Prologue: The Return

  The night was colder than usual and a lot harder to see within the pitch black woods. If you were to run, all you would feel would be the air piercing through your clothes and skin. The only light that could be seen for miles was Butch’s gas and stationary. The gas station was far from the town of Ellengulf. The owner of the station, Butch Bennett, was an old rugged looking man. And even though he seemed mean, he had a kind heart. He used to be cold, probably because he had to be when he was in the military, but after the death of his son, something in him changed. Butch had to fight for everything in his life. Not only because of his upbringing, but the color of his skin. It may have been a few years since the loss. But his cold heart, he believed, was the cause of his son’s demise. He wanted his son to be tough and resilient so he could be ready for the world. Sadly, death took him too soon. And it haunted Butch that he wasn’t a better father, a better protector.

  It was getting late. Butch stopped with his daily regretful thoughts for a moment to check his watch. It was almost time to close up for the night. I’ll wait ten more minutes, Butch thought.

  Just then three teenagers, two boys and a girl, came in with hoods on. The two boys went into the back of the store where the beverages were and the girl walked up to the old man.

  “Can I help you?” asked the old man.

  The girl pulls out a gun and points it to the old man’s head.

  “Yes, you can empty the cash register, please.” the girl smiled with a grin.

  The look in her eyes showed no remorse. Like she would kill the old man with no shame, no guilt. Afraid, slightly, the old man hurried up and pulled out all the money he had and put it in a plastic bag.

  “Thank you.” said the girl in a bubbly voice. They all ran out of the store and headed for their car.

  Once they got in their car, they discover the old man outside, aiming a shotgun at their car. Pow went the shotgun and the discharge hit their right tail light. They scurried out of there and started calling the old man racial slurs.

  The old man gasped for air as he waited for his adrenaline to calm down. Just then something fowl filled his nostrils. The smell of death. He looked around and was frightened by what he heard. The sound of his son calling out to him.

  Butch hurried into the store before it was too late and locked the door. The power went out. All he could hear was his son crying out to him like a howl in the night.

  “Dad?” said the voice, “Dad, it’s me, Richard. Open the door, please.”

  The old man cocked his shotgun and aimed it at the door. “You are not my son.” The old man’s shotgun vibrated in his hands. He knew what was outside his store. And it most definitely was not his son. All he could see was a fog. A bluish gray fog that smelled rancid. There was a maniacal laugh coming from the voice of the so called son.

  “You’ll never escape me.” Said the voice. “One of these days, you’ll see me when you least expect it.” It laughed again and it’s voice distorted into a higher pitch tone. Whatever it was, it was going away. Butch could tell by how far away it’s laughter was going.

  Butch looked outside to see the blue fog going in the same direction the teenage thieves were going.

  “Now I won’t be the only one death took from.” the old man walked back to the store holding his side.

  In the getaway car, Jacob Harris, was driving recklessly while Robert Brennan made out with Jessica Williams, the girl with a grin that held the gun. Butch Bennett would never forget that sweet smile with a sinister monster making it. It was like looking at a demon that escaped hell. But that wasn’t the only thing that escaped hell. Little did they know they were being followed by death himself.

  “Did you see the look on that old fucker’s face?” Jessica cackled.

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  “He looked like a deer in headlights.” Robert laughed as he took a swig out of his alcohol bottle.

  “Where to now?” asked Jacob.

  “To black lake. We can lay low there.” said Jessica.

  When they got there, they park near the water. Jacob strips naked and headed into the water and the other two followed suit. They were all in the water having a good time and a few hundred dollars richer after they robbed the gas station. They were in the water for a few seconds when they started to smell something horrid all around them. Then they saw the blue fog coming from the other side of the lake.

  “Hey, look at that.” said Robert. “is that fog?”

  “That’s not fog.” Jessica’s voice had a sense of urgency. “Get out of the water. NOW!”

  Jessica quickly swam for shore and the other two did the same. When they got out, Jessica ran to the car. The other two were worried about her.

  “Come on, let’s go!” Jessica screamed. “Hurry up!!”

  “What the hell is wrong with your girlfriend, dude?” asked Jacob.

  “I don’t know- get the keys, I’ll talk to her.”

  Before Robert could get to the car, they were surrounded by the thick, dark, blue fog. They hear whispers all around them and that dead rancid smell. Jessica saw Robert and Jacob gag and cough.

  “Oh, god.” Jacob coughed. “What the fuck is that?”

  “Guys, hurry up, please!” Jessica shrieked. She knew what was going on but never told anyone about it. All she wanted to do was to live her life without ever seeing the thick blue fog ever again. Sadly, she knew what was going to happen next. Death was going to take them. Jessica realizes they weren’t going to leave alive, so she locked the doors and raised the windows without Robert and Jacob.

  “Jacob hurry up!” Robert too felt the urgency Jessica had.

  Jacob picked up his clothes and keys and when he turned around, standing before him, was a child. But this child had the smell of death all around him. The fog hid the child’s face. Not only that. The clothes the child wore were worn out and ripped and stained with dead blood. The child giggled and had blood dripping from their wrists.

  “I’m missing something.” said the child. “Can you help me find it?”

  “Wha- what is it?” asked Jacob.

  The child walked forward out of the fog to reveal its face, but only to show it’s head missing. Jacob screamed at the top of his lungs.

  “Never mind..” said the headless child, “I found it.”

  It pointed at Jacob. Jacob felt something gently rested on his left shoulder. He quickly turned to his left to meet eye to eye with the head of the child. It’s eyes were white like milk and the meat of the face falling off because of so much decay. It opened it’s mouth and it’s tongue turned into a long needle that pierced Jacob’s head so fast, pink mist spewed out the back of Jacob’s head. Jacob shook where he stood and fell to the floor. Robert saw the car and ran towards it. He tried to open the door but they were locked from the inside.

  “Jessica open the door!” Robert screamed so hard, his voice was breaking. Jessica didn’t respond or moved from the curled up position she was in, in the back seat.

  “Jessica, baby, please. PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!”

  There was a loud thud and Robert stopped talking. Jessica couldn’t tell what it was because she had her eyes pressed on her knees. She moved her head and looked at the door to find Robert missing. A hand abruptly placed itself on the window.

  “Jessica.” it was Robert. “It’s gone. You can open the door now.”

  Jessica cried and had her eyes focused on the hand. It wasn’t Robert’s.

  “Jessica. Please…You know you can’t escape me a second time.”

  “Leave me alone!” Jessica cried.

  “But, Jessica.” the voice changed from Robert’s voice to a child’s voice. “What about Robert? He’s on the other side of the car.”

  Jessica slowly turned to the window to find Robert with his head snapped and his throat ripped out.

  “Just open the door Jessica.” said the disembodied voice. “I promise it’ll be painless. And you can join the others. Including Robert.”

  “FUCK YOU!” Jessica screamed.

  “Very well. Slow and painful it is.”

  The car then turned on without the keys and a song from Mazzy Star, “look on down from the bridge,” plays. Strange noises came out of the air conditioning ducts. Blood, dead blood, came shooting out like water out of a fire hose and right on Jessica. She had nowhere to go. Either be ripped to shreds by death. Or die from drowning on cold rotten dead blood. Like death said, “Slow and painful it is.”

  She was in the car for ten minutes and the whole inside was filled up. The blue fog was already gone, and so were the bodies of Jacob Harris and Robert Brennan.

  The cops got there and saw the car. James Brennan and Hobb Harris were on the scene. When they got closer, they saw the windows all red.

  “What the fuck is that?” asked James.

  Hobb got closer to the window and a hand smacks the window. Hobb jumped back.

  “Oh, god! someone’s in there!”

  They both tried to open the doors but they were locked from the inside. They both hit the windows with the butt of their guns and the blood rushed out the car. Inside was the naked, terrified Jessica who coughed up the smelly blood she ingested.

  James unlocked the door and pulled Jessica out by her arms and gently placed her on the ground.

  “Jessica?” Hobb tried to get her attention and she freaked out, thinking it was the monster.

  “it’s ok, it’s ok.” said Hobb. “It’s Hobb and James, Robert and Jacob’s dads. Where is James and Robert, Jessica.”

  Jessica cried hysterically. “Death got them. I couldn’t save them.”

  “What do you mean death got them?” asked James.

  “There was a blue fog. And something was in it. Something dead.”

  James and Hobb looked at each other and both knew what she meant. And they hoped they would never see the day. The day death had returned.