They come at Midnight.

Midnight.

Three hours before the witching hour. Normally spooky things are said to happen when the clock strikes three, but not in West Mila.

Sol Cruz had made sure to set off in good time, he had been half an hour away at the local beach fishing and driving his quad bike to what felt like the ends of the earth. But as everyone else did around here he had to make sure that he would have enough time to get home before the silent hours.

No one really knows what happens after the green fire flies come at eleven pm, because those who have been outside after this time either turn up missing or their bodies are found lifeless the next morning.

Sol never worried about it, he made sure to always gave himself enough time to get home, way before the curfew just in case.

His eyes never left the road, the only time they veered was when the radio, that was playing the local news stuttered. The woman was talking about what tomorrow's weather would be like when a high pitched static buzzing made Sol jump, he leant over the centre console and rushed to switch it off before it threatened to make his ears bleed. But this slight moment of distraction would be his undoing. When he looked back up, he just had time to register the blur of a small furry animal on the road. Turning the wheel franticly he managed to swerve but in doing so he felt when the front tired popped from the pressure. “No no no!”

When the truck finally came to a stop, Sol made sure to get it safely to the side of the road before he jumped out to assess the damage that had been caused. He found that with the state the metal rim was in that he wouldn’t get far, the front tire was entirely shredded. If he tried to drive it in this state it would just be metal scraping on the concrete which wouldn’t be fast nor safe. Sol walked back to the drivers side and sat back in the seat. Turning his attention to the centre console and located his phone that had been sat charging, stepping out of the truck he mindlessly started pacing the space between the verge and the vehicle, the anxiety now starting to creep up on him.

The phone rang and rang, he was just about to give up when a small electronic voice came from the other end. “Roadside assistance, how can I help?”

“Hello! My truck has blown a tire on the country road in between leamwood and Tove and I need some help.” But he was met with silence, this went on for a good couple of seconds.

“Sir, you do realise what time it is right now?” Sol took the phone away from his ear and stared at the time.

22:50pm

Panicking now he tried to sound as calm as he could, it wasn’t going to help anyone getting mad. “I understand but I need help, I’m in the middle of nowhere and soon I’m going to be in danger, is there no one close you can send to just pick me up.”

“Unfortunately, no roadside service can get out to you at this time, thank you for calling.”

His temper was rising with every word. “YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LEAVE ME OUT HERE?!” But the dial tone sounded and she was gone. “GOD DAMN IT.”

Sol thought the next best thing would be to contact the police but all he got was the emergency alert system. It was then when Sol turned in rage, about to throw his phone as far as he could into the nearby field, that he saw his quad bike on the trailer. And now he felt stupid.

He set to work getting it down off the trailer and onto the road, now all he had to do was start it up. Earlier when he had been at the beach it had spluttered before eventually roaring to life, he hoped and prayed that this time it wouldn’t happen again, he did not have time for that right now. Just as he was about to turn the key, a flash of green shot in front of his face.

He watched as it floated down and landed on the handlebars right in front of him, mesmerised he hadn’t seen one this close before. He reached out to touch it, but as his fingers got close it fluttered off, he watched it as it climbed higher and higher, rejoining it’s brothers and sisters that were now coating the night sky like fallen stars.

‘Focus Sol! You don’t have time!’

Mind back on starting the quad up, he turned the key. The engine didn’t start but instead started to splutter like it did before. What did happen though was the headlights switched on at full beam, they lit up the entire roadway in front of him. Sol looked up for one second, triggered by the sudden brightness in front of him, but quickly did a double take.

In front of him, in the middle of the long roadway stood a tall dark figure. It was far in front of him that Sol’s fight or flight hadn’t kicked in yet, he would have definitely not seen the figure if the lights weren’t shining on it. It was pitch black with legs and arms that were stick thin and stood about 7ft tall.

Sol was frozen in fear, when his mind finally decide to come back to him he realise that it couldn’t be midnight yet, the fireflies had just started to fall and the creatures were never seen before that. That’s when Sol had a scary thought, what if the beings has started sending a few creatures early to catch out those people who were still rushing home.

Had they fallen short on victims? The human race caught on to the time they invade and now their pickings were dwindling.

It’s head was an oblong shape and Sol could not tell if it was facing him or not but he figured what with the bright lights it would have caught its attention, he saw no facial features whatsoever and this just scared him even more. He knew that if he tried to start the engine again this might stir the creature that had been so still. But he could not just stay here, frozen in place. Time was ticking and more would come and then he would not be safe. And so he took in a deep breath and tried to start the quad again and this time it roared to life.

A piercing scream came from in front of him, looking up again just in time to see the creature jump up into the sky and fly over his head, following it in shock Sol nearly gave himself whiplash as he turned quickly to follow the creator who disappeared into the tree line just behind him.

Sol wasted no time, speeding through the country lanes, he had to swat at the fireflies that would collide with his face, but he had no time to think on how disgusting it was. Once he got home and safe he could have a shower and wash away all his stress, anxiety and bug brains.

Other than the annoying green pests, Sol’s journey wasn't interrupted again. Not until he got about three streets away from his home.

The quad started to splutter again, Sol tried his hardest to egg it on, to keep it going for the short distance they had to go to get to safety. But it didn’t work, and the quad died. Sol had never been so angry at an inanimate object before, getting off the quad he moved to the side and started to kick it rather aggressively, seemingly forgetting where he was and what he was trying to achieve. That’s until the sound came once more, the screaming of the same creature he’d seen out in the country, only this time it was accompanied by several more screams after it.

Looking back to where he had just entered the road, he saw serval creatures, all standing about 7ft tall, gangly limbs and oblong heads that clicked to the side at any small noise, they were all scattered across the road. First the steps that Sol where taking backwards were small, he never took his eyes off the road in front of him scared that if he looked around at his home, when he looked back the demons in front of him would have gotten ever so closer.

Every time he looked somewhere new he saw another creature appear, like the others had summoned them.

They even climbed the lamp posts, some hung from the telephone wires above.

He wasn’t going to make it, he knew it deep down in his bones but he also knew he had to try. It took a lot to convince himself to turn and run but he did it .

Running for his life he tried so hard to zone out the screams from behind him but failed, there were just too many and they grew louder and louder the closer the creatures got. He felt a glimpse of hope when he could finally see his porch.

Running up the stairs he was amazed that there was still some air left in his lungs and he had to practically threw himself at the handle when the green wooden door came into reaching distance….

'Missing Person.

Sol Cruz.

Aged 26.

Last seen leaving Wayhood beach on the evening of the 4th of June, in his blue and black Ford Ranger towing a trailer with a quad bike strapped to it.

If you have any information, please contact the West Mila sheriff's department.'