May 31 2013, 03:05 PM

This is a short story I wrote during a rather dark time of life: The Tortuous Shades Of Guilt: Have you ever felt guilt? That deep, black void in your chest when you've done something you really regret, but can't seek forgiveness because you don't want to cause strife? I've had that. The crushing, dead feeling mixed with fear that devours all rational thought and happiness. You feel as if you are stranded in a desolate wasteland, barren of all hope and comfort. Where wailing Shades drift through the choking dusts. God help you if you're ever caught by one, they grip with ice cold claws, whispering sibilantly into your ear all the bad things you've done, shrieking with cruel laughter as you writhe in agony in their unforgiving grasp without rest or respite. It'll drain all your feelings away, leaving you a shrivelled, pathetic husk on the ground, wretching with pure horror at the deeds you committed, screaming, begging for them to end the sheer terror. But they won't, they enjoy your suffering. They delight in your eternal torture. And all of that is if there's only one of them, the unlucky ones are those who fell into the clutches of groups of Shades. Their screams are heard for thousands of miles around, driven insane by the multitude of voices, raping their torn minds. And don't bother trying to kill yourself to escape. There's no point. You're dead already, remember? Copyrighted to Samuel Purdy-Hunt so no stealing :)