The day was gray with a canopy of dark clouds covering the expanse above. It was that point in the day where it is neither day nor night. An erratic breeze was blowing through the maple trees sending dead leaves across my path. The path was ancient. An accumulation of pounded granite over the centuries had built up this solemn road which cut its way through this dark foreboding forest. The cold rattled my bones as I continued walking.

            This forest was not friendly. There was nothing beautiful about this timberland during this part of the day, which resembled more of an abode of the dead than the living. The earth was dank with an earthy smell. Nothing could be heard except the wind whistling through the bony branches of the gnarled maples and the crunch of stone beneath my feet.

            The air was getting colder; as I pulled up my jacket collar I suddenly spotted something a distance off in the corner of my eye. My heart jumpedthump, thump! I could have sworn what I had seen had human form. I stopped, the wind was still blowing, nothing but the autumn hued leaves flowing through the trees. I frantically looked in every direction. Again the mossy musk of the ground filled my nostrils. Something isnt right, I say to myself. I hear myself say it again but it isnt me. Its as if the breeze carried the whisper of what I said back to me. A shiver runs up my spine as my skin begins to tingle. My initial reaction is to flee, but I decide to keep walking for fear of bringing attention to myself. The lighting of the forest takes on an ethereal feeling and appearance.

I try to make sense of it all but I cant remember. I dont know why Im in this forest, where it began, or where it ends. Suddenly everything stops. The wind, the leaves, the trees, just stop; even the crunch of stone underneath my feet. Dead. Thump, thump, thump. I stop and look around. Nothing. Then I hear a familiar crunch of rock. I frantically turn around. Im horrified with what I see. Its face staring at me. Its me but its not me. The face is grotesque, sunken, and pale. The flesh under its eyes sag and its hair is putrid and pressed against the skull. The eyes are dilated with pure black centers piercing straight through me.  Paralyzed with terror and wonder I gaze as this phantom as it opens its mouth ushering forth a darkness unsurpassed by its eyes. I become enveloped by this utter blackness of the most tenebrous degree. I see nothing yet I hear the faintest whisper, something isnt right. I feel my surroundings. Im trapped! Im closed in by what feels to be a sepulcher. Again I smell the damp earth. I claw at my surroundings desperate for fresh air. I can feel my nails rip off my fingertips, but I dont care. I shout to no avail. There is only silence interrupted by my fainting heartbeatthump, thump, thum--.