I feel suffocated I feel tired I feel drained I feel buried

All leaves fall, season renew Utterly traveling, in crisp wisps of wind Time for autumn to spread her wings. Usher in Halloween, Make her feel comfortable, No time to spare, autumn is here.

I squeezed the bedsheets,

He held me tight, and close.

Interchangeably breathing each other in,

Moans sound like instruments, Creating a beautiful harmony,

Love is made in different forms, And each one is beautiful, Regulate love, for it is everlasting.

“Oh my god!” Sam says as he slams on his brakes. He had just nearly hit a young girl walking on the side of the road. “I mean, I know I worked a long shift, but fuck, I’m awake now.” Sam proceeded to get out of his truck, and make sure the girl was alright. “Listen I am so sorry! I’m exhausted and I totally wasn’t looking where I was going.” Sam squealed, severely fast paced. “Can you give me a ride home?” She said interrupting him. Sam was hesitant but his heart broke seeing the small girl stranded in the middle of the night. She looked freezing, and her clothes were wet from the rainfall earlier that day. “Sure thing, just tell me where to go.” The two sat in silence, a silence that makes your ears start to ring. “What we’re you doing out here anyways? It’s the middle of the night. A girl your age shouldn’t be out there alone.” Sam said. “It’s over here on the right!” She shouted back at him. He slowly creeped into the driveway. The place looked run down, and like it hadn’t been lived in, for what seemed like decades. But the lights were all on, so Sam thought nothing of it. “Okay, well I have to say I’ve never met a young lady quite like you, good luck with everything.” He said, Sounding a bit confused. “You should be grateful for that.” The little girl snapped at him. She slammed the door. Sam watched her approach the house, in doing this, he noticed tall shadows, in each window of the house. All seemingly had red glowing eyes, that felt like they were reaching into his soul. Simultaneously, they start waving at him. Sam put I’m the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway, never looking back.

“It’s freezing” Sarah thought, as snowflakes tapped against her glasses. The air was bitter, and the wind whistled through her ears. Putting her hands in her pockets, she felt the sting of warmth up against her sides.

Snow crunching beneath her boots, the setting sun revealed her surroundings with a red-orange haze. As she scanned everything near her nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until she got halfway there. She was looking down and noticed dark spots on the side of the road. Curious, Sarah began evading the shoveled side walk, heading towards this trail of substance she couldn’t quite make out. At first the dots were small, and consistent. But then turned into bigger spots, and increased in size as she walked further.

Sarah looks ahead and sees something moving in the distance. As she squints her eyes to make out the figure, she eventually sees that it’s a deer. But this deer is strung up on a tree, swinging back and forth. Blood pooled underneath it, giving it an almost “death shadow.” It’s skin looked like it was cut up with precision, the insides were spread around it as if intentionally placed there, In some sort or meaningful order.

Sarah stood in shock, unknowing what to do. When she got the feeling back in her legs, she ran. And she didn’t stop running. Her lungs felt like they were failing, and her face burned all of the falling snow right off. When she got home she took a shower and tried to think of a rational explanation… until she had this thought.

There were no footprints. The snow was untouched around the deer. So… who, or what, could have done this?

“Ugh. Finally.” I huff, as I slam my ever aching body down on the hotel bed. “Six hours of travel is never fun.” I place my phone, keys, and wallet on the night table, and grab my luggage, lifelessly attempting to pull the shiny silver zipper around the large suitcase.

I swear my gut told me something was wrong. But I was so tired I just ignored it.

As I whip it open i notice immediately… These aren’t my things… “Where is my stuff?!” The thing was empty. I mean, EMPTY! “How?! It didn’t feel empty?!”

I tried calling the airport but for some reason the phone wouldn’t work. I started making my way down to the lobby, wearing my best “please help me” face I could make, when I noticed something else. It was quiet, oddly quiet. I didn’t hear the feint rumbles emit off anyone’s tv’s, no conversation, no elevators dinging through the halls.
“Well, this is definitely strange…” I mumble to myself. I got upset when I tried the elevator button. It didn’t light up, and of course, I didn’t hear it move. “Oh great, stairs it is.”

The door opened with a loud echoing creak. I even let out a “hello” to see if anyone else could have been in there, no response. As I walk down the flights of endless stairs, listening to nothing but my own noises, I eventually made it to the bottom. “Well the lobby is just around the corner.” Finally showing a bit of positivity in my voice.

I saw the man at the counter and ran up to him at full speed. “Sir please help me, my suitcase is empty, it’s not mine! The phone is dead in my room and I can’t call the airport!”

He just stared at me with cold dead eyes. Ignoring every word. He hadn’t been like this before… the way he looked at me sent chills up and down my back, so much so I actually shivered in front of him. He was wearing clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in years, tethered from wear. Dust was formed on the top of his black uniform hat, his teeth were rotting and covered in what looked like moss, I was frozen. At this point my mind is racing, my blood runs cold, and all of the hair I have on my body stood to a point.

Suddenly he opens his mouth and lets out this awful scream. It sounded like a fox, mixed with a banshee. It was so loud I thought my ear drums were going to explode. I collapsed to the floor holding my ears begging out loud for this all to end, closing my eyes so tightly they could have ripped through the flesh.

When I opened them I was in my room. Laid out just like I was when I arrived. I sat up, wet, like I had been showering. Trembling I pull myself together, and run over to my suitcase… everything is there. “Dream, it was a dream. Thank god”

On my way out of the room I did one last look over to make sure I grabbed all of my belongings. When I saw something in the corner of my eye,

The hat… the dusty black hat belonging to the man, at the front desk.