The Shadows

I stretched on the couch and my eyes fluttered open. I blinked a few times and sat up, looking over at the tv I saw that it was on the news channel. Not caring about the news I shrugged, got up, and went into the kitchen. Since I was hungry I put in a hot pocket from the freezer and put it into the microwave.

What caught my attention was the news guy talking about another disappearance within the area, so I listened closely, "This is very unnerving, people, yet another disappearance has been reported. Police have found blood, but no traces of the victim. This isn't the first time that this has happened and police are still on the case. Also, reports of an eye witness said he 'saw the victim get pulled into the alleyway' where the police found the blood. He also said the thing that pulled the victim into the alley way was a 'tall black shadow formed as a man.'"

I jumped as the microwave beeped. I shook my head and grabbed the hot pocket and quickly sat on the couch.

Weird, was this "shadow" Slenderman, that I've heard so much about or was it just nonsense and paranoia. Well, I wasn't sure.

The phone rang and I reached over to my right to the counter where my phone was laying on. I answered and it was my friend Laura. She sounded worried, "Hey, Nicole, I've been trying to call you all day."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, "All day?"

"Uh, yeah, it's 7:40."

"P.M.!"

"Yes. Have you been taking naps again?"

"Maybe."

"Laura giggled, "You need to stop doing that. Oh, did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

She sighed, "I called because you forgot to come over earlier."

"OH, hell, I'll be over soon!" I hit end on the phone as Laura tried to talk to me. I'll apologize to her later about that. I quickly got off the couch and put on my dark blue jeans, a plain black shirt, my black boots, and my black jacket. I walked out of my apartment and locked the door.

It was dark out and the only forms of light where from the street lights. The dark gave my chills sometimes and I usually don't leave my apartment at night, but I promised Laura I'd be there.

As I made my way down the street my eyes were fixed on the sidewalk and I was not seeing where I was going. I butted heads with a stranger who had a trench coat on and he looked at me, an angry expression on his face, "Watch where you're going!" I apologized like an idiot and started walking again.

After a few more blocks something caught my eyes and I looked over to the alleyway to my right. For a split second I saw something black, like a tentacle, slither its way in the dark. This made me curious and I cautiously walked a couple feet into the alleyway. I felt an eerie sensation pulse through me, I felt like I was prey to a predator.

Suddenly, a pitch black tentacle flew at me and caught my arm, I yelped in surprise and I was pulled towards the darkness. Instincts kicked in and I tried ripping off the tentacle and I tried to get away, but with no such luck. I turned my head and yelled for someone, but the opened part of the alleyway wasn't there anymore, it now looked like I was in darkness. There were no walls.

I heard a deep dark chuckle and I looked back and saw a 10 foot or more tall dark figure come out of the darkness in front of me. My eyes widened in fear, the shadow like figure seemed male and it or "he" was just like a pitch black shadow. He looked like he had a top naked half and I could slightly see the muscles on him. This thing had no legs, his bottom half was made of tentacles and shadow that moved like fire that touched all the way to the ground. Also, he had choppy pitched black hair that was parted in the middle and went down past his shoulders a little. He had claws and it looked like he had pointed ears. The creepiest part about this thing was his face. Menacing looking eyes that seemed to stare into my soul and his mouth that looked like sharp teeth went from ear to ear in a giant smile. I could see his eyes and mouth because they were pure white.

I flinched when he spoke to me with a dark purr, "Well, what do we have here?" I said nothing, shocked that he could talk, "What are you doing out here on your own, girl?"

He chuckled at me again when I shivered. I managed to quickly pull the black appendage off my arm and I turned to run. I got a few feet away until another black tentacle wrapped around my ankle, making me fall to the floor.

The shadowed man growled playfully, "Where do you think your going, Sweetheart?"

"NO! Let go of me!" I screamed as I was drug across the dark ground on my back.

Tentacles wrapped around my body as I was dragged closer to the tall figure and lifted me up in the air, bringing me in front of the shadowed man face to face. He was very tall and menacing, just looking at him made my soul quiver in fear.

I began to plead to the shadow, "P-please let me go! I won't tell anyone about this, I swear!"

The shadow's smile just widened, "Let you go? You're the one who walked into my trap. It's only fair and it's less work for me, and even if I do let you go, do you think anyone would believe you if you told them?"

I started to cry. I'm never going to get out of this. I felt so helpless and scared about what this thing would do to me.

The shadowed man tilted his head to the side, his smile never leaving, "What's wrong, girl?" he said in a mocking concerned tone, "Why are you crying? I haven't even done anything to you… yet."

I looked back up at him and tried to be brave, yet I still trembled, "What do you want from me!?"

The shadow cocked his head to the side, his voice became surprisingly soft, yet still eerie, "What do I want from you?"

I just looked at him with tearful pleading eyes. His eyes softened, which bewildered me. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my chest, I tried to scream, but I couldn't. I started feeling dizzy and the shadow chuckled. The last thing I remember was the white glowing smile and his soft dark voice.

"I am Shadowman. We'll see each other soon."