The Shadow

Alone in the house, I looked out the window. I saw, like every other night in my bedroom, a cold, dark, descending alleyway. I enjoyed watching people pass through by my apartment in my free time. Just the sense of movement brings joy to me. I took a brief glance and continued on my homework. After a few useless math problems, I heard a noise from the ally. I looked. Again, I saw the same bland street struck with pitch blackness. But there was something different this time. The lane was usually bustling with small business owners and pedestrians, always echoing noise off my apartment building. This time, it was silent. No sounds, no animals, no people. Just nothing. However, there was now someone, something, standing alone in the darkness. They were in a hood or some sort of sweatshirt. One thing was for sure though, I could not see their face. It seemed to be invisible, catering to my worst fears of the unknown. The alleyway seemed to morph around the person, blackness growing as if the night were quickening. As if a shadow had engulfed the very place I live. My heart rate hastened. My brain started to ponder the possibilities of who this was, what they wanted, and why they were in my alley. But the scariest part was something I had not thought of. I had not noticed the tilt in the person’s hood, their nonexistent neck poised toward my window. My head craned away from the window for a brief moment, still not thinking that my life was in danger. I snapped back, looking into the same spot the shadow was previously in. My heart skipped a beat, maybe two. It was gone. I looked around the alley and found that it only moved about 10 feet closer. I now felt that my life was in danger. It was too risky to reach for my phone, seeing as it was still looking in my direction. I looked in my window reflection. I could see my phone on my bed a couple feet away from me. I needed to call 911. I stood up from my chair, maintaining eye contact with the shadow. I grabbed my phone and I dialed. “911 what is your emergency?” “There is this man, thing, person, I don’t know what it is but it is outside my window and is inching closer to me. I feel that my life is being threatened.” My hands were shaking rapidly. “Alright, now what is the address of the resid-,” her words were cut off as my quivering hands dropped my phone. I tried to save my phone, taking my eyes off the shadow. I realized what I had done. I forgot the phone and looked back out to the alley. It was too late. The shadow was gone. A sense of relief for a second. I continued to look, however. Then, I heard the long creaking sound of my door opening.

Anonymous