My heart was pumping quickly as I was scared; terrified of what may come next. Beads of sweat ran down my face as I stopped to catch my breath. Looking around, and studying my surroundings, I scrutinize every detail of this labyrinth.  The huge city buildings loomed over, creating an ominous atmosphere. All of them were desolate, run-down, and falling apart from negligence.

The scene before me appeared as though I was starring in an apocalyptic movie. Debris scattered the city streets and plant life was non-existent. There were vehicles still on the streets, much like obstacles for me to overcome with broken windshields and dents. Some were on their sides as if a giant toddler kicked them over in a rage-fuelled tantrum. Some streetlamps worked, but just barely emitted a dull glow that gave me limited visibility.

But I can still feel his eyes on me. My shadow man remained hidden in the shadows, everywhere.

Hesitantly, I walked until I came upon an intersection. Unsure of which way to go, I looked in every direction but could not see far enough down each street to tell if they all led to dead ends. 

Right. I'll take a right.

After walking for what seemed like forever, I saw a light illuminated in the distance. Strange... 

As I neared the light, I discovered it was a brightly colored car on fire. I stopped, looking behind me. 

It must be. The vehicle on fire was the only car I had seen on this road. 

My heart started beating violently as I slowly inched closer to the scene. I could hear its thumps in my ears. There was a strange noise coming from the car. As I drew closer, the sound became louder. It reminded me of someone hyperventilating during a panic attack. Getting on my hands and knees, I look inside the vehicle. But there was no one inside. 

So, where was the noise coming from??

Back on my feet, I walked to the back of the vehicle and noticed a naked body lying in the fetal position. The way the person was lying made it hard to determine if they were male or female. Their hands covered their face as they made a horrendous noise as they trembled. 

A lump in my throat made it hard to speak. My voice quivered as I asked, "A-are you alright?" 

The being did not make a noise nor acknowledge my presence. Was I too quiet?

Clearing my throat, I started again, "Excuse me... Do you need some help?"

Again, there was no acknowledgment of my existence. 

"Please, let me help you," I stated, reaching out to the person. Before my hand grasped the person's shoulder, the being whipped its head in my direction. I jumped back, letting out a shriek in horror. Its face... There wasn't one. 

Its head is void of eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.  There was nothing to describe the terror in front of me. 

Taking a couple of steps back, the being stood up, making an ear-shattering noise. Shrieking as it started to slowly walk toward me, reaching its hand out to me. 

I didn't know what to make of the terrifying situation. So I did the only thing that made sense. I ran.

Running back the way I had come, I looked behind me to see the shadows engulf the figure. 

Relief washed over me, but I knew the feeling would not last. 

And I was right... As I ran, the few streetlights that illuminated the street suddenly turned off. It made it impossible to see where I was going. Fear consumed me as I knew I could encounter the shadow man at any moment.

If there's no way out... Then maybe I need to find a safe place to hide.

Suddenly, a light popped on in one of the abandoned buildings. This was definitely odd, as this had never happened before. Curiosity got the better of me as I walked closer to the window to peek inside. Inside, I witnessed my best friend, Sara, standing in the room. Her face was streaked with eyeliner from the tears flowing from her eyes. She looked to be horrified and helpless. 

"Sara!" I yelled as I began banging on the window.

She did not respond to my voice or the banging. So, I knocked on the window louder, not caring if the glass broke, while calling her name louder and louder, trying my best to get her attention. Still, she didn't acknowledge anything I did.

Finally, Sara jumped. I thought I had succeeded in my effort to help my friend. However, I couldn't have been more wrong...

She almost jumped out of her skin when the door to the room flew open with an obscene amount of force. My friend stood in the center of the room, slowly backing away from the entrance, her eyes transfixed on whatever or whoever stood before her. As she fell to her knees, I could hear her begin to plead with an entity, begging it to let her go.

A red light began glowing in the room before it engulfed everything. I tried to keep my eyes on Sara, but her figure became lost in the light. Just when I thought my eyes couldn't take any more of the piercing red light, it slowly faded. That's when I saw her lifeless body lying on the floor.

"Sara!" I wailed, banging on the window harder and faster. 

A dark laugh bellowed.

Sobbing, the menacing laugh continued at my grief as darkness consumed the scene as if I just finished watching the end of a play. Staring into the pitch-black room, I couldn't move or think. I remained frozen in place. 

When the ominous laugh finished, I felt a breath on the back of my neck. Still, I remained frozen when a cold hand with unusually long fingers grabbed my right wrist. Falling further into fear, my heart began to skip beats and I was unable to catch my breath. Then I was suddenly spun around to meet the shadow man face to face.

This guy was huge, looming over my 5-foot 2-inch stature by another two to three feet. A black hooded cloak hid his face, but his hands were pale, almost a light gray tone. The fingers long and spindly were noticeably disproportionate with his hands. 

"Well, well..." His deep booming voice muttered. "It appears the cat finally caught the mouse." 

I remained frozen, unable to find my words. 

"Aww, what's the matter Ember?" The shadow man chuckled. 

How does he know my name? I was completely taken off guard by everything happening in this nightmare. Never have I experienced being face to face with the shadow man.

"I know all about you Ember." His voice echoed, answering the question as if I spoke it out loud. Can he hear my thoughts??? "I know more about you than you know about yourself." He continued, with amusement painting his voice.

I gazed up into the black void that shrouded his face, unable to make a sound. My thoughts raced to the entity that burst through the door before my friend lay motionless on the floor.

The man sneered as he spoke, "Your friend is of no importance. She was pathetic and meaningless." A cold chuckle escaped from his lips. "I have more concerning matters with you. That girl you call a friend would only get in the way."

Rage consumed me at his words. "Don't you dare talk about my friend that way! Who the hell do you think you are?"

He laughed in amusement. "Well, look who suddenly grew a backbone!"

I glared at him. With an angry and shaky voice, I continued, "You have no right to decide who lives and who dies in this world!" Or does he? I wondered. He was the walking epitome of Death himself, without the scythe.

The looming figure chuckled again. For a creepy man, he sure is amused and laughs a lot... "Dear Ember, I am far worse than Death."