The Beast

Running water,
Running animals,
Running wind,
Running faster than me,
Escape!
Escape!
Before it catches me!
RUN!
Claws on my back,
Digging through my skin,
Digging through my head,
Screaming for help,
Too late,
Too late,
I’m fading, Seeing the light
Dying….
He woke up screaming, sweat dripping from every pore, the smell of fear filling the air around him. Hurriedly he jumped to his feet. It was coming, now, he knew it. It always was there when he awoke. He clutched the small knife that was his only protection. It was coming. Now. It always did.
The woods were silent. They shouldn't be. No woods were ever silent without danger. It was coming. He knew it, he knew it as he heard crashing through the trees. First the noise was behind him, then in front, then left, then right. All around him. Everywhere. It burst from the trees, a flurry of color and claws. The man screamed a battle cry, waving the small knife before himself. It dodged the knife easily, slashing across the man's hand.
Then, as suddenly as it had appeared it was gone. Almost immediately the normal soft feral noise filled the air. The animalistic fear in the man’s eyes slowly disappeared. His grip relaxed on the knife and his shoulders slumped. He didn’t even notice that where It had cut his hand there was no mark. The man found himself back on the ground, his hands on his face, slowly tangling through his hair. Then he was pulling his hair, ripping it out in chunks, screaming.
It watched through the trees. Smiling, then frowning as the man stood up. So close It thought. So close. It stepped out of the trees into the clearing. The man stood tall. His back to It. The beast slid up beside the man, whispering into his ear. The man made no move, standing as if he was hypnotized instead. His lips formed a silent prayer. It put Its face inches in front of the man’s, looking into the eyes identical to Its own. The only difference was the fear in the man's and the cold calculating cruelness in Its. The man's eyes didn’t reflect the beast. He didn’t see it. The beast smiled a tired smile, “Sleep well brother” It whispered before rushing the exact mirror image of itself.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This is what the system gets done” The officer said, looking down at the body with distaste. “Charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon but got away with pleading insane. They shoved him in the looney bin then let him out. What else did they expect to happen?” He scoffed before turning away, shoving the wanted poster into the rookie’s hands. “Mark it down as suicide then shove the files in some dark cabinet far far away and lock them up”. The rookie looked down at the poster then at the body. “Suicide?” He thought “How could someone commit suicide and mutilate themselves so badly?” He sighed before giving the sign that they could come get the body and remove it. He didn't question the chief out loud. It wasn't his job. He began to walk away from the body, casting one glance back. He saw the body, but not the beast that followed him, Its features now matching the broad shoulders and stubbly chin of the rookie officer.