All Along

the soft electric hum of the fan in your bedroom

the rumble of an oncoming storm

you lie in bed

you are alone

sleep calls to you but your mind races

rain patters against your window

and the wind howls through the cracked opening

lightning paints a picture of shadows on your wall

you roll over to face the window and see the blinds are open 

though you distinctly remember closing them

you close your eyes

a sharp tap on the window

you open your eyes and the hair on your arms and neck stands

through the blinds are only outlines of branches and a roof

lightning flashes

out of the corner of your eye you see a new figure on your wall

the figure of a man

you blink and it's gone

you stare at where the silhouette was

but the only shapes are of branches

moving in the wind

a rapid series of clicks on the window

urgent

you sit up

eyes wide and straining in the dim light

you try to slow your breathing

and your heart races

you look out the window and see a figure on the roof across from you

fear

the fear slows your mind and turns your limbs to marble

a fine layer of sweat covers your skin

the silhouette turns, as if to look at you

it moves toward you

a slow step

turning into a sprint 

it jumps

and you lose sight of it against the stygian sky

you leap from your bed and close the window 

you lock it with sweating, shaking hands

you wait for the sound of impact

for the sounds of glass shattering

or for the figure to appear again

you wait for anything to happen

but nothing does

nothing happens for a long time

you listen

and look

into the dark stormy night

you listen to the rumble of thunder

you listen to the soft electric hum of the fan in your room

your thoughts skip

like a record with damaged grooves

the fan in your room

you don’t have any memory of a fan in your room

the air is still

you hold your breath

and look to the ceiling

to the fan that should be there

to the fan that was never there

a shadow

slowly vibrating into reality

dripping inky black hair

lightning flashes and it is a silhouette no longer

its sunken, bloodshot eyes stare back at you

it opens its mouth 

and the soft electric hum turns into a resonating vibration

tremors ripple through you

you try to take a step back

but start shaking violently

you try to scream for help

but taste copper

 

it takes your eyes

it takes your tongue

it takes your ears

and your skin

it takes your hair

it takes your hands

it takes your teeth

all to be used again

to another room

to wait

and watch

a silhouette in bed

no longer alone

you try to move, but the body is not yours

the room is not yours

you hear the rumble of an oncoming storm

and see a flash of lightning

a tap on the window

you try to scream a warning

but the only sound that comes out

is the soft electric hum of a fan