Waiting in the Darkness

The darkness was still and broken only by the soft beam of next-door’s security light. There were no stars but that had more to do with the clouds than the security light and the orange glow of the street lamp which stood at the T junction and which seemed to exist solely for itself.
It was enough to be alone in the darkness.
It was enough not to search for anything in the skyline because there was nothing to look for and no light by which to see it.
There was just darkness; dark grass and dark trees, dark fence posts joined by invisible barbed wire, dark hills of ploughed earth and the path with shadowy leaves and twigs ground into the muddy puddles which glowed a grey colour darker even than the muddy-brown they resembled in the daylight.
Somewhere and animal was scratching as if searching for a match or a fuse box in a darkened room.
There was no wind but occasionally the dry leaves that had survived the autumn drifted into one another and let out a faint hiss like spittle landing on a hot ring on the other side of a hill.
It was enough to be alone in the darkness; standing as still as possible, head swaying slightly and looking at nothing in particular- waiting.

Then there was a crack and a voice came from the other end of the path.
Two figures approached. They talked quietly but their voices reverberated around the still air and bounced off the leaves of the still silent trees which then rustled loudly completely drowning out the animal who was still searching for a match.
Their delicate footsteps pounded the earth; no doubt disturbing the mud and the leaves and sending great shock waves of sound that lurched like the tape deck display at the start of a well known chorus.
They were at least thirty meters away but they were already too close. Forgetting the darkness he turned and walked on. Swift steps with no thought for the stillness soon left them behind.
It was already too late.
He pushed on past the still beaming security light and up to the green front door; without even pausing to bid farewell to the still air before he ploughed into the yellow warmth.
The still air had been broken, forcing him out of the darkness.
That was not what he had been waiting for.