Demon Within

Written on 7th November 2008

He sat at the window seat of the 10:30 slow train as it gradually pulled out of the Old Street Station. He was quite familiar with the route having done the 2 hour trip daily over the many years that he had been working. He was heading home after a rather uneventful day at work. AS usual most of the commuters in the train were busy in their own thoughts...most with their noses buried in their newspapers, some fast asleep and a few enjoying the solitude that only an iPod can provide in a crowded train.

He dug into his bag and pulled the book out. Opening it to the page where his bookmark kept place, he continued reading from where he had left off during his trip to work earlier that morning. The book was entitled "Best Horror Stories Ever Told" with the names of the editor and illustrator written in a creepy font across the bottom half of the cover. The front was littered with demons, goblins and all sorts of creepy crawlies that the illustrator could conjure up. That was one of the reasons he picked up the book at the church flea market...the artwork appealed to him. The other reason was its ridiculously low price. He got it for just £1, a whole £6.5 off the retail price. When the lady at the counter told him it was a "steal deal" he had laughed at the idea of "stealing" right under the church's nose.

He continued reading with rapt attention the story of a family beset by the haunting ghost of their recently deceased pet. He loved horror stories, an interest that neither his wife nor his kids shared with him. By the time he finished the story and looked up from his book, the signboard that went whizzing past his window signaled that they had just past the East Croydon station. He placed the bookmark back, closed the book and rested his head against the window, letting the images of the haunted family play out in his head. Less than 5 minutes later, he was fast asleep.

He was rudely awoken by the lurch of the train as it stopped at the Brighton station. Looking at his wristwatch, it was 12:25am. He had been asleep for nearly an hour. Quickly shoving the book into his bag he got off the train suddenly aware that he was the only one at the platform and the only one to get off the train. "Strange", he said to himself, as he walked past the McDonalds outlet, with its shutters already pulled down, towards the turnstiles. He swiped his ticket and went through looking around to see if he could spot anyone else around. It wasn’t uncommon to find very few people at the station past midnight but being all alone was a bit unusual. He passed the station office and peered in...The lights were on but there was no one in the room. The ticket counters, the newspaper stands, even the bus stop outside...all empty. He tried to laugh away the insecurity that was creeping up on him but it didn’t help. Quickening his pace a little, he took the south exit from the station towards his home.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move near the street lamp opposite the road. He tried to ignore it but there was surely something moving in the darkness. With a faster stride now, he kept on walking without turning to take a look, hoping that whatever it was under the street lamp would cease to exist if he didn’t acknowledge it. But it was there, and it was moving towards him and he could feel its presence. In an attempt to scare 'it' away, even though he had no idea what 'it' was, he stopped, faced the street lamp and shouted "Who’s there?” The quivering in his voice made his question sound more like a whimpering plea than the thundering command he intended it to be.

That’s when he saw it clearly. It wasn’t something moving in the shadows but the shadows themselves that were moving around the base of the street lamp. Under the steady dim light they drew together and began to take a form like a jet black liquid that had suddenly come to life. Basic motor functions betrayed him and he stood rooted to the spot staring unblinking at the shadows as they danced before his eyes. Within a few seconds it had discernable legs, a torso and a head forming above it. Then it opened its eyes. Eyes that were burning red with evil and seemed to peer through his flesh right to the core of his frightened heart.

With all the strength he could muster he broke free from the trance that had gripped him and started backing away as quickly as he could without making any sudden movements. Letting out a wail that could only have come from the pits of the abyss, it darted towards him. He ran fast, as fast as he could, away from the shadowed thing that now seemed to be hunting him down. His old arthritis-ridden knees began to weaken as the creature closed in on its prey. He tripped and fell hard on the concrete pavement, his femur shattering under his weight. He was crying now...crying in pain, and in the fear of his impending death. He tried to crawl away but the pain in his leg didn’t allow him to move more than a few inches. Overcome by terror, he shielded his eyes and said a final prayer, completely helpless as the creature covered the distance between them and lunged at his throat.

One of the cleaners at the station found him and alerted the paramedics who arrived promptly. The reports read D.O.A. The cause of death, massive cardiac arrest with the time of death placed at around midnight. Seeing him sitting at the window seat with his head against the glass and a book loosely gripped in his limp hand, one of the paramedics at the scene turned to his colleague and said, "Wish we would all go that way...peacefully in our sleep".