Steps

I set off to take my dog out and find that I am walking down a vacant street. I know this street - it's always set me ill at ease. My dog is a few paces ahead of me when I noticed the chill in the air. It's not that the air is cold, as much as it is taut with a tension whose source is undeterminable. My vision is very limited in all directions, as a thick fog has rolled in and settled on this now abandoned feeling road. The mist is toying with my perception of sound and I feel disoriented. Suddenly, my skins puckers and my senses become acute. My eyes are wide and searching, my ears pricked up and scanning to determine what has me ready to fight or flee. And that's when I notice the footsteps, slow and shuffling, but determined.