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The Walk Home


I’m still trying to comprehend what just happened to me, my hands are shaking as I write this. I was going to wait until the morning to write this up but I thought it best to do so while it was still fresh in my memory. Apologies if this isn’t written very eloquently, I’m incredibly tired and my mind is still racing a mile a minute but I’ll try and recount what happened as best I can.

As many on here will know, it’s currently exam period in UK universities. My exams aren’t for another week but I’m somewhat of a night owl and enjoy peace and quiet when revising so I often go to the library at night while it’s relatively calm. I didn’t realise how late it was until I’d finished my work, it was two in the morning. The library was essentially empty by that point except for myself and several other students in the silent study area. I’d been hyped up on coffee and red bull since I got to the library and was coming down hard, I could barely keep my eyes open so I packed my stuff up and began to head home.

A bit of exposition is necessary at this point. My university’s library is in the city centre, where as student halls are out in the suburbs somewhat, about 2 miles from the library, it takes me about half an hour to walk home. There are two ways back to my accommodation, I can go through a pretty rough area of the city, which is well lit and takes a bit longer, or there’s a shortcut through a school (the school is several separate buildings with a wide footpath open to the public running through the middle) which isn’t very well lit. I figured that I was probably more likely to get mugged or something if I went the long way so I decided to take the short cut. In retrospect that was a pretty shit decision.

It was snowing pretty heavily yesterday so by this point the snow has turned to ice in most places. Most busy pathways have been trodden on so much that the ice isn’t a problem but when I got to the shortcut the entire pathway (about 400m long) was covered in black ice. Now I’m not usually one to be scared by old buildings and dark alleys and the like but as I got about halfway down the path I realised just how creepy this place was. The realisation made me speed up a little. The bushes to my left and right rustling made me speed up even more. I realised I was just being silly and that the rustling was probably just the wind. I looked behind me for a brief moment for my own sanity. I saw a man on the pathway behind me, nothing to worry about I reassured myself, probably another student returning from the library or a night out. To reassure myself I took another glance this time I noticed something odd about him. He wasn’t moving. He was just stood there, I could make out any of his features from this distance. His stance was also strange, his arms were hanging to either side and his legs were spread quite far apart, the only thing I can compare it to is the stance Cristiano Ronaldo takes before taking a free kick (sounds weird, I know).

I was so deep in thought and worry that I forgot how bad the ice was, I began to lose balance and after a few unsuccessful attempts to stay on my feet I hit the floor hard. I regained my composure, stood up and brushed myself off. I looked behind me and to my horror they guy was closer. Much closer. He still wasn’t moving, he was still in that strange stance. That’s when I noticed something else strange about him. I couldn’t make out any of his features. It was as if he was drenched in shadow, but there was nothing to cast a shadow on him. We stood there in silence for a moment, I couldn’t see his eyes, hell I didn’t even know if he had eyes but I could feel him staring right at me. I definitely consider myself a rational guy and I have no doubt this guy was human but his presence made me horribly uneasy. I finally broke the silence, ‘You alright man?’ I managed to stutter. Nothing. ‘Hello’ I said, waving my hand at him this time trying to get his attention. He began walking towards me, and I don’t mean a leisurely stroll, this motherfucker was striding towards me as fast as he could. I’d like to say this is where I stood my ground and fended the guy off, I’m a pretty big guy, I’m not physically intimidated by many people, but something about him made me feel like a helpless little kid, I bolted as fast as I could. I didn’t stop running until I got to my block of flats, I mustered the courage to look behind me but there was nobody there.

I honestly don’t know how to process what happened to me, there was something so strange about that man. What was he doing in such a secluded place at that time of night? Why was he just stood there like a statue? Why couldn’t I make out any of his features? How did he reach me so quickly? And if he could move that quickly, how did I get away? I’ve been trying to rationalise it since I got back, maybe it was just a prank, maybe the guy was trying to mug me, maybe it was just a crackhead doing crackhead shit. It was only when these thoughts were rushing through my mind that I realised something even stranger. It’s below zero outside. When I was walking back I could barely see in front of me for the mist my breath was making. There wasn’t any mist coming from his face. Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t breathing.

—
Credits to: photofreecreepypasta

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