Prologue
I used to wonder why children - and even some adults - would be so scared of their own shadows as to run and scream and collapse out of fear. I mean, your shadow is there from day one, isn't it? You should be used to it being there with you, following you, copying you... hiding from the light behind you.
But what could be hiding within our shadows would be enough to send shockwaves of paralyzing fear over anyone.
Why?
Well, at first, it was believed that it was just some sick person, murdering and burning people. There’s also the theory of spontaneous human combustion, if you believe in that sort of thing. But what this is is even more unbelievable than that.
There is a being that is apparently able to possess people's shadows; even the smallest fraction of your shadow is enough for it to take hold of you. At least that's what I think it does. It seems to paralyze its victims before burning their body and devouring them.
The only way to hide from this thing is to keep away from walls, to hide in pitch darkness - again, away from the walls - and to never, ever let your shadow be cast against the walls. Do your best to stay in the middle of the room as well. Always be sure that your shadow is not cast against a wall.
You may be asking, "Well, if this creature lives in the shadows, how is a pitch black room safe?" The answer is that it is both safe and not safe. That's why I emphasize staying away from the walls.
When this being is able to overtake your shadow, you first feel extremely cold, like a random chill trickling down your spine and flooding your veins, covering your whole body. The chill is usually then followed by intense heat as a black, smoky cloud shaped roughly like the torso, arms, and head of a scrawny, malnourished, and very misshapen person slowly creeps out from your shadow on the wall.
This creature is unable to fully emerge from the wall and stand freely, only being able to bring its head, torso and arms out. I have a theory that it needs to consume enough energy, which is generated by humans, in order to become a freestanding creature. But that’s only a theory.
As this figure emerges from the wall, it surrounds its victim, who can only writhe in pain as the burning, black cloud eats away at them. Over the course of maybe a minute or two - which feels like an eternity to the victim - the creature burns away the skin, flesh, organs, and bones.
After the shadow is finished consuming its victim, it disappears, slowly slinking back into the wall. It then finds another place to hide where it lies dormant, awaiting its next meal.
All that is left after the attack is a huge cauterized wound where the torso once connected to the waist. Sometimes there is nothing left but some scraps of clothing and shoes.
Behind what is left of the victim is usually a large smudge of soot and ash on the wall from where the shadow emerged. Sometimes, the wallpaper or paint will be burned away and chipped, and if you get on scene quick enough, you can see smoldering embers in the burned material.
But there is no blood.
No organs or bones.
There is nothing left.
You may be wondering how I know all of this, since it seems that anyone who would meet this demon could never escape it or survive an attack. Or maybe you're a skeptic, and you think that all of this is bullshit.
I know this thing is real. And I've been hunting it and studying it for a couple years now. I will find it, and I will destroy it.
Ten years ago is when I first met this creature. I originally thought it was a demon from Hell.
I didn't know that my life would change forever that night. And I wish it hadn't. I wish it was all just a horrible nightmare.
But I will get my revenge.
