Nightcrawler
Member
I was tired. As each mile of the seemingly endless black highway passed under me, I grew increasingly fatigued. I was many miles from the next town, though, and would have to keep going until then. Just another two hours, I told myself. Then I'll find a motel and get a room. Yeah.
In the meantime, I really had to pee. It was getting urgent; I was about to pull over and let fly on the side of the highway when I passed a sign saying that there was a rest stop a few miles ahead.
Good, I thought. Hope there's a vending machine. I needed some caffeine, and a Dr. Pepper would hit the spot.
About five minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop. I can tell it was an older one; it had that distinct 1950s look about it, with the building being constructed of concrete blocks. It looked very Cold War. All it lacked was a 'fallout shelter' sign.
Something was odd, though. The building itself was dark, but there were no less than eight cars in the parking lot. This highway didn't get that much traffic at night, and if the place was closed down or something, why would all these people be here?
I parked my car at the far end of the lot, backing it into the space so I could leave in a hurry if I needed to. I got out, and was immediately struck by a sense of...
Dread. Something was very wrong here. I adjusted my jacket, my breath smoky in the cold night air, and watched the small building intently. I half expected to see some unknown horror slithering around in there, but all I could see was darkness.
Business came first, though. I stepped to the other side of my car and took a leak on the ground. I had no desire to attempt to do the same inside that building, toilets or no.
Everything in me told me to leave, to get back in my car and drive the hell out of there as fast as I could. And yet...I don't know if it was curiosity, but there was something compelling me, driving me forward.
I found myself walking towards the building before I realized it. What the hell? Suddenly very alarmed, I drew my Colt Gov't Model from the holster on my left hip and held it at the low ready. With my right hand, I reached into my pocket and grabbed the Surefire flashlight there.
Despite every instinct telling me to run away as fast as I could, I started to slowly walk towards the building. Strange feelings danced around my soul, feelings of foreboding and fear mixed with a strangely comforting sensation that increased as I approached. It was like I was being sung to, calmed, or...
...or lured. The thought hit me like a freight train, and my stomach turned to ice. I steeled myself and took a deep breath. The fear faded to the back of my mind, and the calm took over. I was still terrified, of course, but logic was back in control.
Perhaps not entirely, as I was still determined to investigate. At least I was in control of my faculties, I thought to myself. The thought provided little comfort.
I stopped just outside the door. Never in my life have I been so terrified, yet I was...not relaxed, but in control. There were large floor-to-ceiling windows on the front of the structure, but I couldn't see anything in there. The only light came from a pale moon partially obscured by clouds. I desperately wished for some night vision, but the little flashlight would have to do. Holding it up by my head with my right hand, I thumbed it on and opened the door.
The lobby was darker than the night outside, and sixty-five lumens only went so far. In the middle there was a quartet of vending machines, one of which was broken and cans of various soft drinks had spilled onto the floor. Next to those was a rack of pamphlets that had been knocked over. To my left was the door to the men's room. It was open, and if it were possible, it seemed even darker than the lobby. To my right was the women's room, and that door was closed.
I took a step forward and slipped. I didn't fall down, but I had stepped in something slick. I looked down, shining my light to the floor.
Blood. So much blood. I looked around the lobby again. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. I inhaled sharply as my heart plunged into my stomach. How had I not seen it right away?
I shook my head quickly, and took another deep breath. The breath revealed the stench of rotting flesh, and I nearly threw up. Another thing that should've been readily apparent the moment I entered, and yet...
It was as if something was trying to tell me it wasn't as bad as it seemed. I blinked hard, and was startled by the sound of an audible metallic click. I realized a moment later that I had reflexively swiped the safety off of my pistol, despite the fact that I didn't feel like I was in immediate danger.
I looked down at the pistol in my left hand. Three luminescent tritium dots glowed back at me, and I shook myself once again. Of course I was in danger, God damn it! There were people splattered all over the walls!
I swept my light over towards the women's room door again. I examined it briefly, but froze a moment later. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something to my left. The palest of red lights, coming from the men's room door.
Not daring to move my light, I turned my head ever so slightly. Piercing the darkness were two red dots. Eyes. Watching me.
It was a good thing I took a leak before I went in there, or my bladder would've let go right then. I didn't look, I didn't shine my light on it. Instead I turned back towards the door and ran as fast as my feet could take me. I nearly busted the door off of its hinges I hit it so hard. I dropped my flashlight.
I didn't stop as I burst out into the cold night air. I kept running towards my car, seemingly farther away than I remembered. I heard a loud crash from behind me and froze.
I don't know why I froze, though. Something compelled me to stop, despite my overwhelming fear. Despite myself, I slowly turned around. I saw it then.
If you stop and think about it, it's rare in life when you see something that you honestly can't identify. The first random thought that shot through my head was Batman. The thing in front of me looked like Batman, except it was at least eight feet tall. I couldn't see it clearly, but it had some kind of wings that wrapped around it like a cape. I was transfixed on those pale glowing eyes again, and in the back of my mind I felt a call, a compulsion, a...
The unwelcome thoughts were interrupted when instinct took over. I leveled my pistol at the thing and started firing. I must've hit it, as it turned and in a dark blur disappeared behind the building. I was at slide lock, and turned and ran for my car. I had the pistol reloaded and re-holstered before I was in the driver's seat, and fortunately I had left the keys in it. I put the car in gear, stomped on the gas, and was soon speeding down the deserted highway at ninety miles per hour.
The minutes ticked by, and I didn't let up on the gas. Several times I nearly panicked when I thought I saw something behind me. I kept checking the mirrors, to see if the thing was following me, or if...
It was right in front of me. It swooped down from above, grazing the top of my car head-on. I lost control and the car began to spin. I closed my eyes as my wheels left the pavement and I skidded off into the dirt.
When I opened them again, I was on the opposite side of the road, facing in the opposite direction. It took me a second to get my bearings. My airbag hadn't deployed, but I was sure I'd blown out my tires, and...
There it was again. My stomach turned to ice once again. I turned to my left, and there it was, standing in the road about ten feet from my car, towering over me. Those pale red eyes considered me in silence, and I fought to keep panic from overwhelming me. I pulled my pistol out of its holster, shifted it to my right hand, and fired right through my driver's side window.
The instant I began firing, the thing leapt into the air again and was gone. I laid my pistol down on the seat and unbuckled myself. I didn't have another spare magazine, but I had stuff in the trunk. As I stepped out of my car I hit the trunk release button.
I scanned the sky as I moved to my trunk, but I couldn't see anything. I looked down into my trunk, and saw what I was looking for.
I opened the feed tray cover, placed the first cartridge of the belt into its proper place, and snapped the cover shut. As I hefted twenty-six pounds of M60E4 machine gun (with a hundred round belt of 7.62mm ammunition), I turned on the electronic sight mounted on it. I pivoted around again, scanning the sky.
There it is. It silhouetted against the moon briefly, its massive wings spread wide, as it began to swoop back down towards me. Except this time, I was ready.
I shouldered the heavy gun and disabled the safety. I could see the thing diving towards me, a black thing blacker than the night sky. It was coming straight at me, and everything moved in slow motion. I put the tip of the glowing red chevron where I thought the thing was, and depressed the trigger.
Streaks of red pierced the night sky as the gun bucked in my hands. I held the trigger down, the gun chugging along at six hundred rounds per minute, sending a stream of tracers and armor-piercing bullets into the air. The thing was still coming at me. I didn't know if I'd hit it, or if it was doing any good. At the last instant I stopped firing and tried to dive out of the way, but it was too late. I heard a loud crash as the thing smashed into my car, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I could see stars. I sat up, and looked around. My car was partially crushed, the roof caved in, as if something heavy had hit it. The windows were smashed and there was glass on my seats. The trunk lid was nowhere to be seen.
My machine gun lay in the middle of the road in several pieces. I shakily stood up, and looked around.
It was still there. It stood in the road, not far from me, looking down at me. It had been patiently waiting there for God knows how long, wanting me to come around, wanting...
My God, I thought. It wants me alive when it devours me. As its pale gaze pierced me, I could feel its malice, its hunger, its evil...it was going to feast upon my flesh, and savor every moment as I screamed in agony.
In that eternal instant, I nearly succumbed to fear. I had never felt fear this overpowering before, and at first my body refused to move. I managed to regain control, though. I turned and bolted for my car. There was one last thing, one last chance, one last futile hope. I reached into the trunk just as the thing was upon me.
A cold black hand with three long, clawed fingers wrapped around my neck. It lifted me up off the ground, until we were eye to eye. It held me there, its grip slowly getting tighter, its claws piercing my skin. As the blood began to trickle down my neck, I could feel its foul delight. It projected its evil will upon me, and horrid alien thoughts tore through my mind.
It opened its...mouth. It was more of a beak, I think, a wide maw with rows of razor sharp teeth. Its sharp, angular head considered me still, and though its mouth was open, it made no sound.
I felt my mind beginning to let go. The calm had failed me. I was going to die, and before that I was going to know suffering that few ever had. In the brief span of seconds, fear gave way to despair. My mind was shutting down. It was over.
From the deepest recesses of my mind, I harbored one final defiant thought. We'll see about that.
My left hand reached to the small of my back. One finger looped around a metallic ring while the others pulled open a Velcro flap. I grasped my knife, and snapped it open as I brought it up. I felt the thing's grip on me tighten as I plunged the blade into its right eye (the only soft spot apparent on its rough, angular head), and I thought for a moment my neck was going to snap. Its gaping maw opened wide once again, and I plunged my right hand down its throat. As I withdrew my hand, my forearm was shredded by its teeth. The thing, experiencing agony of its own, flung me aside as it moved to pull the knife from its skull.
I landed in the sagebrush and had the wind knocked out of me. Before I had stopped moving, the thing had pulled the knife out. It considered me for the briefest of moments with one pale red eye, the other an empty socket that was leaking inky black fluid.
The thing's angular head then disappeared in a black cloud as the fragmentation grenade I had shoved down its throat detonated. The concussion hammered at my eardrums and rattled the fillings in my teeth. Headless, the thing's body fell to the pavement and flopped around for a moment.
I looked down at my hand and examined the metal ring looped around my finger. The pin. Everything faded to black once more.
I had strange dreams, and wondered if I was dead. I saw myself laying in a bed, in what looked like a hospital. Two men in suits sat in the room with me, watching the television or reading the paper. Eventually another man appeared. I faded in and out of consciousness, but I recalled seeing this man arguing with the other two. I faded out again.
When I came around again, I realized I wasn't alone in the room. I was indeed in a hospital, with all manner of bandages and hoses protruding from me. With great difficulty I turned my head to the left and examined my visitor. He sat in the chair by the wall and studied me in silence.
He was an unremarkable looking individual, with sandy blond hair cropped short and sporting a bomber jacket. It took me a few moments to speak, but eventually I managed to croak out a question.
"Who are you?" My voice was so raspy I didn't recognize it. "What happened?"
"This is weird for both of us, Mr. Valentine," he replied calmly, resonating confidence in his voice. "Weird for you on account of what happened, and weird for me because I'm pretty sure that 'Valentine' isn't your real name."
"What..." My head ached as I tried to speak. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Name's Earl Harbinger," he said with a toothy grin. "I'd like to offer you a job."
"I'm listening."
END.
Happy Halloween, everybody.
In the meantime, I really had to pee. It was getting urgent; I was about to pull over and let fly on the side of the highway when I passed a sign saying that there was a rest stop a few miles ahead.
Good, I thought. Hope there's a vending machine. I needed some caffeine, and a Dr. Pepper would hit the spot.
About five minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop. I can tell it was an older one; it had that distinct 1950s look about it, with the building being constructed of concrete blocks. It looked very Cold War. All it lacked was a 'fallout shelter' sign.
Something was odd, though. The building itself was dark, but there were no less than eight cars in the parking lot. This highway didn't get that much traffic at night, and if the place was closed down or something, why would all these people be here?
I parked my car at the far end of the lot, backing it into the space so I could leave in a hurry if I needed to. I got out, and was immediately struck by a sense of...
Dread. Something was very wrong here. I adjusted my jacket, my breath smoky in the cold night air, and watched the small building intently. I half expected to see some unknown horror slithering around in there, but all I could see was darkness.
Business came first, though. I stepped to the other side of my car and took a leak on the ground. I had no desire to attempt to do the same inside that building, toilets or no.
Everything in me told me to leave, to get back in my car and drive the hell out of there as fast as I could. And yet...I don't know if it was curiosity, but there was something compelling me, driving me forward.
I found myself walking towards the building before I realized it. What the hell? Suddenly very alarmed, I drew my Colt Gov't Model from the holster on my left hip and held it at the low ready. With my right hand, I reached into my pocket and grabbed the Surefire flashlight there.
Despite every instinct telling me to run away as fast as I could, I started to slowly walk towards the building. Strange feelings danced around my soul, feelings of foreboding and fear mixed with a strangely comforting sensation that increased as I approached. It was like I was being sung to, calmed, or...
...or lured. The thought hit me like a freight train, and my stomach turned to ice. I steeled myself and took a deep breath. The fear faded to the back of my mind, and the calm took over. I was still terrified, of course, but logic was back in control.
Perhaps not entirely, as I was still determined to investigate. At least I was in control of my faculties, I thought to myself. The thought provided little comfort.
I stopped just outside the door. Never in my life have I been so terrified, yet I was...not relaxed, but in control. There were large floor-to-ceiling windows on the front of the structure, but I couldn't see anything in there. The only light came from a pale moon partially obscured by clouds. I desperately wished for some night vision, but the little flashlight would have to do. Holding it up by my head with my right hand, I thumbed it on and opened the door.
The lobby was darker than the night outside, and sixty-five lumens only went so far. In the middle there was a quartet of vending machines, one of which was broken and cans of various soft drinks had spilled onto the floor. Next to those was a rack of pamphlets that had been knocked over. To my left was the door to the men's room. It was open, and if it were possible, it seemed even darker than the lobby. To my right was the women's room, and that door was closed.
I took a step forward and slipped. I didn't fall down, but I had stepped in something slick. I looked down, shining my light to the floor.
Blood. So much blood. I looked around the lobby again. There was blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. I inhaled sharply as my heart plunged into my stomach. How had I not seen it right away?
I shook my head quickly, and took another deep breath. The breath revealed the stench of rotting flesh, and I nearly threw up. Another thing that should've been readily apparent the moment I entered, and yet...
It was as if something was trying to tell me it wasn't as bad as it seemed. I blinked hard, and was startled by the sound of an audible metallic click. I realized a moment later that I had reflexively swiped the safety off of my pistol, despite the fact that I didn't feel like I was in immediate danger.
I looked down at the pistol in my left hand. Three luminescent tritium dots glowed back at me, and I shook myself once again. Of course I was in danger, God damn it! There were people splattered all over the walls!
I swept my light over towards the women's room door again. I examined it briefly, but froze a moment later. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something to my left. The palest of red lights, coming from the men's room door.
Not daring to move my light, I turned my head ever so slightly. Piercing the darkness were two red dots. Eyes. Watching me.
It was a good thing I took a leak before I went in there, or my bladder would've let go right then. I didn't look, I didn't shine my light on it. Instead I turned back towards the door and ran as fast as my feet could take me. I nearly busted the door off of its hinges I hit it so hard. I dropped my flashlight.
I didn't stop as I burst out into the cold night air. I kept running towards my car, seemingly farther away than I remembered. I heard a loud crash from behind me and froze.
I don't know why I froze, though. Something compelled me to stop, despite my overwhelming fear. Despite myself, I slowly turned around. I saw it then.
If you stop and think about it, it's rare in life when you see something that you honestly can't identify. The first random thought that shot through my head was Batman. The thing in front of me looked like Batman, except it was at least eight feet tall. I couldn't see it clearly, but it had some kind of wings that wrapped around it like a cape. I was transfixed on those pale glowing eyes again, and in the back of my mind I felt a call, a compulsion, a...
The unwelcome thoughts were interrupted when instinct took over. I leveled my pistol at the thing and started firing. I must've hit it, as it turned and in a dark blur disappeared behind the building. I was at slide lock, and turned and ran for my car. I had the pistol reloaded and re-holstered before I was in the driver's seat, and fortunately I had left the keys in it. I put the car in gear, stomped on the gas, and was soon speeding down the deserted highway at ninety miles per hour.
The minutes ticked by, and I didn't let up on the gas. Several times I nearly panicked when I thought I saw something behind me. I kept checking the mirrors, to see if the thing was following me, or if...
It was right in front of me. It swooped down from above, grazing the top of my car head-on. I lost control and the car began to spin. I closed my eyes as my wheels left the pavement and I skidded off into the dirt.
When I opened them again, I was on the opposite side of the road, facing in the opposite direction. It took me a second to get my bearings. My airbag hadn't deployed, but I was sure I'd blown out my tires, and...
There it was again. My stomach turned to ice once again. I turned to my left, and there it was, standing in the road about ten feet from my car, towering over me. Those pale red eyes considered me in silence, and I fought to keep panic from overwhelming me. I pulled my pistol out of its holster, shifted it to my right hand, and fired right through my driver's side window.
The instant I began firing, the thing leapt into the air again and was gone. I laid my pistol down on the seat and unbuckled myself. I didn't have another spare magazine, but I had stuff in the trunk. As I stepped out of my car I hit the trunk release button.
I scanned the sky as I moved to my trunk, but I couldn't see anything. I looked down into my trunk, and saw what I was looking for.
I opened the feed tray cover, placed the first cartridge of the belt into its proper place, and snapped the cover shut. As I hefted twenty-six pounds of M60E4 machine gun (with a hundred round belt of 7.62mm ammunition), I turned on the electronic sight mounted on it. I pivoted around again, scanning the sky.
There it is. It silhouetted against the moon briefly, its massive wings spread wide, as it began to swoop back down towards me. Except this time, I was ready.
I shouldered the heavy gun and disabled the safety. I could see the thing diving towards me, a black thing blacker than the night sky. It was coming straight at me, and everything moved in slow motion. I put the tip of the glowing red chevron where I thought the thing was, and depressed the trigger.
Streaks of red pierced the night sky as the gun bucked in my hands. I held the trigger down, the gun chugging along at six hundred rounds per minute, sending a stream of tracers and armor-piercing bullets into the air. The thing was still coming at me. I didn't know if I'd hit it, or if it was doing any good. At the last instant I stopped firing and tried to dive out of the way, but it was too late. I heard a loud crash as the thing smashed into my car, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I could see stars. I sat up, and looked around. My car was partially crushed, the roof caved in, as if something heavy had hit it. The windows were smashed and there was glass on my seats. The trunk lid was nowhere to be seen.
My machine gun lay in the middle of the road in several pieces. I shakily stood up, and looked around.
It was still there. It stood in the road, not far from me, looking down at me. It had been patiently waiting there for God knows how long, wanting me to come around, wanting...
My God, I thought. It wants me alive when it devours me. As its pale gaze pierced me, I could feel its malice, its hunger, its evil...it was going to feast upon my flesh, and savor every moment as I screamed in agony.
In that eternal instant, I nearly succumbed to fear. I had never felt fear this overpowering before, and at first my body refused to move. I managed to regain control, though. I turned and bolted for my car. There was one last thing, one last chance, one last futile hope. I reached into the trunk just as the thing was upon me.
A cold black hand with three long, clawed fingers wrapped around my neck. It lifted me up off the ground, until we were eye to eye. It held me there, its grip slowly getting tighter, its claws piercing my skin. As the blood began to trickle down my neck, I could feel its foul delight. It projected its evil will upon me, and horrid alien thoughts tore through my mind.
It opened its...mouth. It was more of a beak, I think, a wide maw with rows of razor sharp teeth. Its sharp, angular head considered me still, and though its mouth was open, it made no sound.
I felt my mind beginning to let go. The calm had failed me. I was going to die, and before that I was going to know suffering that few ever had. In the brief span of seconds, fear gave way to despair. My mind was shutting down. It was over.
From the deepest recesses of my mind, I harbored one final defiant thought. We'll see about that.
My left hand reached to the small of my back. One finger looped around a metallic ring while the others pulled open a Velcro flap. I grasped my knife, and snapped it open as I brought it up. I felt the thing's grip on me tighten as I plunged the blade into its right eye (the only soft spot apparent on its rough, angular head), and I thought for a moment my neck was going to snap. Its gaping maw opened wide once again, and I plunged my right hand down its throat. As I withdrew my hand, my forearm was shredded by its teeth. The thing, experiencing agony of its own, flung me aside as it moved to pull the knife from its skull.
I landed in the sagebrush and had the wind knocked out of me. Before I had stopped moving, the thing had pulled the knife out. It considered me for the briefest of moments with one pale red eye, the other an empty socket that was leaking inky black fluid.
The thing's angular head then disappeared in a black cloud as the fragmentation grenade I had shoved down its throat detonated. The concussion hammered at my eardrums and rattled the fillings in my teeth. Headless, the thing's body fell to the pavement and flopped around for a moment.
I looked down at my hand and examined the metal ring looped around my finger. The pin. Everything faded to black once more.
I had strange dreams, and wondered if I was dead. I saw myself laying in a bed, in what looked like a hospital. Two men in suits sat in the room with me, watching the television or reading the paper. Eventually another man appeared. I faded in and out of consciousness, but I recalled seeing this man arguing with the other two. I faded out again.
When I came around again, I realized I wasn't alone in the room. I was indeed in a hospital, with all manner of bandages and hoses protruding from me. With great difficulty I turned my head to the left and examined my visitor. He sat in the chair by the wall and studied me in silence.
He was an unremarkable looking individual, with sandy blond hair cropped short and sporting a bomber jacket. It took me a few moments to speak, but eventually I managed to croak out a question.
"Who are you?" My voice was so raspy I didn't recognize it. "What happened?"
"This is weird for both of us, Mr. Valentine," he replied calmly, resonating confidence in his voice. "Weird for you on account of what happened, and weird for me because I'm pretty sure that 'Valentine' isn't your real name."
"What..." My head ached as I tried to speak. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Name's Earl Harbinger," he said with a toothy grin. "I'd like to offer you a job."
"I'm listening."
END.
Happy Halloween, everybody.
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Although, it would make good fodder for a story on Tales from the Crypt.
