No one faints at the end.

Here I am, my body collapsed, in the middle of a highway in Iowa. My body feels loud, noisy, from all the exertion and adrenaline; every muscle throbbing and my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. My knees are painfully dug into the ground, tingling over with numbness – I had just run further than I would have physically been able to had my body not been thrown into panic mode by the most horrendous sight.

First off, you're probably wondering why I'm in Iowa, or maybe you're not; but either way, I don't live here, I'm not even American. I'm from Canada, visiting Iowa on a vacation to see close friends (because Iowa certainly isn't a tourist attraction by any means). Wasn't even here for a few days before it all started, and all I can do is laugh about it. I think back, maybe it would be different if I had decided to take the trip a month earlier? Maybe if I decided to postpone it? My family is probably unaware of my dangers, as I'm sure whatever is going on in this state hasn't even reached the surrounding boarders, let a lone Canadaland.

My side shrivels into a groan inducing cramp and I'm left twitching on the ground, amongst the broken asphalt until the pain eventually subsides. I had cuts, and some bruises, but the bleeding wasn't serious, which is good, seeing how I'm in America – I'd be better off dead then to go to a hospital for some care. The pain soothes, and I let my body rest; I just need a minute.

This horrendous scene I mentioned.. I feel as though I couldn't adequately describe it to you, the words in my vocabulary are few.  I don't even know what they were, what it was that was going on; I was curious, and I'm not the only human on the planet to succumb to my curiosity, so I let my human nature take over and I followed my ears until my eyes fell upon a scene that sent me running in the other direction. There was chaos everywhere, people were screaming, my friends being torn away from me drowning into the waves of people running in every direction – they could be dead for all I know, but my heart sinks at the thought.

I remember hearing the breathing first, like someone had phlegm stuck in their throat but didn't bother to clear it out – it sounded broken, and then I smelled them, until my eyes eventually fell upon what my curiosity was pulling me towards. I hadn't expected this, but to be honest, I wasn't sure what I was expecting to see when I turned that corner – maybe death? Or nothing?

They had green eyes, and their faces were black. They were built like a human, but no human I've ever encountered looked like that, or looked at me that way. I've never seen insanity face to face. Never once looked a creature in the eye and knew almost immediately that it wanted to rip me apart, and upon this sickening realization the blood drained from my face and I turned around running the other direction. My throat was dry and throbbing, had I been screaming?

My eyes opened, feeling like  lead, I must have fallen asleep, because night time had come, and this turned my insides, out. I was scared in the day time, but night time brought out new surprises, which was apparent as any remaining color in my face flushed away. I heard them again. I heard the breathing, followed by the smell, soon I would see their green eyes, but their skin would be hidden in the shadows. Maybe the moon will be on my side tonight, give me a chance to see enough to get away.

I've never encountered anything like this, or been this afraid. I don't recall ever feeling like I was this close to death, and overall I couldn't believe this was happening to me.