NIGHTWALKERS

The mist didn't just chill Ashley's skin, it tasted like iron and old grave. Ashley ran through the bushes, her boots skidding on slick mud and rotting leaves. Her lungs were no longer organs, they were two bags of shattered glass, screaming for air she didn't have time to breathe. Behind her, the sounds persisted. Chug. Rasp. Chug. The Nightwalkers were gaining. "Jayden!" She tried to scream, but it came out as a pathetic, wheezing sob. Ashley burst into the clearing desperate for the orange glow of the campfire, for the safety of the cabin, for the sight of him. She found the fire. It's flames flickered defiantly against the encroaching darkness, but the relief lasted exactly one heartbeat. The campsite was a slaughter house. The small cabin hadn't just been broken, it had been shredded. The white sheets they'd shared just an hour ago were now crimson ribbons, scattered across the dirt. "Jayden?" She whispered, her voice trembling so hard she nearly choked on it. The silence was the answer. The campfire was still warm, the blood was steaming and Jayden was gone. She wasn't alone. Ashley could feel the eyes now, dozens of them, pinning her to the wreckage of her life. She tried to run, but the four wolves formed an impassive circle against her. A sound of bone snapping filled the air. Ashley watched, paralyzed, as the largest wolf's body began to buckle and fold. Fur receded into pale, scarred skin. Within a minute, the monster was gone. In its place was a man with predatory yellow eyes. Ashley's legs finally gave out, she slumped to the damp ground, her body trembling so violently she could hear her own teeth rattling. She closed her eyes, bracing for the feel of teeth at her throat. But the strike never came. Instead, she heard bare feets pressing against the mud. Squish. Crunch. He walked slowly towards her. Ashley slowly opened her eyes. The man was standing now, towering over her like a mountain peak. He loomed with every slow, muscular stride, blotting out more of the campfire's light until his shadow swallowed her whole. He stopped just inches from her, the heat radiating off his body like a furnace in the cold night air. He looked down at her, his dark hair falling in messy strands over his face. Then, he slowly bent down on one knee, bringing those glowing yellow eyes level with hers. "Hush now, little bird," he growled, his voice thick like molasses. "I ain't fixin' to do ya no harm...less n you go an' get real quiet 'bout the truth. Now we don't want that do we?". Ashley's breath hitched. "What...what do you want from me?" She choked out, tears blurring her vision. He reached out to an empty air and pulled out a photograph. In the picture was a teenage girl ina school uniform. A name tag was pinned to her chest. Davina. "Right purty little thing, ain't she? Dark hair, eyes gray as a rain cloud," he said, a deadly smirk spreading across his face. He leaned in closer, his eyes burning. "You seen her 'round these parts lately? And don't you go tryin' to play me for no fool, girl." The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the sound of Ashley's ugly sobs. She cried out into the blackness of the woods, her voice cracking as she prayed for a miracle, for anyone to hear her and safe her from this living hell. "Now, darlin, darlin'...hush up that noise," he cooked, his hand snaked out, tangling brutally in her hair. He yanked her head back, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You're Ashley, ain't ya?" Ashley could only nod, a sharp whimper escaping her throat as the roots of her hair burned. "You see my boys standin' yonder?" He gestured with a tilt of his head toward the wolves circling the light. "They're powerful hungry, and I reckon you don't wanna be the main course for three big ol' beasts like them, now do ya? You best Start talkin' 'bout where that girl's hidin, or I'm gonna let 'em tear the life outta ya." "I don't know! I swear, I really don't know!" Ashley shrieked, the tears making it hard to breathe. "Last I heard she was packin' up and leavin town! That's all I know! Please don't kill me!" "Interestin..." He let go of her hair, the sudden release causing her head to snap forward. He stood up slowly, towering over her like a mountain, looking down at the shaking Ashley with a cold , empty stare. "You ain't of much use to me now, are ya?" Before the words could sink in, his eyes went dark "Boys...feast on 'er." "Noooo!" Ashley's scream was cut short, swallowed by the violent attack from the wolves. The sound of the campfire cracking was drowned out by the horrific noise of the forest. TWELVE MILES AWAY The car engine hummed steadily through the dark, it's headlights cutting through the darkness of the forest. Davina anchored herself to her mother. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her mother's sleeve. Outside the window, every shadow looked like a reaching hand, and every branch that scraped the side of the car sounded like a fingernail dragging across glass. "How much further?" Davina whispered, her voice barely a thread. "Very soon, darling. Very soon," her mother murmured, leaning over to press a soft kiss against Davina's forehead. The silence in the car shattered. A phone started ringing, the sound was so sharp and sudden they both nearly jumped out of their seats. Her mother's eyes darted toward her handbag. She hesitated for a second before pulling out a burner phone, the screen flickering with an unknown number. "Hello? Who is this?" Her mother whispered. Davina watched her closely. She couldn't hear the voice on the other end, but she saw the exact moment the light left her mother's face. The phone slowly slipped from her ear, dropping to her lap. Tears began to spill over, tracking silently down her mother's cheeks. She turned her head, looking at Davina with a look of pure shock. "Davina .." she choked out. "Your grandfather. They found him. He's dead." Davina's heart skipped. Outside, the Forest seemed to lean closer to the glass, as if they were listening. "But mom..." Davina whispered, her blood turning to ice. "Grandfather died eighteen years ago."