THE DEMON I RUN FROM

ening air enveloped me, a gentle caress that soothed my frayed nerves. I didn't know where I was goin

was setting, casting a warm orange glow over the benches and t

they wouldn't be silenced. They kept taunting me, reminding

e corners. I was so tired of crying, tired of h

t it in my bones, a creeping sense of dread that seeped into my veins like ice water. My skin prickled with

gan to twinkle like cold, dead eyes, and the moon hung low, a silver scythe slicing through the night.

red an unsettling melody, a mournful sigh that echoed through the desolate streets. I felt small and

I knew I couldn't escape the darkness that haunted me, not tonight, not ever. It w

resence followed, its chill breath on the back of my neck. I knew I couldn'

scent of old books and stale air enveloped me, a comforting embrace. I lea

ded rug, the bookshelves overflowing with dusty tomes. It was a space that

he fridge, staring blankly at the shelves. The leftovers from last night's

ter. It beckoned me, a siren's call promising temporary escape from my

ding at the edge of a precipice, staring into the abyss. One m

mfort, a brief respite from the demons that haunted me. But I

etfulness. I drank, feeling the numbness spread through my ve

e glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor. I didn't

ty. I thought of Devin, of our failed marriage, of my own failures. Th

or maybe made a different choice, things would probably be different now.

ut on days like today, when the silence was oppr

f I had never met Devin? What if I had stood up to