Lizzie was asleep, was being the key word. Something woke her up. Shaking her head she tried to rationalize herself, nothing is there, nothing is there. But then a shadow moved and her fear could no longer be suppressed. Looking around panicked Lizzie searched for the thing in her house. She found it. The thing sat in the corner, staring at her. Lizzie opened her mouth to yell at it, but nothing came out. The thing continued to stare and her fear built and built. Tears streamed down her face and the thing smiled. It knew it had her. She was frozen in fear, to terrified to save her life. So it walked up to her whispering her worst fears as it stabbed her.

Anna sat reading, though it seemed impossible due to all the noise. She sat contently as her family rustled about the house. It was nearing night time, a storm was coming and it made the rest of Anna’s family nervous. She however sat calmly and waited for the storm. And it came, it bust through her town as full force. All the power lines were taken out, but Anna didn’t notice. Night had fallen and darkness became her companion, for how long was the part she had not expected. She sat in the glow of her phone, reading that way; something brushed her foot. Something rushed past her arm. She turned the phone to catch it, and that she did. But the instant the light hit the creature it dissipated back into the shadows. Using her phone she attempted to keep the creature away. But even she was unable to avoid fear, as it plunged its claws into her.

Music was blasting and Eric sat texting his friends, trying to make plans so he could get out of the house. Randomly a shiver ran up his back. He turned to see nothing but could feel a person standing there. Shrugging he resumed texting. A call came onto his phone.

“Dude what’s-“The power cut out.

“Hey you there?” Eric didn’t reply, the feeling he was being watched grew. The power came back on, but only for a second. It went back out and Eric grew panicked. “Dude! You ok?” Eric couldn’t talk any more, terror filled his mind and erased all thoughts of anything. Then the face appeared, right in front of him. It was strange and not human by any means, and it was Eric’s nightmare. He tried to scream but was stifled when the thing stabbed him. Death didn’t claim him. He sat in turmoil of extreme fear. Nothing came to save him. And he would never see the light again.

Three more unusual announced deaths. Three more people  counted as dead. Five bodies lay on tables. The detective walked into the room with the doctor.

“You said you found something,” the detective stated attempting to move the meeting along faster, he was no fan of a morgue The doctor nodded and motioned for the detective to join him next to a table.

“Yes, but it can’t  be correct,” the doctor looked down at the body. The detective frowned and waited for the doctor to continue. “The, umm, body is dead. Some even started early phases of decomposition, but now this is the weird part. Their brain is still alive, in all five cases. And that is not possible.”

Shoving her thumb onto the button Annie kept talking on her phone. The conversation started to get angry as the elevator didn’t show up. Up ten floors the elevator did open its doors. A young man stepped in. The elevator started to descend forcing his stomach into this throat. White knuckles clutched the railing on the elevator. Then the mans worst fear emerged, the elevator lurched and came to a stop. Three and a half floors to soon. His heart picked up speed, his palms began to sweat.

Floors below Annie tapped her foot and glanced at the stairs. Shaking her head she looked back at the still closed doors.

The young man 3.5 floors above began to panic. Then just as he thought it was the worst, the power cut off. Only seconds before the back up lighting kicked in he felt fear plunge into his chest.

Finally the doors opened. Annie almost smiled, but the anger still held most of her mind. Then the elevator started up, Annie still on talking on the phone. Two floors later Annie got off, only to be followed by the screams of a woman behind her. Annie glanced back, and in the elevator she saw a dead man on the floor and a monster behind her. She turned to scream at it but never fully turned around, fear got to her first.

John stood outside smoking, the law forcing him to stand in the rain to feed his addiction. The restaurant he worked in bustled around behind him, not noticing his absence. A wind rushed past him. John shivered hating the weather. The back parking lot was empty, only one light shined keeping the darkness away. John wasn’t afraid of the dark. Yet.  His phone rang in his pocket and he went to reach it.

“Hello?” BAM the light blew out. “Ugh not again!” John quickly hung up on the person on the other line. The light blew out every other week. He managed to find the electrical box and reset the fuse. The light flickered back on. Jon turned around and was face to face with a disgusting monster. It smiled, best it could, and a single row of fangs glinted at him. John ran adrenaline flooding his vines. He made it to the spot of light and tried to fling open the door. Somehow it was jammed. The monster had followed but hung back in the shadows. It seemed to be frowning, angry at the set back. The adrenaline hadn’t left, but it had been joined by fear. The moment John noticed the creature smiled, almost laughing at his disrepair. The light flickered off John yelled pounding on the door. It didn’t open. But the light did. The creature was caught in the light, screaming its pale skin burned and steamed. It hissed and vanished into the dark. John let out his breath, not any less afraid but feeling safer. He pounded on the door trying to get someone to open it. This time it opened, but the light went out. The sliver of light from the restaurant hit the creature and it went screaming off, pleased with it self. Because laying there in the light laid John, dead and afraid.

The victims of fear as the doctor had earlier noted had activity in the brain. Their bodies died, the consciousness trapped in a rotten prison. Forever trapped in a world of fear. Constant terror. This is the true terror of fear, even after death it consumes its victims. There is no escape.

That feeling that something is watching you standing over your shoulder is real. There is something there, it’s watching, waiting for you to slip up and become vulnerable. Some people can sense them better. Some can see them even. They are the Natar, they are the patient hunters, the demons of this earth.  The light is your only protection; even then they lurk in the shadows.