Pursuers

Two days ago, I was returning home from a walk. It was still fairly light, although the clock said it was almost midnight. I approached my house and headed toward my entrance, but I hadn't gone ten steps when I heard a terrible noise behind me. Turning around, I saw a car brake sharply at the intersection; its front door swung open, and a terrified old man jumped out. He rushed toward the five-story buildings, but then a huge SUV came hurtling around the corner. It easily drove onto the car's roof, literally crushing it. Then, breaking through the guardrail, it caught up with the old man at high speed, turning him into a bloody mess.

 By that point, I'd managed to run behind a nearby garage to get out of sight of the jeep's occupant. I was about to slowly make my way home and call the police when suddenly five men, apparently 30-35 years old, emerged from the jeep. They silently loaded what was left of the old man into the trunk and climbed back into their vehicle. Except for one. He stood nearby for a moment, lighting a cigarette, and suddenly stared at me—I don't know how, but he saw me. I saw that he had no eyes—only torn sockets with dried blood around the edges. But there was something inside the sockets, and this something was eerily flickering (the man was at least ten meters away from me, but the glow was visible from afar). I sprinted toward my building's entrance. I'd never reached such speed before—I found myself in the building's elevator in less than a minute.

 Having reached my rented apartment, I locked the door and curtained all the windows. Apparently, it was worth it, because five minutes later there was a knocking sound – both at the front door and at the windows (which in itself filled me with horror – I live on the ninth floor). In the kitchen, I found several icons, a Bible, and a cross. Even though I don't believe in God, I sat up all night, reading prayers and listening to the incessant knocking.

By morning, everything had quieted down. Having carefully emerged from my "fortress" and walked around the house, I found no trace of what had happened – even the fence was intact.

That evening, after dinner, I went to the bathroom. When I came out, I froze: next to the pantry stood a pair of strange shoes, which had just disappeared.

The shoes were filled with earth.