In the dark.

I was on my way out of the hospital when a storm came in out of nowhere. It was quite odd, as it was a warm summer day, not even a cloud in the sky. As the clock hit 10 pm, I cleaned up my desk as quickly as possible without causing a scene. I had a date with my new neighbor, who happened to love Chinese take out and a scary movie just as much as I do. I had been thinking about our date all day, it was the only thing I could focus on, it had been one of the slowest days of the summer, only a hand full of patients, most of them dumb teenagers who think they are invincible. I mean, what sixteen-year-old doesn't? 

I walked as fast as I could to the elevator, waved goodbye to the night staff, wishing them a good night before getting asked to pick up another shift. As I approached it, I noticed a person I had never seen before, pale white skin, pitch-black hair like freshly laid asphalt. Spider-like legs.  I didn't really think twice about it, as I do work in a hospital. I said hello, no response. I stood there quietly, trying to not show how excited I was for the next few hours. As the elevator dinged and the doors opened, I entered, so did the strange man beside me. I pushed G and stood in the left corner, reaching into my purse to retrieve my cell phone. As I turned it back on, the bug-like man grunted a deep yet quiet grunt. I look up at the man, whose eyes were darker than his hair, staring at me. Looking at me like he knows something I don't. "Hello," I say with a gentle smile on my face. Nothing, he didn't move a muscle, didn't blink, nothing. I return to looking at my phone. A message from my date, " Still on for tonight? " the message says. I smile as I start to type out a message. " Of course, I can't wait for it. " I answer back. Again, the man grunted. I stare at the odd gentleman out of the corner of my eye, trying not to get caught. His eyes are glued to mine. I look away as fast as I can. I move tighter into the corner. The elevator approaching floor 3, I pray for someone else to get on.  

BAM, the elevator jolts to a stop. My back hits the hard steel wall, causing my phone to fall to the dark ground. I slide against the cold steel behind me, to reach for my cell phone. I  quickly find it, only to feel the broken screen against my hand, causing my hand to start to bleed. 

I suddenly remember the man beside me. Waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I get back onto my feet. Pushing myself farther into the corner. The individual, who I entered with is now standing next to me, I breathe in the scent of what I can only describe as a rotting corpse. “ AH, alone at last. “ the man mutters, sounding even creepier than he looks. What feels like every single hair on my body, stands on edge. “ Excuse me? “ I spit out, quite matter of fact, trying to seem bigger than I am. “ I’ve been watching you, how come you’ve never noticed me before?’ “ Okay, that’s enough. “ I try to turn my phone to call for help, nothing. The screen remains black. Crackling bursts out of the strange man. “ I didn’t catch your name?” I say in my best calming voice. “ The Big Rapids boogeyman “ Suddenly everything makes sense. This man wasn’t just some odd guy who happened to be at my job, it was the serial killer terrorizing my town. In that moment, I thought I was as good as dead. The boogeyman is now breathing on my neck. In the bedroom, it would be my biggest turn on, I don’t foresee it remaining that way. How in the hell am I going to make it home tonight? 

The Big Rapids boogeyman has claimed 32 lives in the last 12 years. Committing his first murder shortly after his eighteenth birthday. His first victim, Lindsey Loomis found with her throat slit on the side of highway 131. She was last seen leaving her first day of work at Big Lots. She was only 17. His MO is slitting his victims’ throats and leaving their corpses to be found the next day. He’s never once left DNA at any of his crime scenes, never once made a mistake. He’s good, in the sense of not getting caught, now its seeming more and more like i won’t be surviving the next few hours. He’s stayed local, never leaving his comfort zone. I’ve seen every documentary, listened to every podcast, saved every newspaper clipping talking about him, now I am less than a foot away from the infamous boogeyman. I’ve now seen him, which only leads me to believe, I’ll be victim 33. My blood has run cold, like the first day of a Michigan winter. “ You know all about me, huh?” I can almost hear the grin on his face. “ I do, I’ve been studying you for years, but I never thought i would be face to face to you.” “ I didn’t find you by chance, I came looking for you. “ My mind full of questions, he came looking for me, why? How’d he come across me in the first place? “ Your Reddit forum, before you ask.” He snaps back before lighting his cigarette. The flam from his lighter illuminates the old box we stand in. He takes a seat next to my feet. “ Want one?” The cigarette box extended to me. “ Yeah, why the hell not. “ I utter while clutching one. I take a seat next to the boogeyman. “ So why’d you come looking for me, exactly? “ Smoke now fills the dark elevator. 

TWO YEARS LATER

“ When’s the last time you saw Naomi Curtis? “ The officer asked Davis Curtis, my father, as sweat poured down his face like a running faucet. “ July 9th, 2016. “ My father responded with sorrow in his voice. “ She stopped by before her shift at the hospital. She was supposed to call me before bed to let me know how her date went. But she never called and I haven’t heard from her since.  “ My father thought I was one of the boogyman’s newest victims. However, my body wasn’t found the next day along some highway. My case was different. I was caught on my hospital CCTV, getting into my car, and driving off. Never to be heard from again. It’s been a while since I met the infamous boogeyman for the first time. That day changed the whole course of my life. It is hard to really say if I miss it or not, I guess I miss my family and I’m a little sad I never got that date. Now it was time to question my date, Clear Myers, my date. “ So you’re telling me, you have plans with her, and then she goes missing never to be seen again?” The officer saying loudly, almost yelling. “ She never showed, I thought she didn’t want to see me. “ She responds almost crying.

I sat down next to the Big Rapids boogyman, half-smoked cigarette in my hand asking “ What now? “ The devil-like man grinned.