Chapter 1
Fog…The thickest fog I had ever seen before; so thick it almost seemed unnatural. Looking around I tried desperately to see my surroundings but it was no use, I could barely see the path three feet in front of my let alone the other side of the road. Not only was it foggy, it was quiet, and there was no one around. I just don’t believe what is happening right now; or what’s not happening as it seems so. It’s just too strange how so many people can disappear in such a small amount of time. I hadn’t been away from town that long had I?
A sudden loud noise startled me into walking a quicker pace.
Robert walked the quiet and foggy streets of his once busy home town. A former shadow of the bustling late evening he was used to. His footsteps softened to nothing, not reaching past the claustrophobic feeling of the surrounding fog. A noise, so faint, making Robert tense. He knew he wasn’t alone. But being alone seemed like a safer option at this moment in time. Even so, he felt like he was being watched by this unknown being, its eyes boring into him from a mystery location.
The undistinguishable noise was heard again, louder this time; and it was getting closer. It sounded like nothing Robert had ever heard before, something unearthly, something alien. Again, getting closer to the only man out on the streets; a curdling noise like it was choking on its own blood.
Panicking, the poor male turned away from the direction the noise was coming from and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He had no idea where he was going but one thing was sure in his mind; he had to get off the streets.
As he ran the path seemed to grow longer, not wanting him to escape from the beast. Finally out of breath Robert had to slow down to a walk to get his breath back.
‘It’s fine, I can’t hear it anymore so it must have gone. I just need to get inside and I’ll be safe, I might even find someone and ask them what the hell is going on!’
Thoughts ran rapidly like a raging river through his head. Most of the signs he passed were too far away and were covered over by the fog making them hard to read but just one was visible on this side of the road. Anglewood Road, a relief to Robert; this was the road he lived on. Jogging with a new found energy, he counted along the row of houses until he came to number 18, his own house.
He turned to the small rusted metal gate but stopped, his hand hovering over the latch. Raising his head slowly he took a good look at his house; something so familiar to him but now it seemed out of place and just….wrong.
The windows were dark and lifeless and it cast a strange twisted shadow in the thick fog. A shiver ran down Robert’s spine; this house didn’t seem like his at all but it was on the same street, and it was the same number. It was like someone lifted his house away and replaced it with this…monstrosity.
“What am I thinking? This is only my house; just because there are no lights on doesn’t mean it’s turned out like the rest of this place…” Robert glanced around for a brief moment but stopped when he realised he had been talking out loud.
‘I’m going mad.’
Briefly looking around Robert flicked the latch up and swung the gate open. It made a loud creak as if it hadn’t been used for years and Robert winced at the sound, hoping that whatever was out there didn’t hear that. Without once looking back he walked up the small, worn garden path and up to his door. Slowly he put his hand onto the stone cold handle and pushed it down but it resisted his force and refused to move, indicating the door was locked.
‘So no one is home I guess.’
Robert searched for his key in his pockets for a few moments but ceased his movement when he heard the demonic sound from before coming down his street. This made him panic and search for his key faster; fumbling around as fast as he could and making him almost drop the key when he found it. Forcing it into the lock after a few tries, he turned it, and he pushed the handle down, stumbling into his dark house. Turning around he caught a glimpse of the creature before he kicked the door shut and turned the key. All he saw was red, and he hoped to God it wasn’t blood.
Okay, okay, calm down Robert. What am I going to do now? There’s….something outside and I don’t know what it is. The whole town seems deserted and I’m the only one here it seems. Oh god…I don’t know what to do! Get your thoughts together Robert, calm down. There must be a reasonable explanation for all this, there has to be.
Right well, I left town for the day this morning to go to this market in the neighbouring town. My friend had told informed me about it but couldn’t go himself due to catching the flu. So I went on my own, had a good time and drove back. The fog got thick as I approached home and I almost ran over something in the middle of the road but managed to avoid it; crashing my car in the process. Luckily I was fine and it was only a short walk back to my house anyway; as soon as I would get back I’d go to the garage to get someone to pick my car up. But when I got here everything was deserted and this fog…
“OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT?!”
I realised I had shouted it but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was the thing stuck to my living room window that had just broken my train of thought. It wasn’t there before was it?
It was…for the lack of a better word, hideous. About the size of a large dog but lacking in a head and neck, and its skin had an old worn leather look about it. Its limbs were long, bony, and unnaturally skinny, ending in long sharp claws that were currently trying to dig their way into the window frame to keep itself up against the glass. Something was wagging and swinging wildly behind it and I only assumed it was what that thing had as a tail, but I could never get a clear look at it.
But its face, oh its face was the most striking about this thing. Where it’s body ended and where a head should have been there was just a gaping hole, lined with multiple rows of small sharp teeth. Above that were many eyes, all red and staring directly at me. The other thing I then noticed about it was that it was covered entirely in blood, literally dripping with the stuff.
I wanted to run, to hide and hope it would never find me but I couldn’t move. I was glued to the spot, just staring at it as it stared back at me. Frozen to the ground like I was encased in thick ice. It made a noise then, a horrible blood curdling screech while banging it’s ‘face’ on the glass, leaving an increasingly bloody mark with every hit. That made me fall back in fright, landing on my ass with a dull thud. My legs had just gone weak under me as my brain tried desperately to process what it was seeing and hearing. I needed to get out of there, my flight or fight instinct trying to kick in but I was in a trance. I was a marionette and the creature had the strings. My eyes locked onto its own. That was why I couldn’t move! The eyes must have done it. Damn me for being so stupid! I shouldn’t have looked it directly in the eyes. I should have realised!
I still couldn’t move even as the creature smashed the glass to get inside the building encasing its next meal…
And it was about to have a feast…
