Title: Sidewalk man.
Who is the Sidewalk man? Is he good? Or is he evil? Opinions vary it depends on who you are talking to. Some say he's a monster all dressed in an old charcoal black suit, with his fedora shadowing the covered remnants of his face. He wears a black scarf, and Dark sunglasses.
Underneath this is a layering of bandages stained with the decay of old ages of darkness. Sidewalk man is his name. An urban legend, that walks among us. Or if you heard the stories, drives around in a black Chevy nova. With dark tinted windows, cruising the night looking for victims. This is where my story takes place. A group of us were heading home from a store. I remember the night there was a dense fog around the area, and the light were out in the courtyard to our back lots of the apartments me and my friends resided. There a silence enveloped around us. We were in some kind of darkened bubble, everything muffled. Our conversations muted. We tried to out talk our fears in this denseness.
We hushed and listened attentively as footsteps, could be heard in the distance. I strained my eyes looking for the person that made them. In the shadow of the fog, I had seen him approaching us kitty corner towards the courtyard as we made our way. The only thing that I could make out was a tall figure in a long black coat, and a fedora, making a fast pace towards us. He brandished a cane for support. From our distance and the thick covering of fog I couldn't describe it too well. The air seemed electric as the back of my neck prickled with its energy. My mouth was going dry I tried to shout to my two friends. "Let's get out of here!" came out in a choked whisper. My Friends did not need to be told twice. We started running along the opposite side of the courtyard. The figure reversed its direction at a pace that seemed inhuman. It was fast approaching us, and would soon be right in front of us. We were ready to scatter and bolt like frightened animals. Then in a panic I darted across the grassy field of the courtyard. My friends followed my lead. We were running as fast as our legs could carry us. I looked back at the figure now at the corner were we stood. It was running back along the edge of the sidewalk. "Why doesn't he just cut across the grass?" I said.
Taking advantage of our lead we didn't look back. We kept running forward, through back alley, and yards of other houses. Soon we were nearing the parking lot of the town homes we lived in. With this reassurance in mind, we slowed down to catch our breaths. Adrenaline still pumping freely in our bodies we were ready to bolt at any indication of our pursuer.
There was a generator were we sat down to rest. A green box we always called it because they were always painted green. "What was that?" I asked waiting for the pains in my sides to go away. "I don't know." My friend Toby gasped. "Let's go home." He finished. We started to make our way across the parking lot. Our homes were on the far side of the lot. They felt like a mile away. We jumped up as a black car came screeching around the corner. White lights blinding us as it roared its way at us like a wild animal. We felt like deer's as we stared into those growing headlights. I was paralyzed as it bore down on us. My friends pushed me forward breaking me from its hypnotic effect. We bolted and with in minutes the cars thunderous idle deafened our senses.
Luckily there was an island that separated our parking lots. The car was unable to drive through due to a wall of large industrial dumpsters that cordoned off the complex lots. We slipped through the narrow opening as the car made its attempt to ram them out of the way. They were too big, and would not budge. The tires screeched making a high pitched demonic squeal. A thick cloud hung over the area; we looked at the rows of houses for help. No one came out to investigate. There were no heads looking out windows or anything. In fact I noted that some of the yard lights were now being turned off. The car raced to the opening it came through. We anticipated its next stop, ran across our lots and towards our homes.
My Friend Barley made it to his house. Toby lived at the far end of the lot, and I didn't think he would make it in time. We could already hear the sound of the engine growling as it approached the corner. "Let's go!" I shouted we bolted into my doorway, and quickly shut the door behinds us, the car raced into our lot.
Did he see us? Did my yard light give us away? We ran up the stairs and into the darkness of my room. Cautiously I approached the corner of the window. I peered out and noticed the figure was cruising around the area, like a shark looking for prey. After awhile the car drove out of the lot.
It was awhile before we could calm down.
"What was that?" Toby asked inching towards the window again.
"Sidewalk man." I told him.
"What? There ain't no such thing!" Toby scoffed.
I told Toby about the stories of the urban legend of the Sidewalk man. A thief caught robbing a person involved in the occult. A curse was placed upon him. He cannot come in contact with anything animate, like earth, grass, mud, water, or sun. He roams the night on paved roads, looking for people to place his curse on and grow his army. He is waging a war against the light. That is the story that I have heard.
Toby eyes widened in shock as the figure came walking back around the sidewalks of the complex. He stared as the figure stopped in front of Barleys house. "He's back! He's stopping at Barleys house!" Toby warned. "He won't quit until we are joined to him." I said. Toby looked at me. "How do you know so much?" He backed away from the window. "I know so much because … I am joined to him now. Why do you think it was my idea to go out so late…? Whose idea was it to rest at the green box...?
I wasn't frozen with fear. I was trying to block you guys. In case you ran past me. I was going to trip you. Instead you pushed me, so I had to alter my plan. It doesn't matter where you run, or where you hide. The Sidewalk man will find you. Right now he is walking into Barleys house and changing his family. Tomorrow they will be members of the cause, and the only requirement is to find new recruits. Their not the only ones, most the families on these blocks are joined. We can go were he can't, yes we share his curse. On some levels the life essence of animate or living material if you will. Hurts us, burns us.. Someday we may share the power. He can do things that we can only dream of. Amplify darkness, summon fog, Muffle sounds, he can command weaker creatures. He can even concentrate enough energy to move in animate earth. Toby heard the screams coming across the way, he imagined what was happening in their joining.
"Don't think about running. He already has my whole household. My parents are guarding the door." I took a step towards him. He sees the glowing brightness in my eyes. I hold him frozen with my gaze. Toby stands there still and silent. I smile as the door from downstairs opens. The slow deliberate footsteps creak up the stairs. Just down the hall now. I anticipate this moment to see the joining. Especially for Toby he was my best friend before the darkness took over everything. I grin maliciously as excitement radiates from me. A feral grin, a sharks grin. My two brothers and sister huddled around to watch. The room filled with darkness. The Sidewalk man enters. Toby's hypnotic gaze breaks he screamed as the presence of Sidewalk man shrouds the room. The light illuminating from his eyes baths us all in its crimson glow. Toby screams droplets of his blood seep out of every pour and spray through the air. A red shower flows into the Sidewalk man. Toby limply stands there his life force drained out of him. When he opens his eyes a glowing brightness illuminates from them. I smile that my friend is now with me in the cause.