror in a thick air. Out of blue, he lunges forward, contrasting with it's previous idle movements as a fearful cry escapes my mouth and I gain courage to take a step and go like a bat out of hell. He follows after me, trying to keep up with my pace with his long strides, my breath hitches in my throat as his yellowish drool keeps dripping and making contact with the ground and sticking onto it like a damn glue, creating a gross, visceral horror environment. He keeps hopping as I fasten my speed determined to reach to my destination. Glowing beads of sweat drips down my forehead, my mouth panting heavily but I don't give up until I see my house's door in a faint light, I adjust my gaze and I catch a hint of hope in this state to see my door, I keep sprinting as I reach up to my door and instantly pull open the front door of entrance to my house and slam shut the door behind me as a moment of relief washed over me. I slide down the door and try to regain my composure, still breathing heavily, I run a hand through my soft locks and let out a sigh of relief. I try my best to tranquil myself but my mind keeps repeating the scene from tonight, my breathing slowing down eventually to normal. As I was lost in my thoughts, I hear a crack of my apartment's back door, I can feel my pulse quickening again but I stay still. Not moving an inch. Just breathing heavily. My eyes strain to see the figure over there but amidst the weak light, moon's silver touch etched the silhouette sharp enough to unsettle her. A tall, intimidating figure exuded a powerful aura that cut through her, heightening her fear. Suddenly, frigid air stabs at her pores, paralyzing her- time itself seems suspended. I can't move, even if I want to get up and run away, I can't budge. It seems like it's a loop. The worst one. Where I am trapped with the lurking creature standing a few feet away from me, doing absolutely nothing but amplifying my terror. I keep sitting there. Not by my choice but by fate. My eyelids getting heavier and my head feeling like it's being crushed under a heavyweight, I want to scream, to grab handful of my hair and tug at the strands in frustration and something else that I cant define, I want to call for help to get out of here but I'm hopeless, it's like I'm going to be here for a few more torturous minutes before I pass out..

A few moments passes as I feel stop steps approaching me, I don't have the energy left to lift my head and see who it is so I remain still. I feel someone touching my shoulder, his touch holding a hint tenderness as I lift my head and try to open my eyes.. I see a guy. I scan my surroundings trying to spot the creature, I don't see him anywhere.. I look up at the guy in a questionable gaze. He holds my gaze for a moment, looking down at me,his eyes filled with reassurance and a hint of innocence. He kneels down beside me and lets out a sigh, he starts speaking. His voice is calm. He looks into my eyes for a moment before tearing his gaze away, looking at the spot. He points at the back door. I follow his gaze as it bought back the remnants of the monster standing there a few moments ago. "There is no monster." He says, I look at him in disbelief for a moment, trying to process the events from tonight and his words.. no monster? He shakes his head, wearing a frown, he speaks up again "he was just my brother, he has mental disorder, he is a good person but sometimes, he lashes out. He escaped from the mental hospital last night and we had no idea where he could be. We tried to find him a lot and almost gave up. So I came here for a quick smoke to release stress when I heard soft rustling from the nearby abandoned alley and as a curious person I went to check for it and found out that he was there, hiding. He ran away when he saw me and I kept finding him until I reach to your house and saw him. I saw you collapsed here and understood everything, that he must've scared the hell out of you, and you passed out. I'm sorry " he murmurs the last words, his voice carrying regret. I don't know what to say after this. There was no monster. The creature I thought would be harmful was non other than his biological brother, a real human with feelings. But trapped inside a cage in a hospital, maybe he wanted to the feel fresh air and see how the outside world looks like. I feel bad for him and his brother, I feel bad that I mistaken him as a monster, whereas he was just a harmless person. A person with a mental disorder, yet he is an innocent soul trying to relive movements of happiness again, free from the fear of judgement.

I'm not going to let my eccentric side get the best of me again, I think I have learned my lesson now, I shouldn't misunderstand anyone around me. Maybe they are going through something we never wish to hear about, but I still need to be more cautious because safety is important. If I hadn't acted faster and gotten out of there, maybe I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Some decisions are worth making.