He has horns

"Come on, David, where the hell are you?" I scream, my lungs burning, the inside of my cheek raw from nervous biting. My own voice startles me. It's dark, my headlights slicing through the trees. "David, stop messing around!" My voice cracks as I sit in the driver's seat, window open. "Whatever," I mutter, annoyed. I get out of the car, toss my purse onto the passenger seat, and slam the door. Using my phone's flashlight, I look in the direction he went. "David!" I yell again. I stumble upon a red trestle, covered in scrapes and peeling paint, like it's been abandoned. It towers over me, my flashlight unable to illuminate the whole thing. "Alice! Help me," my heart drops, the color draining from my skin. "Alice! Help me," the voice repeats, seeming to come from above. "David, where are you?" I look up, almost spinning, trying to locate the voice. The tracks! He's on the tracks above me. I see the silhouette of a man, the full moon stretching across the trestle behind him. "How did you get up there?" I look around for stairs or some way up, waiting for a response. "David?" I say, hoping for an answer. The voice stops. I climb up a steep side of the hill, trying to get higher, grunting as I nearly slip, tiny rocks falling beneath my feet. When I reach the top, I get onto the trestle and walk the tracks directly ahead.

The height stresses me out even more. "David, where the hell are you? You know I hate heights," I say, annoyed. The tracks glisten in the light of my phone. Looking down makes my mouth fill with saliva, like I'm about to throw up, my stomach knotting from the tension of the drop. I see the silhouette again just ahead, my phone light not reaching it. "Alice, come here," the voice says, toneless. "David, what are you doing?" I reply, nervous and shaky, as I make my way slowly. "David..." my words stretch out, sounding like a full sentence, my stomach tying itself even tighter. The silhouette grows, as if morphing into a beast, its eyes glowing, the only light in front of me besides my terrible phone light. It gets closer, inching towards me as if it's about to grab me, then it walks away. I turn back and head down, not believing what just happened. When I get down the hill and off the tracks, I hear a loud horn and feel the ground rumbling. Above me, I see a light on the hill. A train's coming. The loud horn makes me cover my ears. 'Drip. Drip.' I feel a raindrop hit my head, then run down my forehead. I look up; I'm under the trestle. I raise my hand and place it on my forehead, shining the light on my hand as I bring it down in front of my face. My throat tightens, my breath shallow. It's blood. Then it goes dark, my phone dies. It feels like an anchor was tied to my feet.

I was frozen in place as the blood continued to drip onto my blonde hair. Collecting myself, I finally moved from that spot. The only light was the full moon, perfectly set on the horizon. I got to my car, trying to start it. As I hummed to calm my brain, the humming grew louder as I became more nervous. The car started, and the headlights illuminated a tall figure in front of the car. I couldn't see his head, only his body. His arms and legs were covered in patches of fur. "Hmmhmhmmm," the beast hummed the same tune I had been humming. His feet were hooves, like those of a goat. He leaned his head in, and it came into view as the headlights shone on his mesmerizing slit pupils. Oh my god, he has horns! I pressed the pedal down, ramming into him, then immediately slammed on the brakes. My head almost hit the wheel as I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, he was gone. My brain spiraled as if I had whiplash. I continued driving, not looking behind me. I reached the trestle again, knowing I had to look for David. As I parked and slowly opened the car door, my thoughts were interrupted by a crash. The car shook so hard I thought I was already dead. I felt something touch my hair, sending a shiver down my spine, reaching every muscle in my body. I turned to my window, and a hand was on the car roof. The hand was covered in blood, callouses, and dirt, and the smell of death crept up my nose. Climbing to the passenger side, I opened the door and gasped.

I open the door, and a gasp escapes my blue lips. My heart stops. A human body is on my car—mangled and distorted, bones sticking out of its skin. The face is so mutilated I can't even make out who it is, but I'm guessing it's David. Before I can even cry out, my body is lifted into the air, big hands wrapped around my throat. I claw at them, trying to pry the beast's hands off me. I can't breathe; I'm gasping for air, my face red and swollen, feeling like it's about to burst. Then, he lets go. I fall to the ground, shaking, finally able to breathe. I look behind me and see nothing, but I can hear a voice—a voice so mesmerizing it hypnotizes me, putting me under some kind of spell. It's like my legs start moving on their own, my eyes blinking independently, my heart beating without my will. I'm a witness in my own body, only peering through my eyes. I watch as my body makes its way up the side of the hill effortlessly, no struggle, no pain. I get to the tracks, staring at the train tunnel as it slowly lights up. A train is getting closer. I'm frozen, unable to move a limb. I can't close my eyes as the train makes its way toward me, the horn blaring, growing louder as it echoes through the tunnel. Just as the train is right in front of me, the trance is lifted. I can feel my blood pumping, and I can close my eyes, but it's too late. Humming is the last thing I hear."