Concurso gótico. Tale 27. The Man in the Alley

It was a cold Friday night. Four friends -Hugo, Gonzalo, Rodrigo and Álvaro- were walking home after a party. The streets were empty, and the wind was very strong.

“Let’s take the alley,” Rodrigo said. “It’s faster.”. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Álvaro answered. But they were tired, so they decided to go in.

The alley was long and dark. The ground was wet, and a black cat ran in front of them. “This place is creepy,” Gonzalo said. “Don’t be afraid,” Hugo laughed.

At the end of the alley, they saw a man. He was tall and thin, wearing an old grey suit. His face was very pale. He didn’t move. He just looked at them. “Sir, are you okay?” Rodrigo asked. The man didn’t answer. He slowly raised his hand and pointed at them.

The streetlights started to flicker. Everything went dark for a few seconds. When the lights came back, the man had disappeared. Scared, they ran to the other side of the alley. But the Street looked different: older, empty, broken…

“What happened?” Gonzalo asked. Then, they heard footsteps behind them. The man was there again, closer this time, with blacky eyes and an open mouth. They ran as fast as they could. The alley seemed endless. When Álvaro looked back, Hugo was gone. On the wall, there was a dark shadow in the shape of a person. The wind blew again. Then the lights went out.

THE END