The Clock Strikes Twelve

The clock strikes twelve this winters night

From a heavy sky down pours the rain

Shoulders hunched and coat pulled tight

My optimism now starts to wain

Thoughts in my head I now debate

Why did I leave my safe abode?

Have I left it far too late

Am I alone on this hostile road?

Lightning strikes, fleeting shadows cast

I'm a grown man, I'm not a child

I tell myself I must hold fast

My imagination running wild

But only once do I look behind

Peer into the dark as I turn my head

There's nothing there that I can find

Does evil close behind me tread?

Superstition, but if so why

Do I start to quicken up my pace

My heart rate quickens, my mouth runs dry

What monster might I have to face?

A rancid odour fills the air

Faster and faster I start to run

This creature, tonight, has left it's lair

Is this the end, am I undone?

Can see no rescue from my plight

What ghastly beast could evil mutate

And stalk it's victims in the night?

Am I to face a grizzly fate?

I feel it's grip it's icy cold

A slime upon my skin

I struggle but cannot break it's hold

I am lost, this beast will win

My life is over, I'm approaching death

I have one desperate choice

I take my last, my deepest breath

And at the very top of my voice

I scream my very loudest scream

And wake up in bed in a cold sweat

What a relief it was just a dream

And one I hope I'll soon forget