I walk down the bustling street and smell the familiar, pungent scent of trash. I wrinkle my nose and continue walking down the dimly lit sidewalk toward my destination. Nobody else is out at this time of night; it’s just me. I shiver as a cold breeze blows over me, and I pull my jacket closer to me. How is it already this cold in October?
All of a sudden I start to notice the sound of someone moving behind me. It’s weird since it’s so late, and I didn’t hear them before, but I shrug it off. I try to just focus on getting home and into my warm bed. The steps seem to be getting closer, and I begin to feel my heart race. Despite the quietness of the footsteps, I can still hear them clearly on this silent night.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I turn around to catch a glimpse of whoever is following me. I’m met with a tall, pale, creature and my heart sinks to my stomach. Its eyes are completely black and blankly stare into mine. I decide my only chance is to make a run for it, and I launch into a sprint. I can hear its footsteps pounding right behind me. My lungs are burning, and I’m starting to lose speed as I see an alleyway in front of me.
Tears well up in my eyes as I realize it’s a dead end. I look around frantically for anything and spot a dumpster. I don’t think twice as I run towards the dumpster and slide it open. I can hear it a few feet away as I jump in and close the dumpster. Not even a second later, I feel the thing slam into the metal and shriek in anger. It tries to pry the cover off with its long, boney fingers. I hear it give one last howl of anger and start to walk away. I cry with relief as I lay there in the trash. I’m still shaking too hard to move and I’m okay with spending the rest of the night in this dumpster.