Paroxysm of Fear

She obeyed,

and the demand was clear,

that spoken command

released her from a paroxysm of fear,

and her heart was beating

in the palm of her hand,

a thin scream rose from the damned,

the horror continued to grow,

her body bent,

as if someone had struck her

a sharp blow,

her mind riddled and spent,

and he stood at the door,

sweat breaking to the floor,

his wounds were fresh,

a hideous covering of injured flesh,

the blood would stream,

she released a piercing scream,

but she caught it at once

with her quivering hand,

his eyes bulging, face sunk,

he held the door knob

as if he were drunk,

she got up and started running,

her death was near and she knew,

so running was all she could do,

running blindly down the street,

no shoes on her feet,

she was running and breathing,

and breathing and running,

what followed her was death,

she kept running until there was no sound,

but the sound of her running, and his breath,

the moths dancing at the street light,

watched her breathing deep

into the quiet of the night,

and more running.