The Past Behind

I never saw the end coming.

It was only a short distance to my house and the cold wind blowing between the rows of houses causing the rubbish to fly in all directions, meant that no one else was out.

They were all tucked up safe and warm inside their houses, the curtains drawn so they didn’t have to see out. Probably all watching the television. And it had been late. Maybe some were actually asleep.

The thick clouds blocked the moon. The light trickling down to the ground was minimal.

Even the street lights seemed to be more dim than normal, flashing occasionally and leaving me in complete darkness.

“Just let me drive you” my friend had said, his eyes glazed,” it’s only a minute or two away”.

My eyes had strayed to the empty bottle clasped in his hand and the several others lying across the stained carpet at his feet.

“No, I’ll be alright”, I had said, forcing a smile on my face, as I pulled my arms into my coat.

I had worn my brand new shoes, the ones with the sharp heels. Sharp enough to poke the eyes out of a cockroach, my dad had said when I’d shown them to him.

“Why did you waste your money on them?” he had asked,” They can’t be comfortable”.

“But they match my new dress”.

He had snorted before continuing to scroll through his phone.

Once the door was shut, my friend had no doubt continued on with the party.

I could hear the music from the end of the street when, after I turned the corner, it suddenly became quiet.

Too quiet.

The coat suddenly seemed too thin and the shoes too high and uncomfortable.

My dad had been right.

They had been a waste of money.

In fact he had been right about the whole night.

“Shouldn’t you stay back home and finish that essay that’s due?”, he had asked, staring at me. I was his only daughter and he tended to be over protective most of the time. But he had been trying.

“I’ve got plenty of time, it’s not due for days”.

But I digress.

The thick clouds were blocking the moon.

The wind was howling, and the rubbish was flying in every direction.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I had tried to keep as warm as possible.

It wasn’t to far to my house after all.

Thinking if I moved quicker I’d arrive sooner, I’d started to walk fast.

Then the walk got faster as I felt a pair of eyes watching me.

I turned my head as I was walking trying to see who was watching me but there had been no one there. Only the debris flying and the shadows caused by the trees almost bending over double in the wind.

I shouldn’t have turned my head.

I never saw the footpath had cracked and part of the concrete had lifted even though I walked up and down that path all the time.

Feeling myself flying through the air, I screamed out, flinging my arms out to save myself.

Of course no one inside the houses heard my scream or the loud thud as I landed, sprawled across the concrete.

My ankle had felt sore as I hurriedly stood, straightening my clothes. My knees ached where I had grazed them. I felt a trickle of blood run down one of my legs.

There was no way I’d have been able to walk the rest of the way in those heels.

So even though the rubbish was surrounding me, I removed my shoes, holding them in one hand and tried to walk as quickly as I could to my house.

My ankle had throbbed but I continued hobbling along.

I could feel the eyes still watching me, hidden by the shadows.

I could see my house in the distance when I heard the footstep behind me.

Spinning around on my good ankle, I caught a glimpse of man standing right behind me.

His size overwhelmed me. His height and width blocked everything else from view.

I should have screamed again although it would probably have been pointless. No one had heard or reacted to my first scream only moments before.

“Who are you?”, I had asked.

The man moved closer to me so we were almost touching but I didn’t feel scared. Only curious.

I could sense rather than see him smiling at me. His face completely hidden in the shadows.

“Who are you?”, I had repeated when he had continued to stand silently.

I no longer noticed the cold. Or the wind howling.

It seemed to have become quiet. Still.

The man coughed, raising his hand to his mouth.

As he moved, I had smelt a strong smell of sulphur come from his clothes.

And that’s what had made me panic.

Sulphur, fire and brimstone had come to mind.

“Get away from me!”, I had yelled, leaping backwards away from him.

He had stepped closer again.

Screaming, I turned and tried to run, ignoring the pain shooting up my leg.

In two strides the man overtook me, stepping in front of me, blocking my view of my home.

“I don’t think so”, he said, his voice harsh and grating.

I had felt shivers travel up and down my spine.

“What do you want from me?”, I had managed to whisper.

“You”, the man whispered, his eyes glowing a deep, dark red.

I had been so scared, I hadn’t been able to scream, my knees had felt weak and shaky but I had forced myself to try and run.

The man had blocked my way again, laughing as I struggled to get away.

“Get off of me!”, I had yelled, throwing my arms around.

I had forgotten that I was still carrying my heels until the heel of one of them stabbed the man in one of his eyes. My dad had been right again. Definitely sharp enough to stab an eye of a cockroach.

Squealing in pain, he let go of me and I sprinted towards my house, slamming the front door after me.

“Hey, what’s the rush?”, my dad asked as he looked up from scrolling through his phone.

Gasping for breath, I didn’t bother to answer.

Instead I peered through the kitchen window.

And that’s when I saw him.

The man in the shadows with glowing red eyes.

He was still out there, waiting for me.

And that was the end.

The end of an ordinary life.