The Craven!!!

Rob turned on his torch. The circular blast of yellow traveled up the deep, dark tunnel. Disturbed set of wings fluttered out with claws scratching Rob's face as they escaped the harsh light. A few pairs of curious yellow eyes flickered open watching him closely.  The light in Rob's hand shimmered held by the shivering hands. He couldn't say what he hated more... the stench of the rotting...rotten, or the silent pairs of eyes watching him. 
He hasn't come here since his colleagues, Beefy and Custan never returned from the inspection of the tunnel. He never saw their bodies but heard two police officers fainted when they saw what was left of them. Dan ran away without a trace and here he is... all alone in the dark.
He had work to do... every step of his shivering feet drowned him into the depth of the tunnel. Step by step, he went... deeper until the tunnel swallowed him whole.

ROB

It was another boring day at duty for Rob. The middle of the nights were the worse.  He wasn't a naturally brave person. Dark frightened him... creepy places frightened him more... closed spaces frightened him the most. His job requires him to walk through dark, creepy and closed tunnel every day. He couldn't remember a day he woke up without dreading the walk through the dark tunnel to check the railway tracks. It always felt like he was walking into the open mouth of the mountain voluntarily. With each step, he half-expected the tunnel to close behind him, swallowing him whole. 
Rob was the track inspector in Railways. His job required him to walk up and down the railway tracks to check for faults. It led him through long and dark tunnels, high overbridges with gushing rivers deep down, manmade canyons between overhanging rocks... it led him to every possible place he was afraid of. 
Rob was happy that he had Beefy, Custan and Dan were with him. He didn't particularly like any of them but he felt safer with them around.

BEEFY

 Beefy was a sneaky imp of a moron. He is exact opposite of his name... mousy, puny, gambling loser who would sell his mom for a price. He can rat in and out of that tunnel even in the darkest of nights... thinks he is some kind of hero... my ass. 

Well... that's what Rob thinks!!!

CUSTAN

Custan was motha-f@cking a@@hole of the highest order. His breath reeked with a mixture of tobacco, alcohol and rotten teeth. He is a bully who thinks he can get away pushing me around. Let me see if he can bully the speeding train in the tunnel... May he die a painful death... bloody bastard.
Well... that's what Rob thinks!!!

DAN

Dan was friggin coward who was afraid of his own shadow. He was even more afraid of dark than I am. It was such fun kicking his ass around. I don't think world needs such losers... Wish I could stamp out his life as I would stamp out an insect.
Well... that's what Rob thinks!!!

ROB

Rob was here not because he was brave but because he had no other choice. He has been an inspector for three decades now and knew pretty much nothing else. He had five mouths to feed and medicines for his own upkeep were killing him alive. His failing eyesight failed because of looking for the bloody cracks in the tracks. Stepping from one wooden sleeper to another had weakened his knees. He is almost afraid of the sunlight due to loitering the dark tunnels underneath mountains. 
Rob could not go anywhere else. He was afraid to stay. Every day on his own was another day in hell. The creak of the branches when the wind blows sounded like nails on the iron board. A howling dog in the distant brought end of his life closer. He was afraid to blink because he was afraid of darkness around him. The smell of the rotting shit of the bats killed his interest to eat anything edible. He felt smoky shapes dancing beyond the reach of his torch. There was something lingering at the edge of the tunnel to pounce on him. 
His fear consumed him in the dark. Every step along the track was another step to oblivion. He was blessed because he was assured of heaven after death. After all, he was living his life in hell with nothing more scary that his life itself. Day by day... he was sucked into an abyss of horrors until Aemon's hand held on to his... to drag him out of his misery.

AEMON 

Aemon was unambitious, passionless creature who lives a day to move on to the next one. He was my companion because two of my colleagues got themselves killed and the other one shit himself to infinity. 
I didn't like him. But, I want him to be around. I am afraid of the tunnel and I will not step into that god-foresaken place without someone else at my back... or, more precisely, me behind their back. He was perfect. He is so insignificant that even fear doesn't bother him much. He is bigger than me and so the animals will go for him first. Either way, I feel safe with him. 
Well... that's what Rob thinks!!!

ROB

Rob was happy that Aemon was around. Rob was angry that Aemon was around.  He hated the company of Aemon during the midnight rounds. He loved Aemon for keeping the demons away. He hated Aemon for his courage and he loved Aemon for his fearlessness. He loved Aemon... Rob hated himself.
Rob became his fear... his anger... his frustrations... his defeat. He transformed into the very animal that killed Beefy and Custan... and, scared away Dan.  Galloping on all his fours, he went looking for Aemon.

Rob was not afraid of the dark anymore!!!Original link