Worst Fear

A Story by Alex H

A sketchy looking man approached me as I sat at the cafe, drinking a green-berry tea. He took the seat across from me. His eyes were cold and lifeless as he stared at me.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” the man whispered.

I stared at him, trying to match his face with a name. Any name. He looked quite familiar, his name was on the tip of my tongue. The words were stuck in my mouth and I just could not seem to get them to leave my lips. The fact that I was unable to remember who he was deeply aggravated me.

“Who are you?” I asked, truly puzzled.

Through gritted teeth, he snarled, “I’m your worst fear. And I’ve come to end you.”

I chuckled at this, thinking it was some sort of joke. I was wrong. Very wrong.

“Watch your back,” the man said as he abruptly stood up and walked away.

I must admit, this encounter frightened me. It kept me up late at night. I replayed the conversation over and over in my mind, afraid that if I forgot his words, he would come for me. It seemed silly to be so scared by a conversation as simple as this.

Nearly a week later, I glimpsed the man once again. I was out, taking an evening stroll. Snow fell, landing peacefully of the earth. The moon was a smudge of silver in the night sky. As I walked, I completely forgot about the mysterious man’s words. I forgot to be aware.

I heard a loud, howl like sound come from behind me. I whipped around, alarmed. Nothing was there.

“Alana, the time has come,” a shrill voice shrieked.

Before I knew it, a shiny, silver blade plunged into my back. Blood poured from the wound. The man grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

“I told you I would be the last face you’d see.”

Everything went black.