I roam, I spy, I slither.
I clutch my prey;
I don’t like letting go.
I seep into your body and slowly eat you up
Until your filthy guards exterminate me.
But I always come back, I’m always there
The ever-present shadow
Looming in the darkness
Waiting for a weakness,
A flaw in your fortress.
I burn, I scratch, I harm.
I seize you in a dance of flames;
Flames that devour your very existence
Until you are nothing but an empty shell.
I am an instrument of torture
Designed to inflict pain.
I laugh as you grit your teeth and pray
For me to go away.
You turn and twist,
Writhe and scream
But your loyal guards
Have been killed.
Beware of the lurking shadows,
Beware of the jumping flames,
And never leave your doors open,
Nor your fortress without defence.