The clock on the wall ticks
in time with my beating heart.
Beat, click.
Light flickers and then fails
Darkness lurks in the corridor
My heartrate rises.
Beat, beat, click.
Fear fills my lungs
A garbled gasp grips my throat
My pulse pounds in my neck.
Beat, beat, beat, click.
Evil envelops me
slithering, silent, smothering
Black night seeps into my soul
Beat, beat, beat, click.
Panic penetrates my veins.
A sharp stick of pain
and then: numbness
Beat, beat, beat, click.
Faltering, my limbs fail
I sprawl along the floor
crawl to the beat of my heart
Beat, beat, click.
Hope is gone
The hour of my demise is here
Wind wails into my waiting heart
Beat, click.
One word waits on my lips
God.
But he isn’t here
Click.

Ashley Widowski started writing when she was ten. She first published a poem while earning a BA in Creative writing. She now works in technology by day and is a writer by night. You can often find her hiking or running the National Scenic Ice Age Trail.