I promised I'd write a scary story for halloween. Here it is, tell me what you think.
You are walking home along a trail in the forest. It's dark, but you have walked it many times before and know the way. Somewhere above the roof of branches is a clear, starlit sky. Down here you have a hard time finding your feet.
As you walk, you begin to hear a strange sound, alike that of footsteps.
You stop, and the sound stops.
You start walking again, and the sound restarts.
You figure it's just your own footsteps.
Around you, the shadows of the trees melt together into shapeless darkness. If you didn't know the trail as well as you do, you would have had to reach out and touch them not to crash. As it is, you pull your jacket tighter around you. The night is cold, and you imagine you can feel eyes on you.
The sound of footsteps doesn't stop. You pick up the pace a little, and the sound is maybe just a moment off from the sound of your own shoes.
Even though you know you shouldn't, you stop and turn around.
There is nothing there.
Nothing you can see.
The darkness is too deep, and the trees are standing too close, but there is nothing. You're sure.
You turn around and start walking again.
The footsteps start too.
The feeling of eyes following you only gets stronger.
The jacket doesn't help much.
You strain your ears, trying to make sure you can really hear nothing but yourself.
There's nothing there. There's nothing there. There's nothing there.
The sound is definitely off now, maybe half a second out of sync with your own.
You start running.
Half a second later, they start running too. Only slightly faster than yourself.
Up ahead you can see the light off your porch.
Running faster, you reach your starlit garden, you run up the stairs and hit the door.
You stop, heart beating like a drum.
You pull out your key.
You force your shaking hands to fit it in the lock.
You turn it around just as cold fingers curl around your neck.
