The stranger

There have been too many sleepless nights. My back is killing me. I feel like I've strained it. My joints are aching to the point where I don't want to move. I just want to sleep. I want to close my eyes for a few months. There's too much noise. I need silence. Opening my apartment door, I stared blankly inside. Slowly I closed the door, took five deep breaths, and closed it again. I walked in not knowing what to expect. Only the darkness flooded my senses.

As I lay down in bed, I could see a dark figure in the corner of my room. Casually he approached my bed. Calmly he placed himself down on the edge of my bed. There are only 2 things I could see in the dark. The outline of his body and his eyes. His eyes were so unusual and mesmerizing. They were deep purple and glowed like embers. Staring deeply into my soul. It's almost as if he knows I'm watching. Gradually he inched closer till he was only a couple of inches away. I could not move because of fear. Gradually he shut his eyes as he put one hand to my face. As he gently stroked my I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

As I woke, I could tell that something was off. Everything seemed different. It was as if someone changed the way the world worked. The sky was unusually dark, even though it was almost 10 am. The sun still wasn't visible. The sky was simply dark. There were no stars, and the moon was gone. That wasn’t the weirdest part though. The weirdest part was how quiet it was. There was no panic. There was absolutely no sound. It was dead silent. Were no alarms. It was as if everyone and everything in the world ceased to exist.

I needed to find the dark figure. He had to be behind this. It couldn’t just be a coincidence that this happened right after he appeared. What was he? What did he want? I needed answers to all my questions. He was the key. It didn’t take long for me to find him. He wasn’t exactly trying to hide. I saw him again that night. He was lurking in the corner of my room. He didn’t seem to care that I could see him. It was as if he was just as curious about me as I was of him.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think of him. He had an aura of danger around him, but I wasn’t frightened. Although I probably should have been. He would be the death of me, I was sure of it. It wasn’t that I was in love with him; I just wanted to know why he was there. What was his purpose? Was he there to bring about the end of the world?

Merely hours after the worldwide blackout everything went back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened. In the 2 days that he spent with me, he never spoke a single word. He simply followed me around like a dog whose owner had just come back from war. He always wore a hooded cloak as if he were Death in a physical form. No one seemed to notice this massive, hooded figure following me. Almost as if he were invisible to everyone except for me.

My curiosity finally got the better of me. I just had to know who or what he was. I needed to know why he was following me. What did he want with me? This was it. It was now or never. As I was headed down the street I came to a sudden halt. As quick as I could I turned on my heel. What was thinking? I didn't know who or what this thing was. Why was I following him? This was pure insanity.

I could sense him following me as I climbed the stairs to my apartment. Although, we both knew he didn't need them. Still, he followed me down the hall and up to my door. I froze as I pulled my keys from my pocket and had the strangest thought. How did he get into my apartment? I didn't invite him in. As I turned to look at him I tripped over my own feet and landed face-first on the floor. I looked up to see his reaction but of course, he wasn't there.

Quickly, I stood up and dusted myself off. I couldn't believe that just happened. I hoped my neighbors hadn't noticed my graceful display. Especially for a being that wasn't even there. I would never be able to explain any of this to them. I'm almost certain that they would think I was insane.

My head was spinning. I wasn't sure if I could handle any more of this nonsense. I felt nauseous like I might explode at any second. Swiftly I stood up and unlocked my door. Dropping my keys in front of my door I sprinted towards the bathroom. If someone wanted to rob me now would be the time. And at this point, I didn't care anymore. I was ready for death's sweet embrace.

After dry heaving for a good 15 minutes, I finally slithered my way back to my front door. Slowly tugging myself up the wall, I finally closed and locked the door. Things would be better in the morning. They just had to be. If things remain this way for much longer, I might just drive into a lake.

Slithering up the side of my bed like a snake I slowly shifted myself under my blankets. Slowly shutting my eyes I focused on my breathing. Silently I prayed for death. If I could only have one wish, that would be it. Nothing would be more satisfying right now. Silently I drifted off into a restless mostly dreamless sleep. Except they were exceedingly vivid.

I was woken by a frigid burst of air. Reluctantly I opened my eyes and was met with an unfamiliar room. It wasn’t my room. I would never paint my room lavender. Cautiously I sat up wondering if my stranger was here. And as if I had called to him, he appeared out of nowhere. As he inched closer to my side, I could feel my heartbeat accelerate. In that moment I had forgotten how to breathe. Before I could even think to blink his face was inches from mine.

As his face slowly moved closer, my eyes closed on reflex. I didn't know what was going to happen, but it felt like the right thing to do. Before I could fully process what was happening, his forehead was touching mine. I could feel his cold breath on my skin. Just then I remembered how to breathe. His breath smelt like mint.

I could feel him slowly sucking my life from my body. I could feel the oxygen leaving my body. The pain of suffocating was excruciating. And as swiftly as he came, he was gone. Leaving me alone in a vast abyss of silence and darkness. Just like I had wished. This was it; this was the end.