I look around, trying to figure out how to escape, unfortunately, the black splotches that cover the ground seem to have no end. Slowly, as it grows it begins to move closer and closer to me, the shadow of a clock on the moon becoming more distinct every second. In a panic I toss the water I dipped the cross in over the growing shadows, eating from the bag of grapes I brought while praying.

More and more doves fall from the stars, flying to the spreading darkness on houses and eating it. As their beaks pull the shadow up it stretches, quiet shrieks of pain every single time it snaps. Snap snap snap goes the ground as the birds endlessly devour the shrieking shadows. Ignoring the growing amount of birds I begin to wildly stab the shadow with the kitchen knife I brought, pressing the cross I brought against my head.

The knife sinks into the shadow, a small cut and thick bubbles similar to foaming blood poring from where I stab, bits of the shadow sticking to the knife. Every single time I pull up more of the shadow has covered the knife. Suddenly I begin to feel something cold creep up my leg. While I stabbing the shadow in front of me, it seems that the shadow spreading on the dark road has spread to the side-walk.

Slowly the shadow begins to cover my shoes, rising to my naked. It feels oddly warm, with a rhythmic beat similar to a heart's following its movement. I want to move but I can't. The moons loud ticks, the birds flapping wings, the shadows endless snapping, everything is overwhelming me. My body begins to sink, the shadow rising across my body as the ground becomes less and less solid.

Step Step Step Step Step.

Clawing at the uncovered sidewalk, trying my best to stop my body from sinking I notice loud footsteps. A man wearing jogging shorts and a tank-top appears, humming "I'm sexy and I know it" he runs to me. The birds have flocked around him, eating the shadows around him, clearing a large path for him to follow. I scream him for help as my body sinks further and further into the warm shadows. He continues to run, tripping on my hand.

"Must've been a rock", He says as he continues his run. Once again I am ignored. My body begins to tense, a familiar change and voice following along.

---Pv Change---

"I'll be back! I'm heading out for a jog!"

"Did you remember to take water."

"Yes sweety!"

Recently I've been going out for nightly jogs in an effort to lose weight. That and I just like the night. The cool winds, the shining stars, and the gorgeous moon put together relax me more than a nice nap. For tonight I went ahead and put on some baggy shorts and a tank top. It's a little embarrassing since my arms are pretty flabby and my legs are pretty fat but my wife says I should be more confident with myself so I figured wearing a tank top should do.

As I go through the driveway I go ahead and put on my headphones, putting my work-out playlist on shuffle. It's an ordinary night. The moon is a crescent, the stars are faint but visible, the weak winds are slightly chilly. I begin with a slight jog, humming the first song to come from my playlist. I lucked out a bit today as it's "I'm Sexy And I Know It".

Suddenly I fall forward. I look around in a panic, wondering whether an animal or something tripped me. After looking for a few seconds I see nothing. "Must've been a rock", I say, cont....master?

My head.

It hurts.

Who's my master?

Master is here?

I turn around, finding my master rising from the concrete. His thick fingers peek through several newly formed cracks, their tips being an odd mix of bone and vein, flesh loosely hanging from the exposed winding veins on his hand. Slowly more and more of his body rises. First his arms. Then his head. Then his chest, a large pool of bright red blood forming as his body begins to form.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Master tries to speak but for some reason master has trouble. Master's glorious horns are rather dull and thin with a hideous grey hue. His neck is to short and his hair is nowhere near long enough. Master appears to be hurt. Maybe I should help master? But what if the master gets angry? I will just wait until the master speaks.

Masters scales begin to blend with his peach skin as his body begins to inflate large tears forming at his armpits as his spine begins to grow, the sounds of organs smashing together and bones creaking as his arms begin to grow. The tears to begin to grow, his bones exposed as blood pours from his wounds. Slowly he begins to form an extra pair of arms as bones sprout from those large tears, strands of muscle swallowing them whole.

Master continues to scream as his flesh melts, being replaced by his glorious scales and divine fur. Masters' face begins to change. His lips grow, slits forming at the edges, winding and growing as holes begin to form in his cheeks, exposing the inside of his great mouth. The skin around his eyes begins to blow up as his eyelids seal, slits appearing above his forehead and nose as the skin on his face begins to fall off.

I am so glad to have seen the master's insides. His glistening blood, his light pink muscle, his thick bones. "Thank you master for granting me such a divine sight", I say to master. Suddenly master begins to scream, wildly biting his arms, tearing his flesh apart. His exposed fangs and large tongue continue to devour his body.

Suddenly master's body begins to fall apart, disappearing from my sight master is gone. Wait master is gone? Wait what was I doing? I was going out for a jog and then I tripped? I guess I must've spaced out, I think to myself. After breathing for a bit I resume my jog, wondering what I should eat when I get back.

---Pov Switch---

[Hello again my vessel.]

Ignoring the gruff voice filling my head I continue to wildly claw at the ground, trying my hardest to lift myself from the shadows. Slowly my begins to change. A burning sensation covers my body, my sight disappearing shortly after. I feel an intense burning sensation around my armpits like a knife is digging into my body. Shortly after I begin to feel something rise out of my arms pits, something trying hard to claw trough my skin as the sticky shadow tries to devour my body.

My hands widen and my fingers stretch as my vision returns to me. Once again I have an extra pair of eyes and arms. Slowly my body rises from the shadows. Suddenly I hear a voice. It's unnaturally high pitched. I turn my neck and find the jogger silently staring at me after saying a few words.

[Hm there are quite a few more souls than last time I was here. Anyways. Will you lend me your body my new vessel.]

I don't even decide to answer, instead, continuing to pull my body out, beginning to bite my body once again after escaping the shadow. Pulling flesh from my scale and fur-covered arms, I ignore the various birds that have gathered. Black liquid fills my mouth, the taste of iron growing stronger with every bite. Once again my body begins to change, the monstrous flesh from my body rotting and falling towards the ground.

After several seconds my body returns to normal, a pile of rotting flesh and bones covered in black blood forming around me. I look to the man. He ignores me, continuing his jog. I toss one of the bones around me at him, hitting his head and dripping a bit of blood onto his shirt. He doesn't care. No matter how much I scream or throw he doesn't notice me.

I sit still as the birds continue to eat the darkness, eventually forming a path for me. As the white doves that have gathered around me begin to rub their heads against me, some of the shadows enter the houses. Slowly the birds begin to focus on me, leaving the houses alone, forming a clear path for me.

Suddenly various screams fill the neighborhood. The doves continue to focus purely on me. The full blue moon and the clock hands on it continue to move as more and more doves fall from the stars. Nothing hurts. I'm not scared. I just don't care.

I tell the birds to clear a path to one of the houses and they obey without hesitation. In an instant, all shadow around that house has vanished, devoured by the doves. I enter it, tossing a rock towards a large window and walking in.

I wonder what the shadow did to everyone else, I think to myself. Ignoring the loud alarm I move to the second floor, following the sounds of a child's tears.

"Everything's fine. It was just a nightmare, it was just a nightmare."

After searching several rooms I find a pair of mother and child hugging. It seems he had a nightmare. Nothing happened to the kid other than a bad dream. I almost got fucking eaten and this brat just has a single bad fucking dream. Stop fucking crying brat, your just having a dream. It's not your...it's...will his dream come true.

Moving to the pair I slap the back of the mother's head. She doesn't notice or care, instead continuing to tell the child that everything will be fine. "What in the hell is happening", I say to myself.