Shadow Eater

Dave Tai
Dave Tai
Aug 27, 2017 · 2 min read

She’s running as fast as she can. The pitter patter of her feet sets off a trail of echo in the street. Rubber soles striking the concrete in frantic desperation. Sandwiched between each beat is her breath, wispy and weak. A pair of lungs on its last legs.

It all fades quickly — a futile attempt to stir the silence.

She looks back to confirm that her shadow is still attached to her but her pursuer is quickly closing the gap.

Shifting and sliding on the ground, a black mass moves almost erratically. Imagine the darkest black that could possibly exist, and then some. It looks almost like a glitch on the world and even at night, it’s black stands out amidst the shadows and shades. It has no recognizable form, shifting from one to the next haphazardly. The only thing consistent is it’s tongue. Neon pink, it moves almost with a life of it’s own. Shadow Eater, they call it but no one has really witnessed how it eats shadows.

She knows she can’t last much longer on a straight road. Turning into a skinny alley, and then twisting into a winding lane, she finds herself in at the back of an abandoned store. She creeps in and crouches behind the counter, hoping that her complicated route loses the Shadow Eater.

She holds her breath and tries to slow the beat of her heart as much as she can. She crouches in perfect stillness and prays (even though she didn’t have a god to pray to).

She hears the Shadow Eater, a tangled sloppy mess buzzing with reckless energy. It’s close by. Then, silence.

She counts to ten before she finds courage to peek beyond the counter. Nothing. She looks back at her shadow, still attached. She heaves a sigh of relief.

Her shadow didn’t. Instead, it’s still. Her shadow takes on a shade of inconceivable darkness and sticks a neon pink tongue out at her.


Stories at 90km/h (sometimes 0km/h)

is a series where I free-write on my train rides.

Rule #1: It stops the moment I exit the train.

Rule #2: No editing or adding on after the ride.

Expect half-finished things on most days and very finished things on days when the train breaks down.

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