It was a late night when a group of friends and I were on our way home from a business party. I had to be a good boy and stay sober, getting them home safely. Drinking was never a thing for me anyway, I just enjoyed the networking and building of my small yet lucrative business. Most of the people in the car were passed out, except for Ben, who always had this weird, not getting drunk effect, or at least when he felt like it. Maybe it was an Ishfalen thing, something that was completely unique to them. Whatever it was, I was glad not to be the only one awake during the drive. The road was bare, except for a few cars that passed by. The Stars danced within the night sky, glowing with a majestic might. The car highlighted the tree’s red surface, flattened leaves Falling with smooth grace.
Small animals wandered the roads, creatures that I have never seen before or ever since. Ben started to talk about people vanishing, only to find them a few days later. Completely dismembered, body parts littering the area. This always happened near the woods.
“So, you think it's a serial killer out?” Ben asked staring out into the night.
“I honestly don't know, but I hope they catch who or what is taking people,” I replied, focused on the road. As deer started peaking their heads out but they looked wrong. Their eyes were blood red, the skin pale as a naked moon. I watched them in case they chose to leap into the road, but they never did. That fact never made me calm. Ben played with a small cube-like device, something that roared with an arcane aura, another form of Ishfalen uniqueness. Their tech had always been strange and otherworldly like it had no place in the world of man.
“There's a myriad of them out tonight,” Ben said, still playing with the object. “They look different, unnatural...” He stopped as if hearing something from behind. Ben turned his head toward the back, his pupils widened jaw-dropping from with indescribable awe.
I looked at him for a moment before those last words echoed across my mind.
“There is a stranger in the back.” His words filled the air with a terrible dread. I pulled the car to the side of the road, never understood what drove me to do such a thing. I turned the blinkers on and looked toward the back seats. Saw no one, when I looked to make eye contact with Ben. He was gone, the passenger side door wide open. A slight breeze invited itself in. My friends woke from their dream. They stared at me and asked about Ben. I couldn't answer them as tears fell down my face. I knew. I knew he wasn't going to be found.
That was only a few days ago. We looked for him and came up with nothing. No foot tracks, no signs of struggle, absolutely nothing. It was seven days later, a group of people found him near where he disappeared that night. Well, they found what was left of him.
Written by Anthony Simmons