{ Artistic Madness }

THE BEGINNING

 

    

        As soon as I saw that horrifying sight, I ran towards the way I came, Camera still in hand, out of the park.

 

    The walk back home was more of abscond. Even though I knew what I saw exceeded what reality allowed, I couldn't get the simulacrum of what many horror film portrayed out of my head. The two tiny disembodied arms, those meager scraps of ripped dress and not to mention the blood. The blood…the blood…the blood… there was so much blood. That poor girl, she had to be at least seven or eight. I wish I could've saved her… I wish I could've seen her face. Trying to tell the police what happened is going to be very strenuous. They wouldn't even believe me even if I did have more details. My mind was bombarded with questions.

 

    Why was she there?

    Didn't her parents know she was missing? 

    Was that… thing the same as the one I recorded this sunrise?

    Did I even record what transpired at the park? 

 

    I looked down at the camera while I ran, it was off. Maybe the battery died, or the plummet broke the camera? I'll find out later, I thought while I shoved my small black 18mm into the pocket of my jeans. 

    After several minutes of running, I finally see the pine handrails of my porch along with my dark blue 1985 Chevy truck. It called it quits two days ago and ceased to start. I ran along the sidewalk and jumped. I bounced because as soon as I rushed past my truck, an old lamp post from across the street blew. The light bulb literally exploded. I watched carefully as a small shower of death rained down. 

    I hustled to my porch. I advanced up the three modest steps that barely poked out. My door was white but in the dark, colors don't really matter. I pushed my hand into my right pocket of the back of my pants and abruptly pull out my key. I extracted the key too quickly; I know this because I dropped it. Shock hit me like a brick wall. All that was going through my brain at this moment was please… don't drop between the boards. The negligible item, that was nothing to me this morning, now became my only way to a safe haven.

    The key hit the middle of one of the wooden boards, with a force so great that it bounced back up and landed on the side of the board. Taking this in, I bent down as fast as I could and snatched up the key. It was at that moment, I did something that I should have never done.

    Key in hand, I turned around. There beneath the lamp post that just blew, I saw it. The same figure that I recorded this morning. Everything matched my memory, as if I couldn't forget. The night-black suit, the impossible no face that blankly stared at me, the incredibly thin body and those insanely long limbs. I turned around.

In record breaking speed, I unlocked my door, opened it and ran inside. All of these events happened in an elapsed time of two seconds. I slam my door shut and the house slightly shakes from the force of the wooden door. I lock it and close all of the dark red curtains inside my domain.

    I slowly walk backwards and sit on my couch. Menacingly, I stare at the door, waiting for that entity to take me like I had seen at the park. I then remembered the camera. I run to the output on the east wall and grabbed the charger, plugged in the camera, and looked out the window.

    Dark nothingness. Wind blew silently. Ravens flew above in the dark sky. I wondered if it was safe to go out. I wondered if anything was safe anymore. I glanced down at my camera. Still not charged enough to turn on. I let out a small sigh. I walk through my home. My carpets light brown, almost a blond color, and white walls. I only have a living room, Kitchen and Bathroom. It's a small house, but it's warm and safe. Safe is very comforting right now.

    I looked around, contemplating what to do now. I walked to the living room and turned on my small, black, television. I pressed a small button. Above that button were the words 'Power' in gray. The screen flickered to life and was full of static. Among that was the sound of white noise. I press another button on the T.V. to change the channel. When the button is pressed, click. Click…Click…Click. All channels were the same as the first. I finally gave up and pressed the power button again. Curious, I walked to the door, slightly moved the curtain that hides the small window in the door, and I looked out, prepared for the worse.

    My bloodshot eyes franticly searched for the lamp post. When I found it, I let out a relived sigh, because the entity was gone. I turned around and walked to the camera. It should be able to turn on now I thought as I picked it up and pressed the power button. The blue name brand logo flashed on with a white background. I pressed another button which led me to a screen with all of the photos and videos I had on it. I didn't have any photos; in fact I only had the video from the park. I decided to re-watch it just in case I missed something important.

    Footsteps in the dark. More, and more. The darkness, lighting up with every step. Soon, there was a lamp visible. and under the lamp, a swing set. A girl was sitting in the swing. Back and forth, she swung with a smile. It was apparent that something was wrong. I saw a black shape quirky moved to the girl, covering her in black for maybe less the half a second, then she was gone. What was left was blood, guts, and organs. 

    As I watched, a small drop of red appeared on the screen. One more…then another and another. I pulled my head away from the camera and put it on the stand next to the window. I walked to the kitchen in haste. I grabbed a napkin and wiped my nose. As soon as the towel came in contact with my nose, a river of red came from it. Holding it in one hand and pulling out more napkins with the other, I turn on the sink with my elbow. I pulled the bloody napkins away and let it flow into the sink. 

I didn't want to watch the blood that came from me. I closed my eyes tight.

    Darkness. Water running. The dark thunder in the distance. I was relying on my hearing now. The longer my eyes were clenched shut, the more keen my hearing became. I could hear the small generator that ran in the basement, I could hear cars driving by, and my heart beat. I never realized how Irregular it sounded. Budum dum dum dum budumm dum dummm dum bum buh dumm. I couldn't take it anymore. I opened my eyes and realized that no more blood was coming out. I used the last napkin in my hand to wipe off my nose. I shut the water off and remembered the camera. I grabbed another napkin. I then turned around.

    Standing in front of me was the same horrific figure. The one from this morning. The same one from the park, and the same as the lamp post figure. Quickly I turn back around and clench my fists, mouth and eyes shut. Darkness. The house wasn't so comforting any more. I see the little dots embedded in my vision that move along with my eyes when I try to look at them. Then all of a sudden, bright red and white as if something very bright was in front of me.  I heard a loud humming sound that made me clench harder. After that, the only sound was of crows cawing. 

    The brightness was still there. I opened my eyes. Instead of a dark kitchen, a chrome sink or a brown marble counter that gave room for my bread, microwave and unrefrigerated condiments, there was a gray field. Perfectly level.

    The sky wasn't blue, or black. There was no rain, no thunder and no clouds. It was gray. Lighter then the grass, but still a lifeless color. I rotated one-hundred-eighty degrees and saw that there was a light gray almost white ball of light up in the sky. I look down and I see the only thing that doesn't fit in. An old rusty playground. Swings, slide, sandbox and monkey-bars. I ran to them. The colorless ground was that of concrete. Nothing soft about it. I stopped and placed my hand down on it. Cold. Like touching metal. I bent back up and ran more. But the more I ran, the more I learned that something was very wrong.

    The playground wasn't getting any closer to me. I tried to run harder and faster, but it seemed as if it was getting farther and farther away. No longer am I holding hope. I fall to my knees and look at the ground. 

    

    I wondered if I was dead. 

    I wondered if this was Hell.

    I wondered if it was Heaven.

    I wondered if I'd ever find out.

 

    I got back up and decided to try again. I gave one last look to the sky and saw the crows. They flew the opposite way of the playground. I turned my head to behind me and saw a bridge. I looked back up at the sky and looked at the light. 

 

    Where am I?

    When am I gonna get out?

    Why was I here?

    Who else was here?

    How did I get here? 

    What was "Here"? 

 

    I decided to go towards the bridge. I just wanted answers. Answers I knew I would never get. I ran to the bridge. Unlike the playground, the bridge got closer. 

After several minutes… ( was time the same here too? ) … I reached the bridge. It was made out of old bricks that were also of the gray tone. The bridge was going over a wide river. I looked to my left. To my right. In both directions, the river went on forever, well as long as I could see. I didn't hear any water, but I definitely saw it. I decided to go look closer. I got on my knees and looked down at the river. No smell. No color. No danger? I moved my hand close to the top of the river. Just then, a crow landed right beside me and pitter-pattered its way to the river. The crow stuck its beak in the river. I was not ready for what happened next.

    The bird squeaked and I jumped up. I looked down and watched as the crows black feathers fell off and the skin and muscles bubbled and melted away. In three seconds, there was only one thing left of the crow. Bones. They fell into a heap. I could only stare in shock. They didn't move, and neither did I. After awhile, I decided to slightly kick it to make sure it wasn't animated. The bones rolled into the river. No sound but the bones disappeared. I looked at the bridge.

    I put one step down and winced. I stood there perfectly still, waiting for the bridge to collapse or for me to explode or something out of the ordinary. I stood.

I waited and waited and waited. Nothing. I took another step and another. Soon I was across the bridge. Then I saw children. And the playground. I ran to it. It got farther and farther away. I started to sob and I fell and smashed my face into the steel like ground. I rolled around and could see the Entity that had been terrorizing me. Up in the dead sky.

    I realized then that I'd never get out. I'd be trapped here forever. In this world. This cold, dead world. He was the hunter and all mortal things were his prey. With this sudden realization, the dark man in the sky looked at me. With gruesome arm like tentacles that protruded out of his back, He stabbed me in the stomach and lifted me up. 

I Screamed.

    I Screamed and I screamed, clenching my eyes shut. I gave the Entity permission to take my life. I went limp. I stopped struggling. I gave it a invitation and a reason to take me, and finally it took the invitation. I crossed areas of the world shouldn't have, and now, I will pay with blood. 

 

THE END