Chapter One - Everything Will Be Alright

We all see things in the corner of our eye sometimes. Something dark and haunting lurking just out of view, staring back at you. It's never really there, though... right?

The car swerved off the road, the tires skidding across the shoulder. The car screeched, struggling to keep itself upright. The butterflies in Tyler’s stomach slammed to the side as the car finally swerved to a stop. He quickly turned to look out the windows, his short brown hair evidently not looking the same direction as him. He ran through the motions of what just happened, peering back into the darkness. What he thought he saw was invalidated by the blank blackness pouring back into his dull brown eyes. Tyler sighed, glancing back at the two people behind him, looking even more confused than he was.

“Swear I saw someone there.”

“I… thought I saw someone, too.” William said, looking more shaken than Tyler himself, though William’s gaunt frame could certainly give that appearance. 

“Probably a ghost.” Riley said, her words seeming to have as much of a disregard for the gravity of the situation, as her short, thick black hair had for gravity in general, “Great job not hitting it, by the way.” 

Tyler pushed open the door, stepping out of the small metal box, and into the bleak vastness of the endless highway to either side of him. The chill of the unmoving air bit his skin. He looked deeply into the nothing all around him, the light protruding out of the car door providing him with his only avenue of sight. There couldn’t be anything there, right? He stepped back into his car. He turned the ignition key. The car roared to a start. Tyler glanced back into the blackness, looking for the edges of the road. He pushed down on the gas pedal, slowly turning back onto it. He began to speed up, still looking out into the nothingness, and still searching for what he thought he saw. The lights turned over the gray asphalt, and flashing white lines… but nothing else was there. He pulled fully onto the road, hitting the speed limit, and rocketing down the highway. 

“Maybe you should take a break.” William said, “I could drive, if you wanted.”

“I’m fine.”

The sound of the road rushing by filled the car with the ambiance you can only get driving in the dead of night, the cold touch of the dark seeping in through the cracks of the doors. Tyler’s eyes rested at the edge of the light, watching the lines of the road blend together. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind. The quick flash of what he thought was standing there haunted the corners of his perception… the form of a person, staring back at Tyler like a deer in his headlights. 

“Um… Tyler?” William said, pulling Tyler away from the image painted on the inside of his eyelids. 

Tyler looked back, William pointing further backwards through the window at the end of the car. Tyler’s eyes snapped onto what was hanging through it; Hanging just at the edge of the illumination provided by the tail lights. Tyler could recognize what he was staring into, but he reconciled himself into skepticism. He could’ve sworn he was staring into eyes, reflecting light like no human’s could. The eyes thrust themself forward, Tyler jumping back as it revealed itself. It wasn’t possible. 

“What the f**k is that?” Riley asked, her tone abandoning it’s sarcasm in favor of urgency. 

The light engulfed the washed out flesh of Tyler’s pursuer as it furiously tailed the full-speed car. It’s face conveyed nothing but severe contempt, malice, and hatred, the sound of it’s feet violently slamming against the asphalt overwhelming the sounds of the car. Tyler ripped his eyes away from it, putting them back on the road. He slammed down on the gas pedal. It grew closer, the sounds of it’s enraged screams pervading the walls of the car. 

“Call the f*****g cops!” Tyler yelled back, focusing on pushing all his weight down on the pedal. 

“And tell them what?! That a naked man is chasing us at seventy f*****g miles per hour?!” Riley asked.

“Yes!” 

Riley pulled out her phone, frantically dialing 9-1-1. The man reached the car with a thud. It’s arm smashed through the back window, sending a barrage of shards through the car. The phone hit the ground, Riley covering her head from the hail of broken glass. It’s hand lunged forwards, Riley’s hair sticking between it’s fingers as it held it in it’s clutches. It dragged her backwards, her body slamming against the black leather dotted with shattered glass. A shriek escaped her mouth as the shards found their way through her skin, the man pulling her towards the gaping expanse of a former window. William desperately tried to pry off  it’s hand all drenched in sweat, it’s death grip remaining unbreakable. Tyler slammed down on the break, the back of the car violently smashing into it’s body as the tires deafeningly screeched to a stop. A hail of blood emanated from it as it fell to the ground, raining down on all three of them. The tires hammered over the body as Tyler threw them into reverse, the headlights illuminating the now unmoving cluster of flesh. For a moment the three sat in complete silence, their eyes trained on the deformed form. They watched for any sign of movement, the car vibrating all around them. 

“Oh my god…” William said, “We just killed someone.”

“I don’t think we can call that thing a someone.” Riley said. 

“We can’t just leave the body here, hit and runs are way worse.” William said.

“If you want to go out there and get that body, you’re welcome to.” Riley replied. 

Tyler threw open the door, stepping out and staring at the bloodied body all strewn out in front of the car. 

“Are you f*****g insane?” Riley said, rushing out the car to join him. 

“There are tools in the trunk.” Tyler said, reaching next to the steering wheel and pressing a button. With a pop the trunk unlocked itself. “We can use them as weapons if he gets back up.” 

William threw open the trunk, navigating the tool box and pulling free a monkey wrench, slowly approaching the gnarled bag of flesh with Tyler and Riley. 

“What could do this to a person?” William asked.

“I don’t know, I didn’t think anything could.” Tyler said.

“The closest I could guess is PCP. I’ve heard of some people doing some crazy s**t hopped up on that stuff.” Riley said. 

Tyler reached out his foot, prodding it for signs of life. His shoe pressed onto it’s busted skin. Tyler sighed in relief, this small comfort being undercut as he was shoved to the ground before he had time to react. William swung the solid steel tool into it’s sweat glazed scalp, serving no purpose but to redirect it’s eyes onto the frozen William. With a swing of it’s arm, William flew backwards toward the ground, the wrench being knocked free, as was the air was from his lungs. Riley stumbled backwards, desperately sprinting for the trunk. It effortlessly leaped onto the hood of the old car, it’s bare feet bowing the hood, and sending a shockwave through the metal contraption. Riley grabbed a screwdriver, snapping her eyes up to the blank ones staring down at her. In a flash it dove at her, Riley thrusting the philip’s head deep into it’s eye socket. It finally backed up in pain, it’s screams turning from enraged, to a testament of it’s suffering. Tyler pulled himself to his feet, grabbing the wrench, and mustering all his strength towards a shot at it’s ankle. With an echoing snap, it toppled to the ground. Riley got to it before it could attempt to stand up, slamming her shoe down onto it’s face. Then again, then again, then again, until she heard the crunch of it’s skull, and felt it cave in with an explosion of gore. The brains splattered her converse as her ankle socks absorbed the contents of it’s head with a deep maroon hue. Riley fell backwards against the car, tears falling from her eyes before she could even notice them. She closed her eyes, and pointed her blood speckled face to the sky. 

“William?” Tyler said, trying to shake him awake. 

Tyler opened his eyes, staring into Tyler’s for a moment before surging backwards in fear.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright.” Tyler said, “It’s going to be alright.”

“That’s not exactly how I would describe this.” Riley said, trying to reign in the quiver of her voice. 

William glanced over to the head left spread across the side of the car, the core of his chest being consumed by the expansive chill of dread. 

“What the f**k did you do?!” William asked.

“Hey, at least we know it’s murder for sure now.” Riley said, making a feeble attempt at humor to contrast against the bleakness. 

“It was self defense.” Tyler said.

“Against a man who could run as fast as a car, and could dent one with his feet?” Riley said, “I don’t know if anyone’s going to believe we killed Superman.”

“We’re covered in his blood.” William said, fear consuming his voice. “We’re doomed. We’re f*****g doomed.”

“Okay, look.” Tyler said, raising his voice, “Yeah, this is pretty fucked, but we can’t just hide on the side of the road for the rest of our lives. Whatever we have to do, we have to do it.”

“We could bury the body, and burn our clothes like Lizzy Bordon.” Riley said.

“Everyone knew she was an axe murderer.” William said.

“Yeah, but she was never convicted.” Riley replied. 

“We don’t need to burn our clothes.” Tyler said, “Weirder things have happened than what we just went through. They did give us someone to call if we ever saw something exactly like this. We’ve had to sit through so many assemblies about that.” Tyler said.

“If I were to hedge my bets, I’d place them more on some guy taking too much PCP, than a one in a million god damn paranormal occurrence.” Riley said. 

The sound of choking on blood stopped their conversation dead in it’s tracks, as all three of their eyes darted back to the head that was completely emancipated seconds ago. It’s brand new eyeballs stared into nothingness, as it’s mouth laid open, gurgling it’s own blood. 

“I’d change your bet, Riley.” Tyler said.

Now sprawled out on the pavement, the three could examine every inch of it’s unclothed body. Something squirmed just beneath it’s skin. It writhed in his stomach, it’s worm like body twisting in his. Tyler quickly snatched the bloodied screwdriver from the ground, slamming it’s head through the naked man’s stomach. The parasite flinched at it’s introduction, moving slightly away from the brand new incision. 

“Are you sure you should be doing that?” William asked frantically.

Tyler jerked the screwdriver up, the guts of the man seeping out. He took a deep breath in, thrusting his bare hand into the man. With a grimace he grabbed hold of the worm like creature, tearing it from the body, and quickly hurling it through the air. With a thud it smacked against the side of the car, desperately wriggling back towards the now completely deceased corpse. Riley slammed her already bloodied shoe against it’s eyeless, sharp-toothed head. It let out a high-pitched squeal, only stopped by the crunch of it’s skull. 

“Get something to trap this thing before I have to crush another skull, two is quite enough.” Riley said. 

Tyler rushed to the trunk, pouring out the tools and throwing the box back at William. He picked up the slimy remains of the parasite, throwing it in the toolbox with a look of pure disgust on his face. The toolbox latched closed, sealing away the slender monstrosity. They were finally able to rest, Tyler leaning against the warped metal of the car, taking out his phone, and finally calling the cops. 

As the sun barely began to rise, no cars had yet come to alleviate them of their parasite watching duties. It was needed then more than ever, as the thing had seemingly healed itself, and begun frantically smashing it’s head against the confines of it’s box. Through the hours, the parasite’s flame of passion towards it’s escape never once faltered, the sounds of it’s mania accompanying the smell of the corpse’s rotting flesh. 

Two lights shone down the winding road, the three standing up as the headlights gleamed off the clunky metal of the broken car behind them. The pure white exterior of the El Camino approaching cut through the twilight of the barely risen sun. The glimpse of light over the horizon glistened off the pristine white paint as it slowly rolled up next to them.  A shiny dress shoe extended from the car before the man it was connected to strode out. The corners of his mouth distorted into a smile as his eyes flickered between the three of them, all three drenched in blood. They stared back into the eyes that betrayed the sincerity of the smile plastered across his face, having no clue on what to do but stare into the seemingly inviting expression of the man. 

“Looks like you fellas could use a little assistance.” He said with an intoxicatingly smooth voice, upbeat but tranquil in the face of the three teenagers drenched in viscera. 

“Uh…” Riley said, staring back at the immaculate red velvet covering the interior of the white car, “Who are you?”

“Of course, pardon me.” He said, “Please, allow me to introduce myself.”