This Is Worse

I don't know how long I've been on this road. It seems never ending. One long road with trees on either side. The other end covered in fog. I thought I would be off it by now. I'm not sure how long I've been walking. Ten minutes, an hour. Time is nothing to me now. Especially when you can't see the sun. It's so gloomy and cold. Fog is heavy over me, I can only see a few feet in front of me. I pray a car doesn't come along and hit me. Though, that would probably be a better punishment.

I left home in a rush after the accident. Though, I know no one would see it that way. Thus the reason for running. I can't get locked away again. I just can't. This time I swear it wasn't my fault. She fell and didn't get up. I didn't push her. I know I didn't. I wasn't even in the room. No one would ever believe me if I had stayed to try and prove my innocence. The only choice was to leave, get out while I had a chance. I know what I did in the past wasn't right. I understand that now, but I'm not going to take blame for something I didn't do.

I keep pushing myself to walk. This road has to end soon. I can only hope. Night has to be falling soon. I don't want to be caught out here at night. It looks scary enough during the day, it must be worse at night. I'm not one to scare easily, but there hasn't been a car since I turned down here. That alone tells me it must be an abandoned road. Right? If the road is avoided, who know what can happen. I pray it ends soon.

It's silent, dead silent. I don't even hear a cricket chirping. No rustling in the bushes. Not an animal in sight. It's creepy and eerie. I thought nothing could be worse than prison, but I was wrong. This is worse. It makes me want to turn around and go home, but I can't go back there either. I need to suffer through this. The end has to be near. It just has to be.

My legs are getting tired, my sweater is doing nothing to keep me warm, and I'm hungry. The gray sky is slowly turning darker and I'm worried I will be stuck out here, walking through the night. I wrap my arms around me, trying to keep warm, but it doesn't seem to help. My stomach is growling and there is no market or restaurant in sight. My water supply is running low. This could not get any worse. I should have never turned down this road.

The scenery never seems to change. I swear I've seen the same tree at least five times now. With the night coming closer and closer and I'm becoming more and more afraid. I wonder if I should turn back. I have been walking for so long, I don't know if I would make it back in time. Does it even matter anymore? Will I make it out of here alive?

Just as it seems like the night is about to consume me, a figure steps out of the woods. At first I assume it is a figment of my imagination. I keep walking, assuming it will fade away with the fog, but instead it seems to be walking towards me. Maybe it is someone else who got lost along this road. The figure keeps coming closer, not showing any signs of stopping. It's tall and has a stature of a man. It only looks like a shadow. Like someone else is walking and the sun is casting the shadow behind it. There are no discerning features and it's still coming closer.

"You lost?" A husky voice calls out to me. But it echoes around me.

I look around wondering where it came from. It doesn't sound like it came from the figure walking towards me, but its the only logical answer. I stop moving and stare it down. Hoping it stops moving as well. I'm trying hard not to shake, but I can feel my body shivering and its not from the cold.

"I asked you a question. Are you lost?" The voice calls out again.

"No, I'm not." I answer, trying to sound confident.

The figure seems to lean back and a laughter roars from within. It surrounds me, crushing me. I drop to my knees, covering my ears, praying it stops.

"Your a little ways from home. Running away are you? What are you running from?" It says with a hidden smirk.

"I'm not running from anything." I bark back. Hoping it will leave me alone.

"That's not what I heard."

"You don't even know me. I don't know you." I yell out.

"I know you and I know what you've done."

I jump up and start to step backwards. The voice is becoming more and more familiar. It's walking closer, I thought I would be able to see who it was by now, but I still can't see it's face. It's the shape of a man my height now. The shadow still prominent, covering the whole thing. I can't see a face. I can't see anything but the shadow. I back up and end up tripping on a branch, falling over. I hear the crack in my ankle. The pain coming next. I do everything I can to keep from crying out.

It towers over me, the dark of the night not nearly as dark as this. I'm scared and I wish I would have stayed home. I wish I wouldn't have run. I should have tried to fight for my life, but I'm a coward who ran. Who didn't want to go to jail. I would rather be in jail right now.

"Your right. You are a coward. Jail would have been nicer than I'm going to be."

I can't stop the scream that releases from my throat as I stare into my own eyes. My own hand reaching out for me, gripping tightly to my neck and my scream becomes gurgles trying to escape. I try and get him to let go, but nothing gets him to loosen his steel like grip. He drags me into the woods and that's the last time I see the road that leads to nowhere.