The Dark Stalker

Sometimes it’s better to leave the past in the past.

This cloudy Friday afternoon, Ron Harrison used the smooth jazz pumping through his car’s speakers to keep his sanity as he made his way home through rush hour traffic. That rumbling deep in his gut issued him a bit of discomfort, but he wasn’t very far from home now. It would be soothed soon enough. He put his hunger aside and began using the car’s mirrors to make his way over to the proper lane to exit the highway.

Once off the highway, he relaxed and let his fingers dance on the steering wheel as he cruised through the surface streets. He turned the corner for his street, and he spotted his house, wondering if anyone was at home. He pressed the button on the remote, and the garage door started its slow journey upward. He smiled when he saw his wife’s SUV parked inside. With any luck, she would have dinner waiting for him when he went inside. He parked his car next to hers and shut the garage door, full of anticipation.

He grunted as he exited the car and thought there was no way he could be getting that old yet. After all, he was only forty-two years old and relatively fit for his age. Nevertheless, he didn’t like what he heard. Maybe he should start working out again…maybe.

He opened the side door and stepped into the house. Something was amiss. There was no smell. Nothing. She didn’t prepare dinner. He sighed and wondered why his wife, Keisha, hadn’t prepared anything. He set his briefcase on the kitchen table and stepped into the living room ready to confront her.

There on the couch sat Keisha who stared back at him with a smile. All the words he’d prepared to blurt out were whisked away. She had a magnificent smile with perfect teeth. The rest of her was just as beautiful, and she had on those tight jeans he loved. When she stood up, he fell in love all over again. He often wondered how he got so lucky to get with such a lovely woman. He approached her with outstretched arms, and they shared a loving kiss.

As he accompanied her back in the living room, Ron’s eyes scanned the room, he turned up his ear, then asked, “Are the boys at home?”

“Nope! They left to go to the mall with one of their friends,” Keisha answered. He noted a tone of relief in her voice since a childless house was a rarity these days. They sat down on the couch and Ron reached for the television remote.

Then Keisha asked, “Hey, I wanted to surprise the boys this evening. How about some Popeye’s Chicken for dinner?”

“Ohhh yeahhh! Man, that sounds good. Do you need some money? Make sure you get a lot so I can have some for tomorrow…all spicy,” an excited Ron exclaimed.

The rumbling in his stomach returned. He dropped the remote and reached for his wallet, but Keisha shook her head and said, “Nah, I have enough, and I had already planned to get enough to have some for tomorrow too! I’ve had a taste for that chicken all day. Since traffic is dying down now, I’ll go pick it up.”

She stood up and headed into the kitchen where her purse sat. Ron smiled and let his eyes follow Keisha’s hips as she strutted away. He could only shake his head once she was out of sight.

Once Ron heard the door shut and the garage door rise, he got up and headed over to the small computer desk situated next to the TV against the wall. That high-backed, swivel chair at the desk was the best chair in the house. It contoured to his body perfectly. He switched on the computer and began his nightly routine checking his bank account and investment balances. This included reading many local, national, and world news articles on the various websites he’d bookmarked. After finishing his routine, he chose websites at random, clicking on interesting links to see where the Internet would take him.

The light streaming through the living room windows was so dim that he switched on the overhead light. Back at the computer, he resumed his random web surfing. His uncharted surfing led him to a web page which he’d never encountered before. The web page’s background was deep black, and written in large, red, eerie letters were the words Haunted Pages. Pretty cool since the letters looked as if they dripped blood. This really piqued his curiosity because it reminded him of some of his old comic book covers. Beneath the heading, in a smaller but an equally eerie font, were descriptions of some of those old novelty toys he used to see in his comic books. Memories came flooding back.

From an early age, Ron was a collector of comic books, all types of comic books. He found it very easy to escape into their world. Over the years, he managed to collect and store some of his favorite comics in his basement. His limited collection varied from super hero’s to haunted tales, including a couple of classic MAD and Cracked magazines. By far, his overall favorites were the comics dealing with haunted tales. To him, being middle aged never mattered because mentally, he still felt as if he was nineteen or twenty years old.

His inner child surfaced as he read through the nostalgic descriptions of items like X-Ray Specs, bathroom parking meters, and live sea monkeys. He enjoyed those multi-functional toys like the miniature 10-in-1 optical instrument and the 7-piece pocket toolkit. As a goof, he clicked on some of the items to find out their prices and current descriptions.

Without much thought, he decided to purchase a few toys to show off to his sons thinking they’d get a kick out of seeing these old items. He returned to that strange main web page and read how to place his order. He was surprised to find out these items were not being sold by a company but by an individual. How could one person have collected and stored these things from so long ago? Maybe this person is an eBay-like vendor that didn’t want to use eBay to sell his merchandise.

After adding two items to his cart, he swiped the mouse across the screen. He spotted a flash of red lettering on the black background. What was that? He backtracked the mouse’s path, and the letters appeared then disappeared again. I know I saw something that time. Once again, he followed the same path, much slower this time until the letters lit up and stayed lit.

He paused.

He’d discovered a hidden web link which could only be seen if the mouse passed over it. The word ENTER was displayed. Damn! Who the hell would create a web link like that…and why? He clicked on the word, and a new web page with a similar black background popped up. He couldn’t believe what he saw. On his screen was a list of some terrifying comic book covers that he’d never seen before. These were very, very dark comics with gruesome cover graphics all pertaining to unusual and taboo subjects like torture, strange disappearances, and unnatural occurrences.

As he maneuvered his mouse over the comic titles, small pop-up windows appeared containing brief descriptions of the comic’s contents. Just reading the descriptions made Ron uneasy. Maybe staying on this page was a mistake. He wanted to leave, but this discovery was too much. He had to know more. These comics were for sale, but the prices were outrageous. In addition, there was a strict non-return policy and a very confusing disclaimer stating that the seller accepts no liability for the products or subsequent events after purchase. What the hell does that mean? What could possibly happen ‘after’ purchasing a comic book? It didn’t make any sense. It didn’t bother him much, after all, he was doing this for his kids. In order to keep this purchase from Keisha, he used his own credit card because if she ever found out how much he spent, she’d kill him. Three items were in his shopping cart…two nostalgic toys and one bizarre comic book about unnatural occurrences.

As he finished the online order form, he noted the seller’s address. They were located in Scottsdale, a northern suburb of Phoenix. With Ron and his family living in a suburb south of Phoenix, he knew his merchandise would be arriving in a day or two. That was nice to know. After completing his order, he reviewed the online order confirmation. He couldn’t believe what happened. His order was split into two parts, one for the comic book and the other for the nostalgic items. That’s just fucking crazy! Why split the damn order? It’s only across the damn city, for Christ's sake! Was he duped, ripped off, scammed? Regret struck him like a hammer, but he used a credit card, and he knew his order was protected somewhat.

Now that his purchase was complete, he closed his web browser and headed back to the couch, anxious to forget about the website and watch a little television. Just as he sat down, the front door knob jiggled a few times then opened. His sons, fifteen-year-old Travis and eleven-year-old Troy, entered the house with Troy carrying some plastic bags. They sat down next to their father and Troy emptied his bag to show his father what he purchased. Ron’s eyes lit up when he saw Troy holding a new Superman comic and a new Spiderman comic. Ron snapped up the Superman comic and started reading while Troy sat back with the Spiderman book. Travis headed for the kitchen, but Ron told him his mother would be home with dinner soon so no snacking. Travis rolled his eyes and continued into the kitchen.

Saturday morning, Keisha was the first to rise, feeling a little tired but clear headed. She turned and cast a lovingly gaze at her handsome husband still asleep, fortunate that she met someone so wonderful. She eased from the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom, not wanting to disturb Ron. After washing up, she crept out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to prepare breakfast. On the way, she peeked into the boy’s bedrooms to see if they were stirring. Both were still asleep.

Once downstairs, Keisha opened the curtains and blinds in the family room allowing the morning sun inside. Next were the blinds in the kitchen followed by the curtains and blinds in the living room. Since their house sat on a corner, it was possible to peer all the way down the street from their large living room window. This morning, right after opening the living room blinds, she gazed down the street, admiring the neighborhood. Just as she was about to return to the kitchen, she stopped. Moving the blinds aside, she noticed a dark figure all the way down the street. She couldn’t quite make it out. What the hell is that down there? Who would be dressed all in black and standing in the middle of the street? She stared at it for a while longer, but whatever it was, it didn’t move. She dismissed it and turned towards the kitchen.

There was one way to make her entire family come down to breakfast at once. A little secret she kept to herself. From the refrigerator, she pulled out some eggs, bread, a bag of hash browns, and her secret…bacon. The smell of bacon never failed. In a few minutes, she’d hear bumping and shuffling above her head.

Troy was the first downstairs followed by Travis and bringing up the rear with a loud yawn was Ron, all sporting robes, and slippers. All three men retrieved their plates and formed a nice queue, each taking a turn loading up their plates and sitting in their usual spots at the glass kitchen table.

The typical morning banter took an odd twist when Keisha said, “Sweetheart, when I opened the living room curtains this morning, I saw something bizarre at the end of the street. I’m not sure what it was, but it looked like it could have been someone dressed in black and standing perfectly still in the middle of the street.”

“Really? It’s over 90 degrees outside already, way too hot to be dressed in black at this time of the year. Is he still there?” Ron asked before taking a bite of his toast. The boys turned to their mother.

“I don’t know. I came into the kitchen after I opened the curtains, but it was really weird.”

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to take a look,” said Ron.

He took a quick sip of coffee then scooted his chair back. He didn’t expect to see anything, but to appease his wife, checking it for himself could quell her curiosity. The boys got up and followed their father into the living room. Keisha brought up the rear. Ron and the boys moved the curtains aside and parted the blinds. They scanned to the right and left but didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

“Mom, we don’t see anything,” Troy said.

Keisha made her way to the window and looked in the direction where she had seen the figure.

“Hmmm…something was down there,” she reiterated.

“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now,” said Ron while still scanning the street.

“It was really, really strange! I’ve never seen anything like that before, but I’m glad it’s gone,” Keisha said with a note of relief.

They all headed back into the kitchen to finish their breakfast. The boys began telling silly ghost stories, trying their best to scare their parents, but they were failing miserably. Instead, laughter dominated the conversation.

After breakfast, everyone trudged back upstairs, with full bellies, to get dressed and go about their day. The boys planned on going back to the mall to hang out with their friends again. Keisha planned to relax and watch her home improvement and cooking shows while Ron planned to visit the local hardware store and pick up some needed items. The boys got dressed very quickly and were ready to leave, but before dashing downstairs like a couple of race horses and out the front door, they stopped by their parent’s room to say goodbye.

Travis was very athletic and loved playing basketball. He was fairly quiet in school, and a lot of the girls had secret crushes on him. Being such a good basketball player, many of the popular guys let him hang out with them.

Troy looked up to his older brother and had a knack of convincing his brother to include him whenever he left the house. Many of Travis’ friends were fond of Troy, but he tended to get on their nerves at times with his smart mouth. Nevertheless, Troy was considered the little joker of the crew.

The boys walked a short distance down the street and stopped at Carl’s house to see if he was going to the mall today. Carl Henderson was Travis’ best friend, and they had known one another since elementary school. Carl had a smart mouth also and gave everyone some lip at one time or another. He also had a crazy sense of humor that kept everyone in stitches. Travis had a ball hanging out with him. Travis and Troy strolled up the pathway leading to the stairs in front of Carl’s house and climbed up. Travis rang the doorbell. Soon afterward the door opened.

“Hey, Butthead!” Carl said very sarcastically when he saw who was at his door.

“You’re such a loser dude!” Travis snapped.

“So what’s up?”

“Yo, you goin’ to the mall today?” Travis inquired as he pulled open the screen door.

“Yep. Ya’ll leavin’ now? If so, let me tell my folks, and I’ll go with you,” Carl said as he turned around to inform his parents that he was leaving the house.

“Okay, Beavis! Hurry up dude!” Travis demanded still holding the screen door open.

Meanwhile, Troy paid little attention to the exchange between the two friends. Instead, he found himself staring down the street at a dark figure, all in black it seemed to him. It didn’t move. Troy kept staring at it, wondering what it could be. He was just about to tell Travis but was disrupted when Carl bolted out of the door.

“Alright, let’s get to steppin’ guys!” Carl said as he hopped down the stairs.

Travis and Troy followed Carl, and once on the sidewalk, Carl and Travis began their usual back and forth of put downs like they always did. Troy looked down the street again and was astonished to see the figure was gone. He wondered where it went and how it could move so quickly since it was so far out in the open. He thought about it a while longer but eventually joined in with the back and forth between his brother and Carl.

Carl’s attention span was about as quick as a fly escaping a flyswatter, always jumping from one subject to another but this time he noticed Travis’ new shoes.

“Dude, your new kicks are hot!”

“Yeah, boy! I know! I love these things,” Travis boasted. “I’m gonna run everybody ragged on the b-ball court next time we play. Wait and see.”

“Travis, what would you do if I step on them right now?” Troy asked trying to get a rise from his older brother and being a total pain in his butt.

“First, I would throw you down and step on your face with them, and then I’d kill you!” Travis said in a threatening tone, lunging at Troy causing him to run away with a silly grin on his face. “Come here you little snot!” Travis said as he started to chase his younger brother.

“Get him! Get that little snot!” Carl shouted as he joined Travis in the chase.

Troy turned to see how far they were behind him, but they were closing in. Carl and Travis soon caught up to him and began beating on him in a playful manner. All three were laughing while Troy called out occasional screams of “Stop!” and “Let me go!” After a short while, Carl and Travis released Troy and they resumed their journey to the mall. That didn’t stop Troy from his relentless teasing.

Back at the house, Ron hustled downstairs to take a quick trip to the local hardware store. His eyes gleamed once more when he spied his wife sitting on the couch watching the Food Network. He crept over and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. She turned and looked at him with a loving smile and her eyes followed him as he walked out the room heading for the side door.

The hardware store was less than a mile away, just down the street and around the corner. At the stop sign at the end of his street, there were some bushes that partially obstructed his view to his left. He inched forward and looked left, then to his right, and then left again to make sure it was clear. No vehicles were in sight, so he began his right-hand turn. Then something flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the left and a large SUV came bearing down toward him at a high rate of speed. It came out of nowhere. Ron slammed on the brakes, jerking forward then back in his seat. The SUV barreled right through the stop sign, just missing the front of Ron’s car.

“You dumb muthafucker! Asswipe!” Ron shouted from inside of his car, exasperated by the driver’s arrogance and ignorance.

With the sudden onslaught of adrenaline, he gave serious thought to giving chase but decided against it. The best thing to do was release his anger. Forcing a possible altercation would not be wise. Anyway, both he and his vehicle were okay, but he was still a bit shaken up. He looked to his left again then continued his right turn. His music eased his mind, and he proceeded, without further incident, to his destination.

In the parking lot of the strip mall, he pulled into an empty space, exited the car, and stepped inside the hardware store.

“Hello, sir! Is there something I can help you find today?” the store employee asked as he walked through the sliding door.

“Not right now, thanks. I just want to look around for a bit, but if I need anything, I’ll come and get you,” Ron said as he headed to the far left aisle.

“Fine sir. Take your time to explore,” the employee said.

Ron took his time moving up and down the aisles, trying to remember what he needed to buy. He knew he should have written down what he needed. He spotted some scorpion repellant. That was one item. Down the next aisle, he picked up an LED UV flashlight that makes scorpions glow at night. At the back of the store were a stack of plastic carriers. He pulled one out, placed his items in it, and continued shopping.

When he was done, he approached the checkout area and immediately regretted taking such a long time in the store. Six people were ahead of him in the only line available, and it wasn’t moving very fast. A bit frustrated, he took his place in line and passed the time by staring out the store’s large windows to watch passing traffic. Across the street from the store was a stationary figure, all black. He couldn’t tell if it was a person or not, but he was dismayed at how still it stood. He kept staring at the figure, unaware the line began moving in front of him. The gap between him and the customer in front of him drew fairly large when the man behind him tapped in on the shoulder, breaking his stare, and said,

“Excuse me, sir! Sir! The line is moving.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He closed the gap and turned back to the man behind him to explain himself.

“I was just looking out the window across the street wondering what that black thing was. Do you see it?”

The man smiled then looked out the window and asked,

“What thing? I don’t see it.”

Ron pointed and said, “That thing right over…”

The figure was gone. He looked around some more. It had disappeared. Perplexed, he said, “I know I saw something across the street.”

“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now,” the man said.

Ron was stumped. Did he hallucinate the whole thing? He was sure he didn’t. He wondered if that stop sign runner affected him more than he thought. He was next in line and began unloading his items from the hand carrier. After paying for his goods, he carried his plastic bags out to his car and after placing them on the seat, he gazed across the street one last time to see if the black figure returned, but he was disappointed. He climbed into his car and headed for home.

A full parking lot at the mall was a sure sign that a lot of money was exchanging hands between shoppers and shop owners, but the people occupying those cars were only a portion of the mall’s total clientele. There’s a large subculture without wheels, and they were at the mall for one reason, to socialize. The mall had become a teenage hangout long ago, and different cliques talked, joked, and courted one another, with shopping a distant thought. Carl and Travis were members of this subculture and Troy was learning the membership rules from his big brother.

As they entered the air-conditioned structure, a sea of faces, young and old, moved like a churning ocean along the wide walkways, and a unique hum was heard where no single voice stood out over the others. They took their time merging in with the wave of people walking in their direction, wary of being swept up within the mob and losing sight of one another. Travis tried holding Troy’s hand as they all dodged moving feet, swinging bags, baby strollers, and other obstacles that created pedestrian hazards. Occasionally they became separated, forcing Travis to stop, turn around, and locate his brother’s face, but he had a knack of always finding Troy.

Today, the brothers followed Carl, wondering where the hell he was leading them. Carl took an unexpected right turn forcing the brothers to cut across others that were walking. After a few dodges, stutter steps, a few “excuse me’s”, and evil stares, they found themselves standing inside Footlocker. Carl knew what he was looking for, but it was a mystery to Travis. Soon, Carl bent down and admired some red Air Jordan’s. Travis could have been cruel and teased him, admitting that Carl’s mother would never buy those shoes for him. Instead, he remained quiet and glanced over at Troy, indicating he should refrain from commenting also. Travis was pretty sure it was his own new shoes that influenced Carl to enter the store.

“Man, one day I’m going to get a pair of these things,” Carl said.

“I know you will dude, and you’ll look awesome in them. You’ll be runnin’ up and down the court and flyin’ through the air just like Jordan,” Travis said in support of his best friend.

Carl spotted a Footlocker salesperson walking in his direction, so he returned the shoe to the display and headed out the store followed by Travis and Troy.

After rejoining the shopping traffic, they were fortunate to find enough space where the three of them could walk abreast, and that also allowed them to see the walkway on the other side of the mall. That’s when Carl spotted Carmen, a schoolmate he’d always had a crush on. She was standing on the second level talking with a few of her girlfriends.

“Travis, that’s Carmen up there! I need you to run interference for me with her girlfriends while I talk to her for a while,” Carl pleaded.

“No way man! You know she won’t talk to you. She never has. She’s gonna shoot you down, clown,” Travis replied being very sure of the outcome.

“Come on, man? Do this for me. Quit being such a douche. I won’t take too long. I just wanna see what she’s up to,” Carl said as he gazed back up at her, staring like a lovesick puppy.

“What a butthead. Come on then. I’ll do it just to see your expression when you crash and burn brother,” Travis joked. Travis turned to Troy and said, “Troy, watch this. This is gonna be good. Carl is gonna go down in flames!” Both boys started laughing.

Carl kept an eye on Carmen’s whereabouts as they headed for the escalator. They were standing next to the railing outside The Limited women’s clothing store. Carl wasted no time. He started walking up the escalator stairs as they moved, squeezing by the other patrons, on a mission to catch her before they all decided to walk away. Travis and Troy let the escalator carry them up as they watched Carl’s antics with anticipation. Carl slowed his pace as he approached Carmen.

Travis started laughing when Carl tried to act nonchalant, casually looking before acting surprised to see Carmen. With a broad smile and his arms outstretched to the side, he said, “Hey Carmen!”

“What’s up Carl?” Carmen replied wearing a sweet smile while her friends turned to see who she was talking to.

“Nuthin’ much. I’m just cruising the mall looking around with Travis and his younger brother.” Carl stepped closer to the girls, trying to join their little circle.

At that moment Travis and Troy strolled up to join the group.

“Hey, Travis. Hi Troy,” said Carmen. She was very fond of both boys.

“Hey Carmen,” both said in unison standing just outside the circle.

“Are you here shopping or just hanging out?” Travis asked as Carl, and the other girls turned to look at him.

“Oh, a little of both, but mostly hanging out,” Carmen replied.

Carl looked annoyed and said, “Hey Travis, do me a favor and get me a pop from the pop machines over there. If you do, I’ll get one for you and your brother.”

Travis knew that meant get lost while he finished chatting it up with Carmen. “Alright man. What flavor do you want?” Travis asked.

“Anything but root beer. I’m just thirsty.”

“Alright, give me some scratch dude,” Travis said with his hand out waiting for Carl to give him some money.

Carl reached into his pants pocket, pulled out two $1 bills, and placed them in Travis’ hand.

“Come on Troy. You can tell me what you want when we get there,” Travis said motioning with his head.

As the boys approached the vending machine, Travis turned to see how Carl was doing, snickering all the while because he knew this was going to be hilarious, but to his surprise, Carmen was smiling back at Carl as they talked.

“That lucky SOB!” Travis said under his breath. He couldn’t believe Carl may be making some headway with Carmen.

Troy turned to Travis and said, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

“Oh, nuthin’. Carl just got lucky. That’s all,” Travis replied.

In front of the vending machine, Travis purchased three sodas and pocketed the fifty cents left over. He gave one to Troy, and they sat on the bench next to the vending machine watching Carl and Carmen from a distance. The large doors, at the end of the corridor to their right, allowed enough sunlight in to brighten that part of the mall and they also gave them a clear view of the parking lot outside. Troy popped the top on his can and started chugging his cherry soda.

Travis opened his can and tilted it up to allow the cool stinging bubbles to slide down his throat. After those initial gulps, he sat the can on his lap and watched people pass by. A group of very cute teenage girls caught his eye, and he stared them down until they exited through the glass doors. When they were out of sight, he noticed a dark figure standing very still in the parking lot. He couldn’t make it out, but it didn’t seem to belong. He couldn’t look away. It never moved and people passed by it without anyone acknowledging its existence. Something wasn’t right, and he didn’t like it one bit. He turned to Troy and said,

“Troy, look out there. Do you see that?” Troy gasped. It was the same figure he’d seen earlier down the street from Carl’s house, but this time it was much closer.

“Oh no. I saw the same thing when we were at Carl’s house,” Troy said while turning to Travis with his eyes wide.

“You did? Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t know what it was plus it was way down the street, then it disappeared when I looked back. What is it?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Come on, let’s get back to Carl,” Travis said. He grabbed Troy’s hand and stepped quickly over to where Carl was flirting.

Carl was finishing his conversation with Carmen, and the girls were just preparing to walk away when Travis and Troy arrived. Travis needed to concoct a crazy story that would convince Carl that they needed to leave.

“Um, hey dude. I…I just remembered…ahh…ahh my father wanted me to help him with some work around the house today. I forgot all about it so we gotta go, like now,” Travis said wearing a serious expression.

“Really dude? Ahh man, that sucks! We just got here. Damn! Alright. Well, at least I got a chance to talk to Carmen. I can’t wait to see her in school,” Carl bragged.

“You just got lucky dude. I still don’t think she’s into you. Come on, let’s get outta here before I get into trouble.” Travis led them to an alternative exit.

Travis kept looking over his shoulder once they were outside but there were too many people milling about. Now, his singular thought was to go home. He’d forgotten about his soda and didn’t take another swig until they were well away from the mall.

Keisha and Ron were on the living room couch watching television when the boys walked through the front door.

“Hey, we’re home,” Travis said as the two of them sauntered into the living room.

“Mom! I’ve got to tell you something. Remember what you said this morning after we came downstairs?”

“What did I say?”

“You said you saw some black thing down the street that didn’t move? Remember that?” Troy moved in front of her blocking the television.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, me and Travis saw it while we were getting some pop from the vending machine. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Travis didn’t know what it was so he grabbed me, and we walked back to where Carl was standing.”

Ron’s eyebrows raised as he listened to the boys talk about what they had seen. Then he asked, “Hey, are you guys telling the truth or just trying to mess with your mother?” His expression was serious.

“No. It’s the truth! We both saw it,” Travis replied.

“I saw it twice!” Troy added. He watched his parent stare at him when he said that.

“Oh yeah, Troy told me that he saw the same thing when we were on Carl’s porch to pick him up.” They turned back to Travis. “He said it was down the street standing perfectly still, and then all of a sudden, it disappeared.”

“Wait, Troy, you saw this thing twice today? Once while you were at Carl’s house and then while you were at the mall? Is that right?” Ron asked.

“Yep! It was scary looking and all black. It looked like a person, but it never moved,” Troy repeated.

“Okay, something strange is happening here, and I don’t know what’s going on,” Ron replied visibly upset. He stood up, walked toward the front of the coffee table to face his family.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Keisha asked sensing something was amiss.

“Dammit! I saw the same thing while I was standing in line at the hardware store! It was across the street, and I couldn’t make out what it was. It was all black and it just stood there very still. I watched it so hard that I didn’t know the line had moved. Someone behind tapped me on the shoulder, and when I moved up in the line, I looked back out the window, and it was gone!”

Keisha, Travis, and Troy were speechless. They all stared at one another trying to make sense of each other’s encounter with this thing.

Then Travis posed a key question, “Okay, Mom, you saw the thing this morning. Dad, you saw it while you were at the store. Troy, you saw it twice…once while we were at Carl’s house and then we both saw it at the mall. But when Troy saw it at Carl’s house, Dad saw it while he was at the hardware store. That has to mean there’s more than one of them, right?”

“That makes sense, but why is this the only family that can see it?” Ron inquired. Everyone fell silent again.

Ron asked each of them to rehash each incident. It didn’t take long for Ron to discover he was right; they were the only ones that saw the entity, even though they were in public places.

“Look. I tried to point it out to the guy that tapped me on the shoulder, but when he looked over, it was gone. He didn’t see it.”

Travis added, “The same thing happened to us at the mall. Everyone outside just walked by the thing like they didn’t see it! That’s when I got scared.”

“What the hell is this? Are we all going crazy? Why are we being singled out?” asked Ron.

Silence filled the room once again.

“Knock…knock…knock.”

Keisha jumped, releasing a soft yelp after hearing the knock on the front door.

“I’ll get it,” Ron said since he was already standing.

Peeking through the blinds, he saw it was a UPS driver dropping off a package. Ron opened the door and waved to the driver as he was pulling away in his brown truck.

“Hey, this can’t be those items I ordered yesterday, could they?” Ron thought.

He bent down to pick up the package. When he stood back up, there it was…the entity -- the obscure thing standing directly across the street from his house! It was motionless, dressed in black, and seemed to be looking at him.

“Hey everyone come up here now and look at this,” Ron shouted back inside the house. He heard jumbled footsteps coming up behind him. Then everything became very quiet.

“That…that’s it! That’s what I saw this morning! What is it?” Keisha said.

“Yep! That’s what we saw at the mall,” Troy said as he gripped his big brother’s arm.

Ron knew it was the same thing he saw at the hardware store and his fear morphed into annoyance. For some odd reason, this thing wants to terrorize his family, and he wanted to put a stop to it now. As he was just about to speak up, the entity began moving in his direction, moving over the curb across the street effortlessly. The jet-black figure wasn’t walking. Instead, it appeared to be gliding across the ground like a hovercraft. Ron stood in the doorway petrified as he watched the entity approach. It continued across the road; its pace was not hurried. Ron heard his family’s footsteps retreat into the interior of the house, but he stayed put ready to close the door if he felt too threatened.

Ron’s anger reverted to fear once again as it moved closer, but he felt hypnotized, unable to stop staring at the sight. It had a figure similar to a man, but there were no discernible human features. The location of its face, if it had one, was hidden underneath the black shadow of its large black hat, or something similar to a large top hat. It was completely wrapped in a very long pale black outer garment that absorbed sunlight. No sleeves or feet could be seen at all. Could a solid mass with no appendages exist?

The entity moved closer then stopped about ten feet from the front door.

It remained motionless. Ron could only stare. As much as he wanted to step back and slam the door shut, he couldn’t. The thing released an object that dropped to the ground. Ron’s heart skipped a beat when it hit the ground. The entity retreated from the door without turning around. Ron was captivated as the entity glided backward, in the same manner, it approached him. As soon as he felt it was far enough away, he reached down and retrieved the object, testing its weight and discerning its shape. It was very light and felt like a booklet. He gazed back up towards the thing, but it was gone. How does that thing disappear like that?

“I don’t know what the hell that thing was, but it’s gone now. It left a package. It feels like a magazine or booklet or something,” Ron yelled back into the house as he closed and locked the front door. He walked back into the family room with the package in his hand.

“Are you going to open it?” Travis asked, the pitch of his voice raised.

“Yeah, but I’d better take it outside to the backyard, just to be safe. “

Ron headed out into the backyard, closing the sliding glass doors behind him and removed the package’s black wrapping.

“What is it?” Keisha shouted through the glass doors, her voice muted.

Ron pulled out a comic book -- it was the comic book he ordered yesterday. Ron felt the tension drain from his body. He turned and held up the comic book for everyone to see. Keisha slid the glass door open and allowed Ron back in.

“I can’t believe this is the comic book I ordered, but what was that thing that delivered it? Why did it stalk all of us just to deliver a comic book?” The rest of the family gazed at the comic book in his hand.

“We went through all of that because of a comic book?” Travis asked, a tone of disgust in his voice.

“I’m still scared!” Troy added.

Keisha stared at Ron and said, “You ordered that yesterday?”

“Yep, I ordered it yesterday right after you left to get Popeye’s Chicken. Remember, the boys were out of the house when you left.” Ron continued, “The book was sort of expensive, so I didn’t tell you about it. I found it online at this strange website. I knew I would get it soon because the seller was across the city in Scottsdale, but I didn’t think I would get it today.” Ron stopped talking, sunk his head as his brow furrowed, then looked back up. “Come to think of it, I just remembered that the website stated there were no returns, and the seller was not responsible for any strange happenings. I don’t know why that last part was printed there, but it didn’t make much sense at the time.”

The family followed Ron into the living room. He took a seat in the chair at the computer desk and examined the cover page of the comic. Keisha turned and headed into the kitchen. The boys sat on the couch to watch television without saying a word. Just as Ron was about to turn from the cover page, he spotted something. There was a very small black figure drawn near the comic’s spine at the bottom. He moved the comic closer and realized that the little figure resembled that thing that dropped the comic near their door. No way! It must be part of the cover art. That’s all. He slouched back in the chair and began reading, forgetting that he purchased the comic for his boys. After a short while, he sat straight up, remaining rigid.

Troy noticed his father’s movements and said, “What’s wrong Dad?”

His father didn’t answer. Troy watched his father’s eyes widen and nostrils flair as he continued staring at the comic. Troy shook Travis’ shoulder and pointed to his father without speaking.

Travis called out, “Dad, what’s wrong? What do you see?”

Again, Ron remained silent and continued reading. His breathing quickened as he turned each page, but Travis noticed he was turning them too fast. Travis bolted from the couch and headed for the kitchen to get his mom. Troy was on his heels. They all returned to the living room and stood next to Ron.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? What’s wrong baby?” Keisha asked.

“What the hell is going on here? What is this shit?” Ron shouted.

“What are you reading, dammit? What’s it say?” Keisha shouted, grasping Ron’s arm to turn him to face her.

“This comic is telling the story of everything we experienced today. It has you seeing the figure from the living room window, Travis and Troy seeing it from the mall, and me seeing it from the hardware store. How in the hell did all of that get in this comic when it only took place today, and how would anyone know about it in such detail?” Ron questioned in a heated voice.

They all gathered around and stared at the book’s pages. Keisha’s skin began to crawl, and she twisted to look behind her. The dark figure…the entity -- was standing behind them.

Then it lunged at them…

Three days later, a couple of police cruisers showed up at the Harrison’s house. The school became concerned because the boys had some unexplained absences and no one answered the phone when Keisha’s mother called the house. One of the officers knocked on the door, but no one answered. They entered the house. Everything seemed to be in order. There weren’t any signs of a struggle or burglary. One officer walked through the living room and spotted the comic book lying on the floor beside the computer desk. The television was still playing. The house was empty. Photos were taken of the interior of the house, then one of the officers picked up the comic and started sifting through the pages. Something caught his attention. The similarities between the drawings throughout the comic and the house were startling, but what surprised him were the names of the people in the comic. They matched those of the missing homeowners and their children.

“Hey Bill, come over here and take a look at this,” the officer said as he held the comic book open.

“Yeah, whaddya got!”

“Take a look at this. This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,” the officer said pointing at one of the panels near the back of the book.

Both men read through the book’s last pages then turned to one another mortified. Those pages showed a black figure enveloping the entire family and then disappearing, leaving only the television playing and a comic book sitting on the floor by a computer desk.

THE END