A Dark Interloper

It was too late. Lacey slammed on her brakes, and swerved, but that did next to nothing. A split second later, the car slammed into the hulking figure in the road.

What happened next was a blur. The car spun across the road, its left side dented in from the impact. Window shattered, metal screeched, and in the distance a voice roared in sickening rage.

Then it all came to a stop. Silence blanketed the scene, pierced by nothing but the sound of shallow breathing from both Lacey and Helen.

“What was that thing?” Helen asked.

Lacey looked her daughter over for injuries. Save for a couple scratches, Helen seemed fine. Lacey didn’t feel that bad either, save for a killer headache.

“I don’t know. It all happened so fast! Here, I’m going to call the police. Just stay put.”

Helen nodded. She no longer looked like the defiant teenager from earlier. Instead, she looked to Lacey like the scared child who used to latch onto her for safety during a thunderstorm. Somethings never changed and Lacey was happy for that.

Lacey dialed 911 and waited for a response.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My name is Lacey Andrews. I’ve been involved in an accident off of Regent’s road near Darbyville. I’m with my daughter and—“

Lacey was cut off as a terrifying roar pierced the night. Helen immediately began to scream and point. Panicking, Lacey turned and saw a shadowy mass lumbering towards their car.

The phone slipped from Lacey’s hands. She could still hear the tinny voice on the other end asking what was happening. Around her, the world seemed to stand still.

“Helen, run!” She cried.

Helen began to protest, but Lacey wasn’t having it. She was in full-blown mom mode now.

“Run, damnit! Go into the corn field.”

Helen burst out of the car and made a break for it. Meanwhile, Lacey stepped out to meet her fate. If she could just buy her daughter a little bit of time, that was all that mattered.

In front of her loomed the monster. It was the most horrific thing Lacey had ever seen. It’s towered over her, it’s muscles rippling with deadly power. From its fat head protruded great horns that made it seem like a demon.

“You are the one responsible for my pain! I will make you suffer for your impertinence, the thing boomed.”

Lacey looked on in shock, caught between abject terror and the fierce motherly instinct to protect her daughter. This was where she made her final stand.