Fangs Of Riften

It was a cold, dark night.

Evan Desmond walked quickly down the lonely road. One of his hands clutched a book, which he held close to him. He had a backpack hanging on his left shoulder, and in his other hand, he held his phone which he was using as a torch light.

‘Damn it’ Evan muttered as he quickened his steps. Deciding to stay back to read after lecture was obviously not a good idea today. His girlfriend, Jessica would be very pissed. That he was sure of.

Just two weeks ago, they had had a huge fight about him coming home late. But he had his final exams coming up in two weeks, and he had to study. Something he found out was almost impossible to do at home, especially with Jessica always around. So he preferred to study in the college library. But today, he had lost track of time. Hopefully, Jessica would be asleep when he got home, because he was not in the mood for another fight.

The time was eight fourty five, and it wasn’t too late. Usually on a normal day, you could see people around by this time. But it was different tonight because it had rained cat and dogs that evening, and no one wanted to be out on a cold night like this.

It was still raining steadily, the steady patter of water against his backpack long since faded to a dull rush in the back of his mind. His shirt was soaked through. He didn’t know if it would ever be dry again. The street was wet, but Evan didn’t care that the splashes caused by his shoes were probably ruining his pants. He could take of that later, what mattered now was getting home.

Evan tramped his way along the road in irritated silence. It was supposed to be a full moon tonight. Not that he could tell; the clouds above stopped any light from aiding him on his journey. 

There were no stars in the sky, and the moon was cloaked in a heavy darkness that fell to the earth. For some reason, most of the street lights weren’t on, including the one on this street. Evan figured it was probably some fault caused by the heavy rain, and he was glad that he had his phone with him. He couldn’t imagine hurrying home in the dark without some kind of torchlight. Jessica had borrowed his car today, and right now, he regretted letting her borrow it today of all days.

A piercing gust of wind shook the trees above his head, showering his already miserable frame with a fresh deluge. Evan wiped the water from his eyes with a wet sleeve and smoothed his hair back under the protection of his hood. Urggh…. What he wouldn’t give for an umbrella right now. 

It was a very quiet night too. So quiet that Evan couldn’t even hear the usual chipping of crickets. Too quiet that it spooked him a little, yet he hurried on. He would be home in a few minutes, he thought. Where it was warm and cozy. He would have dinner, take a quick bath, and maybe fall asleep in front of the television. He had done enough reading for today. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something breeze past him. It happened so quickly that for a few seconds, Evan doubted if he had actually felt something. The air around him suddenly felt even colder, making him shiver as goosebumps appeared all over his body. 

The road seemed to grow smaller as he walked. Evan wiped his face with the back of his hand in an attempt to see clearly. As he did so, he heard something behind him. Felt the same breeze again. What is it? He turned around.