He woke up groggily to the sound of his alarm, there was only that many he could press that snooze button. He finally gave up, after snoozing it for the nth time. It had won and he was up now, rubbing his eyes trying to drive away the sleep that weighed down on his eyelids. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, well not quite the total darkness, he didn’t want to wake up anyone else. He sipped his coffee, the kick that he needed to jolt him out of his slumber. He donned his running gear and off he went, well not immediately, he did do his warm up.
The world outside was dark, was fast sleep, not quite ready to awake from their slumber. It was still hours to dawn, so all was dark around him. He almost contemplated of joining the world and returning to his bed but Marathon season was ahead and couldn’t bear to miss a training run. His friends and family thought him crazy to take to the street while everyone were fast sleep at such an ungodly hour. They laughed and made fun of him but he didn’t mind their ribbing, cruel nag, he let it roll off like water on a duck’s back. Woh kya jane har kilometre bhaagne ka keemat, he thought to himself with a chuckle.
As he made his way down that familiar path, the one that he had taken a thousand of times before, the one he knew like the back of his hand, he felt a nip in the air. The air felt cool against his face as went by. Could it be that winter was finally here, not a faux winter, a faux chill. Whatever it was, he was glad for it. It was always way better than a hot humid weather that plagued runners post monsoon. He made a mental note to thank the weather gods and pray it stayed this way a while longer, say a couple of more months longer.
As he went about his run, not jog, not trot, or even sprint, but an even pace run, he could make out mist gathering. It was not unusual for there to be mist but wasn’t it too early for there to be one, after all it wasn’t December yet? There was something strange and eerie about this. Mist normal hung above the ground (or so he had seen) this was rising from the ground, hanging at ground level, as if someone set off a fog machine, akin to the ones you seen in dance shows or horror films.
Suddenly the air felt colder than it felt before. Strange he thought, he never known the air to dip lower, all of a sudden. There was a fog on the ground covering everything with a wisp of smoke. There something strange and eerie about the place, it just didn’t feel like the place he knew. Something had set his senses tingling. But he just dismissed these thoughts as an outcome of an overactive mind, and continued with his run.
As he made his way round the bend, he could make out a two silhouettes in the fog. Must be another runner, he thought. The lamppost gave out a dull light which was made even more duller thanks to the fog. Now as he approached these silhouettes there was something strange about them. There was something strange about the way they walked, their gait, it seemed as if they were dragging their bodies. There was something strange about what they wore, all tattered and torn. Must be some peasant, or some wandering ministerial, or some beggar.
As he passed them, he didn’t wait to take a second glance. Was that a skull he saw, or was ragged flesh hanging on bones? He once again tried to dismiss these thoughts. It was just his mind getting the better of him, and the place was just aiding it. He dismissed it as a silly thought and continued with his run.
Out of nowhere he heard a blood cuddling scream that sent shiver down his spine, making the hair at the back of his neck stand, scaring the living daylight out of him. He stopped in tracks, frozen in the spot where he stood. Did he actually hear it or was it his mind playing tricks on his, or was it a figment of his imagination. He would feel his heart beat against his chest, banging his rib, threatening to burst out of the confines that held it back. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, even though he felt a chill about him. What cursed place did he come to, how did he get here? What happened to the place as he knew it? His mind racing faster than he ever ran, his heart thumping at a hundred miles an hour. He was paralysed with fear.
Out of nowhere he felt hand on his shoulder. Fearing the worst he turned around to come face to face with a man in a white mask and a dagger in his hand. A creature straight out of a slasher flick. He tried to scream but nothing came out, he opened his mouth, but not a sound came out. Was this the way it would all end, was his end to come at hands of a deranged mass murderer? Had he seen too many slasher flicks?
He began to back away slowly, shivering with fear. He felt another tap on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with an undead creature, something very Zombie like. He couldn’t take it anymore. He let out a loud scream (finally getting some sound out of him), he ran for life, he ran as fast his feet could take him, faster than he had ever done before. If his Garmin was tracking this run he would sure would have cracked quite a few PBs. He had to get away form here, from these undead creature. He ran without looking left or right, to the confines, to the security of his own home.
Now back at the place where he ran from, the man in the mask joined the zombie like creature, and they were joined by the two people dressed as skeletons who he had passed by. The strange group was joined with a man holding a camera. “Who was that man and what was he doing here?” asked one of the men dressed as a skeleton. “That’s what I was going to ask him”, said the person in the mask. “But he just saw her,” pointing to the lady dressed as a zombie, “ and before I could say anything he screamed and ran away.” “I don’t care what he said”, said the man with the camera, “I caught some awesome footage for our Halloween run. You couldn’t ask for anything better.” And they all burst out laughing at what just had happened.
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