Out at Night

Kate stood quickly as the bell rang and slung her back pack over her shoulder.  It was Friday and she couldn’t wait to get out of this hell hole people called high school and into her brand new Mustang convertible with her best friend, Marie.  They were heading to Seattle to see their favorite band play - a trip they had been planning for almost a year.  

Kate was in her Senior year at Riverside High School, located in a small Historic Oregon town.  The school year was almost over and Kate couldn’t wait for what was going the be the most epic summer ever!  One, three month long party before she headed off to college!  Kate and Marie had planned for college together since they were in middle school and finally, their plans were coming to fruition.  They were getting out of this old town and heading to Sacramento State in California in the fall! 

Kate and Marie had been best friends since Kindergarten.  The two of them together had always made quite the impression on the people around them.  It wasn’t just because of their looks – Kate being tall and lean with flowing curly blonde hair and Marie with her perfect complexion and glossy dark hair – but, it was also their personalities.  They balanced each other out perfectly.  Kate’s bold confidence leant itself naturally to Marie’s intense wit and sense of humor.  Wherever they went, they drew attention to themselves.  And, they liked it that way.

            Kate slammed her locker shut just as Marie approached.

            “You ready to get outta here, girlfriend?” Marie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet with impatience. 

            “I could not be MORE ready!” Kate enthused.  They linked arms, backpacks on one shoulder and headed toward the exit.  They pushed open the doors into the bright afternoon sunlight.  Both girls breathed in the fresh air and smiled with delight.

            “Does your mom know we’re leaving right after school?”  Kate asked as she opened the driver side door of her cherry red convertible.

            “She does.  She just wants me to call her once we’re on the road to let her know we’re okay.”

            “My parent’s said the same.  Soooo protective.  Don’t they realize we’re practically adults?  I mean I’m going to be 18 in a week.”

            “I’ve tried explaining to my mom that we can handle ourselves, but you know how it is, ‘You’ll always be my little girl, Marie.’”  Marie said, imitating her mother.  Kate laughed, tossing her head back and letting the sun warm her face.

            “Ready, bitch?”  She asked turning to Marie and positively beaming.

            “Let’s do this!”

******

“We need to stop for gas.” Kate said eyeing the gauge on the dashboard.  “We’re practically on ‘E’.” They had been on the road for almost 5 hours and the sun was beginning to set.  They had closed the hood of the convertible about an hour into the drive – the wind in their hair losing its thrill and becoming quite irksome after a while.  They’d gone through most of their music playlists and podcasts and were anxious to get to the hotel.

            “It looks like there’s a gas station at the next exit.”  Marie said, pointing at a highway sign depicting the nearest pumps. “We’re about 1 mile away.”

            “Good.” Kate sighed. “I’m ready for a break.  How much longer does it say we have until we’re at the hotel?”  She glanced at Marie’s phone alight with Google Maps navigation.  How did people ever get around before modern technology?

            “About an hour.” Marie responded with a yawn.

A mile later, they saw the exit looming ahead.  The sun had gone down completely, leaving them with only the faint glow of the moon and their headlights to light their path.  It was a typical cloudy night in Washington, no stars to be seen.  A light drizzle had started and the girls were happy they thought to put the hood up a while back.  Kate slowed down as she took the exit toward the gas station.  Approaching a fork in the road, she looked around realizing she’s wasn’t sure which way to turn.  There were no signs to point her in the right direction.  Hell, there weren’t even street lights to help guide them.  

“Hey, will you enter the gas station into Google Maps so I know where I’m going?”  Kate asked Marie.  “I feel like we’ve entered the Twilight Zone.  I have no idea which way to go.”    

            “Yeah, lemme try.”  Marie tapped the screen of her phone a few times.  “ Um, it’s acting super weird.  It looks like it keeps trying to re-route us or something.  Like it can’t figure out where we are.” Marie is looking at her phone, confused.  She gave it a couple hard hits on the side and shook it, as if that was going to have any effect.

            “Well, I don’t see any road signs or anything, do you?”  Kate said, a little anxious.

            “No.”  Marie looked around through the windows.  “Just make a left here and drive for a bit, I’m sure the gas station will pop up.  If not, we can turn around and go the other way.”

            Kate turned left at the fork in the road and drove for another mile or so.

            “I’m getting a really weird feeling, Marie.  Everything is dark.  Where are all the street lights?  There’s not even a traffic light in sight.  It doesn’t look like there’s a gas station within miles of here and the car is running on fumes.”

            “Pull over.”  Marie said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.  Kate veered the car toward the right hand side of the dark road, putting the gear shift into ‘park’ and turning off the car.  Once they had stopped, they look around, gathering their surroundings.  The road is lined with trees for what looks like miles.

            “I thought you said there was a gas station at this exit.” Kate said.  She didn’t mean to sound accusatory, but the fear that’s brewing in her gut makes it come across that way.

            “That’s what the sign said, Kate, I swear.”  Marie replied defensively.

            “Well, all I see are a lot of damn trees.”  Kate said, loudly.

            “Okay, listen.  Let’s just search for the nearest landmark and head in that direction.”  Marie said, looking down at her phone.  “What the hell?”  

            “What?”  Kate urged.  “WHAT?” 

            “I don’t have a signal.  Um… Check your phone.”  Marie is trying to keep her composure.  Kate lunged for her phone, charging in the middle console.

            “Nothing.”  Kate said, sounding on the verge of tears.  “Should I just start driving?  What if we get lost?  We’re going to run out of gas!  What if we can’t find our way back?”

            “I don’t know… let me think for a sec…” Her words were cut off as outside the windshield she saw a dark shadow cross in front of the car.  “Did you see that?”  Marie is staring wide-eyed.

            “What?”  Kate asked, still looking at Marie.  She follows Marie’s gaze but there is nothing there.

            “Something… moved.”  Marie whispered.

            “What kind of something?” Kate said hysterically.  “Like an animal?  What the hell are you talking about?”

Marie didn’t answer, rather she pointed straight ahead at two dark figures now standing in the distance.

            “Holy shit!”  Kate screamed.  “We have to get out of here!”  She turned the keys in the ignition but the car wouldn’t start.  “Come onnnn.” She said, her voice full of desperation.

            “Kate, hurry!  What’s taking so long?” 

            “It won’t start!”

They heard a whooshing sound, and saw what looked like shadows swooping toward them.  Within seconds, the figures were at the car - one on each side.  Kate and Marie could see them clearly now and noticed that it was two men.  Both tall - one with dark eyes and black hair with a strong, broad build.  The other one blonde with piercing blue eyes and a slim physique.  Both had pale, almost translucent skin and were the most gorgeous men Kate and Marie had ever laid eyes on.  Not knowing why – maybe because she thought these men could help or maybe because she wasn’t in her right mind – Kate rolled down the windows. 

            “You look lost.”  Said the dark haired one.  He had a British accent and a voice as smooth as silk. 

            “Can we help?”  Said the blonde, with the same silky accent.

            “How… How did you get here so fast?”  Marie stuttered.  “I saw you all the way over there, and then you just… appeared here by our car.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about, little girl.”  The blonde said, smiling without any trace of kindness.  “What you’re saying isn’t possible.  We were just out… hunting when we smelled you.  We just couldn’t resist coming to say ‘hello.’”

            “What do you mean, you smelled us?” Kate said, her voice barely a whisper.

            “You smell like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.  Like innocence and joy.  Like a summer night after a thunderstorm.  Would you agree, Isaac?”  The dark haired man said, leaning in toward Kate and closing his eyes.

            “It’s like heaven, Saul.”  The blonde, Isaac, said still smiling the same eerie smile.

            “And, who hunts at night?” Marie demanded, poking holes in their story.

            “Oh, we only come out at night.” Saul smiled, his eyes boring into Marie. 

            “Are you gonna hurt us?”  Kate whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.  She reached for Marie and gripped her hand tightly.  

            “Why, what makes you think that?” Said Saul, teasing.

            “Well, you keep talking about how good we smell… like you want to… eat us or something.”  Kate couldn’t believe her own words. The two men laugh.  Kate had never heard a more sinister sound in all her life. 

            “Well, my darling girl.  You couldn’t be more right.”  

The beautiful features of both men seemed to radiate as they opened their mouths – where two sharp, gleaming white fangs had appeared.  Their eyes alight with glee and hunger as they leaned suddenly into the open car windows to feast.

Kate and Marie screamed – the sounds piercing the once silent night.