24Author's Note: My first ever true attempt at horror, I got this idea after becoming addicted to the books by Dean Koontz, this is sort of but not really based on his book Midnight, although I only read the first few pages so far, that's why it's not really based on it. (He has a really fast hook so you should give some of his work a try it's awesome)
Summery in full: The dark never bothered her, in fact the highlight of her day was walking home from work at night. Ever since her trek through the Labyrinth, her thirteen hour terror fest, five years ago, nothing much scared Sarah Williams, least of all the dark…that is until people started disappearing and rumors began to spread about a killer who preyed on those foolish enough to venture out during the night. Still she wasn't truly scared of the dark, just more cautious than she had been. Then the shadows began to follow her…
Disclaimer: I don't own Jim Henson's Labyrinth or Midnight by Dean Koontz and I'm making no profit from this so don't try to sue me…besides my mom has worked for like three different lawyers and they all like me so you wouldn't win anyway…neah Oh and if you feel the need to send me flames then know that they will be used to heat my house because I hate the cold and snow which there is usually and abundance of where I live. As a final note I'm sorry for any mistakes that I have missed I have no beta as of now and I usually do my writing late at night so sorry…
Prologue
Turning off her computer, pushing away from her desk, grabbing her coat as she left the office, Sarah Williams left work and headed for home. She had finally secured a job as a secretary for the owner of a small bookstore on the outskirts of town and this had been her first official day of real work. The bookstore, aptly named 'Fantasy Fables and More,' lie just past a small forest and about three miles from her home. She lived in a cozy little apartment, skirting a large park that the town proudly boasted. Sarah took a deep breath of the night air, there was a cool but not cold breeze blowing and the sliver of a moon to light her way; she loved walking at night, it was just so peaceful. The quiet atmosphere, the occasional chirp of a cricket or squeak of a bat, she loved it all. There were two miles of forest then a mile of Tower Street, the main avenue of the town, between her and her apartment, she hoped the walk would be longer than it seemed.
The nineteen-year-old girl had been living on her own for a year now, once she had reached eighteen, she had moved out and away from her father and stepmother, as much to get away from them as for various…other reasons. Although her escapade in the Labyrinth had taught her many lessons and helped her grow close to Toby, there was one thing that could never be mended, her relationship with her parents.
She had tried to get along with them but all her attempts had failed miserably, she just had nothing in common with ether of them, her father was a workaholic who was barely ever at home and her stepmother was an opinionated tyrant without even a thread of imagination. Try as she might, she would never have a strong bond with them. With a feeling a bit like sadness or regret, she had accepted it.
Sarah walked at a leisurely pace through the abandon lot by the store; this was going to be her first time walking home from work, her boss, Jeff Weatherbee, had driven her there and home for a week of 'on the job training' preparing her for what job she would be expected to do, while also helping her get used to the various routs to and from the store. He had offered to make the carpooling a permanent arrangement, seeing as he lived only a block away from her residence, but Sarah had insisted that, going home at least, she would much rather walk; as for going to work, his offer meant that she could save a ton on gas.
The forest was considerably darker and somewhat cooler than the lot had been, protected from the sun and hidden from the moon; it was almost cave like. Leaves rustled, twigs cracked, and the wood of the old trees creaked and moaned under the pressure of the wind; any one of those variables in action was sure to set someone on edge, and yet Sarah was not bothered by the three together. After her adventure through the dankness and darkness of the Labyrinth nothing much really scared her anymore, she felt as if she were constantly being watched over by something with only her best interests in mind, although she doubted it to be true, stranger things had happened. She pressed on, soothed by the sounds of the night and the cool breeze playing with her hair.
She had not gone more than fifty yards into the forest when a sound made her jump, like aforementioned, nothing much frightened the girl but this sound did and it proved her suspicions about feeling watched when she had moved to her new home on the California Coast. She scanned the trees and surrounding bushes franticly, hoping beyond hope that she had imagined it or that it wasn't what she had thought it was. The ghostlike wail sounded again…closer this time. There. Sarah spotted a flash of white in the tree just above her and her eyes came to rest on the creature that had been stalking her for years, the creature she had been trying to escape with her move across the country, the creature that had haunted her nightmares and been born of her dreams.
She stared, transfixed by the sight of something so beautiful and yet so deadly. Razor sharp claws held the branch in a death grip and she was certain that they would much prefer to be digging into her flesh and ripping it out in chunks. Strange, anger filled, eyes stared back at her mockingly, almost seeming to scold her for being out so late and so utterly alone. It screeched again, this time in evident annoyance and she was sure that he was angry with her for something. "Probably worried about me walking home in the dark." She thought sarcastically, knowing it wasn't so. Figuring he had never directly tried to take her life and doubting that he would actually do so, no matter how much he wanted, she turned her curious and frightened gaze into a cold scowl. Turning abruptly, defiantly, she ignored a final angered fueled cry and walked on. Glaring, the owl flew away.