Unveil The Shadow: Chapter 0 Trepidation

Unveil the Shadow

By

David

DeGregorio

Dedicated to the memory

of Timothy Packhem

Friend, Classmate, Companion

They painted up your secrets
With the lies they told to you
And the least they ever gave you
Was the most you ever knew
And I wonder where these dreams go
When the world gets in your way
What's the point in all this screaming
No one's listening anyway

-Goo Goo Dolls

Chapter 0

Trepidation

We hunt you down without mercy

Hunt you down all nightmare long

Feel us breathe upon your face

Feel us shift, every move we trace

-Metallica

Run, Elliot. Quickly!

Isak’s words echoed in Elliot’s head as he sprinted as fast as he could through the dense forest. The sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing were drawing nearer and nearer. A stitch was beginning to form in his side. His breath came in sharp gasps. Elliot couldn’t keep this up for much longer: it was going to catch him.

He stopped and turned, gasping for breath, and stared at his pursuer. He had reached the end of the line; he could run no longer. It charged at him, sword drawn. Clutching his side, he tried to retreat, backing up as fast as he could. However, in his haste to escape, he tripped over a root that protruded from the ground.

I’m gonna die.

He looked up at that beast, into those cold, merciless eyes. It stood over him. Its arms, which were of differing lengths, were each attached, close to the shoulder, with what looked like stitches. Its right arm- the longer one- clutched a rapier. Extremely pale, the arm glowed in the dim light of the forest. Its left arm, a dark brown color, hung limply at its side. Both of its legs were attached in the same fashion.

Where its face should have been, different skins and facial features had been stitched together, forming a sort of mask. Its tongue extended from its mouth, stained red with blood, convulsing rapidly. Both of its eyes rolled madly inside their sockets, bereft of humanity.

Elliot quivered as he peered down the long thin blade of the rapier cast toward him. There was blood on the weapon: dark, red blood, dripping, glistening, on the end of the blade…