The Thing Behind Me

A cold dread curdles deep inside.

Something massive tracks my path.

It lurks directly at my back.

*

This unseen thing pushes upon reality.

It distorts the very structure of the hallway.

The atmosphere grows stale,

becoming a viscous medium.

*

My frantic movements crawl.

Every nerve ending shrieks a warning.

My senses perceive only an absolute absence.

*

An abyss gazes into my soul.

A presence so ancient and incomprehensible

makes my sanity teeter upon the brink

of total dissolution.

*

The shadows seem to writhe.

They elongate into impossible shapes

that defy mortal logic.

*

I feel the cold exhalation

of some squamous thing upon my neck.

A frigid draft flows from a realm

far removed from human understanding.

*

My vision remains fixed ahead.

I fear that turning my head

might reveal something so blasphemous

my mind would fracture beyond repair.

*

This lingering menace refuses form.

It mocks me with its oppressive proximity.

*

No sound manifests.

Only the deafening roar

of my terrified cognition.

*

My pace accelerates.

A primal urge drives escape.

*

I yearn for sanctuary,

yet understand this pursuit

transcends physical space.

*

It is a tether forged

in the blackest depths

of a forgotten eon.

*

The sensation of being studied persists,

an indelible stain upon consciousness.

*

I remain trapped

in a recursive loop of anticipation

eternally fleeing

something that never reveals itself.

*

The dark expanse behind me grows denser,

hungry for my surrender

to the gravity of the unknown.