Eridanus ~ A Collection Of Short Stories

Outrunning Fears

(Prompt Contest for Halloween Vault 3D. Word count–498 words)

Nobody believed me when I spoke about the cold presence I felt around me. Wherever I went, it followed me like a shadow, with its incoherent whispers. It was a constant stalker, plaguing me with its presence, but never revealing its intentions.

On the evening of October 30th, I trudged down the familiar street to the city library, meaning to return the two overdue books I had with me. I was supposed to head home straight from work, but I had no intentions of delaying the return of those books. As I walked down the cobbled path, a cool breeze blew and rustled the leaves on the trees. The faint orange light of the setting sun was reflected through the clouds, as dusk set in.

The dark presence was faint, yet I knew it was lurking behind me, watching my very move. It was as though there was a silent person following my footsteps. But every time I turned back, the sight of my own shadow on the uneven road greeted me. I wrapped my coat tight around me and continued my walk.

The City Library was an old building, having been in existence for a long time. As I approached the building, I glanced at the stone walls, worn out by the effect of time. My doorsteps echoed down the road as I walked towards the door of the library. The door creaked open as I pushed it, signalling my presence. I walked in with the books in my hand. I glanced behind the librarian's desk to see if its usual occupant was still on duty.

The librarian wasn't behind his desk.

A faint gust of wind blew in from somewhere and whipped up my hair. I spun around with a jerk, only to be met with stony silence. I walked to the staircase that led to the basement, and paused at the top step. Slowly, I made my way down the stairs, the books clutched tightly in my hand. The air got colder with each step I took. I thought I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn or stop. My breathing was shallow. I couldn't bring myself to face what was following me.

The basement had shelves filled with books about paranormal science. What a fitting genre for me, I thought. If only I could find out about the presence that was plaguing my life, following me.

I walked slowly towards the bookshelves, remembering the place I had taken the books from. I found the shelf. The books in my hand were about to be placed in their rightful place on the shelf, when my hand froze. There was somebody else down there with me.

The sound was unmistakable. The sound of books being shoved into a shelf and the scuffling of feet. Something led me to believe that it wasn't the librarian.

A shadow shuffled across bookshelves, and made its way towards me, closer and closer. I could hear its shallow breathing. The raspy whispers filled the room and I knew this was the dark presence that had been stalking me for eternity. As I saw the figure a few feet in front of me, I decided to run.

The books in my hand fell to the ground with a crash, and I bounded towards the door. With the same chilling laugh that I had grown familiar with, the shadow drew close, and its footsteps echoed down the corridor of bookshelves, matching my speed. I swerved to avoid a stack of books and ran towards the only exit I saw.

"No place to run, no-one to hear
The time has come to face your fear..."

The voice echoed all around the room tears blurred my vision. The last thing I wanted to do was face what was behind me.

The door was a few feet away from me, and the dark figure drew closer. With a small turn of my head, I caught a glimpse of the shadow. It seemed to resemble a listless corpse, not walking but eerily floating.

My heart racing, I dove towards the handle of the door, trying to pry the door open. At that moment, a low moan resounded behind me, and I screamed. Two hands in tattered gloves dragged me back into the sea of bookshelves, its grip tightening on my ankles and the nails digging into my skin.

I groped in the dark. I felt the base of a bookshelf and desperately held onto it, kicking out at whatever pulled me back. The air was frigid as I pulled myself to my feet and ran to the left, hearing the sound of the stalker walking towards me. My heart beat faster every minute.

At the back of the room, I found a tall shelf and crouched low. I couldn't afford to make a sound. I peeked through the gaps between the books on the shelf,  listening to the silence that had settled. I heard the footsteps stop two bookshelves away.
Gripping the wooden shelf tightly, I scanned the darkness for a sign of escape. My eyes travelled along the shelves. Through the books on the shelf, I saw a pair of white, pupil-less eyes staring at me from the other side. I fell back hard into the shelf behind me. With one last harsh cackle, the bookshelves tumbled onto me.

People say that negativity inside a person manifests itself into an evil, dark presence outside them, haunting them forever. From October 31st, the demonic presence ceased to stalk anyone.

Because that was the day I died.