It was on a dreary night of the 31st of October, when the air was cool and crisp, with mist shrouding the frosted ground. A man ambled down a cobblestone path, shivering from the relentless gusts of wind. As he turned a corner, his plaid hat blew off and skidded down the street. “Oh, come on, really!” He exclaimed, as he rushed to snatch his hat from the cruel wind as it slid farther and farther from his grasp. By the time he had gotten to the end of the street, the cap had skidded into the graveyard and rolled to a halt.  Frustrated and out of breath, he was about to storm through the rusted gate and seize his hat, when he abruptly stopped right before the entrance. He flashed back to him as a young boy, growing up in a loving home in an expensive mansion, and losing a ball after playing with it to the graveyard. When he went to retrieve it, his older brother stopped him. “Blake, do not ever, under any circumstances, go into that graveyard! I heard that it's haunted, and strange incidents have occurred to people who go in there!” Though at the time bewildered and frightened into heeding the warning, now Blake scoffed at his naïve younger self. “Haunted! HA! He was only trying to scare me!”Convinced he would be ridiculous to listen to that inane advice now, he reached for the gate, before stopping once again. Signs were barely visible, but they read “Keep Out!””Danger!” and “Beware!”Snorting at the idiotic attempts of teenagers to obviously try and prank people on Halloween, he resolved to sue any teenager with the audacity to try and scare an affluent lawyer such as himself. As his body fully entered into the darker setting of the graveyard, the wind blew through, this time with a sound that was eerily close to a soft, malicious chuckle.
Peering through the ever thickening fog, he felt around the ground for his hat, swinging one arm to try and dissipate some of the fog.  While swinging his arm, the mist seemed to brush against something, so delightedly he grabbed for his hat, ready to get out of this forsaken place. What he grabbed, however, was not his hat. It was the ball he had lost so many years ago, and assumed his brother had grabbed it after thoroughly frightening him. A little bit of panic pierced his heart, causing it to erratically pulse a rhythm against his now clammy skin. “Who’s to say it’s even mine? I mean, I’m sure lots of people lose toys here and forget to-...” As he was trying to reassure himself that it was not his, he turned the ball over and saw writing. It wrote in handwriting that sent chills down Blake’s spine, “You chose to disregard our first warning, Blake. Beware the hefty price you will endure for ignoring this second warning.” Dropping the ball quickly as if it had scalded him, he stumbled backwards, his eyes widening as terror pulsed through his veins. Just as quickly, however, his mood turned from fright to annoyance. “I bet those teens did this! Not some abnormal fallacy my brother warned me about!” Flushed with embarrassment at being fooled twice, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued the search for his hat.
A few minutes later, he spotted his plaid hat thrust up next to a tall gravestone. Relieved to finally be able to go home after a stressful and exasperating night, he picked up his hat and dusted it off. A note fell on the ground, and annoyed he picked it up, waiting for the “spooky” message to be visible in the poor lighting so he could crumble it up and leave the kids to their childish endeavors. “Mr. Ryan, you have now ignored the second warning we bestowed upon you, and proceeded to mock the legend. The price for your ignorance will be immense.” Now at the end of his patience, Blake roared “Alright, show your faces, you immature little punks!” A rustling noise stirred from behind him, and Blake whipped his head around to see a shrouded figure where he just a second ago thought was a tombstone.
A slight quiver in his voice, Blake cleared his voice and vociferously called “And who are you! The imbecile in charge of this whole incompetent charade! Show your face, coward, so I know who to bring to justice!”
The figure regarded Blake with contempt in his voice as he spoke “I have been watching you for a while, Mr. Ryan, and I know how you treat others. You have sued and succeeded when your client was guilty, and you have manipulated situations to make yourself affluent. You, Mr. Ryan, have sinned against humanity, yet have the AUDACITY to tell ME that you will bring me to justice?!” Blake shrunk farther below the figure’s gaze, his body quaking as the form before him seemed to double in size. “You will pay the ultimate price for your mistakes, and will expect to experience the disgust and apathy that you thrust onto others. This is your sentence, Mr. Ryan.” Mustering the courage to speak, Blake drew a shaky, hesitant breath before lifting his previously averted eyes to try and testify for himself. The words died in his throat, however, as he saw for the first time the figure’s eyes, or better put, the lack thereof. Two deep abysses in place of its eyes seemed to swallow Blake as he could not avert his gaze. Slowly, the abomination unwound the dark cloth that bound the rest of his face, and dropped the material to the frigid soil. Horrified at the possibility of what had been hidden under the shadowy fabric, he had dropped his eyes to the ground, staring hard at the swirling mist that clung around his shoes. “Oh, do you not dare to look upon the face that you had just bellowed at a minute ago to be visible?! Look at me, oh presumptuous man, and see what your destiny holds!”
Gathering his courage, Blake raised his eyes ever so slowly, finally reaching the apex of the horror. What a sight it was to see! The figure’s face was sallow and sunken, with cheekbones that were like concave shapes, sinking back farther into its skull. Its lips were twisted into a malignant grin, with scars around the edges that seemed to twist the corners up to an inhuman point. Blake, at this point, shrieked as if he had been shot, as a massive, slimy, sea green snake slithered out of one of the figure’s eye sockets, hissing as it slid down the creature’s robes. Without a second to lose, Blake sprinted away from the entity, stumbling blindly through the fog and shooting towards the exit. “You can try to outrun your fate, but it will always find you!” The figure shouted after him cruelly, cackling. The slithering snake pursued him closely, inches away from Blake’s foot. As he saw the exit in sight, he felt home free and let relief sink is as he gained space away from the snake. Just then, his foot caught on a gnarled tree branch, and he launched into the air, landing hard on his stomach. The wind knocked out of him, he struggled to catch his breath so he could get home and away from this nightmare. As his breath returned to him, Blake felt something sliding up his leg. His heart pounding, he looks down just as the snake propels itself forward, mouth wide open and fangs arched. In his terror, he blacked out.
In the morning, he awakes abruptly to find himself sprawled out in the graveyard, with no shadowy figure or vicious snake to be seen, he let out a sigh of relief. “Must have just been a nightmare. Yes, that’s it! Or I hit my head while reaching for my hat!” Though not fully convinced, Blake resolved that things like that just are not logical and do not happen to people like him, and set off for his home humming. Walking quickly, he managed to make it to his mansion before everyone else had risen, and took a shower to try and wash off the horrid smell of the dirt and grime before his meeting today. Getting out of the shower, he put on some fresh clothes, and was about to don his shirt when he noticed a mark on his neck. A bite mark, to be exact! His heart sank as he realized what this meant. “So, last night was real? I truly have been sentenced to a life of horror and suffering?” Then he pondered the situation for a while before deeming it untrue.  “I am not a superstitious man! I am a man of learning, a lawyer no less! I will not be bamboozled by a simpleton simply because I have been bitten by a snake and saw a man in the cemetery!”He threw on his shirt, quite pleased with his logical thinking, and grabbed his briefcase.
“Bye, honey, have a good day at work!” His wife called to him after he kissed her on the cheek and strode off to work. On his short walk there, he could have sworn he saw the shadowy man a couple of times in different places, but shook it off as fatigue. Sauntering into his workplace, Blake felt uncomfortable warmth overcome him. Annoyed, he told his secretary that she should not be wasting money on putting the heat so high. Slightly bewildered, she just nodded and went to the thermostat. “Honestly, these people would not know how to breathe properly if I was not there to tell them!” He muttered, rolling his eyes.
In the meeting room, Blake briskly walked over to the two gentlemen in suits seated at the long table. “It’s nice to meet you, gentlemen!” He said in a slick, charming tone, with a smile plastered on his face.”So, let’s get down to business. Your client is obviously guilty, and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that would prove so in court. Let’s not let it go to that, though, because then your client would just lose more money than my client is asking. I’m your best option, boys, so let’s not waste time.” With a sigh, the men glanced at each other and slumped a little farther into their seats.
"How much, exactly, does your client want,Mr. Ryan?”
“Well, let me just have a look at this contract right here!” He smirks as he reaches into his briefcase, the practiced action a second nature to his thin,reedy hands. His back stiffened as whispers filled the air. "What did you say?" Blake said and turned, recognizing the words "kill" and "vengeance" from the hushed conversation taking suit behind him.
The lawyers exchanged concerned looks and one said "nothing! Do not play games with us, Mr. Ryan,we have agreed not to sue!" Blake nodded curtly and crouched back down to his briefcase,flustered at the obvious lie, for who else could have spoken? Grabbing the paper,he went to fetch a pen, barking out an order for SOMEONE to turn down the heat in this forsaken place! He returned to hammer out a deal when he notices the shadowy figure standing behind them, a grim smirk visible in the artificial light.
"You! You need to get out of my office immediately, you sick, twisted demon,you!" Blake screeched, veins pulsing in his neck and forehead. The lawyers, turned, saw no one,and sprinted out of the office, away from the insanity. Blake squared off with the shrouded man, glaring at him with his pulse beating.
"These voices will continue to get worse", the figure said in a creaking voice,"as will the temperature increase of your blood and the fragility of your sanity. You will experience hell in the most painful manner, and there is only one path of relief." Paling the lawyer backed against the wall, before slowly sliding down it.
"And what is this way,that will save me that pain? I have a wife, and a blossoming career!"

"A wife that you don't appreciate? A job you abuse other people with? My sympathy for you is little to none, Mr. Ryan. I was once like you. I believed that the world had much for me to gain,by any means,and I never bothered to look back at the trail of destruction I leave. You have had many opportunities to avoid this path,yet you seal your fate with every twisted word and oily grin. I sentence you to take my place as a deliverer of justice. You will take my appearance, and though it will be painful, in a couple of years your wrongs will be righted and you will be released from your duties." Blake stares at the shroud with both contemplation and fear,before vigorously shaking his head no. "NO? YOU REJECT MY GENEROUS OFFER OF SALVATION?! PREPARE TO FEEL MY WRATH!" Just at that moment, he stopped, twisted his lips into a sickening grin, and vanished. Visibly shaking, Blake cancelled his appointments and locked himself in his office, brandishing an envelope opener at every small sound. After a while, he dozed off, and dreamed of himself walking through the woods,the fresh air scented with pine and flowers. Suddenly, the clouds darken, and he runs to a lake, where he sees his reflection,except he has no eyes! His reflection peels off of the lake,and suffocates him with a dark shroud. Startling awake, he jolts upright off of his desk, before shrieking again as his desk writhed with snakes. He began slashing with his letter opener, viciously cutting the snakes, before he realized that they were never there to begin with. Unnerved and unstable, he left work and went home, locking all the doors and windows. In the morning, he awoke curled up with the letter opener still clutched in his hand. Carefully walking into the bathroom, he checked all the corners before relaxing. Splashing his feverish face with water, he dries it with a towel and takes a deep breath before he opened his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, a cobra slides through the partially open door, silently creeping closer. Grasping for his envelope opener, he prepared to stab the snake, but it shot into the air, seeming to rise in slow motion as its fangs snapped around his widening eye. Yelping, Blake thrust the letter opener upward, and pried the snake off. Hazy with pain, he lurched back into his bedroom, blood oozing from his eye. "Oh my gosh,Blake! What HAPPENED?! His wife screamed at him, horror stricken in her face before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted. Confused and weak, Blake rushed to a mirror and nearly passed out himself. Blake stares at his reflection, at his empty socket oozing blood, and his eyeball sliding off of the filthy letter opener. His wife, after awakening from her horror induced faint, rushed over to him. “What, what happened?” She says with a wavering voice, barely lifting her eyes to gaze higher than his nose. “There was a giant snake, it attacked me, so I tried to stab it,and it sntached my eye. It snatched my eye, honey, oh dear God, and I didn’t give in, no I did not want to be him, but now he is coming, and there is nothing I CAN DO!!!!” Blake’s voice began increasing in volume as his histeria rises, the words sounded like they were ripped out of him.  His wife stares wide eyed at him, shocked by his unkempt outburst. “Honey, what do you mean, he is coming? No one is coming, you are perfectly safe!” Blake begins pacing sporadically, his eyes crazed and erratic.

“No, you don’t understand, he will come, and when he does, I WILL DIE!”Panic clear in Blake’s voice, he frantically searches the house for proof of the snake’s entrance. Some blood in the bathroom, scales on the floor, something to prove its existence. “I’m not crazy!” He cried, laughing through his delirium, “It happened, and  I will find something to prove it!” While he is scrabbling through clothes on the floor and drawers in the different rooms, his wife slowly approaches him. “You aren’t making sense, Blake. I think you need to take a break from work for a while. Maybe go to a home for people like you with...stress overload.” With arms outstretched, she reaches for him slowly, a tense smile stretched thin across her face. Her skin becomes translucent,revealing a grinning skull with hollow eye sockets staring deep into his tortured  soul.

“You! You’re one of them too! Get away from me, you freak, I do not want to be one of you!” Blake spit out as he backed away, stumbling over a chair as he rushed for the exit. His wife’s face flickered in and out of view in front of him before Blake sprinted out of his house, heading for the gloomy forest. Lying in the shade, Blake rested, his breath easing as his heart rate went down. A bird flew overhead, the sunlight reflecting off of  its inky wings, a dark feather falling, swirling in the calm air. Shifting his position, Blake reaches out and catches the feather, clutching it in his pale hand. “You are the only thing I have left,small feather.” He sadly mutters before losing it to a gust of wind. “Honestly, I am going insane. I have lost my eye, my wife, now my feather, there is nothing in my life left.” Getting up, he brushes off his pants and starts to walk through the forest, noting the different elements of nature he sees. A floating crimson leaf here, a squirrel bounding on a branch over there, and a lake free of ripples before him.  Trudging up to its calm waters, he stares into its depths, questioning his existence. His reflection disgusting him, with only one eye still intact, he splashes the water, sending ripples to the center of the lake. Suddenly, the ripples halt, and his reflection stills, before pulling a knife out of his pocket and  leaping through the guise of reality and reflection, aiming for Blake’s other eye.  “Not again!” Blake yelped as he threw his body sideways, avoiding the sharp blade. Kicking and screaming, he fights off his doppelganger, before shoving him back into the lake, where his other half floats on the water before slowly sinking into its depths. Blinking and breathing hard, he realizes that it was all in his head, and turning, he sees his wife standing there, along with people from his firm, mouths open in shock. "You see what I mean? Utter insanity!" His secretary stated, pointing at Blake. "N-n-no,you have to believe me!  It was there,and I was being attacked,and..."Blake's voice dropped off,as he saw clear as day the disbelief in their faces."There are people that can help you,dear, just put down the knife!" Astonished, Blake stares down at his wavering hand,before hearing a gravelly voice utter chilling words. “You could do it, you know. Kill all of them. They do not believe the truth that you speak. Look at their faces! Do you honestly believe for one second that they will release you from the asylum they plan on locking you up in?  Do not be a fool. Kill them. Murder them all!” Blake stepped back as the ghastly apparition that shared his appearance came into the fading light.
“What? Kill them? How could I? Never! You are just inside my head! Get out, get out, GET OUT!” Blake hollered, blood beginning to ooze once again from his eye socket as his blood pressure rose. Vehemently flinging his body forward with knife in hand towards the demonic version of himself, he unleashed a cry of fury and vengeance. As soon as his knife slid into the apparition’s body, he realized his mistake far too late. The guise of the apparition wore off, revealing his wife’s face, wane and features contorted in pain.
“What have I done!” Blake cried,  reaching for his wife’s hand. “I think you have done enough, Mr. Ryan. We are going to have to take you away, where you cannot harm yourself or others.” His secretary coldly declares, stepping in between him and his wife’s body. Blake is stunned, with tears trailing down his face, before it dawned on him.
“The only one who can release me from my pain, and help me start afresh from my sins. Of course! I must accept the deal that the shrouded man has offered, a deal to clear my conscience and name.” The townsfolk  stared at him muttering like a mad man, before his secretary calmy said” alright, sure, you can think about that later, when we have you in a safer confinement area.” Panic set it, as instincts told Blake that there would be no second chance awaiting him in an asylum. Without saying another word, he jerks his body around and sprints deeper into the darkening forest. Voices yell behind him, but he drones them out, honing in on his mission. “Shrouded apparition, please hear my call! I will accept the deal to take your place for a couple of years as penance for my sins!” Minutes pass, and there is no sign of the shroud from any corners of Blake’s vision. Almost missing it when he does see the dark shape, he stumbles over a tree root, and scrambles towards the figure. “I have accepted your proposal, did you hear? Please they are coming soon, and I need sanctuary as well as starting the road back to a free conscience.”Blake jumbled his words together, out of breath and anxiety building as the apparition regarded him.
“So you agree to take upon my appearance, and serve as I have, giving justice to those who have wronged?” Blake nodded fiercely, his mind set on the path for forgiveness. “Then you must remove your other eye. To take on my appearance includes the loss of one more thing.” Revolted by the idea, but desperate and out of ideas or places to turn, Blake picks up his knife and plunges the tip into his eye. Stars exploded, and he shrieked in anguish as the world became blacker than night. “wait.How will I see, or knwo what to do?” Blake fearfully questioned, feeling vulnerable with his new disability and throbbing pain in his sockets. “oh, Anguis and Veheme will show you the way.” The figure’s voice sounded wickedly amused, before darkly chuckling, sending chills down Blake’s spine. Blake was then startled by the sensation of something sliding up his leg, and though his first reaction was to shake around, he stayed still, trusting the apparition. As the tingle got closer, he thought of something. “I never asked. What is it that you are called?” There was silence, before an answer given by the figure who had set all of these events into motion. “What is my name? I am most familiarly known as Death!” He exclaimed, still chuckling as the snakes Anguis and Veheme plunged into Blake’s eye sockets.