The Stalker of Mr Hardy

I am Clyde Hardy.  I’m the victim here.

There has been a legend in my family for longer than I can remember… this legend claims that a great killer, a stalker, will follow each and every generation of my bloodline and strike them down as they grow older. No-one has yet evaded this killer, but I am smarter, I can outwit him.

He struck down my father, and very recently my mother… I am the eldest child, and I feel that he is coming after me.

It has been a week, and so far there has been no sign of the shadowy figure slinking in the darkness waiting to bring me down…

I sit in my favorite spot in the park, wearing my favorite long coat and my favorite hat. It is late autumn and the red trees are slowly shedding their leaves onto the cold grass, leaving their trunks and branches bare to the elements. The whole scene is bathed in the red light of the setting sun.

The pond before me lies still, not a ripple disturbs its surface, reflecting the red trees across the pond. I sit gazing at the water. Somehow, the world seems darker in that reflection… maybe it is the depth of the water consuming the light and playing with my mind, or maybe it is some unknown sheen that coats its surface, but something makes me feel uneasy when gazing into that pool. I cannot look into it for long before I find myself involuntarily turning away.

I return to this pond every day and remember my poor mother and father, so callously destroyed by this unseen enemy. I come here where they used to sit, in this very spot. It was here that their stalker first assailed them. So I linger here, hoping to discover this assailant for myself and hopefully shed some light on the mystery that has plagued my family for generations.

Today is different to the other days… I stay longer than usual at the pond and I gaze more steadily into its inky blackness. I see a flash of movement beneath the water and my attention is drawn to a small red fish, barely visible in the pond, which is slowly drifting towards the surface… it is dead.

I avert my eyes from this singularly unpleasant sight, and look further up the pond.
Cold chill grips me as I see a reflection of something standing on the opposite bank… it is the shadowy shape of a man. My eyes dart upwards and scan the edge of the bank for the man. I see nothing. I stand slowly, trying to look casual, and turn to walk away. As I proceed down the path, I take out my pocket watch and make as if to look at the time, but secretly gazing behind me. I see the dark figure following me at a distance, darting behind every rock, every bush trying to sneak up on me. Well it won’t work! I’m smarter than this man, and I shall not let him get the better of me.
I reach into my coat and fumble around for my pistol and keep a firm grip on it as I continue down the path towards the edge of the park, just a few more steps and I can leave the park and lose him in the city… Something stops me, holds me back. Why should I be running from this man? I should take him down now, so that he cannot put one on me when my back is turned like it is now… It is getting dark, I must choose quickly. I look at the brightly lit city streets before me, and I make my decision. I turn, drawing my pistol from my coat as I do, aiming it at the shadowy figure that is barely ten paces from me. For the first time I see what he is wearing, and it fills me with a kind of unnerving dread. He is wearing the same hat I am wearing, only much more battered… and the same coat I am wearing, only much more filthy… I tell him that I am going to end this madness once and for all. He is silent, before replying in a voice that sends a shiver down my spine, ‘Are you really? Then do it.’ He reaches into his coat.
The nerve of him, thinking he can bluff his way out of this one! He thinks he can trick me into running away into the city, he probably doesn’t even have a gun!

I raise my pistol and fire a shot at him. I miss and curse my quick fingers. The man turns and runs for the trees beyond the pond, and I laugh at my cleverness. I bolt after the man, chasing him towards the dimly lit edges of the forest, hoping to catch him before he can escape me. I glance into the pond as I run past, and I see the lights of the city reflected in the watery surface, and I realize this might be my last chance to call off this attack and escape. No! I will bring this thing to an end.

I charge into the trees, and I fire another wild shot at my fleeing adversary. In the darkness of the trees he looks like nothing more than a black silhouette retreating into the tree line.

He is faster than me, and after a few minutes I have lost him. I stumble about for a moment in the trees, looking around for him… nothing… I feel the urge to go back, there being nothing more I can – WAIT! There! I see him, the nerve of that man, standing there watching me from deeper in the trees! I’ll teach him a lesson! I fire another shot and chase after the man, who flees further.

The trees are getting thicker, closer… The land is sloping steadily downwards, descending into some valley or such. I can’t see the edge of the park, and can only barely see the city lights. Every shadow looks like my quarry. Turn left and right, trying to locate him. I see a flicker of movement and charge after it, yelling at the top of my voice for him to stop being a coward and face me like a man.

No lights anymore, there is nothing but the darkness around me. I cannot see any way to go, but still I look for my foe. I cannot find him! He won’t escape me like this; I must have revenge for my parents! No! I drop to my knees and scream, shaking my head violently as I realize the helplessness of my situation. I bellow and roar my anger and frustration. I feel as if my arms are being forced together by unknown specters, crossed across my chest. I scream at them to keep their hands off me as I look around for my enemy, screaming that he has tricked me!
“Don’t you see?!? He lured me here! He’s going to get me if you don’t let me go! Let me out! I can’t stand the bright lights! How can I stop him if you keep me in this padded room!?! I’m not the one you want, it’s him! Mother! Father!”

“Don’t worry Mr Hardy,” the voice says through the door, “You can see your mother and father soon, after the evaluation.”

“No! I have to get out! Don’t you understand you idiots? I am Clyde Hardy! I’m the victim here!”…