The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I walk quickly, turning onto a small side street. The dim lights from the street lamps flicker in the blackness of the night, illuminating the damp road. I sense presence behind me, and I turn quickly, glancing over my shoulder, but no-one is there. Only shadows behind me, following me, stalking me, mirroring my every step. A trick of the light...or something more? I speed up my pace, trying to contain my urge to glance behind me again. I finally give in to temptation, and shoot the quickest of glances. The shadows have drawn nearer...I begin to hear voices...whispers. They are faint, barely there, like the light brush of a feather on a cheek, or a lover's caress. How close are the shadows? 30 feet away...or only 20? Need I worry? My home is not far...only a few hundred feet further down the road. The street lamps begin to flicker faster...on and off...on and off...but each time they turn back on, they are dimmer than the last. I begin to worry...the light is my protector...halting the shadows in their tracks when they are lit, slowing the imminent advance. My house has just entered my vision...and it begins to near...constantly growing larger as I grow closer and closer. But at the same time, the shadows draw ever closer, their whispers slightly louder, although they are still no clearer. I cannot make out a single word...are they speaking a different language? The house is only 50 feet away...but the shadows are no more than 10 feet. I begin to jog, then to sprint, and with one great flash, the street lamps burn out completely, soaking the road and the houses in darkness. There is no-one around to see my plight...everything is abandoned, except for my house, where a single light burns brightly on the porch. I make one final effort, using my legs for all they are worth, my feet slapping at the hard wet road. The porch...the porch...so close...my only salvation...mere feet away. But the whispers rush into my head, overwhelming my brain, and I feel something grasp my leg. It is not material, yet somehow it has taken hold of me. I fall onto the hard-packed earth of the front yard, my fingers inches from the porch. I struggle...grasping...reaching...stretching my body to its limit. But more shadows, the beings of the dark, take hold of my body, drawing me backwards into darkness. My home, my haven, slips away, and I shout and cry, but there is no-one to hear me. I am alone, and the shadows are here, dragging me back into the dark. Why did the street lamps go out, the few sources of the light that could defeat the shadows? And then, before that one final tug pulls me into complete darkness, I realize...the street lamps created the shadows...for without light there could be no darkness. A strange grin spreads wide across my face, and I embrace the darkness, as I feel my body being sucked into the void, the abyss, from which there is no return.