Flock

 

Lucy was walking home when she noticed the shadows.

At first, they were subtle. A shift in the air, a strange distortion. But as she walked down the empty street, the feeling grew. The shadows weren’t from anything around her. They were shapes in the air, dark and formless, floating behind her like a flock of birds. Only they didn’t move... they followed.

Her steps quickened, but the shadows kept pace. Each glance over her shoulder revealed them, massing like smoke just out of reach.

She stopped, heart racing, and the shadows gathered around her, curling like tendrils. No matter how she moved, they stayed, perfectly aligned with her every motion.

Desperate to shake them, Lucy ran. But the shadows matched her every step, unfaltering, like they had all the time in the world.

She stopped, gasping. Her pulse raced as the shadows continued their slow, swirling dance, surrounding her in a circle.

In that moment, it hit her: she had been standing still for minutes.

The shadows weren’t just behind her anymore. They filled the space, their edges stretching and blurring, forming shapes. Human shapes, animal shapes, and things she couldn’t name.

They hadn’t just appeared; they were part of her, part of everything, always watching, always waiting.

As she stood in the middle of them, the weight of it settled on her. And then, one shape stretched toward her—a long, dark tendril, curling around her arm.

***

238 words.

My longest yet! I was tempted to try something like "The Birds" but it morphed into more mysterious shadows.