I walk along the road, in the dark. Shadows hide unknown fears, monstrous fears lurking just past the reach of my light. I strain my eyes to make out the road, trying not to stumble.
But the sounds of the night have ceased. The comforting crescendos of the insects gone, only my footsteps can be heard. Their crunch on the gravel pounds and grates on my ears. My heart pounds in my chest, the sound filling me. My breath quickens. Shaking, each drawn breath rattles my frame. My eyes flit back and forth, useless in the black that is the country night. Light is sucked into the void that surrounds me.
Is there anything here besides me?
All of a sudden, I come to recognize the sound of my own feet crunching the gravel beneath me. The sound is strangely comforting. Soon, I hear the rest of the world pick up where it left off. Crickets chirping, the birds calling. The breeze gently rustles through the dry grass, the brittle sounds soothing my ears. I close my eyes, and imagine the world around me. Life continues as it was, and the scare is over.
But I won't forget what it was like to be alone.