the chase

The ceaseless howl makes it unbearable. The constant shriek of the wind follows me, unavoidable and raging. The cold air tries to grasp me from my sanity. I shiver where I go, the frigidness always chasing. Outside I watch the trees bending in agony, the raindrops splattering against the window. They are but daunting reminders of the chase.

I lie awake at night running from the wind. How it howls and asks for me! And little by little, the branches come once again to demand. They pound my window, furious at my refusal.

…Sudden silence… I slip into the moment of peace and drift to sleep…

And then begins the slow scratching, clawing at the glass. I awaken… startled, bewildered. My fingers feel numb as I pull the blanket around me. I cannot submit. The wailing of chaos drowns out my plea, raging just beyond the glass. And so I run. Run through my veins to find warmth, run through my thoughts seeking sanity, run through my dreams to escape the noise. Running from it.

The voice moans, the fingers tear, the breath chills. Chasing me.