at first, i only put my hand through the door. i wasn't only unaware of what was beyond the opening, but this sound i was hearing .. this thump thump noise, kept repeating itself in a rythmic matter. from where i was standing in the doorway, i could see nothing past my fingertips. the light behind me was distant and fading, car lights possibly? i looked to the floorprint, what i could make out, infront of me.

5 wooden boards laid out side by side. the farthest one i could make out in my sight seemed sopping wet from something. it hadn't rained here in years. let alone there was a roof above it so i had no idea where it could've come from.

i pushed the door against its hinges and walked inside. thump thump. i heard it again. this time it echoed throughout the house. as the darkness infront of me engulfed me with aching simplicity - the door pushed shut behind me. with each footstep forward, i could hear the liquid make sloshing noises beneath the soles of my shoes. a distinctive scent grazed its way by my nose. decay.

had i forgotten something?

the thumps seemed to have ended once i entered the house. this time a sharp shriek, the sound of what twisting a tree branch would make, registered behind of me. i saw imprints of a window, the glass slightly shining from the moon beyond them. shadows stormed their way by in a flurry.

to the side of the window i saw him. tall as the ceiling, at least eight feet tall, and thin like the frame of a praying mantis. his whole shape gawky and his face hollow. his arms abnormally long, dragged themselves to the ground beside his feet. his eyes piercing yellow, sunken in the back of his skull, staring straight at me. he wanted something from me.

i walked to his corner and sat infront of him. the liquid below me seeping slowly into my clothing. at this point i could care less.

he continued to stare at me, never blinking. never moving. just breathing, with a small rasp.

i cupped my hands to my ears and opened my mouth.

this is when he started speaking for me. every word he said dripped off his tongue and into my mouth. he would just speak in low tones and light waves - just enough to keep a steady flow of blood from him to me - and no one ever second guessed it. this is when he started motioning how i should react to situations.

here, he attached strings to my arms and legs. my head, even.

without him, i would have faded. easily, it was in my status that made me enter this house and it will be in his plans to see me leave.

in fact, now that i think of it, it felt like he was staring right through me.

and it's been in this same position, sitting on this wooden floor - him feeding me the hows of survival, where i remain.

staring at the ceiling.
i'm used to it by now.