The Truth is A Scary Thing by nradier
You never know where the Scary Thing hides. It could be right in front of you, hidden in plain sight. It could be stalking behind you, never making a sound. It could be there, right in the corner of your eye, where you never think to look. Many have seen it yet nobody ever has.
They say when you look into its eyes, you’ll learn the truth. But does anyone ever know about the truth? The truth can hurt… Everyone has had that feeling; that feeling where someone, or something, is watching you. You don’t see anyone around, yet you can’t shake that feeling that eyes are definitely on you. You can feel the vision burn on your skin, the chills tingling down your spine, and the goose bumps all over your body. They always say that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Oh, how wrong they were. There once was a man called Mel. He was quite the tough guy, and one that many were afraid of. He was a danger to himself and others and wasn’t one to care about anyone other than himself. He was the leader of a group of thugs who called themselves the Night Terrors. Each night, they would invade the town and extort store owners and other businesses to get anything they wanted. Even the police force did not dare step into the gang’s way in fear of the many casualties that they were sure to receive. It was as though Mel was on top of the world, and he could not have been any happier. It all started in one moment. Mel was in his hideout with the rest of the Night Terrors. They stayed in an underground basement that was only accessible through the sewers. They were always sure never to be followed so that no one could ever know where to find them or how to stop them. Mel and his buddies were drinking and having a mighty great party when suddenly, he felt it. Eyes. There was something watching him, but he didn’t know what. It felt as though an evil presence suddenly entered the room and the only one it wanted was him. Mel was not one to show his fear. In fact, he always made a point to face his challenges head on and to always be the victor. But, for some reason, he couldn’t shake this feeling that he was being watched. Eyes followed his every movement, from when he woke up in his bedroom every morning, to when he went to rest from his raids each night. He could always feel them watching, but he never could tell from where. They say fear is the mind-killer. They say that fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. There’s always one to say, “Face your fears” or “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” but they do not know the truth. Mel was not one to show fear, but he could feel it for the first time in many years. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. He felt like he was going crazy. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that he should be afraid of! But the eyes were watching him… waiting… waiting to strike. No one could have seen it coming. Mel was in the hideout with three of his most trusted minions. The group was laughing and drinking while the rest of the crew was out on their nightly raid. Mel had to fake his way to distract them from what he was really feeling… fear! The eyes were not only watching him, but he could feel them getting closer. He could feel his
heartbeat rising, and panic was beginning to take over his mind. He could feel himself quaking in his seat and his fears were rising to the surface. Then there was a flash. The lights in the room flickered only once, but what Mel saw almost made him cry out in fear. His lackeys, who were previously laughing as loud as could be, were now staring blankly at him. He could feel all four of them, their eyes piercing through him like he was made of flimsy glass. He tried telling himself not to fear, not to panic. Then he realized the truth… he only had three with him. No one ever knew what happened to Mel. The story goes that he went mad and killed everyone in the room, then disappeared into the night. No one knew what truly happened. But we know the truth. It was the Scary Thing. It saw him, he saw it, and he was gone. There was no body, no evidence, no existence. He found the truth, and the truth found him. There is another story of a woman called Carla. She was a wonderful woman, and a very caring mother. She had a child named Julian who she would have given the world for. Carla had cared for Julian alone for over 7 years. She was a single mother who showed compassion for everyone. Although everyone was her friend, she preferred to be alone. At home, there was only her and Julian and she wasn’t planning on letting anyone get in the way of that. She had her career, her love, and her life. She didn’t need anything else. She did what she could to take care of her small family. Every once in a while Carla would go shopping with a few of her close friends. She never felt the need to take Julian with her. He was a good kid and very smart for his age. She felt comfortable enough to leave him at home alone as long as the neighbors watched over the house. They were always glad to do because she had done so much for them in the past. The women went on a shopping spree, going to many different stores all over town. Carla didn’t have a care in the world. And then she felt them; eyes on the back of her head. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Of course, she put it in the back of her mind and dismissed it as just a creepy feeling. That feeling, however, didn’t go away. From that moment, her mind just wasn’t into shopping anymore. She felt a sense of dread around her that she couldn’t shake. Wherever she walked, she still felt them. It almost felt like something was closing in on her. Carla couldn’t quite place it, but she knew something was wrong. It was all she could think about now. She thought hard about what could be making her feel like this. Then she realized it; Julian. Almost as soon as she thought of him, she noticed something out the corner of her eye. As she looked over, she saw what it was. It was Julian! As her eyes focused, she realized it wasn’t actually Julian there. There was nothing. Maybe she really had just lost it and
was worried about nothing. But she still had that feeling. The eyes were still watching her. All she knew was that she had to get back to him to make sure he was okay. Carla’s friends could tell that something was wrong with her. At first she seemed excited to go on a shopping spree, but they could tell something was freaking her out. Carla kept trying to say that she needed to check on her son but they were not hearing it. Then Carla felt the presence of the eyes moving closer to her. She felt the fear, the pounding of her heart and beads of sweat dropping down her neck. Then, she saw him again. Julian was standing right in front of her. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring him, but how could she? That was her son, and she had to protect him. But something was wrong about it. Why was no one else paying any attention to him standing right in front of them? She got her answer. Carla never had a son. She had never as much as spoken about having a child until that day. She never knew the truth until that second; the second that she vanished. No one knew what happened to her. Even those who saw her disappear had no idea where she had gone. The Scary Thing showed her the truth. It planted itself into her life without her knowledge, making her think she had a history all that time. But she didn’t know the truth. No one ever knows the truth. Everyone sees the Scary Thing, but no one ever does. They never know the truth. But we know the truth. Do you ever feel those eyes watching you? Those eyes that burn on your skin; that make your heart race and your body shake… that is the Scary Thing watching you. And one day you will learn the truth. And when you do, the Scary Thing will be there. I will be there for you…