Walking home in the hours of darkness I came face to face with death. Its icy breath raised the hairs on my neck. It stared me straight in the face. It was dressed in bloodied robes dark as night, and from its raised hand hung a chain of black beads. From its tattered black hood I could see only a pair of glittering red eyes. It had come for me. I Froze in fear and realizing I had no where to go, gazed back. It turned, silently beckoning me to follow. What had I done?
“It’s not my time!” I shouted, but death did not answer.
I reluctantly followed it through the desolate empty streets of London my mind screamed at me to run. The trees shook in fear as I moved mechanically following behind the robes that seemed to darken the night itself. I could hear deaths shallow breath. As we passed Aldermary Churchyard an unsettling feeling over fell me. As I moved by the rows of tombstones I envisioned myself pale and lifeless, dressed in my best clothes, miles underground, alone and being devoured by maggots. It seemed we were walking for miles.
“Why are you doing this?” I screeched.
Suddenly it stopped, turned, and looked me straight in the face. I saw it, my lying, my deceit, and my lack of love.
This is the end. This is the end. This is the end, repeated as though a broken record circling the corners of my mind. Death turned, a bloodied arm raised silent warning to continue on. My head lowered in momentary defeat. A tear streaked down my cheek. We traveled through alleys walking in silence as ghosts in the night.
“Why have you come?” I stated, planting my feet praying for strength.
Death tensed in fury, or maybe irritation I couldn’t be sure. My still steady heart beat pounded in my ears. Its mouth opened as if to speak…


Death raised a grey open palm towards my face. Its eyes flashed. I collapsed to the graveled streets, rocks ground in the fingers that flew out to break my fall. A scream broke across my lips. I looked across the bloodied mess of black robes to stare death in the face beneath my hooded eyes.
It calmly stated, voice like a thrashing wind, calm but deceptive, wordlessly summoning a storm, “You brought this upon yourself.”
Tears clouded my vision.
My head lowered to rest in the shifting puddle that lay beneath me. The rain was falling at a rapid pace. It’s as though the world had begun to cry with my heartache. Death stared noiselessly. I lie on my knees, head dropped in that puddle, holding on to my tiny shred of life for what felt like hours…


I raised my head to the black sky praying for absolution. Was this the end? Had my time come? I took a shaky breath, and lowered my bloodied hands to the ground to steady myself as I stood. Rising to my feet I shook, out of fear maybe even shock. My hands ached and my knees stung. I stared towards death. I could see its smoldering eyes and the sinister black of its hooded visage. An ominous feeling over fell me, Was this my last night to live?
Yet another tear escaped down my cheek. Death, as if a stone of menacing evil was stilled and stared, no emotion emitted from it.
Death began to walk again. A chilling voice in my head commanded me to follow without question, as if sensing my well hidden plan. Shaking deceptive thoughts from my head, I shifted. My positive side emitted a blast to my frozen brain, sending only one message. I can escape death…