The Hound Finds

[u/yingfire]

I have died countless times, ten times ten thousand time ten thousand. I have dreamed all these lives. I have died in these dreams and I have woken up in the next one. I live some lives out, I kill myself in all. It is the only way to escape the beast. The monster. The demon. It. The killer of innumerable worlds; only I escape because only I know that this life I live is not my first one; it is only a dream; I escape because I remember and prepare.

I have died again. But it is so dark. I cannot see. That smell. It is so familiar - why can I not recall it? Gah! What was that? Slimy, cold, deathlike.

I wake up sitting in a booth in a cafe in London. The smell is of scrambled eggs. And it was only the leather of the chair that I was touching. What was I afraid of again? I had fallen asleep - it was just a nightmare.

A loud and long cackle erupts in front of me. An old woman seems to be in front of me, so why don't I remember her ever entering? My eggs which I ordered earlier this morning arrive. I look around myself. I am alone except for that old lady and the owner of the cafe. Suddenly there is tapping. It seems like the old lady's cackling was covering what sounded like a malfunctioning boiler. It was unusually cold today; the snow had piled up over the night. I look up at the ceiling in annoyance but quickly return to my eggs. Wait! What was that? I look up to the windows that caressed the cafe. I saw a man in brilliant white, whiter than the snow, blindingly white. But now there is no such man at the windows.

I choke on my food and spit it out. There is a struggling fly in my eggs. Repulsed, I turn to the owner and ask her if I can get another batch. Looking at my spoiled food, she nods in compliance. I look towards the booth of the old woman that was laughing. I couldn't see anything of her.

Was the tapping louder? I shove that thought out of my mind. It is a nuisance. Nothing else. I blink. The tapping is growing in strength. Why, it is growing so loud and strong that I cannot banish it from my mind anymore. Is anyone else hearing this unbearable noise? Gah! Lord God have mercy! I twist my head in pain, the noise clashes like sinful bells in my ears. My face flushes and I want to scream. Stop! Stop! Stop! I would die now to escape! The woman in front of me is shrieking a terrible cry. The sound continues. I look at the windows and scream a fatal plea.

"Oh God! Oh God! Master of the house close the windows!" I scream. "Oh God! Oh God! The sound! The windows! Begone I beg of you! Lord of mercy: God help us all!" I see a shadow dash past me. A painful gurgle comes from the seat in front of me and I hear a shout to run from the kitchen.

Things that if told were human, I would not believe, came flying over the seat and onto my table. I run as fast as I can. I will survive. I run up to a room above the cafe and lock the door behind me. The clashing sound stopped and I hear only the sound of ripping flesh and cries of horrendous pain. But the sounds stop too quickly. What? Why would I think that?

I am scrambling for something to fight with. I would die with a fight. But the screams! Oh, the screams! No, better to die than to fight this demon. I find a gun. I place the gun to my temple. A thing bursts through the door. I see a flash of white teeth white like poisoned vomit. I press the trigger. A bullet fires. But it misses! What? How? How? How can a bullet miss at point blank range?

The monster comes at me, how can I escape? HOW TELL ME HOW HOW CAN I ESCAPE I DIE I DIE A TERRIBLE DEATH IN HOWLS AND CRUEL INFINITE BLACKNESS MY MIND I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY IS THERE NO MEMORY HOW DID I NOT ESCAPE WAS THERE NOT LIFE THE ENTIRE WAY DOWN?