gnarled fingers reach for me, trip me, scratch me. twisting paths, clash into eachother, forming a sort of maze. leaves crunch, leaves whisper, leaves rustle. the figure moves and teleports; i watch for it. it escapes my grasp everytime. its like chasing a rainbow - everytime you think youre near enough, it runs away.

cold sweat drips down my spine as i look around my room. 1, 2, 3, 4. i count. i squeeze my hands together and focus on my shallow breathing. that dream recurrs constantly. i hear his screams from miles away, reverberating around my dry skull. i need to catch that figure. the figure that took my brother. every day i watch for it. but it escapes my grasp.

then my phone rings.

"we found him," i gasp, salt runs down my face, "but hes dead." i gasp, salt streams down my face.

my phone clatters across the room and ny body goes numb. for weeks, he had been claiming someone was following him - it was for attention, or so they thought. i should have believed him. but now its too late. hot boils deep down in my stomach, red clouds my vision. 1, 2, 3, 4. i count. suddenly im in the bathroom and splashing ny face with cold water, it basically steaming as it touches my skin. i shudder. the mirror reflects my white, shaken, body.

i see it. deep black shadows cloud around the walls. whats left of my happiness is ripped from my body right there and then.

i feel cold.

freezing isnt the word. sub-zero isnt the word. i could search a thousand thesauruses in a million languages and i wouldnt be able to find the correct word. my brother had been missing for weeks and id spent that whole time searching for it. and nows its here. i know, because i watched for it.

a clawed hand grips my shoulder, forcing me to look at its reflection. i meet its- eyes? no. pits wouod be the word. my mouth makes a silent "o" as i realise what- sorry- who, im staring at.

death, himself.

"i'll take care of him for you." and with that, he disappears. to this day, i still watch for it.