Escaping Death
It was getting dark. The trees seemed to close in on him as he walked down the long, dusty trail. Everything was silent except for him. The sounds he made were amplified by the dense trees. His heart thumped like drones of canon fire. His breath, heavy, was the wind during a tornado. His stomach rumbled like thunder; he hadn’t eaten since he’d entered the forest. He’d become delusional from the hunger that panged his stomach.
He’d started to see things. Things that he knew could not possibly be; a shadow blacker than the darkness that was ubiquitous. It loomed behind the trees like a dark passenger, watching his every move, listening to every canon fire beat of his heart. As he meandered down the path, he noticed the same shadow, this time a little closer. He could make out a tall, boney figure, but that was all. He was afraid now, hands trembling, eyes darting around, looking for somewhere to find shelter, somewhere to hide from this menacing figure.
It was a short lived search, as he found a tree, hollowed out by time. The tree was damp on the inside and wasn’t very spacious, but it would have to suffice. He curled up into a ball so his entire body could fit in the tree, out of sight. Drifting off into sleep, he listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. It was relaxing. Just enough to slow the cannon that was his heart, and just enough to fall asleep.
When he awoke, it was still terrifyingly dark. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were open or closed. Uncurling from his slumber, he noticed his side was wet from the tree. Water dripped down and made him shiver in the cool night air. He stepped back out onto the path and began to walk, hoping his clothes would dry. They didn’t. There was no sun to evaporate the water. Not even a moon to light the path. Only darkness.
He kept walking, hoping he would dry off, hoping he would find people, hoping he wouldn’t run into the dark figure again. The forest seemed to go on forever because of how dark it was. He walked for hours on end, at least what felt like hours. He started to think of how he got here, but he couldn’t remember. There was a wall in his mind that he couldn’t climb over. He gave up on the thought, but it still stuck in his mind like hot tar on a summer’s day.
A stick cracked behind him. Turning around to check, he saw the shadow that had been following him. It just stood there. He stared at the figure, trying to make out exactly what it was. He couldn’t tell. It seemed harmless. It hadn’t moved at all, so he crept slowly, trying not to cause an upheaval. He crept closer and closer, wishing the darkness would turn to light so he could see well. He was ten feet away now. He could tell that the figure was facing away from him. He reached his arm toward the figure, ever so slowly…
Just when he was about to grab the figure’s shoulder, its head whipped around. A skull filled the place where a head should have been. There were no eyes, fire filled their place. It was the only light around, and it allowed him to see his surroundings. There were countless dead bodies lying all around the forest. He recognized none of them. The skull was all he could see of the figure, and it glared at him with its fire eyes, until it turned its body around, allowing for his full figure to be shown. It was a full skeleton in a black cape, and it was holding a slender stick with a blade at the end, A scythe. The skeleton opened its mouth.
“Jeremy Nicoles,” the skeleton said in a slow, deep voice.
Jeremy stood in bewilderment, not able to reply.
“Jeremy Nicoles,” It repeated.
Jeremy snapped out of his trance and replied, “Yes?”
“I have come to take you.”
“Take me where?” Jeremy asked, his stomach knotting.
“Hell,” it said plainly.
“Who are you?” Jeremy asked.
“I am death” the skeleton muttered coldly.
Jeremy reared around and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he had to get away from that monster.
“You can’t escape this place!” the skeleton bellowed in the distance.
Jeremy ran and ran, trying to escape death. All of a sudden, the path ended, and the skeleton was waiting there with his scythe ready. The skeleton swung.
….
“Clear!” Bzzt. A medic yelled as he tried to restart Jeremy’s heart. A storm was raging during the battle. Wind howled and thunder rumbled as cannons fired next to them.
“There’s no use,” a soldier told him, “It’s his time.”
“I have to keep trying,” he said, “Clear!” Bzzt.
….
Jeremy thought it was the end when the skeleton swung, but just as he swung, a bright light enveloped him.
….
Jeremy gasped for air and opened his eyes to see the medic staring at him with a smile spread wide across his face and a look of relief shone in his eyes.
He had escaped death.