A Creature of Shadow

Chapter 1

Ashley's POV

    I've never understood the concept of "love". Is it a fluttery feeling you get in your stomach, or is that the quesadilla from last night talking? Either way, I don't get it. Am I supposed to be searching for a future with a person I've never met before, but will instantly fall in love with upon eye contact? I don't think that's how this world works. The world is just an everlasting cycle of events that I'm not a part of, and society expects me to find love? I call bullshit. Regardless, why does society expect that? No one has interested me beyond close friendship, and I'm perfectly content with the life I have now, so, why? Shaking my head, I dismiss my thoughts, moving to make my bed, however, I gain this weird feeling of an oncoming threat. Wait. I recognize this feeling. Please, no, please. At first, nothing, and I assume I'm safe. Too soon. In a few short seconds I'm hit with a sense of nausea. A sudden feeling of dread and familiarity takes over my body as I cringe at what may lay in wait beyond my placement in the room. Hesitantly, I turn my body around towards the thing that emitted the awful aura. Upon turning, I freeze, not knowing nor understanding why this creature is here. Again, I plunge into my thoughts, things such as "who the hell invited it inside?" and "what brought it back to me?" flood my mind. Only, the creature that so often visited my room, beckoned me, its hand teasing mine into submission, almost as if it was saying "come along now, don't be afraid." However, I knew better than to go anywhere closer to it, I wanted to avoid being dragged to my death. A stray thought escapes the depths of my mind, and coaxes me into speaking to it.

"What do you want?"

    It only stares at me, immovable as a gargoyle.

"Um." I gulp nervously. "I will call in authorities if you don't somehow tell me why you're here."

    It doesn't work, it merely continues to stare, refusing to look away. I walk a couple of steps toward it, abandoning every part of me that was screaming to run away, and stare back at it. Suddenly it moves its hand closer, and I nearly scream, just barely covering my mouth to stop it. I stumble back, but this time, it moves almost unnoticabely closer.

    "What the hell are you doing here?!" I cover my head and face with my arms, shaking. "Leave me alone!" Only a second after do I hear the whoosh of a candle going out, and only slightly, a whisper. "Don't expect me to be so forgiving next time." Confused and terrified as to what that meant, I slowly uncover my face, and swipe at a few spare tears that managed to escape my eyes. That's the seventh time this thing has appeared in front of me, who knows how many times it's observed me at a distance through my window, or around me as I drive to and from work. Deciding to sleep on it, I continue my initial task of making the bed. As soon as I finish it, I fall back onto my mattress. "Mine as well try and sleep" I try to convince myself, closing my eyes.

    Nothing works. Why can't I simply rest my eyes?! Frustrated, I get up and switch on the light I had earlier turned off. Every time I'm on the brink of falling asleep, that thing flashes behind my eyelids, forcing me wake. Wondering what time it is, I check my alarm clock. "4:30 in the morning" I say to myself. "Great, guess I'm not getting any sleep." I walk over to my desk and pull out a notebook. Now, I am in no way an artist, but I wanted to sketch out a rough drawing of the statue-like figure that sat in my room only a couple of hours ago. Qualities such as "stone-like position" and "clawed hands" make their way into my drawing. I vaguely remember it having a sewn mouth and eyes, with horns in replacement of ears. I shudder, realizing just how morbid it looked. It looked like it spawned from Hell itself, though I'm not one to believe in that stuff in the first place. The haunting stance it had held against me made me feel extraordinarily inferior, not in the sense of "oh I'm better than you" but in a sense that screamed "I'll kill you if you defy me." Its appearance didn't help in proving otherwise. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, adding more deciphering qualities as the sun rose. By the time I finished, I looked out my window, only to be blinded by the sudden light that shone through my curtains. Dropping my now dull pencil, I go downstairs to mull about the night's events while eating breakfast. I zone out, wondering if anyone else in the world had to deal with what I had to deal with. Deciding to leave it at that instead of brooding over it like I intended, I take eggs from the fridge and a pan from the cupboard and turn on the burner, placing the pan on it. "I guess I'll make scrambled today." While making breakfast, I hear a thump resonating through me. Immediately, I stop flipping the eggs. "Who's there?" The dread from what seemed like a distant nightmare returns, but all I hear is a deafening silence. I shrug it off, hoping the thump won't return. It doesn't, but I think about it, and the more I do, the more anxious I become in my own home. "I seriously need some company." Briefly, the thought of having a lover crossed mind again, but I never have desired anyone like that, and I didn't think I would, so I shake it off, moving back to my now slightly burnt eggs. "Fabulous, just, fabulous." I quickly remove my eggs from the pan and place them on my plate. "Better than nothing." I sit at the table, staring out of my window at the emptiness outside. I lived alone, in a pretty abandoned area. I didn't like people, at least, not many, I occasionally spoke to my parents and a few close family friends, but nothing more than that. I sigh, picking at my eggs. I think of myself in someone else's shoes, in a big city or suburban neighborhood. "Never, I could never live like that." Suddenly I hear another thump, this one more vague than the last.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."