Silhouette

I wake up, drenched in a cold sweat, my heart pounding in my chest. It's the same nightmare again—the one that leaves me trembling and consumed by an overwhelming sense of fear and dread. Each time it grips me, it feels more real, more imminent.

In my dream, I find myself standing alone on a desolate road, bathed in the eerie twilight before dawn. The air is chillingly still and crisp, and there's an unsettling silence that hangs heavy in the air. It's as if the world itself is holding its breath, anticipating something dark and terrible.

I gaze down the road, and in the distance, a figure emerges. It's cloaked entirely in black, an ominous silhouette against the pale greyness of the horizon. With each blink, the figure inexplicably lurches closer, defying all logical boundaries. It moves in jerks and skips, each motion defying the laws of physics. It's like a grotesque marionette controlled by an unseen puppeteer.

The figure draws nearer, and a sense of pure terror grips me. It stands before me, towering and menacing. It's devoid of any features, like a cutout, like a black hole, sucking in all light and hope. I can feel an overwhelming malevolence emanating from it.

Then, just as abruptly as it appears, the dream ends. I awaken in my bed, my body covered in perspiration. But the fear doesn't dissipate. It lingers, like a haunting spectre, following me into the waking world.

A heavy sigh escapes my lips as I force myself out of bed. The room is shrouded in darkness, the blinds tightly shut, matching the perpetual overcast that hangs outside. It's as if the gloom has seeped into my very being, reflecting the bleakness of my life.

I go through the motions of my morning routine, my mind already trapped in the monotonous cycle that awaits me. Home, work, home, work—it's an endless loop that offers no escape. The world outside my window is a canvas of dullness, the colours muted and lifeless. The people I pass on the streets wear expressions of resignation, their features blending together in a sea of indistinguishable faces.

Work is a soul-draining abyss. The office walls close in on me, suffocating any flicker of joy or inspiration. The air is stagnant, heavy with the weight of unfulfilled dreams and broken spirits. The fluorescent lights flicker above, casting a sickly pallor on everything it touches. Even the food I consume lacks flavour and substance, mirroring the emptiness that permeates my days.

But amidst the mundane, a subtle unease begins to take hold. A whisper of movement catches my attention, but when I turn to look, there is nothing there. The air itself feels different, charged with an unseen energy that prickles my skin. Yet, I dismiss these anomalies as mere figments of an exhausted mind, desperate to cling to the illusion of normalcy.

Finally, evening comes. I walk the desolate streets on my way home, and a chill wind blows. The buildings loom over me like forgotten sentinels, their windows dark and foreboding. The city seems to hold its breath, the silence unnerving. I quicken my pace, eager for some solace in my lonely apartment.

In the dimly lit confines of my bedroom, I lay down on my bed, feeling the weight of fatigue and something else—a malignant presence at the edges of my consciousness. 

I run my fingers over my gaunt face. The cancer is hollowing me out. I'm a mere shadow of the person I once was.