Malady.

"I soon realized that I was not alone."

The month of November is unnaturally bleak. Even though it is the month before festivities begin and the whole world is alight in celebration and goodwill, November has always been associated with cold and melancholy, with death and misery - and this year, misery had come home to roost.
He hadn't seen it coming. No-one foresaw it, and no-one could have seen it anyways, for this was something that seemingly no one had experienced before. It had begun with fever, which could have easily been attributed to a simple infection. But over time, the symptoms had worsened. Dark blotches grew around his eyes, with black tendrils rolling down the face in the manner of tears. Soon, his skin was pallid, a deathly shade of white that was scarily reminiscent of a wraith rather than a human. His hair grew brittle and his mind more so, his personality eroded until he could scarcely head out of his own house unless for essentials. It was merciful when he at last passed away, yet with his peace, none of us could figure out just what had struck him. I kept such thoughts out of my mind for the time being as I approached the open coffin, peering at someone I would never see again. His features were more relaxed this time, the tension in his muscles and the worry in his face all gone, and had he been living I presumed he would have smiled at such an occurrence. Dressed in his best clothes and peaceful at last, save for that unpleasant shade of skin, he was at last ready to depart - but of all people, why him? Why take my closest friend away?
Leaving his side before any tears fell, I took my place at the nearest seat to listen to the eulogies prepared by his family and friends. It was what anyone would expect from commemorative speeches - praises of his success in life, comments on the friendships he built, even a few childhood memories from when he and I were young, but none of those memories could take away from the fact that my friend was gone, and nothing would change that. No matter what I thought at the time, I was in grief, and no eulogy, no matter how moving, could shake me from sadness. There were sobs, tears, whispered condolences and unsaid words, but all throughout, I was silent, listening intently to every word so as to gain some measure of solace, to know that I was not alone in this ordeal. But it was not to be.

The hours passed by faster than expected; the casket was closed, and one by one, people filtered out the grounds and headed home, perhaps eager to move on from this as quickly as possible.
I stayed by the freshly-dug grave, even as the sun above began to wane and dip into the horizon, rushing in the early hours of twilight once it was fully under. It was good to be alone for once - I noticed that without outside eyes to peer, I was relaxed and able to say my goodbyes without fear of judgement.
I soon realized that I was not alone.
Behind me, I could hear muted footsteps - a distinct pattern not belonging to any beast or mongrel dog, but to a human. The sound remained in the distance, yet I still remained unnerved.
What was this sound?
Who else was in here with me?
Acting as if nothing was wrong, I said my goodbyes and turned briskly towards the nearest exit.
Behind me, I heard those footsteps increase in intensity - and they were heading toward me. Soon I broke from restrained walk to a swift sprint, running away as quickly as I could from my would-be pursuer. Even as I gained speed, so did my menace, keeping the same speed but also their distance, almost in the manner of a lion hunting gazelle. Twisting and turning among the gravestones, apologizing in my head to those I had stomped over in my haste, I made for a nearby bough of trees, hoping I would be able to hide from my pursuer there. I would be proved wrong. No matter how far I ran, the presence would always home in on my position, and I would be forced to escape the concealment of the trees and make my way towards the nearest exit. Nearing the gate, I at last would be safe - until it suddenly slammed shut, barring me in with my hunter. Faced with no other option, slowly I turned to meet my pursuer. What I saw was not what I was expecting.

The figure stood two to three inches taller than me, gaunt and lean and wiry. It donned a robe of leadened grey, giving it the appearance of some unhallowed reaper. A wide featureless hood hid its face from prying eyes, leaving only shadow where its face would normally be.
Moving down thin arms, I noticed its hands were not those of the living - they were skeletal and sinister in form, little strands of bleached flesh keeping them together. I could feel an aura of menace and anger, of misery and melancholy around whatever stood before me; not even the normally boisterous birds dared to chirp out their song - as was fitting for a place of mourning, all was silent.
I was unnerved by the being before me, and before I could properly think, the figure slowly strode towards me. Rushing forward, I charged at the white wraith, hoping to take it down to the ground. Though I was successful, it was able to react accordingly, and soon threw me back against the gates with unnatural force, knocking the vigor out of me and preventing me from taking immediate action. Slumped against the bars of the gate, I could do nothing in my current state, only remain slumped against the gate as the hooded thing drew closer towards me. With the breath knocked out of me, I could only watch in horror as it extended out a hand not towards me, but my throat, clenching tightly and lifting me from the floor with ease.
Holding me in mid-air, I at last glimpsed the face of the being; and never had I been more shocked.
"No... this cannot be. What have you done?" I asked.
"He is no more, and I have taken his place." said the figure, before its eyes shone with a sickening red. All at once, I could feel the life being quite literally drained from me; in an instant, I was wasting away before my own eyes. As decades passed by in seconds, I could only let out a small gasp as I was dropped on the ground, this time never to get up at all. Looking up, I looked back into the face of this malevolent creature; a face that was a warped reflection of my dead friend.

Source of image: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Reaper-416759404