Beyond the shadows they wait

A haiku and short tale for Halloween

Beyond the shadows
 just out of sight of my dreams
 something evil lurks.

The sun is gone, along with it the safety of day. The parking lot is dark save for the one light still working. I walk towards the light. There is nothing alive here, save for me, but there are others in the darkness.

I walk quickly and reach the light. I am safe, for now, but I hear them closing in. No, I don't hear them. I sense them getting closer.

They are patient. They will wait their time. They are confident the light will soon fail, and I will have no choice but to join them.

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Author’s note: I tried to keep this tale terse, more in the style of Peter Chiykowski and his "The Shortest Story" series.

Another influence on this story is The Horla by Guy de Maupassant. I read this short supernatural story decades ago, but the mood of it stuck with me over the years.