The Darkness Without (A very short story)

Inspired by the new Fiction trail, I thought I would have a bash at a short story as its been a while. It is slightly inspired by a post I read from someone about a particular condition. But I won't give it away. 10 steem to the person under 60 rep who guesses which post gave me the idea for the story!

A man hides in a derelict cottage looking out at the night through one of the dilapidated windows, dwelling on the darkness without and the darkness within.

It was dark outside. Silent. Not a complete silence, occasionally a chirp sounded or the wind shushed at the trees. He clenched his jaw to prevent it from shaking. He had been here for hours. His breath was hurried, whistling through his clenched teeth. His eyes darted at the slightest movement. His body movements terse and jerky. He kept thinking he could hear something. Kept thinking he could hear them. But each time he dared a look there was nothing.

His eyes glazed as he played the days events over in his head. keep it together Sam, keep it together he muttered. The screams he was hearing audible to only him. He pulled his stare away from the darkness outside to look at his trembling hands. The blood had dried now. Old blood. Her blood. No, no no he thought tearing his gaze away. She wasn't his Mags That wasn't my wife.

How could he have done that? Her screams seemed so real. Even at the end she had pleaded with him. Had he lost it? They say those who question their sanity are the most sane but why would you question your sanity? Why? How could someone do what he did? How would anyone, how could anyone believe that that thing, that thing that looked like her and talked like her and touched him the way she touched him was not his wife? He knew, oh god he knew and he did not want to know.

He shook and could not stop shaking, breath escaping from him in staggered gasps. What was that? He wrapped his arms around himself. His bloodied, scabbed arms holding himself to stop the damned shaking and ever so slowly raised his head to the window ledge.

There was nothing.

It was dark outside