16 Allegedly True Scary Trucker Horror Stories | VOLUME 26

[Music] my name's Ray and this started back in 1996 trucking business is all I've ever known learned to drive at my daddy's knee been hauling up and down the East Coast ever since I got my license seen plenty of weird stuff over the years but nothing like this that summer I was running a regular rud hauling textiles from North Carolina up to Connecticut easy gig good pay until the night it all Went sideways I was cutting through a stretch of West Virginia back roads trying to make up some time it was late past midnight and

the rain was coming down hard my old rig was rattling something fierce and I was starting to get that nervous feeling you get when you've been pushing yourself too long should have stopped got in a room for a few hours but I was close to my destination and stubborn as a meal figured I could power Through that's when I saw it a figure standing on the side of the road tall and possibly tall and thin as a bean Poole it was huddled under a tattered umbrella dressed in a long black coat that hung limp in

the rain I couldn't see its face but something about it made every hair on my neck stand up common sense told me to keep driving but something stronger something I couldn't explain made me slow down and pull over the figure turned its head as I Approached I still couldn't make out its face but my stomach churned it looked wrong some how the figure lifted a long pale hand and beckoned me closer every Instinct screamed at me to get the hell out of there I should have listened instead I cracked my window voice shaking a bit

you need help the figure didn't answer just tilted its head to one side like it was confused the rain dripped down its two long fingers pooling on the asphalt Suddenly the headlights of my truck flickered and died hey what the dash I fumbled with the switch but the engine just sputtered complete blackout something slammed into the passenger side window hard enough to crack the glass I screamed and flung myself across the seat then I saw it the figure was pressed against the window peering in and that brief flash of light I got a real good

look at it and my blood Froze it wasn't human it had a face of sorts but it was twisted and the shapen the skin was a sickly gray stretched tight over bones that seemed too long too sharp but it was the eyes that got me empty black sockets like it had no soul the creature's mouth stretched into a horrible grin revealing rows of needle-like teeth it raked its long nails down the glass I was trapped a terrified animal in a cage I must have blacked out because the Next thing I remember is the sun coming

up and the rain stopped my truck was still running but the window on the passenger side was shattered I stumbled out half expecting the creature to be lurking in the trees but there was no nothing just the empty road and the birds singing I reported the incident of course cops looked at me like I was either drunk or a damn lunatic figured I swerve to miss an animal panicked smashed my own window and hallucinated The rest maybe they were right maybe I was cracking under the stress but I know what I saw for a while

I tried to forget stuck to main highways lit up like Time Square at night but bills don't pay themselves eventually I had to take those back roads again every time I kept expecting to see that tall gaunt figure waiting in the shadows it never was but that didn't make the fear go away the worst part is I started noticing the disappearances other truckers Vanishing On those lonely stretches of Highway rig found abandoned driver nowhere to be seen never made the national news just Whispers And the truck stops and online forums one night at a greasy

Diner in Kentucky I got talking to an older trucker named Wyatt he'd been hauling for decades seen it all so I figured I could trust him I told him about the creature everything Wyatt didn't laugh just nodded and stared into his coffee finally he spoke there are things out There in the Dark Places son things older than highways older than our granddaddies most folk never see him count yourself lucky least way so far lucky I choked out a laugh and it came out bitter whyatt took a long drag of his cigarette thing is sometimes they

take a shine to you mark you could be your good hunting could be you remind them of something some old dead OD don't matter none point is Chances Are You Ain't Seen The Last of that tall fella he was right in the years since I've spotted the creature a few more times a flicker in the trees as I drive by a shadow slipping away as I pull into a rest stop it's never gotten close again but I feel its eyes on me cold as death waiting my name's Marcus and this happened to me back in

2011 they say Trucking gets in your blood well I got my share young my dad drove Long Haul his whole life and most Of my summer vacations were spent riding shotgun in his old rig I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel myself that fall I landed a cross country run hauling supplies from the California coast out to Tennessee figured it was a good gig for an newbie the weather's decent the highways are wide it all went smooth for the first few days then I got rerouted some kind of accident closed the major Interstate near

Oklahoma City my dispatcher told me to take a detour cut Through a stretch of back roads I'd never heard of I wasn't thrilled but it's not like we drivers get much choice in our rots the road was narrow winding through Rolling Hills dotted with scraggly Pines the sun was going down painting the sky orange and pink should have been pretty but something about the place set my teeth on edge it felt lonely and not just the regular empty Highway lonely but something older deeper it was full dark by the time I Hit a little town

called red Creek I figured I'd stop there for the night grab some food maybe a motel room the first few places gas station Diner a little Motel were all boarded up like the whole town had just gone and died I was about to give up when I saw a flickering neon s further down the Main Street Saloon rooms hot meals pulling up outside I didn't see much cause for optimism the place had that rundown end of the line looked that screams bad Decisions but by then I was tired hungry and that hot meal was starting

to sound real good so I pushed through the creaking door door and stepped inside the saloon was dim and Smoky a few locals hunched at The Battered bar nursing beers and giving these sidelong glances took a seat in a shadowed Booth trying to blend in a waitress shuffled over looking half asleep her name tag read Mabel what can I get you she mumbled without even a glance at a menu Burger I said fries and whatever beer you'd recommend she nodded wrote it down on a scrap of greasy paper then drifted back behind the bar I

surveyed the room again trying to shake the feeling of being watched the other patrons had lost interest in me at least Mabel brought my food it looked as bad as I'd feared but after that long day in the cab my stomach overruled my brain as I was chewing a particularly sad Piece of burger Mabel came back over and slid onto the bench across from me you ain't from around here she said it wasn't a question just passing through I confirmed detour and all that Mabel gave me Annoying look that road ain't good not after dark

I Shrugged didn't have much choice you seen him yet her voice dropped low seen who I asked confused Mabel leaned in closer her eyes wide and serious The Tall Man he walks That road at night hunts the unw I chuckled is that some kind of local ghost story Mabel shook her head her mouth set in a thin line he no ghost least ways not like you think but he's real enough and then that sees him well they don't tend to last long the hairs on the back of my neck prickled Mabel wasn't messing with me

I could see that in her eyes she was genuinely scared but of what just as I opened my mouth to ask a figure stepped through the doorway Silhouetted against the street lights tall unnaturally tall with limbs that looked too long like an old Scarecrow in A Worn Out suit he crossed the room with slow deliberate steps and a chill ran through me he settled at the bar hunched on a stool a couple seats down from the locals they all flinched away suddenly even mael turned white as she poured his drink The Tall Man didn't turn

his head but I felt his Gaze on me he didn't need to the whole room buzzed with the Tension of a trapped animal under a predator's eye I had to get out of there I pushed a few crumpled bills onto the table and stood my legs felt shaky as I headed for the door I heard The Tall Man slide off his stool the locals at the BART tensed my first instinct was to run but something stronger held me back can't go through life running from every shadow every weird story can you come on Marcus I

muttered to myself forcing my steps to be normal but with every Footfall I felt the distance between us shrinking just before I reached the door I heard him speak it wasn't a voice more like a dry rasp a whisper of Dead Leaves leaving so soon I couldn't help it I turned the tall man stood directly in my path up close he was even more unsettling he wasn't just tall his limbs were disproportionate the angles all wrong his face in the dim light it just looked like a blur of Shadow but there was a gleam from

within like oil Reflecting Moonlight I had the gut clenching certainty that those weren't eyes but something far more alien looking back at me one of the locals a grizzled old trucker was on his feet leave the boy alone he growled surprisingly courageous considering how scared he looked a moment ago the tall man's head tilted slightly this one is mine then with a speed that defied his ungainly shape his hand shot out his fingers were long and Skeletal tipped with claws rather than nails they raked across the old Trucker's face leaving deep bloody furrows the man

screamed collapsing to the floor chaos broke out the remaining Patron scrambled for the door knocking over chairs shoving past Mabel who stood rooted to the spot staring at the scene in horror I was frozen too not out of fear but some kind of horrible fascination The Tall Man turned his attention fully On me he took a step closer than another I could smell him now a rotting earthy stench that made my stomach heave he reached out again those horrifying claws inches from my face and that's when my survival Instinct kicked in I ducked spun and

kicked out at his knee as hard as I could it felt like kicking a tree trunk but there was was a jarring Crunch and The Tall Man stumbled with a guttural hiss of pain I didn't look back I bolted out the door lungs Burning Heart hammering a frantic Rhythm against my ribs the night air was clean and cool a desperately needed contrast to the suffocating tension of the saloon I didn't stop running until I was out of the town the flickering lights and Tumbl down buildings swallowed by the darkness only then did I dare to

slow down gasping for breath what the hell had just happened was ma right was there really something monstrous out there in the Hills praying on lonely Travelers or was this all some kind of sick twisted trick the whole town in on it I looked back down the way I'd come half expecting to see the tall man's impossible figure loping after me nothing but the empty road I spent the rest of the night under an overpass huddled in my cab too terrified to sleep the old trucker screams echoed in my head finally at first light I

started driving again pushing Eastward as fast as my rig would go never Reported it to the cops figured either they'd lock me up in the psych ward or I'd end up a missing person statistic myself maybe Mabel and the locals would clean up the mess keep their Deadly Secret Under Wraps in the months that followed I stuck to busy interstates and well it truck stops took on a driving partner a Burly xmarine named Dwayne for safety and numbers still every time I saw a tall figure out of the corner of my eye my Heart would

skip a beat every Creek of the rig at night made me jump the news report started about a year later truckers disappearing on lonely stretches of Road especially around Oklahoma and Arkansas Vehicles found abandoned no sign of the drivers the papers chocked it up to highway robbery drug deals gone bad the usual but I knew better I knew that the tall man was still out there collecting His toll in Blood and fear one night at a truck stop Diner in Tennessee an older guy with a faded USMC tattoo on his forearm started chatting with me

turns out he was from Oklahoma and his cousin a trucker had done one of those Disappearing Acts the year prior strange thing is he said a haunted look in his eyes they found his truck all tore up like something big fought him inside the cab never did find nobody though just just some blood his voice trailed Off and he stared at his coffee cup in silence I drove all the way back to California non-stop after that quit that route got a local gig to try and convince myself a normal life was still possible it wasn't

not anymore I started drinking stopped calling my wife and slept with my shotgun propped by the bed lost that job then the next and the next my wife left taking our daughter with her can't say I blame her I've become a ghost of the man she married haunted by A thing the rest of the world doesn't believe in sometimes I wonder if it would be better if I'd never kick The Tall Man in that Dusty Saloon let him have me avoided turning into this Shadow jumping wreck the worst part is I know he's still out

there I know it's only a matter of time before our paths cross again and next time I doubt I'll get away my name's Frank and this happened to me back in 2009 been Trucking for as long as I can Remember my dad taught me to drive an 18wheeler before I had a car license guess you could say I was born for the road and I love it most days but there are nights nights that remind you the highway ain't always meant for humans that spring I was hauling a load of electronics down to Texas long

trip so I broke it up into 2 days planning to spend the night somewhere in the Oklahoma Panhandle had this old rig back then real temperamental always Threatening to break down and wouldn't you know it as I was crossing the state line the engine started sputtering and coughing like it had a death wish it was already full dark no towns in sight for Miles only those flat empty planes stretching out all around I cured a Blue Streak but managed to roll the rig to a stop on the shoulder popped the hood didn't see anything obviously

wrong but I know engines about as well as I know brain surgery figured I'd best call for Roadside assistance and tried to find shelter for the night cell service was spotty in those parts but I eventually got a signal the tow truck would be ours as I settled into wait a flicker of movement out on the road caught my eye under the pale Moonlight I saw a figure walking slowly toward me me my first thought was relief maybe they could help me figure out the engine trouble but then I noticed how the figure moved there

was something wrong about it each Step was unnaturally long the arms swaying Loosely as it got closer the light from my rig reflected off its skin a sickening grayish Hue its head turned toward me and even in the darkness I could see the glint of eyes that weren't quite human Panic flared should have gone with my gut and floored it while I could but instead my brain froze just sat there trapped behind the wheel the figure reached my window it stood so tall its head almost brushed The roof its face it wasn't masked or deformed

exactly just subtly wrong the proportions somehow twisted and off-kilter where worse than that it was blank no anger no curiosity just an empty stare that sent chills down my spine I smelled the faint odor like rotting leaves and wet Earth the creature lifted a hand and possibly long bony fingers ending in dirty curved nails it tapped the glass not hard more like it was testing the Surface my mouth had gone dry I wanted to scream to gun the engine and try to run it over but all I could do was stare back at That Hideous

face then as suddenly as it came the figure turned and walked back into the darkness I snapped out of it fumbling for the keys the engine roared to life on the first try like it had never had a problem in the first place I floored it not caring where I was going as long as it was away from from that thing I Pulled into the first town I saw lights blurring with tears I was too proud to fully shed never could explain it to the police even saying it out loud to myself it sounded crazy

but I saw what I saw after that I stuck close to big cities took daytime runs the trucking company thought I'd finally cracked under the strain of too many nights alone on the road maybe they were right in a way I wasn't sleeping couldn't eat every time I did Drift off I dream about that blank inh human face pressed to my truck window my wife noticed of course tried to help but how could I explain eventually she left can't blame her a few years later I started hearing whispers from other long haulers truck found a

abandoned on some desolate stretch the driver Gone without a trace or one of us would vanish from a rest stop in the middle of the night leaving a half eaten sandwich and the engine running we didn't talk about it Much especially not to Outsiders for fear of ending up in the funny farm but we all knew we all had our own versions of the creature lurking back in our nightmares the news called it be Highway Hunter trying to spin some urban legend crap but there's nothing ghost like about this thing it's Flesh and Blood even

if it doesn't move or look like anything born of this Earth sometimes I wonder if it's even a single creature maybe there's a bunch of Them spread out across those lonely back roads all hunched over those blank eyes staring into the headlights of passing trucks looking for their next victim I gave up on trucking soon after but that didn't help it just felt like leaving the front lines of a war knowing nothing's changed the enemy is just going to pick off someone else now I've got a tiny apartment in the middle of downtown Chicago surrounded

by noise and crowds and blessedly bright lights at All hours sleep still doesn't come easy I lock my windows even 10 floors up and jump jump at every shadow on the street below most nights I dream I'm back behind the wheel barreling down a deserted Highway always toward a looming figure with glowing eyes at the edge of the darkness my name is Harlen and this happened to me in July of 1998 when I was a truck driver I'd been doing long hauls for over a decade then it was a Life I liked sure the hours

were crazy the pay wasn't great but being behind the wheel seeing the country unfold there was a kind of freedom to it that suited me well my usual rout back then snaked from the Midwest to the West Coast I like the Run predictable good diners dotted along the way some decent stretches of Wide Open Road you get used to the rhythm of it except that time something was different it started in Nebraska of all places I'd pulled in at A rest stop just off I80 the air was heavy and hot the asphalt simmering it wasn't

even noon but I was already fighting off a wave of exhaustion I figured a quick walk around and a strong coffee would would do the trick I headed for the back of the lot where it was less crowded hoping to avoid a bunch of noisy kids and Restless families that's when I saw it parked against the low scrub at the edge of the lot was a beat up old camper van rust Blotches streak the side and a cracked rear window was crudely patched with duct tape it looked abandoned and my first instinct was to keep

my distance but then I caught a flicker of movement in the side mirror not much just a shadow but enough to spark a prickle of unease I kept my gaze forward but I could still sense the van in my peripheral vision curiosity and maybe a dash of stubbornness won out I changed course heading towards the van instead Of the rest area I wanted to satisfy myself it was empty and then be on my way I came around the back and that's when I saw the blood it wasn't a lot just a smear of Crimson on

The Faded paint just below the side window my stomach lurched I took a step closer my breath hitching inside the van a figure was slumped over a small rickety table flies buzzed lazily against the window and the sickly sweet smell of decay was unmistakable I don't remember the exact Moment I decided to call the police it was like a switch had flipped in my brain the freedom of the open road suddenly felt stifling replaced by a suffocating sense of dread adrenaline spiked in my veins making my pulse race I backed away from the van slowly

eyes never leaving that shadowy figure hunched inside the local cops came surprisingly fast within the hour the rest stop was crawling with activity I gave my statement watching stony-faced Officers cording off the van I could feel their unspoken judgment the question in their eyes why didn't you report it immediately the answer was I didn't know myself a mix of morbid Fascination and disbelief maybe but now the shock was wearing off replaced by a sense of guilt and self-recrimination they hauled the van away that afternoon news reports trickled out later the body was badly decomposed and

it was a man but establishing an identity proved Impossible no missing person's reports in the area matched his description no stolen vehicle notices corresponded to the van it was like both man and vehicle had materialized from thin air only to leave a smudge of blood as evidence they were ever there I wrestled with the incident for weeks afterward what if IID looked closer right away could the man have been saved if I hadn't hesitated those few minutes the what ifs became a loop inside my head a Constant nagging reminder of a stranger's death but my

run waited for no one I got back on the road The Familiar miles of feeble ATT attt at outrunning my lingering unease it was out west somewhere in the Arid loneliness of Nevada that I saw the camper van again I was nearing one of those no-name towns you blink and Miss if you aren't careful my 18wheeler roared through the sunbaked landscape then I caught sight of a dirt turnoff Leading back into a low stand of trees and there was the van parked as if waiting under the meager shade a wave of heat washed over me

mingled with a jolt of pure fear my hands tightened on the steering wheel no way it couldn't be the same van it had to be a trick of the Relentless Desert Sun I Eed off the gas debating logic said turn the rig around get the hell away reported but some Twisted stubborn part of me whispered this time you do something I pulled the Over onto the cracked shoulder of the highway the dust churning in my wake my heart hammered against my ribs as I climbed out of the cab squinting against the harsh light with a

determination born of anger and something like morbid curiosity I began to walk towards the van as I got closer I knew without a shadow of a doubt it was the same one every rusted detail was seared into my memory the duct taped window the peeling paintwork even the smear of blood I'd Seen weeks earlier my stomach roed someone had been playing a sick joke moving the van around taunting me or was there something far more Sinister going on the van door swung open before I could reach it I jumped back expecting to see I don't

know what I expected but there was no one inside the interior of the van was filthy piled high with tattered clothes and empty food wrappers I stepped cautiously up into The Gloom the stench of rot making me gag an empty Whiskey Bottle rolled under my boot at the back of the van a tattered sleeping bag lay crumbled on the floor I nudged it with my foot half treading what might lie beneath it was empty I swore under my breath of course it was had I really expected to find a corpse twice I was turning to

leave when a scrap of paper tucked under the edge of the sleeping bag caught my eye curious I pulled it free it was a Crudely drawn map the paper stained and smudged my eyes scanned it picking out familiar Highway lines rest stop names it was a root map and along its length were a series of crude x marks the hair on the back of my neck prickled these weren't random locations there were places where I'd stopped along my route someone had been tracking me for weeks possibly longer I thought back to that day in Nebraska

the blood on the van the Unseen figure Panic flared like a Wildfire in my chest this wasn't just some morbid prank I scrambled out of the van snatching a final glance at the map the last x mark the spot where I was standing I fled back toward my truck the desert landscape swirling around me every shadow seemed to hold a threat every sound was a footfall behind me sweat drenched me my breath rasped in my throat I fumbled the keys into the ignition the engine Waring to to life with a deafening clatter I threw the

rig Into gear gravel spraying from the tires I needed the police or maybe someone anyone I just needed to get away for months I drove in a state of near constant Terror I jumped at the sight of every van saw the flash of duct tape in every reflection the map haunted me who had drawn it were they watching even now was I the next X sleep became a luxury I could rarely afford my body fueled by truck stopped coffee and adrenaline then came the news reports it started in Wyoming a body turned up beside a

highway just off some nowhere exit then there was another in Colorado then California all male all seemingly random yet I couldn't get the image of that map out of my head was this connected were those x marks I didn't even want to think it when the authorities released a sketch of a potential suspect seen near one of the SES a chill ran through my entire body the drawing was rough but I'd seen That man he was the figure I glimpsed in the van window that day in Nebraska the same man blurry and indistinct but the

same hulking frame frame the same ragged clothes my name is Brooks and this happened to me in the fall of 2008 I was a long haul trucker then crisscrossing the country with whatever loads needed hauling it was a life I liked the open road the solitude though it got lonely sometimes I'm a single guy Been on my own for as long as I can remember but hey at least I didn't have a nagging wife to complain about my long hours right that year my regular rout took me through the southwest Arizona New Mexico a touch

of Texas wide open Landscapes and Dusty towns that all blurred together after a while I'd gotten into the Rhythm of it long drives greasy diners nights at those chain motels with the flickering neon Signs it was on a stretch of I 10 outside of El Paso that I saw her a young woman barely more than a girl really hitchhiking on the shoulder the desert's Sun Beat Down mercilessly and she looked about ready to wilt where she stood I don't usually pick up hitchhikers there's company policy against it and besides you never know who you might

be giving a ride to but this girl she seemed harmless I pulled over she threw her Backpack onto the passenger seat a grateful smile lighting up her face thanks Mister you're a lifesaver name's Lara she had a soft voice and big brown eyes that held a vulnerability that tugged at something inside me aara told me me her story as we rolled down the highway she'd been heading out to California chasing some big dreams about making it in Hollywood typical runaway story a dime a dozen only her ride had fallen through Somewhere in West Texas leaving

her stranded we fell into a kind of comfortable Rhythm me listening her talking she had an infectious sort of energy a wide-eyed optimism that was hard not to be a little Charmed by we parted ways when I turned off at a truck stop outside of Lordsburg I figured it was a little town she'd have better luck catching another ride I watched her walk down the ramp and for an a rational moment I regretted Not offering to take her further the next evening I was loading up at a warehouse on the outskirts of Phoenix it was

already dark the loading dock buzzing with activity the warehouse Foreman walked toward me clipboard in hand and that's when I saw her again aara stood behind him dressed in A Worn blue coverall that hung too big on her slight frame she caught my eye and a flash of surprise registered on her face quickly replaced by a shy Smile I was flooded with a confusing mix of relief and a creeping sense of unease how' she manage to cover all that distance so quickly later that night as I drove through the darkness the incident noded at me

it didn't seem coincidental was I imagining things or was there something a little off about AA the following morning I awoke at a rest stop with a pounding headache and a lingering sense of dread every mile that ate up the asphalt seemed to bring me Closer to something unsettling it was early evening when I finally arrived at my destination a distribution center near the California border I was bone tired and ready to crash for the night but there was a backlog at the unloading dock that kept me waiting I parked and climbed out of the

cab to stretch my legs under the harsh fluorescent lights I spotted a familiar blue coverall it was Alara leaning against a stack of crates she looked exhausted Ed Shadows Etched beneath her eyes when she saw me that wide smile spread across her face so we meet again she said vo light almost teasing it should have been a friendly greeting but it set off every alarm Bell in my head my heart thrummed a steady beat of fear as she approached something was very wrong I didn't know what but an instinct deep in my good screamed at

me to run sorry I blurted out fumbling for an excuse got to check something in the cab I turned And walked toward my truck my Pace quickening I could feel her eyes on me her foot steps a silent Pursuit I scrambled into the cab and slammed the door locking it just as her hand hit the handle she peered through the window her smile twisting into something else cold old and calculating Panic surged through me as I fumbled with the keys my fingers clumsy against the ignition my truck roared to life she stood there in the

rearview Mirror illuminated by my reversing lights her eyes locked onto mine a flicker of Rage replacing the vacant smile for a split second I saw it not in her eyes but behind them a darkness that chilled me to the bone I floored the gas pedal leaving aara a speck of dust covered Blue in the distance I didn't stop driving until I crossed the state line the next few days were a blur of sleepless nights caffeine fueled paranoia and frantic glances in the Rearview mirror any vehicle that remotely resembled A semi-truck send my heart pounding a

frantic tattoo against my ribs sleep when it did come was tormented by nightmares where Lara's face twisted and malevolent haunted my every step that hitchhiker girl had burrowed under my skin an infection of pure fear I knew I couldn't keep running forever my Halls still needed to get delivered bills needed to get paid and besides logic told me I was probably Overreacting but I decided to change up my route instead of of cutting back across the Southwest I headed north from California aiming to loop back East through Oregon and The Dakotas it would add days

to my journey but the vast empty spaces of the northern states felt like relative safety I was wrong my sense of security turned out to be an illusion shattered one icy afternoon somewhere in Montana I'd pulled into a truck stop for a Refill The Frigid wind wind biting through me even as I pumped diesel just as I was about to head back inside I froze parked in a far corner of the lot half hidden behind a row of tankers was a rig that made my blood run cold it was an old freight liner battered and

Faded with a layer of grime that spoke of countless cross country miles but it wasn't the rig itself that sent shivers down my spine it was the figure standing beside it a tall hulking man with a Shock of dark hair and a beard that couldn't hide the sharp angle of his jaw he was dressed in faded jeans and a stained denim jacket a trucker just like me but when he turned and looked toward me the jolt of recognition was undeniable it was him the man from the sketch he didn't smile just stared at me with

eyes as flat and cold as the winter Sky I felt the world tilt this was no longer coincidence no overactive imagination I was being hunted and from The way that hulking figure moved towards me catlike and calculated I understood I was the prey scrambling back into my truck I fumbled with the ignition my rig sputtered into life I slamed into gear tires spinning out on the icy lot I didn't know where to go only that I had to get away he moved with startling speed for a big guy easily keeping Pace with the slow acceleration

of my Clumsy rig I ran through a snow drift narrowly missing a Baffled minivan a terrified scream lost in the Roar of my engine the man was reaching for my door handle frantically I threw the truck into reverse barely avoiding crushing him against the concrete curb I could see his face in the side mirror contorted in Fury he wasn't giving up my hand Shook on the wheel as I wrenched the vehicle forward once again a sense of hopeless desperation settling deep within me what followed was a terrifying Chase Across The Bleak Montana landscape my semi

wasn't built for Speed or agility but I pushed it ignoring the protesting groans of the engine the Relentless Man in The Battered freight liner didn't fall far behind I don't know how long it lasted only that the world narrowed to The Battered stretch of highway ahead the icy wind whipping past my window and the constant presence of my pursuer it ended not with a bang but a siging Lurch a Patch of black eyes sent my rig kening out of control the last thing I remember before the world dissolved into a chaotic swirl of snow and

metal was the hulking man's face reflected in my windshield a cruel mask of Triumph they found my wreckage a day later over returned in a ravine me I was lucky busted ribs a fractured arm a concussion that left my head ringing for weeks but alive the other trucker was never found The cops chalked it up to him losing control on the ice just another Trucking accident they never believed my story about the Relentless Pursuit the man whose face was etched into my nightmares I've never forgotten the look in those cold eyes they told me a

simple truth some evils out there were human faces it took me months to get behind the wheel of a truck again I still drive Long Haul but something in me was irrevocably Changed that day I take fewer risks trust far less and I always always watch my back the news reports pop up from time to time unsolved disappearances truckers going missing sometimes a body is found sometimes not each time a wave of icy dread washes over me because I know maybe they don't believe me but I know what's out there hunting those lonely stretches of

open Highway and I pray I never cross its path Again my name is Jared and this happened to me in the spring of 1992 I wasn't new to trucking then had a few years of long Halls already eating up the miles beneath my wheels but that experience did nothing to prepare me for what would unfold on the highways of Nevada it's funny how the mind clings to the most trivial of details when everything's about to go horribly wrong I remember I was hauling a load of machine parts from Sacramento to Phoenix I was behind schedule

pushing hard to make my deadline I also remember being frustrated by a slow leak in one of the trailer tires IM me and unplanned stops somewhere out in the middle of that desolate stretch of desert to patch the thing it was just past dusk as I pulled off the I80 the sky Ablaze with purple and orange Hues that seemed to stretch on forever the truck stop was one of those old school places little more than a gas pump a repair garage and A Dusty gravel lot not exactly inviting but it would have to do I

just finished inspecting the Leaky Tire when a beat up Chevy van rattled its way onto the lot it parked a few spaces down close enough that I could make out the mismatched body panels and the cracked windshield taped along one Edge I glanced at it out of habit then went back to work moments later the van door creeped open my first thought was it was another driver checking the tire pressure before Heading back on the road but something prickled the back of my neck I looked up and saw him he was tall easily 6 and

1/2 ft maybe more The Fading light made it hard to make out his features but there was a leanness to him a raw bone kind of strength that had nothing to do with muscle bulk he wore faded patched up jeans and a denim work shirt his hair was dark and long the bottom tangled up with a beard that looked like it hadn't seen a razor in months what I remember Most vividly about him were his eyes deep set beneath a heavy brow they were an icy blue but more than the color it was the look

in them that made me uneasy and unnerving Stillness like a predator locking onto its prey he stood completely motionless staring at me not with any overt malice but with a cold analytical Detachment that was more unsettling my usual friendliness faded replaced with a gnawing instinct to get As far away from this guy as I could I grabbed my wrench fumbling it in my nervous haste just fixing a flat I muttered my voice sounding too loud in the Stillness he didn't reply he simply turned climbed into the van and drove off disappearing into the thickening dusk

I watched him go feeling a sense of relief so profound I almost laughed at my own foolishness yet even as I told myself it Was nothing some Primal part of me was screaming a silent warning over the next few hours I kept seeing the Chevy van at first it seemed coincidental I'd pass it pulled over on the side of the road and unnervingly familiar shape amongst the countless other vehicles speeding past then I'd see it behind me in my rearview mirror only to vanish when I turned my head to look my rational mind fought to

explain away each sighting it was a common Enough fan and this was the main artery through Nevada of course I'd see it more than once but as night fell and fatigue noded at my brain The Logical explanations grew less convincing I tried calling it in trucker lingo warning others via CB radio about a potentially dangerous driver on the road but something stopped me something about this didn't feel like a case of road rage or even someone driving Intoxicated there was something calculated and intentional in the way the van kept appearing and disappearing this wasn't a

coincidence it was a stalker there's a particular type of fear that lives inside a trucker's Soul the fear of those desolate stretches of Road the vulnerability of an isolated rig breaking down with miles of emptiness all around that fear was flooding through my system fueled by the Relentless presence of that Chevy van I knew I could call the cops but out here who knew how long it would take them to arrive I was on my own as midnight passed and the world blurred into the endless repetition of the white lines on the road a plan

started to form in my head there was another truck stop ahead a bigger place with a motel attached and usually a few truckers Milling around even in the we hours maybe if I could just get there my Knuckles achd from Gripping the steering wheel too tightly my eyes straining through the darkness every time those headlights fli flickered in the rearview mirror my heart would take a sickening leap he was playing with me now appearing just close enough to keep the terror fresh I swore I could feel those cold eyes fixated on me once more when

the neon sign announcing the truck stop finally pierced the darkness a wave of relief so sharp it was almost painful washed over Me I visualized the plan like I'd done a thousand pre-trip inspections pull in quickly cut the engine Rush inside with any luck my stalker would lose me in the Maze of parked rigs or mistake mine for one already abandoned for the night it was a desperate gamble but it was the only shot I had the exit for the truck stop loomed ahead I eased off the gas a surge of adrenaline both fueling me

and making my hands tremble the headlights in my rear view stay a Steady distance behind so far so good I pulled into the vast lot scanning for a spot closer to the entrance but in a stroke of cruel luck it was mostly empty tonight I circled until I found a semi half hidden behind a tanker truck not ideal but it would have to do I slammed on the brakes throwing the rig into park even before it had come to a full stop I tore open the door and scrambled down every Instinct screaming at me to

run the lights of the truck stops seemed Agonizingly far away then I heard it the distinctive rattle of that Van's engine he was somewhere close just out of sight Panic clawed at my throat I broke into a Sprint my legs burning chest heaving just as I reached the door a blinding pair of headlights swung around one of the tankers Illuminating me like a cornered animal the Chevy van he'd cut me off I stumbled backwards the world tilting into a nightmarish blur the van door opened the tall figure stepped out His silhouette cutting an imposing Shadow

against the harsh lights there was nowhere left to run No Escape from the look in his eyes that cold predatory gleam I fumbled for a weapon anything the wrench was still back in the cab useless now a wild notion of fighting back using sheer surprise and Desperation to my advantage flared and died as quickly as it came there was something almost inhuman in the Stillness emanating from the man some Terrifying certainty that made resistance pointless he started walking towards me a slow unhurried pace like an executioner approaching The Condemned my mouth opened in a Silent

Scream my legs refusing to obey I was trapped not just physically but by an overwhelming sense of inevitability somewhere in the distance a voice yelled another trucker arriving at the stop unaware of the horror Unfolding before him a flicker of Hope ignited in me if I could just make a commotion I found my voice a horse yelled tearing from my throat help somebody help The Tall Man didn't break stride he wasn't concerned and in that terrifying realization I knew why here in the vast emptiness of the desert night no one would Hear My Cries then

just as despair threatened to sweep me away I heard the truck not my own but the growl of a powerful diesel Engine headlights cut through the lot and I saw a Peterbilt pulling up behind the Chevy van my heart surged another trucker a potential Lifeline but the Hope imploded as quickly as it arrived the trucker climbed out of his rig not with the concerned haste of someone alerted to a cry for help but with a lazy stretch and a yawn oblivious this time when I screamed the sound was raw A desperate animalistic Sound stripped of

all rationality the trucker finally seemed to notice me his expression shifting from Sleepy confusion to alarm the tall figure stopped a few feet in front of me his movements were fluid efficient despite his large frame there was a flash of something in his hand a gleam of metal in the truck stop lights a length of Rusty pipe then the world narrowed down to that battered weapon raised in the air the inevitability of Its descent and the sudden earsplitting Roar of the Peterbilts horn blaring directly behind him the tall figure flinched not in fear but in

Surprise it was just a split second A disruption of his lethal Rhythm but it was enough my surv Ral Instinct dormant for too long surged to life I lunged to the side as that rusted pipe swung down missing my head by inches I stumbled sprawling onto the dusty pavement but I was already scrambling to my feet the Trucker from the Peterbilt was yelling half confused half outraged the sudden commotion had disrupted the quiet of the night thrown an unexpected wrench into The Tall Man 's carefully orchestrated plan he Whirled on the trucker his face twisting

in a flash of Fury the man was fast shockingly agile for his size as he charged the unexpected obstacle I stumbled backward my pulse a frantic drum beat in my ears what happened next Remains a blur of violence and noise I remember the trucker a Burly guy named Hank I learned later fumbling with something by his belt there was a flash of Steel a guttural roar followed by the sharp crack of gunfire the tall figure jerked his body spasming uncontrollably he looked at me then his eyes wide with surprise almost comical in contrast to the

chilling Stillness from before there was a blooming stain of dark red on his denim shirt spreading Rapidly the rust pipe clattered to the ground followed a moment later by him his body collapsing with a heavy thud I don't recall the moments that followed my body moved on autopilot my brain a shattered fragment of Terror and disbelief there were more shouts other drivers emerging from their cabs someone called the cops someone else was checking Hank for injuries there was a whale of sirens and the whole world World tilted into a Swirl of flashing blue and red

lights the aftermath F surreal weeks of statements interrogations being thrust under the harsh Spotlight of Investigation as both victim and witness the incident didn't fit neatly into any box it wasn't a simple road rage case my description of the man of his relentlessness raised eyebrows and whispered suggestions I must be true traumatized overreacting the cops did their due Diligence checked the van ran the plates dug into missing person databases they found nothing no identification on the man no matching reports of anyone resembling his description my stalker was a ghost appearing from nowhere Vanishing just as

quickly leaving only a trail of blood and unanswerable questions but here's the thing about fear it isn't logical and it doesn't vanish just because the initial threat is gone I never went back To Long Haul Trucking the open road that was once my livelihood became a place of lurking shadows and endless stretches of vulnerability nightmares followed me Relentless as any Highway filled with the Phantom rattle of that Chevy van and the icy stare of its driver I got a job driving delivery in the city shorter routs more people the illusion of safety in numbers but

even on crowded city streets I could never shake the feeling that I was being watched Every Tall Stranger every pair of eyes lingering a second too long would send a sickening wave of adrenaline crashing through me they called it PTSD the doctors with their furrowed brows and concerned nods gave me some medication told me to talk it out in therapy but what kind of therapy helps when you're therapist with all their well-meaning advice has never looked into the eyes of a Relentless killer never felt the cold certainty that you are the hunted and There is

nowhere safe to hide years passed a slow blur of sleepless nights and Relentless anxieties the story of the trucker who killed the mysterious stalker on a lonely desert road became a kind of cautionary tale whispered between drivers at greasy diners and fading truck stop bulletin boards but I was never just a story I was the one who lived it who carries the scars invisible beneath my skin my attacker may have Been a ghost to the authorities but to me he remains terrifyingly real one day the cops told me he might slip up they might find

a match give him a name I wait for that day not with any hope for justice but with a kind of grim satisfaction to finally have a name to attach to the face in my nightmares a concrete detail to ground the lingering horror some days I almost Endy the man who ended that night with a bullet ignorance of the lingering Darkness Would be a blessing but Hank with his Gruff voice and kind eyes he didn't say my life he simply traded one kind of hell for another a NeverEnding Journey on a road paved with fear

where the destination is forever Out Of Reach my name is Dalton and this happened to me in the spring of 2014 I'd been a trucker for almost a decade by then crisscrossing the country in my freight liner I was married back then had a daughter in elementary school The long hours were rough but the pay was decent and I had that Trucker's Pride that sense of being able to handle the highway the Solitude and myself looking back maybe I was a little too cocky too sure of myself it made what came after so much worse

I was hauling a load of electronics down from Oregon towards California it was a smooth run at first nothing out of the ordinary the weather was clear the roads weren't too Congested and I figured on making good time I got a late start the night before so I was running a little behind schedule that feeling of needing to push harder shave a few hours off sometimes that gets its hooks in you and judgment flies out the window it was just past midnight when I started noticing the pickup truck it was one of those old bead

up Ford models faded blue paint rust patches and a cracked windshield had to be at least 20 years Old it materialized behind me out of the darkness then hung back keeping a steady distance I figured some local driver trying to get home in a hurry and didn't pay it much heat but a few miles later it was still there that's when the first prickle of unease went down my spine I tapped the brakes subtly slowing down the pickup reacted instantly mimicking my move to stay in its self-imposed position behind me I tried speeding up but

it matched my Pace With a stubborn Precision now the unease was turning into suspicion I reached for my CB radio flipping through frequencies before calling out a warning to other Travelers heads up folks got a blue Ford pickup might be driving impaired be wary if you see him only silence crackled back no other driver responded a chill ran through Me Maybe my CB was on the fritz I tapped it fiddled with the knobs nothing now there was outright fear Mixing in with the adrenaline I tried calling my wife on myself cell but there was no

signal out here in the remote stretch of I5 I was alone and whoever was driving that pickup knew it I kept driving pushing my engine harder desperately hoping I could out distance them but the pickup clung to me like a leech it was a terrifying game now me desperately trying to break free and the predator in my rearview mirror matching my every Move the logical voice inside me screamed that this was beyond weird that I should pull over and call the cops but something Primal kept me going running seemed to hold a sliver more hope

than being a helpless sitting Target at some desolate roadside my exit for the next rest stop was coming up in about 10 miles my mind raced trying to plan some kind of a escaped route but it was hard to think straight with the Roar of my engine and The Frantic thuing of my heart all pounding in my ears just as the exit ramp became visible the pickup made its move it swerved suddenly towards my rig I heard the squeal of tires the sickening crunch of metal the impact sent a jolt through my trailer making it

swerve wildly I fought for control Knuckles w on the steering wheel barely managing to keep the massive rig from Jack knifing the pickup peeled off taking the exit ramp and disappearing Once again into the velvety Darkness I pulled over my whole body trembling as I inspected the damage the side of my trailer was dented in a long angry gash marking the impact but at least I could still drive I didn't wait to make a police report or explained to my dispatcher what went down I got back on the highway the image of the pickup burning

into my retinas I knew they'd be back the question was when and what the hell Would they do next I made it to the rest stop just as the first streaks of dawn began painting The Horizon the relief I felt was like a physical weight being lifted and with it came a crushing wave of exhaustion I knew I couldn't go on without sleep but the thought of closing my eyes of being vulnerable was even more terrifying than staying awake I compromised by grabbing a few hours of fitful sleep in the driver's seat waking every time

the slightest noise Disturbed The parking lot the sun was high in the sky by the time I pulled back onto the highway it felt like the entire world had changed into some Twisted hunting ground and I was the prey I called into my dispatcher mumbling some excuse about a mechanical issue and a delay at the rest stop I felt a surge of guilt at the lie but I was beyond caring I had to focus on getting to my destination alive as the miles blurred under my wheels dread noded away at me every car that Passed

every truck that rumbled alongside sent my pulse racing I kept a constant eye on my mirrors expecting to see that faded blue pickup reappear I'd skin the passing roadside my nerves screaming at me that they were out there waiting for the opportune moment to attack again the paranoia was all consuming there was no more rational thought no plan just the Primal instinct to protect myself at all costs I pulled off at a gas station a dingy little Place just outside of Baker's field my hand shook so badly I could barely operate the fuel nozzle the

gas station attendant a wiry older guy with a faded tattoo on his arm looked at me with a mix of concern and skepticism you okay buddy you look like you've seen a ghost I wanted to tell him everything to plead for help but how do you explain the Relentless Terror of a Relentless stalker you've bared L even seen before I could find the words I Heard the truck's engine a deep throaty growl that sent shock waves through me even before the vehicle came into view the pickup pulled up next to mine the driver's side window

rolled down revealing a man I'd never seen before he was somewhere in his 50s I guessed with a thick shock of gray hair and a face creased by years of hard living his eyes were a startling pale blue cold and distant like ice chips those eyes stared straight at me seeming to bore through My skull Terror made me bold I strowed up to the pickup forcing myself to meet his gaze what the hell do you want I yelled my voice horar with fear and Desperation for a long tense Moment The Man simply stared his expression

unreadable then a thin cruel smile spread across his face I just wanted to make sure you're okay he said his voice raspy barely above a whisper we had ourselves a little incident last night didn't we the cold realization that this Was The Man Behind the Relentless Pursuit washed over me my hands fisted I wanted to lash out to hurt him but some part of me knew it would be like punching a phantom he held all the power the man must have seen the fear and the fury Waring in my eyes he chuckled a dry humorless

sound better get back to your delivery son drive safe he said a mocking little to his voice and then he was gone pulling away from the station disappearing into The flow of traffic I stood there Tremors running through me and realized the horrible truth they were letting me go they could have forced me off the road killed me back there in the dark isolation of the highway but they didn't instead they made their presence known made sure I knew they were in control it was a power play a sick promise of more terror to come

and I had no way out I somehow managed to finish the delivery driving like a man possessed my Dispatcher demanded explanations but I simply told him I'd quit I left my rig where it was hitched a ride to the nearest bus station and went home to my wife and kid with a flimsy tale about needing a break it's been years since that day but the aftermath hasn't faded I never got back behind the wheel of a truck turns out some fears burrow too deep to overcome most days my life seems normal enough I work a

warehouse job now surrounded by people by solid walls and Regular hours it's a small life compared to the freedom of the open road but it's a life yet every time I drive down an isolated stretch of highway a shiver runs down my spine every old faded blue pickup sends my pulse into overdrive my wife thinks it's just anxieties and maybe she's right maybe this is what happens when you cheat death you walk around forever haunted by its shadow I tried to find out who that man was why they targeted me nothing turned up it's Like

he never existed I skin the news sometimes half expecting to read about a trucker getting run off the road or disappearing Without a Trace I I both fear it and long for it some proof that I wasn't crazy that the evil out there has a name even if I'll never know it Some Nights the nightmares are still Vivid I'm behind the wheel the Roar of the engine my only company and that Relentless pickup filling my mirror I wake up in a cold sweat my wife stirring Beside me casting me a worried look I can't fully

explain there's a Darkness I carry a weit made of unseen threats and Whispers from empty highways and I know deep down it will never leave me the hunter is out there somewhere and the only way this story ends is when they decide it's time my name is Wes and this happened to me in the fall of 2006 I'd been driving trucks since I left the military long hauls mainly a Mix of loneliness and a kind of mechanical Freedom that suited me just fine I had a wife in those years Sarah and we were hoping to

start a family the miles ate up my nights but the paychecks bought us a little house in the suburbs the promise of normaly I told myself it was worth it I usually ran between the Midwest and the East Coast this time though my route would take me down south a load of textiles Bound for a factory near Savannah weather was warm for October the air thick with the last drags of Summer I didn't mind the heat better than the icy blasts of a northern winter any day the first night on the road I pulled into

a truck stopped somewhere in Tennessee it was one of those independent places not part of a big chain run down and a little grimy but with decent food I parked my Volvo rig in the massive lot filled with the hulking shapes of semis grabbed my bag And headed for the diner inside it was the usual mix of Road weary drivers grease stained overalls and weary waitresses dishing out coffee refills I grabbed a stool at the empty counter and ordered a double cheeseburger as I waited for my food I noticed the figure out of the corner

of my eye at first I assumed it was just another trucker but something in the man's Stillness the way he held himself made me take a closer look he wasn't Young probably in his early 60s I guessed he had a weathered face with deeply etched lines a thick head of salt and pepper hair and a kind of faded denim jacket too worn to have been bought in recent memory yet his eyes were startlingly Vivid a bright I he blue that seemed strangely out of place on his aged face he sat hunched over a coffee nursing

the mug but not drinking from it and he was staring at me not in a threatening way But with an intensity that made my skin crawl I looked away busying myself with unfolding the crumpled napkin on the counter but I could feel those eyes boring into me an unnerving prickling sensation on the back of my neck I fidgeted my burger suddenly losing its appeal who was this guy maybe just some old Drifter passing through hitching rides from truck to truck but something about the Relentless intensity of his stare was offputting I finished my food Quickly

paid the C cashier and all but ran back out to my truck the parking lot lights cast long distorted Shadows I scanned a lot some Primal Instinct screaming at me to look for that solitary figure in the faded denim jacket and those unblinking eyes he was nowhere to be seen relief flooded through me mingled with a jolt of self-mockery for being spooked by some old loner I Shrugged off the unease climbed into my cab and pulled out of The lot merging into the Relentless flow of the interstate yet the image of his Relentless stare lingered

that night when I finally pulled over to catch a few hours of sleep I double checked that my doors were locked the sense of vulnerability sharp and unsettling in the morning the light of day washed away the previous night's Jitters I passed it off as one of those Rand Random Encounters that stick in Your mind for reasons you can't fully explain but then he reappeared about 2 days later at a rest stop along I 75 I couldn't believe it at first the feeling was like some sort of waking nightmare Deja viu there he was leaning

against a battered pickup truck in the far corner of the lot those distinctive blue eyes watching my every move Panic flared in inside me sharp as a fire alarm now it was more than Coincidence this guy was following me questions hammered in my head why was he connected to the company some rival driver trying to play Mind Games he didn't look the part maybe he was one of those creeps praying on truckers I didn't want to find out I got back in my truck and took off off my heart pounding A desperate Rhythm there was

a phone booth at the rest stop entrance but the idea of stopping felt like inviting disaster the cell phone Reception out here was spotty at best I drove for hours fear and adrenaline fueling my speed I tried to figure out my next move but my thoughts were a chaotic jumble as daylight turned to dusk I knew I'd have to stop for the night I chose a big wellet truck stop on the outskirts of Atlanta maybe just maybe he'd lost my trail in the traffic I could only hope I pulled in as inconspicuously as possible Parking

at the far end of the lot and spent the evening scanning the crowds around me jumping at every flicker of faded blue the following morning I hit the road early I avoided the main truck stop down din ER instead grabbing a cold breakfast sandwich and a coffee from the convenience store before heading back on the highway I kept glancing in my rearview mirror half expecting to see him reappear but the miles stretched on without Incident I began to relax just a little maybe I'd managed to slip away from him during the Atlanta Rush by late

afternoon I was closing in on my destination the relief washing over me was nearly overwhelming that's when I saw him again he was driving a nondescript gray sedan cruising on the shoulder seemingly waiting the feeling wasn't relief this time it was a sickening drop of dread as I approached he merged into traffic Maintaining a steady distance behind me my exit was coming up in a few miles and my mind raced trying to plan some kind kind of Escape Route should I go off the route try to get lost on side roads alert the company the

thought of calling Sarah filled me with an unexpected stab of guilt how could I explain any of this to her without causing worry I took my exit and he followed mirroring my every turn the factory and its attached Warehouse loomed ahead Panic began to Override logic I couldn't lead him to the delivery point but where else could I go on a whim I turned down a side road just before the factory it was a narrow stretch flanked by fields and a few scattered sheds storing what looked like farm equipment I drove for about 10 minutes

my heart thuing against my ribs finally I approached a clearing in an abandoned looking Barn this would have to do I pulled my truck to a halt in the overgrown field and swung myself out the Cab he was nowhere in sight likely blocked from view by a bend in the road my Escape Plan was almost comically flawed but I was Beyond Reason thinking I bolted inside the barn its interior dim and Dusty there were old bales of hay stacked against one wall desperation led me a burst of frantic strength and I started shoving them creating

a makeshift hiding spot a clattering sound outside announced his arrival I scrambled into the crude shelter and Crouched down pulling bales of hay to mask my presence through a gap in the rotting wood I could see him he had gotten out of his sedan and was walking towards the barn those blue eyes scanning the landscape my breath caught in my throat it was only a matter of time before he came inside he pushed the barn door open and it creaked ominously his shadow fell across the dirt floor as he stepped Inside he didn't walk far

in but stood just inside the threshold as if sensing a change in the air my heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it I pressed myself further into my hiding spot a long moment stretched out out pregnant with tension he was so close I could smell the faint scent of stale tobacco and something like machine oil then he spoke his voice a low rasp surprisingly gentle for his rough appearance come on out son we need to Talk the gentleness in his voice was more terrifying than any outright threat it was the voice

of a predator coaxing its prey I knew right then that there was no Escape he knew I was here and some terrifying Instinct inside him took pleasure in the Hunter's game he was playing look I don't know who you are or what you want I called out my voice horse I shoved a bail of hay aside emerging from my hiding spot he didn't Flinch just met my eyes with that same Icy stare my name is Randall he said simply your name Wesley right a chill ran through me he knew my name how I started to

ask but he cut me off that doesn't matter now what matters is you made a big mistake a mistake that might cost someone their life his voice was chillingly calm sending a shiver down my spine what are you talking about I asked dread and Ang anger mixing inside me about 2 weeks ago Randall continued Ignoring my question you were up north a town in Pennsylvania don't recall the name now some little place off the highway and you hit someone my blood ran cold hit someone there was no I faltered the memory slamming into me in

a siing flash a dark stretch of Back Road headlights cutting through the rain a figure stumbling into my path the thud the sickening feeling that I'd hit something or someone blind panic had Seized me and I'd kept driving telling myself it had just been an animal a deer maybe the image of the figure crumpling against my windshield flashed and I felt sick he was drunk maybe on something stumbled right in your path but you didn't stop Randall said each word heavy with accusation you left him there badly hurt most like could be dead by now

I I didn't know I stammered but even to my own ears it sounded weak didn't know Didn't care randle's voice was harsh now laced with contempt he was my brother the barn spun around me it was so impossible so unreal that my brain refused to process it yet looking at Randall at those eyes that mirrored the same shade of blue as the figure in the rain soaked Darkness I couldn't deny the truth the realization brought on a crushing wave of guilt and self-loathing I wanted to argue to explain how terrified I'd been but some essential

Part of me knew it wouldn't matter a man was hurt maybe even dead and I was responsible Randall had tracked me down to exact his own brutal kind of Justice what are you going to do my voice sounded small even to my own ears funny you should ask that Randle reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy looking revolver he leveled it at me his hand disturbingly steady I've been thinking about that myself and I realized a fair punishment is only fair Wouldn't you agree I froze unable to process the Stark reality of the

situation everything was happening too fast the guilt the Revelation about his brother the gun pointed at my chest you left him on the side of the road Randle continued his tone flat that's what I'll do to you an eye for an eye as they say he walked towards me his footsteps seeming to Echo ominously in the bar silence I scrambled backwards until I hit the wall Panic seizing me my eyes Darted frantically around the barn searching for an Escape Route some weapon to defend myself but there was nothing I was trapped he stopped a few

feet away from me that gun train with lethal Precision any last words he asked a mocking inflection in his voice my mind raced A desperate jumble of half-formed thoughts I wanted to beg for mercy to apologize to somehow rewind time and undo the terrible events that led me Here but I knew it was useless Randall wasn't interested in please or excuses instead I closed my eyes eyes a wave of resignation washing over me in my mind I saw Sarah's face I saw the little house we bought filled with half formed dreams of a future that

now would never be tell Sarah I'm sorry I choked out my voice barely above a whisper and then I waited for The Gunshot that would end it all the silence stretched out a torturous beat followed by another when Nothing happened I cracked open my eyelids Randall was still there weapon raised but a flicker of something hesitation doubt maybe seemed to have passed over his features then as suddenly as he had appeared he lowered the weapon with a sigh get out his voice was surprisingly subdued laced with a weary heaviness go on before I changed my

damn mind I couldn't believe it a wave of Hope pierced through the despair but as I scrambled to my feet and rushed towards the exit I heard the click of the hammer being raised once more I spun back in time to see the gun pointed at me again his eyes were no longer filled with cold Fury but with a deep haunting sadness and tell everyone you know what kind of monster you are he said that's your true punishment live with it the gunshot echoed deafeningly inside the barn but the bullet wasn't meant for me I

watched In horror as Randall raised the gun to his head and pulled the trigger his body jerked then slumped lifelessly to the dirt floor I don't know how long I stood there staring at his body when I finally stumbled outside the world seemed to tilt on its axis I somehow managed to drive back to the highway finding my way to a gas station where I called the police my voice a horse whisper as I recounted the Grim events they came for me shortly after the investigation the Questioning the looks of disbelief mixed with pity it

all remains a blur In My Memory the news eventually reported it as a suicide a grief stricken brother unable to cope with the loss no man mention of the hit and run no mention of the near fatal retribution I narrowly escaped the aftermath is a never-ending burden I walked through life carrying the Unseen weight of two deaths the unknown figure on a Pennsylvania back road and the man who collapsed in that Desolate Barn I did turn myself in for the hidden run received a lenient sentence with consideration taken for my extreme distress but Tech technicalities

of the law don't absolve the guilt gnawing away at my soul I never went back to Long Haul Trucking I work in a warehouse now same company different job I drive home every night to Sarah whose concerned questions I deflect with half truths and forc smiles our dream of a family died that Day with Randall replaced by unspoken anxieties and hollowed out silences nightmares has plagued my sleep sometimes it's the rain slick Road the figure in my headlights other nights it's Randall those icy eyes fixated not on Revenge but on a despair so vast it

eclipsed his rage I wake up in a cold sweat Sarah stirring beside me the unspoken questions hanging heavy in the darkness some might say I got away with It but there are prisons far worse than barred cells and iron shackles mine is made of endless roads unblinking blue eyes and the knowledge that no matter how far I run there is never a true escape my name is deric and this happened to me in the spring of 2010 back then I was the definition of a long hauler spending more nights in my truck than in my

own bed I like the Restless life the everchanging scenery Besides paid better than most jobs I was qualified for that spring I was on a regular Run for the company nothing fancy just hauling furniture from the Carolinas out to Distributors on the west coast I was nearing the end of one particularly long leg some somewhere along the I40 in New Mexico it was late the highway mostly deserted just me and the glowing white lines for company that kind of isolation can play tricks on the mind so I was blasting the radio to Fight the creeping

fatigue that's when I saw it a hulking old Chevy pickup truck the kind they don't make anymore parked haphazardly on the shoulder a little ways up the road my first thought was that someone was broken down maybe I should stop offer a hand but something about the unnatural Stillness of the vehicle pricked at the back of my neck I kept driving but my eyes remained glued to the rearview mirror as I passed I caught a glimpse of the driver it was a Man and even in the dim glow of my tail lights I could make

out a few unsettling details the thick shock of greasy black hair the bushy beard and a pair of aviator sunglasses glinting in the darkness he didn't turn towards me but just kept staring Straight Ahead into the empty Highway a shiver ran through Me Maybe I was over tired the isolation getting to me but the whole scene had a wrongness that I couldn't shake miles turned into hours and gradually the Image of the pickup faded from my mind replaced by the the Relentless Rhythm of the road however around Dawn as I was pulling over at a

rest stop in Arizona I saw it again the same beat up Chevy parked at the far end of the lot he was sitting in the driver's seat un moving the appearance of that truck two states away should have been impossible but the sinking feeling in my gut told me it was very real there was only one explanation he had somehow gotten ahead of me but How and more importantly why I hesitated before going into the rest stop considering just getting back on the highway losing myself in the sprawling network of interstates but I was running

on fumes and so was my rig I refueled trying to convince myself it was all a coincidence yet when I went inside the rest stop Diner an uneasy prickling on my skin told me otherwise he was there sitting at a Booth near the window his gaze fixed on my truck outside his mirrored sunglasses obscured his eyes but I could sense his unwavering attention I grabbed a coffee to go paid the cashier without even glancing in his Direction and hurried back to my rig back on the highway the fear gnawing at me propelled me to push

harder but I knew it was only a matter of time until he caught up again sure enough the next time I pulled off for Gas there he was parked two pumps away this time he emerged from his truck a slow and chillingly deliberate movement he was tall easily 6 and 1/2 ft and lean in A wiry unsettling way his clothing was worn and Faded jeans a stained flannel shirt and a battered leather jacket but there was nothing vulnerable about his appearance there was a predatory intensity in his movements a controlled tension like a coiled snake

as he walked Towards my truck I fumbled for my phone 911 what's your emergency the operator's Voice crackled through the speaker there's this guy I think he's following me been tailing me for hours I blurted out trying to control the tremor in my voice can you describe him his vehicle I did my eyes never leaving his form he wasn't approaching yet just standing a few feet from the truck an unnerving silent presence the operator told me to stay Put that help was being dispatched to my location I tried to wait to keep the Terror at

Bay but every time I turned my head he moved a few steps closer that same Eerie silent approach fear exploded into fight or flight Instinct I couldn't wait I started the engine slammed my rig into gear and pulled out of the gas station cutting across multiple Lanes of traffic to re-enter the highway the blare of angry horns trailing after me panic had over it in Logic the rest of The day passed in a blur of desperate speed and non-stop GL glances in my rearview mirror I didn't see the Chevy but the knowledge that it was

out there somewhere its driver patiently biting his time filled me with a soul deep dread i' had never known before I tried changing my route detering from the main arteries of the interstate but it was feudal by Nightfall exhaustion was starting to catch up to me but I didn't dare stop I took side roads secondary Highways anything to avoid the predictability of the main routes at one point convinced I saw a flicker of those headlights gaining on me I pulled into a corn field smashing through the young stalks trying to lose him in the makeshift

maze it was desperation pure and simple and I knew it was pointless hours later as the first streaks of dawn were starting to paint the Horizon a flicker of movement in my side mirror caught my eye there he was Matching my speed his headlights cutting through the Twilight Gloom I took a sharp turn trying in vain to shake him off as I swerved past the small town I don't recall the exact moment the idea came to me nor how my terrified brain even formulated it there was an old abandoned Airfield just a few miles up

the road left over from world wore 2 days or something like that maybe if I could get the truck in there something about the desolate Landing strips the Overgrown crack tarmac offered a sliver of Hope in my desperation the Airfield was even worse than I remembered from passing by on previous runs the gates were rusted and hanging half off their hinges the guard shack was nothing but a crumbling ruin but I ran through not caring about about the damage it would inflict on my truck once on the tarmac I veered off the main strip driving

wildly across the overgrown Fields hoping to throw him off If he followed I saw his headlight swerve in response the Chevy matching my move this was Madness A desperate Chase in the pale light of dawn the old Airfield wasn't that large he'd find me eventually I needed a hiding spot something and then I saw it a half collapsed hanger towards the edge of the old Airfield a gamble nothing more but it was the only chance I had swerving the massive truck towards the hanger I braced myself for the impact the Rusted Doors shuttered under the

force but thankfully gave way the truck lurching inside I slammed on the brakes dust swirling up and blinding clouds my breath coming in rged gasps I waited the sound of the Chevy's engine came from somewhere outside he had stopped but only for a moment then the unmistakable crunch of tires on gravel and the Chevy was moving towards the dilapidated hanger I scrambled out of the truck and darted towards the back of the hanger a Pulse pounding in my temples there was an opening in the rear wall partially hidden behind overgrown weeds I squeezed through emerging

on the other side into thick scrub that bordered the Airfield maybe just maybe if I could lie low I could make a break for it once he gave up searching I crouch down doing my best to control my ragged breathing through the gaps in the bushes I saw the Chevy pull Up in front of the hanger the driver stepped out my heart pounded sickening ly in my chest he was walking towards the main entrance those mirrored sunglasses reflecting the strengthening daylight he entered the hanger and the silence that followed fell deafy minutes ticked by with

excruciating slowness I could picture him in there searching the vast dust filled space his Relentless footsteps echoing would he search the back on a hunch was my Escape Rude about to be discovered I didn't dare move barely dared breathe then I heard it the engine revving the crunch of tires as he maneuvered the Chevy out of the hanger and a moment later the receding noise as he drove away I don't know how long I waited there crouched in the bushes Paralyzed by the knowledge of how close I had come to to what I still couldn't

bring myself to think about in concrete terms slowly as the sun climbed higher in the Sky I got to my feet my movements stiff and trembling the aftermath of that night is a muddled blur I reported the incident to the state police they searched the area even questioned staff at a nearby Diner where the Chevy had apparently been seen multiple times according to Witnesses the description I gave matched the truck the man in the sunglasses the Eerie Stillness but they found nothing it was Like he vanished Into Thin Air I didn't go back to Long

Haul Trucking after that got a local route instead something with predictable hours well populated highways a chance to sleep in my own bed each night because you see even though they never found him I know he's still out there sometimes when a chill wind kicks up out of nowhere or the sun glint off a pair of sunglasses in a passing car I feel his eyes on me a silent Relentless threat hanging in the air It's funny the things that stay with you it's been over a decade and even now I avoid driving long stretches at

night I still check my mirrors every few minutes half expecting to see that old Chevy lurking even my wife bless her heart jokes that I should get those mirrored sunglasses for myself since I seem to be so fascinated by them she doesn't get it can't understand the way my skin crawls every time I see a Paar see the thing about fear is it lingers long after the Immediate danger passes I may have escaped that night at the abandoned Airfield but he trapped me in a different kind of prison one made of Shadows Whispers in the

wind and the unshakable knowledge that Darkness exists even in broad daylight sometimes disguise behind a pair of aviator sunglasses and there's no way of knowing where or when it might strike next my name is Ezekiel Barnes and this happened to me back in the fall of 2008 I've been a long haul trucker for most of my adult life it's a tough job lonely sometimes but there's a certain freedom to it you your rig and the Wide Open Road that's all a man needs right well that's what I used to think now now I'm not so

sure see the thing with long hauls is you end up in some out ofthe way places especially if you're chasing a tight deadline on this particular run I had a load of car parts one needed to deliver from Detroit all the way down to El Paso it was a long Trek and after my initial push to get out of Michigan I decided to break up the drive by taking a bit more of a scenic route that's how I found myself driving along Route 61 cutting straight through the heart of Mississippi the sun was dipping low

casting Long Shadows across the flat humid landscape it was cotton country dotted with small towns and the occasional abandoned Shack as I rolled along Gnawing on a gas station hot dog and swigging back lucor coffee I saw a sign for one of those towns wake Ross now I'm not one for deters usually but something about the name the way the setting sun made it Shimmer in the the distance it drew me in figured I could grab a bite of decent food maybe a shower and a bed for the night before getting back on the road

Way Cross turned out to be one of those places that time seems to have passed by sleepy Main Street a diner With faded neon and a Dusty motel that looked straight out of the 60s perfect for a tired trucker I told myself even as a little voice in the back of my had whispered that maybe there was a reason this town was off the beaten path the diner wasn't much to look at but the smell of frying bacon and grits was enough to make my stomach growl in agreement the place was mostly empty Sav for

an old guy hunched over the counter and a waitress who looked Like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world I slid into a booth ordered a cheeseburger and more coffee so just passing through the waitress asked her voice flat and a little suspicious yep I took a sweet of coffee long hul Detroit to El Paso she nodded her eyes flicking back towards the old guy who was now staring out the window he had the kind of face that looked carved from leathered wood creases so Deep you could hide a quarter in them you best

be careful around here at night he w asked his voice surprisingly loud in the quiet Diner there are things out there you don't want to see he turned his gaze to me his eyes glinting in the dim light I chuckled I'm a big guy sir not easily spooked besides what are you going to tell me ghosts Swamp Monsters the old man didn't smile he simply nodded once then turned turned Back to the window the waitress Shrugged at me a flicker of something like pity in her eyes I figured it was just small town talk that

kind meant to keep Out of Towners on their toes with my belly full and a fresh pot of coffee at my table I paid up and made my way back to the motel the room was straight out of a crime flick stained carpet flickering lights the faint scent of mold but I wasn't picky a shower and a bed were all I needed I Crashed on top of the scratchy bed spread figuring I'd get a few hours of shuy before hitting the road again in the pre-dawn darkness sleep didn't come easy between the unfamiliar sounds of

the old motel and the unsettling feeling that had crept over me at the diner my mind raced finally just as I was starting to drift off I heard it a scratching sound coming from the window I sat bolt upright my heart pounding there it was Again a skittering noise like fingernails on glass now fully alert I cautiously got up inching toward the window I Peak past the threadbear curtains the parking lot was bathed in the anemic glow of flickering flood lights it was empty except there was something crouching by my truck half obscured in Shadow

I couldn't make out a clear shape but it looked big and its movements were jerky and unnatural my first instinct was to grab My phone snap a picture but something held me back every fiber of my being screamed at me that this wasn't something I wanted proof of I watched Frozen in horror as the thing reared up on what looked like impossibly long legs its head turned revealing two glowing eyes fixed directly on my window I stumbled backwards tripping over my boots my heart pounding a frantic Rhythm against my ribs that thing whatever it was

knew I was here before I could Regain my footing the creature launched itself at my window it hit the glass with a thud that reverberated through the entire room leaving a web of cracks it shrieked a piercing inhuman sound and then just as suddenly as it came it was gone disappearing into the darkness beyond the parking lot shaking I backed away from the window my eyes wide in a Silent Scream there was no way I was sleeping here no way I was staying in this godforsaken town a minute longer I Scrambled to throw my stuff

into my duffel bag my hands trembling I was halfway out the door when I froze mid-step my truck taking a deep breath I slowly approached the window again and peered out the parking lot was still deserted but my truck my livelihood it wasn't how I had left it deep gouges marred the hood and the metal of the driver's side door warped outward like someone or something had tried to force its way in there were scratches trailing Across the roof inhumanly long and ragged I was breathing hard now Panic clawing at my throat I didn't stop

to consider the logistics just grabbed my bag and bolted towards my truck fumbling with the keys I wrenched the door open threw myself inside and locked it my whole body buzzing with Terror slamming it in gear I Gunn the engine gravel spitting up from beneath the tires and roared out of that Motel parking lot I didn't look Back my name's Marcus Logan and this happened to me back in the spring of 1997 I've been a trucker for longer than I care to admit seen my share of this country from behind the wheel of an 18wheeler

pays decent if you don't mind the loneliness and my rigs become a second home never been married no kids so it suits me just fine but after that night well let's just say the open road lost a little bit of its charm this particular run I was hauling a load of Electronics down from Seattle Bound for a warehouse in Phoenix usually I try to stick to the main interstates faster smoother ride but this time I figured why not switch things up a bit take a more scenic route maybe cut through some of that stunning Idaho

Wilderness it was a decision I'd come to regret the first day's Drive was uneventful thankfully I crossed the border into Idaho and found myself on a Twisty Tain Highway the kind that snakes its way through forgotten mountain towns and dense Pine forests late afternoon I pulled over at a truck stop Diner one of those faded relics that dot the back roads figured I'd grab a bite to eat and maybe catch a few Winks before pressing on the place was near empty just me the waitress and a grizzled looking Oldtimer nursing a cup of coffee at

the counter the waitress a woman named Betty with tired eyes and a kind smile took my Order asked the usual truck of questions where you headed what's the hall I made Small Talk tried to shake off the strange sense of unease that had crept over me as the sun had dipped below the mountains you be careful out there Betty said as she refilled my coffee there's stories about these roads especially at night I raised an eyebrow like what Bigfoot sightings she shook her head head a worried look on her face worse than that Folks gone

missing out on this highway truckers especially never a trace Left Behind the Oldtimer chimed in his voice raspy it ain't just talk son there's something in those woods something that don't like the passing of strangers now I'm not Superstitious by nature but there was something in their voices a sincerity that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up I finished my meal paid up and went back to my truck that unsettling feeling Lingering the sensible thing would have been to find a well at motel hold up for the night but I was

already behind schedule and the thought of losing more time irritated me besides what were the odds of anything bad actually happening I climbed into my rig fired up the engine and rolled back onto the highway night fell quickly in the mountains the headlights cut a narrow path through the darkness the trees looming like monstrous Shadows on either Side of the road I turned the radio off the silence amplifying the low Rumble of the engine and the creaks and groans of the cab my mind started playing tricks on me every rustle in the woods every flicker

of movement at the edge of my vision it sent chills down my spine then just as the tension was starting to get unbearable I saw it up ahead a figure standing in the middle of the road I slammed on the brakes the truck lurching violently my heart pounding it was tall Too tall for a man and stooped with incredibly long limbs as I got closer the headlights washed over it revealing skin stretch tight over bone like pale wrinkled leather but the worst part were the eyes they glowed in the darkness twin pinpricks of malevolent light

for one terrifying moment the creature and I locked eyes then with a screech that tore through the night it launched itself into the woods disappearing into the Blackness shaking I threw the truck In gear and sped off not daring to look in the rearview mirror I drove for what felt like hours my mind racing what the hell had I just seen some kind of animal a deformed person my rational brain struggled to make sense of it but deep down I knew there was no logical explanation finally as Dawn began to creep Over the Horizon I

spotted the flickering neon sign of a roadside Motel I pulled in barely able to control my Trembling Hands even the rundown room smelling faintly of mildew and stale smoke felt like a sanctuary I stripped off my clothes and fell into the lumpy bed but sleep wouldn't come every time I closed my eyes I saw that creature it's inhuman form burned into my memory I lay there staring at the cracked ceiling until the Rising Sun cast a faint glow through the dirty curtains Gathering my things I stumbled back to my truck I had to get Out

of there put as many miles as possible between myself and that stretch of haunted highway before I pulled out I went to find Betty the waitress needing some kind of reassurance an explanation anything but when I stepped into the diner it was empty equipment sat abandoned a half-eaten sandwich on the counter a cold shill washed over me I hurried back outside climbed into my rig and tore out of that forgotten Place driving South my mind couldn't shake the image of the deserted Diner I tried to convince myself Betty and the Oldtimer had simply packed up

and left sometime in the night but a terrible thought nagged at the back of my mind what if there was another explanation what if they weren't the first to vanish on that desolate Road and wouldn't be the last I stopped once for gas and a stale cup of gas station coffee I tried to strike up a Conversation with the cashier a young kid with a bad haircut and a vacant St when I asked him about the diner a few miles back he just Shrugged ain't no Diner round these parts he droned popping his gum never

has been I still stood there stunned my mouth moved but no words came out the kid's words hung in the air like a death sentence I paid for my gas went back to my truck and sat there for a long time trying to process what he'd said was This an elaborate prank some kind of mass hallucination I looked down at my hands still shaking slightly the memory of those burning eyes in the darkness was too Vivid too real to be dismissed with a heavy sigh I knew what I had to do I couldn't just drive

away forget what I'd seen whatever that thing was out there it posed a threat people were disappearing and it was only a matter of time before more vanished more Truckers like me I flipped open my phone hands fumbling with the unfamiliar touchcreen found the number for the the Idaho State Police and dialed the call took an eternity to connect when a Gruff voice finally answered I launched into my story my voice horse with urgency the dispatcher sounded skeptical at first and who could blame him my tale must have sounded like the ramblings of a sleep

deprived man man but as I describe the creature its inhuman features the Glowing eyes something in his tone shifted all right sir calm down he said his voice now edged with concern we've had reports of unusual sightings in that area stay put and I'll alert the nearest responders relief washed over me quickly followed by a fresh wave of panic how long would it take help to arrive and what would a couple of small town cops do against something like that I didn't have long to wait the whale of sirens reached my ears Growing louder with

each passing moment two state trooper cars screeched into the gas station parking lot tires squealing a pair of officers a man and a woman both young and broad-shouldered jumped out I approached them cautiously suddenly aware of how Wild I must look unshaven and wide-eyed they listen intently as I recounted my story their faces a mixture of concern and disbelief when I finished the female officer looked at her partner you Thinking what I'm thinking Jim he nodded grimly sounds a hell of a lot like the Miller case doesn't it I perked up Miller there was someone

else then the male Officer Jim shot me a pitying look a couple John and Sarah Miller drove a camper V down from Montana last fall heading to Vegas for their anniversary never made it van was found abandoned on the side of the highway smashed to hell like something big tore into it no sign of The Millers not a Trace horror washed over me so I wasn't the only one that thing had been out there h in for who knew how long we got to warn people I said my voice surgent close down that road Evacuate

the towns get the National Guard involved whatever it takes the female officer shook her head sadly it ain't that simple sir we tried that after the Millers since search parties helicopters The Works found nothing no tracks no evidence Ence nothing that would justify the Resources she paused then continued truth is most Folks up top think it's a hoax a local Legend to Spook tourists they won't act unless we have proof something concrete frustration and anger swelled within me so we just let people disappear let that creature keep hunting Jim gave me a sympathetic look look

look we ain't dismissing you but you got to understand our hands are tied we'll look into it Patrol the area more but without Hard evidence he trailed off unable to finish the thought I knew he was right there were cops Bound by protocol and the need for tangible proof but I'd seen that thing looked into its soulless eyes I knew the evil that lurked out there if it made me sick to think of it taking more innocent lives I gave the Troopers a description of the diner location and they promised to check it out as

part of their increased Patrols deep down I knew it was feudal the diner Betty the old they likely never existed just Phantoms conjured by that desolate place or perhaps by something even darker I thank the officers the words feeling Hollow they climbed back into their Cruisers and drove away leaving me alone with my chilling knowledge it was nearly noon by the time I pulled myself together enough to continue the drive I stuck to the interstate the wide lanes and steady Stream of traffic offering a semblance of safety but the image of that creature was seared

into my mind its presence a shadow that clung to me in the days and weeks that followed I I tried to go back to my old life to pretend like what I saw was just a bad dream but it was impossible every rustle in the night every strange shaped glimpsed out of the corner of my eye sent shivers of Terror down my spine I started carrying a gun A desperate measure that offered little Comfort I searched the internet obsessively looking for any mention of similar sightings any hint that I wasn't alone in this m Madness

there were Whispers fragments of stories scattered across message boards and local news sites Tales of missing Hunters abandoned vehicles and strange sightings deep in the woods enough to convince me that this was more than just isolated incident but nothing concrete enough to convince the Authorities the breaking point came a few months later I was at a truck stop in Nevada grabbing a lukew coffee when the news was on the TV above the bar a young reporter her face Grim was talking about a string of disappearances along a rural stretch of highway in Idaho my blood

ran cold it was the same stretch of road where I had my encounter they showed pictures of the victims a middle-aged hiker a family of four and another trucker a Burly guy with a Booming laugh who I used to see at rest stops a wave of nausea washed over me I stumbled outside gasping for air the world tilting around me I knew then it was over my life as I knew it was over haunted by guilt and Terror I quit my job sold my truck and drifted from place to place never staying anywhere for long

I avoid back roads travel mostly by bus or train always is looking over my shoulder Forever on the run from the monster in the Darkness my name is Dale Tucker and this happened to me back in the fall of 2012 been driving rigs longer than I like to think about crisscrossing this country more times than I can count it's a lonely life but it's all I know pays decent I'm My Own Boss most of the time and there's a certain piece to be found at night just you the hum of the engine and the endless

stretch of asphalt at least there used to be this particular route was new to me hauling a Shipment of industrial Machinery from a port in Oregon down to Los Angeles company wanted to save on fuel costs so instead of the interstate the whole way they had me charting a course through some Backcountry roads I wasn't thrilled mountain passes winding switchbacks not my favorite terrain especially in a rig this size but hey a job's a job first day went smooth enough weather was decent traffic light and the scenery in those parts of Oregon Breathtaking Emerald forests

snowcapped Peaks the kind of stuff they put on postcards made me think maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all Nightfall brought a change fog rolled in thick and fast the kind that clings and swirls making your headlights useless I slowed to a crawl nerves on edge these roads weren't built for an 18wheeler every curve was a blind Gamble and my gut Twisted with each grown in shift of my cargo then just when I Thought it couldn't get more treacherous my engine started sputtering damn thing coughed and wheezed threatening to die altogether I swore

pulling over to the narrow shoulder the fog pressed in around me obscuring everything more than a few feet away I popped the hood cursing my bad luck with my limited knowledge and even more limited tools I was unlikely to fix whatever the problem was out here self-service was non-existent of course I was starting to Weigh my options start walking and pray for a passing car or try to wait out the fog until morning when I heard it a rustling sound from the trees I froze the hairs on the back of my neck prickling this wasn't

animal noises too heavy too deliberate with trembling hands I reached for the hunting rifle I kept stashed under the seat just a precaution I'd always told myself never had to use it before the rustling stopped replaced by an eerie Silence every Instinct screamed at me to get back in the rig Drive the hell out of there broken engine or not but something held me back I crept towards the edge of the road rifle raised peering into the swirling fog that's when I saw them two eyes glowing faintly in the midst and possibly high off the

ground my breath hitched in a split second before the Creature lunged from the fog I caught a glimpse of its form hulking skeletal in humanly long legs Supporting a torso that was all siney muscle and taught corpse gray skin I fired A desperate reaction the rifle bucking against my shoulder the creature shrieked a bone chilling sound that pierced the night and then it was gone swallowed by the fog shaking I stumbled back to the truck slammed the door and locked it I huddled there rifle clutched in my wi knuckled hands waiting for it to attack

again but the only sounds were the pounding of my heart and the drip of Condensation inside the cab finally as Dawn broke casting a weak light that barely penetrated the fog I worked up the courage to peek outside there was no sign of the creature not even tracks despite the muddy ground I started the engine praying for it to catch to my mingled Terror and relief it sputtered to life I put that stretch of Oregon and that godforsaken creature in my rearview mirror as fast as I could but though I managed to deliver the shipment

battered Rig busted nerves and all I didn't tell a soul what happened told the dispatcher I'd hit a patch of black ice explained the mechanical trouble they grumbled docked my pay but I didn't care who would believe the truth anyway time didn't do much to dull the memory like I'd hoped the image of those burning eyes that in human shape haunted me I started drinking too much sleeping too little always jumping at Shadows then a few months later the news Reports started cropping up local papers small town websites all telling fragmented stories of strange disappearances

slaughtered livestock and sightings of some monstrous figure lurking in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest my blood ran cold it wasn't just me that thing was out there hunting I tried to warn people posted online in those Fringe message boards where folks talk about aliens and Cryptids and stuff no sane person takes Seriously I tried calling the cops but all I got were skeptical Chuckles and suggestions for a psych evaluation the gnawing guilt kept me up at night they dismissed me as a drunk a crank but I know what I saw people were going to

die and it would be my fault that's what prompted the last ditch effort I couldn't let more folks get hurt without doing everything in my power to stop it I quit my job trained my savings to buy equipment night vision Gear a better rifle a battered old van repainted in camouflage then I parked myself near one of those rural towns reporting sightings the waiting game began I spent my nights patrolling isolated back roads scanning to Darkness heart pounding like a war drum with every flicker of movement for weeks there was nothing but Eerie silence and

the growing certainty that I was losing my mind but then then it happened again it was a moonless night The air heavy with the promise of rain I was about ready to pack it in chalk it up to another dead end when I saw movement near the tree line that same hulking shape those impossibly long limbs my breath caught in my throat but this time I was ready I reached for the rifle flicked off the safety that thing was stalking something or someone in the dim glow of my night vision I made out a figure

huddled near some bushes a camper or maybe a lost hiker the creature Tensed muscles Rippling beneath its skin preparing to pounce I aimed squeezed the trigger and the Knight shattered with the blast of the rifle I fired again and again until my ears rang until the creature let out a piercing cry and disappeared into the inky Blackness of the woods I don't know if I hit it in the confusion amidst The Echoes of gunfire and the panicked rustling of the undergrowth I couldn't be sure what I do Know for certain is that I saved that

person out there that night whoever they were they scrambled away into the darkness probably scared senseless but alive the adrenaline coursed through me a mixture of exhilaration and sick dread I had faced the Monster again and I had survived but there was no feeling of victory I stumbled back to the van hands shaking violently I knew this wasn't over not by a long shot I'd fired a gun in the dead of night near a town already AB Buzz with talk of a mysterious creature it was only a matter of time before the police showed up

sure enough the flashing blue lights pierced the darkness Before Dawn I didn't resist when they hauled me in a trembling mess muttering about a monster in the woods the local sheriff a grizzled man named Cooper with eyes that had seen too much locked me in a Cell alternating between bewilderment and barely concealed pity my wild story told In panicked bursts made me sound delusional even to my own ears the next day however things took a turn a search party ventured into the woods where I'd had my encounter led by a reluctant Sheriff Cooper I didn't

hold out much hope whatever I'd shot at was long gone and physical evidence out in the wilderness is fleeting at Best Yet when Cooper returned there was a grim look on his face that made my stomach churn they didn't find any bodies human or Otherwise but they found something else tracks unlike any animal he'd ever encountered and enormous misshapen Footprints pressed deep into the mud and there was something else something that sent chills down Cooper's spine and turned what little color I had left to Ash they found blood not a lot just a few spatters

on the leaves the kind an injured creature might leave behind Cooper didn't arrest me instead he released me with a long considering look And a cryptic warning best you steer clear of these parts some things ain't meant for men to understand I took his advice ran like hell and never looked back the months that followed were a nightmare I was branded a local lunatic the crazy trucker who saw monsters lost what few friends I had couldn't hold down a job the haunted look in my eyes scaring off potential employers sleep became an impossible Lu y

every creaking floorboard the sound of Approaching clawed feet every flicker of Shadow the creature lurking in the darkness desperate I spent my dwindling cash seeeing therapists hoping to be diagnosed with some kind of trauma induced psychosis anything that might offer a path towards normaly they poked and proded at my fragile mind filled me with pills that did little to dull the terror that clung to my soul but I knew the truth horrible and Undeniable my shattered sanity was the only same response to an insane reality then came the news reports it started with missing livestock

again animals torn apart with brutal inexplicable Force sightings filtered through the media a blurry photograph from a hiker's phone a terrified eyewitness report on the local news and eventually the disappearances began again a lone Hunter vanished in the woods leaving no Trace but a half Eaten backpack a lone Fisherman's Boat was found abandoned on a remote Lake a smear of Blood on the side the only clue to his horrible Fate The Familiar pattern the one i' had witness the beginning of made the bitter truth crystal clear my warning shouts had heard it maybe even injured

it seriously but that creature that monstrous thing hadn't died out there I hadn't stopped it with the surge of gut-wrenching Nausea I realized something else my desperate attempt to protect others had done the very opposite instead of driving it away I'd merely driven it deeper into the Shadows that's when the nightmares truly began they weren't just fragmented flashes of the creatures form or Echo of its bone chilling shriek anymore they were Vivid excruciating visions of the victims of their final moments of Terror as they were hunted cornered and torn Apart by something out of Humanity's

darkest imaginings I'd wake up screaming soaked in sweat guilt and horror twisting my insides I knew then that there would be no escape from this not for me and not for the people living in the shadow of that Beast news of the killing stopped reaching me I drifted from place to place a ghost haunting the highways I once ruled a shell of the man I used to be I tried Disappearing entirely odd jobs under assumed names sleeping in homeless shelters blending into the Forgotten corners of society but it wouldn't leave me alone sometimes in the

dead of night as I lay shivering on a filthy cot I'd swear I could hear its ragged breathing smell the sickly sweet scent of its Rotting Flesh just outside the window it was toying with me I realized letting me know it was still out there still Hunting folks say insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results maybe they're right I'm back on the road behind the wheel of a beat up old truck another faceless Drifter trying to make a living but the cargo I haul Now isn't Machinery or Electronics The Battered van

that's both my transport and my home is filled with a different kind of Arsenal every back road I travel every isolated stretch of highway I search I search for the Creature and for the courage to face it again to end this nightmare once and for all even if it costs me my life my name's Marcus and this happened to me back in September of 2012 I was hauling a load of electronics down from Oregon to Southern California nothing special just another run on the I5 the usual blur of asphalt and caffeine been a trucker since

I left the Army like the travel the open road Not glamorous but it suited me I always preferred night shifts less traffic a cooler Drive I was rolling under a clear Desert Sky by the time I hit the Nevada border there's something about that stretch of highway a kind of lonely Beauty to it Stark mountains miles of Sagebrush a sky so wide you can almost feel the curve of the Earth tonight that isolation had a different flavor though an uneasy prickle at the back of my neck it wasn't the first time I'd felt that You

learned to trust your gut on the road especially after dark I eased off the gas a little put on some classic rock to try and shake the feeling off didn't help by the time I neared tonopa those mountains to the east were looking less picturesque and more well looming the radio reception was getting spotty flickering between stations with bursts of static I flipped it off the silence pressing in that's when I spotted The Hitchhiker now picking up hitchhikers Isn't exactly company policy and let's be honest the guys you see on the side of the road

in the dead of night usually aren't the type you invite into your cab but there was something about this one that felt different he was just a figure huddled by a highway sign barely visible in the glow of my headlights no backpack no odd props just a man standing very still my gut that same one that had been churning all night actually eased a little at the Sight of him like hey at least I'm not alone in this creepy emptiness anymore big mistake as I pulled up to the shoulder the first thing I registered was

the SM smell not like body odor not that kind of human Funk something worse metallic and rotten almost like spoiled meat left out in the sun I tried to ignore it opened the passenger door and leaned out need a lift The Hitchhiker turned towards me and the dim light of the dashboard Illuminated his face or what was left of it what I saw wasn't a face exactly L more like a torn up mess of skin flesh hanging in flaps revealing bone and Sen underneath one I was missing entirely the socket a gaping black hole the

other stared out at me wide and feral he didn't answer my question just let out a low rasping growl that didn't sound entirely human that smell got stronger and I finally pinpointed The Source a bundle wrapped in stained canvas held Tightly in his arms my gut wasn't just uneasy now it was screaming at me this wasn't a hitchhiker it was something else entirely sorry buddy I'm full up I slammed the door shut and shifted into gear gravel sprayed as my tires hit the asphalt I rised a look in the rearview mirror the figure was unnaturally

still a silhouette in the darkness and even from a distance I could see that one baleful eye was fixed On me I pushed the rig faster the speedometer creeping past the legal limit that rotting smell seemed to cling to the inside of the cab and the skin on my arms started to crawl up ahead a sign announced the next rest area was only 20 miles away maybe I could hold up there wait for daylight my head light swept across the road and caught something darting across the asphalt a hunched loping figure for one panicked moment

I thought it was my hitchhiker but this Creature was even more grotesque furless hairless skin stretch TD across a skeletal frame it looked half starved desperate then it turned towards the truck and I saw its face or more accurately its jaw did extended and filled with rows of needle likee teeth this wasn't a lone hitch hiker I had stumbled into a whole other kind of territory a place where things that should only exist in nightmares proud the desert I glanced again in the rear View the road behind was empty whatever that creature was it had

retreated into the Shadows but up ahead more movement flickered at the edge of the headlight beams another then another pale emaciated shapes all converging on the truck a pack the rest area was starting to feel less like a safe haven and more like a trap there was nowhere to run nowhere to hide these things they weren't natural I Wasn't even sure they were alive in the way we understand it then I saw it a glimmer of hope a few miles further fur down the highway there was an exit a dirt road disappearing into the scrub

it was a gamble but at this point anything was better than staying on the main road waiting for those creatures to surround me I swerved the truck kicking up a cloud of dust as I left the asphalt it was a rough ride Sage Brush scraping against the trailer but I didn't slow Down I had no idea where the dirt road LED but it had to be better than what was behind me the truck jolted along the bumpy road and I glanced nervously in the mirrors the shapes were still there for a while Eerie Silhouettes against

the Horizon but eventually they faded into the darkness either they'd given up or were waiting further ahead hoping to catch me by Surprise I kept the gas pedal pressed down the engine roaring in Defiance I had no idea how long I drove fear kept me going fear of what lay behind miles turned into a blur of Sage Brush and rock the dirt road narrowed winding through Dry gullies I didn't care get off the main Highway get somewhere those creatures wouldn't look that was all that mattered finally the land flattened out a little and up ahead

I saw a flicker of light a building maybe a Ranch an outpost any sign of civilization I pressed on Hope surging through my veins for the first time since I spotted that hitchhiker as I got closer disappointment clawed at my gut it wasn't a ranch it looked more like a dilapidated Shack cobbled together from old Lumber and rusted metal sheets a single yellow light flickered in the window still there was no way I was driving Another inch into the desert night this was it my only chance I pulled the truck to a stop outside the

shack cut the engine and the sudden silence was deafening The Silence of the desert at night isn't the same as silence in a town or a suburb it feels heavy like the world itself is holding its breath I took a shaky gulp of air grabbed a flashlight and a tire iron from under the seat and stepped outside as I approached the shack that same rotting Smell hit me the same false stench that had clung to The Hitchhiker my heart pounded in my chest this place seemed just as wrong as everything else out here tonight but

I didn't have a choice I had to find out if anyone was inside if there was a phone or maybe even another vehicle I could take I reached the flimsy wooden door the tire iron raised and ready taking a deep breath I pushed the door open it creaked on rusted hinges the Sound echoing into the darkness the stench was worse in here almost overwhelming mixed with the accurd Tang of gasoline I flicked on the flashlight the beam cutting into the Gloom what I saw made me freeze it wasn't a room it was a slaughter house

blood splatter covered the walls the dirt floor a mess of dark stains old tools butcher's knives bones saws hung from Hooks and there under the Harsh glare of the lone light bulb was a half-finished feast carcass remnants Animal Human I couldn't tell we're scattered across a rough table but I wasn't alone a figure crouched nearby hunched over a pile of raw meat tearing into it with shocking ferocity at first I thought it was another one of those hairless beasts I'd encountered on the road but as it lurched to its feet I saw the tattered remains

of clothing the hunched posture That was unmistakably human he was no different than the hitchhiker his face a mask of ravaged flesh his one remaining eye burning with Madness and he was staring right at me I didn't think just reacted swung the tire iron blindly more out of desperation than hope it connected with a sickening thud and he let out a roar that was part Pain part animalistic rage he scrambled towards me faster than I thought he could move I swung again but he was Relentless I stumbled back my foot catching on something and I

tumbled to the dirt floor the flashlight skittered away plunging me into darkness rough hands found me ripped the tire iron from my grasp I kicked out wildly heard a pain grunt but his grip was like iron then I heard a strange hissing sound and smelled gas sharp and choking a moment later the Mad hermit was outlined in a burst of orange as he struck a match the world erupted in flame I scrambled to my Feet blind panic giving me a surge of strength I pushed through a burst of heat towards the open door towards the

promise of the Cool Desert Air behind me the shack roared into an inferno I could just make out the man's burning silhouette writhing in agony before the roof collapsed in a shower of fiery SP box I stumbled out into the night my heart pounding A desperate tattoo against my ribs as the adrenaline faded pain bloomed my arm burned where he'd Grabbed me a sharp throb in my side suggested cracked ribs I stumbled to the truck fumbled the keys into the ignition and hit the gas it took hours before I hit a paved road again an

hour after that I finally saw a flat flashing sign announcing a gas station and Diner I pulled in my leg shaking so badly I could barely stand I don't remember much about talking to the cops the paramedics or the investigators that swarmed the area later just the shock the hollow Feeling in my chest that wasn't going to go away anytime soon they found the wreckage of my truck in the desert picked clean to the Bone nobody ever found the dirt road The Shack or any sign of the creatures I encountered that night officially it was

considered a hit and run they figured I ran into a trucker got into a fight they panicked and torched the rig a nice clean explanation to file away in a Dusty folder me I don't drive the Nevada Stretch anymore I took a desk job with the company dispatching other drivers who have no no idea the kind of Darkness I saw out there the kind of Darkness that could swallow a manhole sometimes I dream about that burning Shack about the ravaged face of the man who lived there his burning stare fixed on me they say truth

is Stranger Than Fiction after that night I know one truth for sure the real monsters they aren't always hiding in The shadows sometimes they walk right alongside Us in the harsh light of day my name is Kaden and this happened to me back in the fall of 2006 I'd been driving L haul for a good 5 years by then divorced no kids so there wasn't much keeping me tied down the open road yeah it gets lonely but it can also be freeing that particular stretch I was hauling a load of furniture from North Carolina up

to New York the Blue Ridge Parkway is supposed to be beautiful especially in Autumn they weren't kidding about the blue part those mountains seemed to melt into the Horizon a hazy layered tapestry of Blues and purples the crisp air that sharp smell of leaves starting to turn should have been a good run except I never made it to New York the trouble started just outside of Asheville there was a deter sign flashing up ahead some road construction scheduled way past normal Working hours nothing to do but take the alternate route a winding County Road that

cut through the mountains instead of the usual stretch of Interstate it added hours but I figured better late than never night fell while I was still deep in the Hills the headlights cutting through thick fog that rolled in thick and sudden I'd barely seen another car since ID turned off the forest looming close on either side of the two-lane road that's when The first animal darted out a deer a blur of white tail disappearing back into the trees I slammed the brakes the rig lurching to a halt heart still pounding I got out flashlight in

hand to check for damage just as well I did the fob muffled sound and I would have missed it if I hadn't been right up next to the truck but there it was a ragged rip in the tarp covering the back of the trailer something had clawed its way in my hands shook a little as I secured the Makeshift patched the best I could and forced myself back into the driver's seat whatever had done that that it was probably long gone now spooked by the truck or so I told myself The Logical rational part of

my brain was being drowned out by a rising sense of unease the radio was dead nothing but static and snatches of old gospel songs coming through the speakers I switched it off the silence pressing in up ahead a flicker of light Cut through the fog a gas station maybe a diner please let it be a diner I was starving and the thought of a greasy burger and strong coffee had suddenly become incredibly appealing but what I found as I got closer wasn't what I expected it was a house more of a cabin really a ramshackle

place with faded paint and a sagging porch a single dim bulb burned on the porch casting an uneven circle of light that barely broke through the Gloom still I saw lights on Inside I pulled up killed the engine and got out slowly every Instinct screaming at me to get back in the truck and drive but there was the Ragged hole in my trailer the cargo I had a responsibility to deliver and my rumbling stomach the place looked deserted but the front door was slightly a jar maybe this was one one of those places in the

middle of nowhere where everyone knows each other the kind where they don't bother locking up I approached cautiously calling out a Tentative hello the door creaked further open my heart sank I didn't like the looks of this liked it even less when a foul odor wafted out into the cool night air something sickly sweet and rotten like meat left out in the sun for too long and anybody home I tried again my voice a little more forceful the hairs of my arms started to prickle I should have gone with my gut turned around and found

a place to sleep in the truck till morning but some stubborn part of me Insisted on playing this out I was a grown man after all not easily spooked with flashlight raised I stepped through the doorway bracing myself for whatever was waiting inside the first thing that hit me was the heat it was stifling in there even with the front door open the second well that was worse the source of the stench became clear the minute the light beam swept across the far wall blood was smeared floor to ceiling dark dried out Smears fresh spatters

and there bone a pile of them in the corner stripped clean animal bones mostly but there were a couple that looked a little too big a little too human and in the center of it all a man at first all I could see was his back broad hunched shoulders straining against the tattered fabric of a dirty t-shirt he was focused on something in front of him something on the floor he Made a snuffling sound an eager wet noise that made the skin on the back of my neck crawl that's when he turned the human mind

isn't meant to process some sights this was one of them his face what was left of it wasn't the face of a man anymore it was a raw glistening mess the nose was gone entirely the cheeks ripped away the lips drawn back in a snow that exposed rows of jagged teeth his eyes one Milky and mind the other fixed on me with a terrible Intensity a low guttural growl rumbled in his throat a sound less Human Than beasts I didn't wait for him to attack I turned and ran stumbled through the open door the night

air suddenly freezing on my sweat slick skin I fumbled the keys into the ignition started the engine and the truck lunged forward before I'd even gotten the door closed gravel flew as I sped back towards the main road I risked one glance in the rearview mirror the porch light illuminated his monstrous Form as he stood framed in the doorway watching me go for one insane moment I almost expected him to Sprint after the truck on all fours but he didn't just stood there silhouetted against the light as the cabin grew smaller and smaller swallowed by

the fog and trees the rest of that night was a blur I drove without stopping until I reached the interstate I finally pulled into a rest area just after Sunrise my whole body was shaking my stomach churning I must have thrown up half a dozen times even knowing I was miles away from that cabin I couldn't shake the feeling of those eyes on my back had it been real some hallucination brought on by exhaustion and hunger no I'd seen what I'd seen and whatever that thing was I had a nasty feeling it wasn't alone out

there the police well that was an exercise and frustration sleepy smalltown cops don't Take kindly to truckers with wild stories about cannibal monsters in the woods there was a perfunctory search an officer taking down my report but I could tell they didn't believe me figured I'd gotten into a fight with someone torched my own rig cooked up some crazy story to cover it up my Trucking Company wasn't any more supportive they took one look at the damaged trailer heard enough of my rambling report and promptly fired me Insurance wouldn't cover the ruined cargo let alone

a new trailer within a week I was jobless my rig impounded facing a lawsuit from the company for negligence desperate I tried to investigate on my own there were vague accounts of missing hikers unsolved disappearances in state parks near where I'd been that night but nothing conclusive locals gave me the S eye Outsiders aren't welcome and isolated Towns especially not the kind Who start asking questions about strange happenings meanwhile the nightmares wouldn't stop that cabin the gors splattered room the creatures Hungry Eyes I jolted awake in a cold sweat convinced that it was standing right

there in the shadows of my crappy motel room started keeping a hunting knife under the pillow figured it couldn't hurt I tried to put it all behind me find another job something That wouldn't put me alone on deserted highways at night it didn't work every time I got behind the wheel of a car I felt that same crawling dread the memory of those mountains of the fog and that single light in the darkness haunted me it wasn't long before the drinking started it was the only thing that could numb the fear push the images back

for a few hours didn't take long to cross the line from coping mechanism to full-blown Addiction I lost what little I had left my car the motel room what was left of my sanity a few months after that night in the mountains I woke up behind a dumpster a filthy blanket wrapped around me my body aching from booze and withdrawal the sky above was that same Relentless blue it had been on the Blue Ridge Parkway the sight of it snapped something inside me I stumbled to a nearby p phone the few coins in my pocket

jingling with each unsteady step Called my old army buddy the one who had sworn a hundred times he'd always have my back begged him to take me in mumbled something about needing a place to dry out to get my head un straight he didn't ask questions bless him just gave me the address and the bus fair to get there it's been 10 years since I walked away from the wreckage of my old old life 10 years living off the grid in a little cabin in the New Mexico desert my buddy Jake he's got a small

ranch out there Does odd jobs keeps a few cattle stays out of trouble I'll work alongside him keep to myself the nightmares haven't entirely gone away but they've faded a little out here under the vast Desert Sky the darkness holds different Horrors but they feel older less personal somehow during the day there's enough honest work to keep the demons at bay at night the bottle still calls to me sometimes but there's also Jake with his quiet patience and the unwavering belief That some wounds just need time to heal and he's got a shotgun propped up

next to the back door just in case I try not to think of how close I came to being another forgotten missing person 's case a ripped up pile of bones on some monsterous floor sometimes on the darkest nights I still catch a whiff of that rotten sweet smell on the Desert Wind and a shiver runs through me I check that the windows are bolted that the shotgun is loaded Folks say the mountains never forget what they've seen neither do I I see those eyes that blind hungry stare every time I close my own some

scars they run deeper than flesh and Bone some kinds of Darkness once you let them in they become a part of who you are you don't get to outrun them all you can do is find a patch of light and hope it's enough to keep the Shadows at Bay my name's Dylan and this happened to me Back in September of 2014 I was a long haul trucker then pulling Freight up and down the East Coast married for a few years by then a little girl most nights after I got her to sleep my wife and

I would settle on the couch watch some mindless TV that kind of routine sounds simple but when you're on the road more than you're at home it's the little things that matter this particular run I was hauling a load of industrial parts from Georgia down to Miami Florida in September you know the drill hot humid the usual afternoon thunderstorms threatening to flood the interstate I was pushing my hours hard trying to make the delivery deadline figured some extra cash in the bank would smooth things over if I was a little late getting home took a

shortcut on the last leg a stretch of State Highway that cut through the Everglades instead of going around now I've seen Gators out there before but this felt Different the scrub land was denser coming close to the water Shadows longer even though it was only midafternoon had to slow the rig down on account of the road being rough the thick vegetation closing in on both sides the whole place felt closed off that's when I saw the hitchhiker he was standing a little ways off the road a lone figure in the middle of all that swamp

and scrub something about the way he held himself a kind of Stillness made me Hesitate usually I don't pick up hitchhikers company policy for one and there's something unsettling about a guy standing alone out in that kind of desolation to begin with but I also remembered my own Restless younger days THB out on the highway hoping for a ride figured the least I could do was stop offer him some water or something let him know the nearest town with a gas station was about 50 miles north as I drew closer though I Got a sinking

feeling in my gut up close this guy didn't look right stin the color of Old Paper eyes sunken deep into his skull his clothes were filthy and I swear even in the sweltering heat I smelled the kind of cold Rock clinging to him my hand was on the gearshift to pull away but before I could the passenger door creaked open The Hitchhiker slid into the cab the smell of Decay filling the space like a wave crashing over me thanks for the lift he Rasped his voice a dry whisper that seemed to to come from the

back of his throat he didn't look at me just stared Straight Ahead out the windshield his gaze fixed on the road with a strange intensity well uh you're welcome I replied my voice sounding distant in my own ears listen I'm going south but the next town is a good ways back North need me to turn around he didn't answer which was starting to get on my nerves I looked over over at him again trying to Catch his eye it was hard to make out details in the dim light filtering through the trees but what I

saw sent a shiver of pure dread down my spine his head was still turned slightly away but the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile a smile that split his face almost too wide for a human mouth and in the Gloom his eyes they glowed with a dull yellow light a jolt of adrenaline surged through me I slammed my foot onto the gas the truck lurching forward in the Rearview mirror he just sat there that smile still plastered on his face but now he was looking straight back at me that's when the screaming

started not coming from the radio not some animal call it was coming from the back of the trailer high pitched and desperate panic and nausea Twisted in my gut something was in there with me something alive I hit the brakes throwing gravel skidding to a stop in the middle of the road heart pounding I stumbled out of the cab And ran to the back of the trailer hands trembling I fumbled for the padlock through the doors open Darkness rushed out and that smell the same rotting stench intensified a h hundredfold and there crouched in the

corner of the shadowy space was a figure no not a figure a ragged scarecrow of a boy maybe 10 years old his thin frame was barely covered by torn clothes his eyes wide with Terror blood covered his face smeared across his Trembling Hands He made a choked sobbing sound and then the words came out in a ragged whisper help me please there was a sudden thud from inside the cab the boy flinched violently Terror shining in his tear filled eyes get out of there kid run I shouted scrambling to pull the hunting rifle I kept

under the seat out from its case the boy started to crawl towards the open doors I turned just in time to see my hitchhiker heave himself out of the passenger seat he Wasn't walking now but loping on all fours limbs moving in a jerky unnatural Rhythm closing fast I raised the rifle but my hands were shaking so badly I could barely manage to aim the creature charged a blur of tattered clothing and yellow eyes hungry with feral intent I fired The Gunshot echoed in the sudden Stillness the creature jerked back the impact throwing it to

one side then it slowly Rose a ragged hole in its shoulder dripping a thick dark liquid it Raised itself to its full height and I finally saw it clearly Too Tall limb stretched and elongated with joints that bent at the wrong angles its face the shot had torn Away part of the jaw revealing rows of needle-like teeth another shot echoed from the back of the trailer the creature convulsed then went limp I rushed to the back the boy huddled next to the open doors the rifle shaking in his hands he turned those Terror filled Eyes

on me Whispering did you did you get him we stared at the creature's unmoving body my mind Whirled it couldn't be alive could it I lunged for the rifle but the boy showing a flash of Cur surprising for someone so young and traumatized pushed it away no he shouted his voice cracking with desperation they come back they always it's the only way to stop them for good with a strength born from sheer Panic he grabbed a gas canister from behind the Pile of crates I hadn't noticed earlier he Dows the creature's body the ACD smell

sharp in the humid air fire he muttered that's the only way he fumbled in his pocket coming up with a crumpled pack of matches Struck One and the flame flickered in the Twilight I didn't try to stop him some Primal part of me understood what he was saying this thing it wasn't like anything I'd ever encountered it wasn't human at least not anymore I helped him Drag it out onto the dirt rode with a shaking hand he lit the match and dropped it fire roared consuming the monstrosity in a burst of flames thick oily smoke

billowed into the darkening Sky we stood there side by side watching the body burn until nothing was left but blacken Ash and Bone then and only then did I turn my full attention to the boy he was trembling his face white as a sheep he slumped against the trailer the rifle Falling from his numb fingers I crouched beside him gently retrieving the gun my mind raced what had he witnessed how long had he been trapped with the creature I didn't know his story but I knew with bone deep certainty that whatever Darkness had turned that

man into a monster had touched this boy as well what's your name kid I asked my voice softer now Ethan he whispered his eyes looking Through me more than at me Ethan I repeated you're safe now I'm going to get you some help okay he didn't respond only stared out into the Gathering darkness of the swamp into the place where that thing had come from when the police arrived the story I told them was barely half the truth some things you just can't explain hitandrun victim carjacker pherom meth addict take your pick of half believable

scenarios the cops looked at me with a Mix of skepticism and pity but I held my ground Ethan didn't say much mostly just nodded when they asked if my version of events was true they took him to a hospital promised to find someone from Child Services to look after him maybe there was some family out there a life he could go back to I doubted it though the look in his eyes told me he was carrying scars far deeper than any the doctors Comm meend I finished my delivery but my heart wasn't in it the

Road usually a comfort now felt like a prison all I could see was that swamp the decaying face of The Hitchhiker the boy's terrified eyes I called my wife made some excuse about a breakdown needing extra time when I did make it home her worried face broke my heart they fired me a week later said I was unreliable a safety hazard didn't bother explaining let them think I'd cracked under the pressure the money from that last run bought us some time but not Much the bills piled up my wife kept that threadbear smile and didn't

ask too many questions but I saw the worry creasing her brow got myself a job in a warehouse unloading trucks pays nowhere close to what I used to earn but it keeps the lights on every night though the dreams return the road stretching Into Darkness The Hitchhiker's yellow eyes the crackle of flames sometimes I dream about Ethan I never found out what happened to him Part of me is afraid to sometimes I see families unloading groceries in the supermarket parking lot laughing kids climbing into minivans and a small selfish part of me feels grateful that

my worst nightmare stayed in the swamp that day the other part the part that looks in the mirror and sees those same haunted eyes Ethan had knows better they say if you stare long enough into the abys it stares back I guess a part of me Stayed back there with that Burning Body out on that desolate stretch of highway that cuts through the heart of the Florida Everglades some days I hear the rustle of those swamp reeds in the wind Whispering through the warehouse stacks and I smell that sickly sweet rot they never found others

like The Hitchhiker at least not officially but I know they're out there the ones who slip through the cracks who take their Monstrous hunger and disguise it with human skin that's the darkness I brought home with me from that swamp the darkness that lurks under my skin now Whispering a terrible truth sometimes the scariest monsters don't have claws or glowing eyes sometimes they look just like us and they walk among us unseeing my name's Marcus and this happened to me back in the fall of 2008 had a pretty regular life then driving a local delivery

route for a grocery chain wife two young kids dog the whole Suburban deal it wasn't exciting but hey it paid the bills and kept the family fed it was late one Friday night pushing midnight as I pulled up to the warehouse to drop off my last load usually this place was bustling but tonight it was dead quiet nobody at the loading docks nobody answering the night Bell didn't smell Right but I figured maybe I was earlier than scheduled mix up with dispatch whatever got out to take a look around back maybe Rouse whoever was Manning

the night shift then I I saw them the blood streaks started near the loading dock doors dragging across the crack to Asphalt like someone had hauled something big and messy inside then there were the spatters bigger spots spread out something terrible had happened here that's when The Instinct kicked in maybe it was years of watching too many cop shows maybe just a basic survival sense but I knew I shouldn't be there i' back slowly to the truck adrenaline spiking hands shaking as I tried to key in the security code on the keypad to open the

cab too slow movement flickered in the shadows next to the warehouse before I could react a figure bolted out into the dim light cast by the old security flood lights tall gaunt A blur of dark clothes against the night he was moving fast but I got a good enough look at his face to make my blood turn to ice skin stretch Tau across bone his skull almost visible beneath eyes Sun deep in their sockets shining with a sick hungry light and his smile that Twisted Jag stretch of his mouth was all teeth way too many

for a human jaw he was on me in a Flash I managed to get in the truck slam the door door and lock it just as he Reached the driver's side he hit the glass with a thud the impact cracking the window I fumbled to start the truck hands slick with sweat he clawed at the door handle snarling yeah it was more snarl than a human sound engine wored to life and I shifted into reverse tires spinning and kicking up gravel as I backed away from the loading dock in the rearview mirror the gaunt figure

stood silhouetted by the warehouse lights blood smeared on his hands that awful Grin fixed on his face I drove all the way home with my heart pounding a frantic Rhythm against my ribs the headlights slicing through the darkness like a blade I finally pulled up outside my house but my hands wouldn't stop trembling enough to get the keys into the lock I couldn't go inside not yet I thought of my wife kids asleep upstairs if that thing came after me that's when I saw the police cruiser parked down the street relief flooded Through me but

then a new kind of fear took hold what if they didn't believe me what if they thought I had something to do with whatever went down at the warehouse swallowing hard I forced myself to walk over to the cruiser knocked on the window trying not to let my voice betray my Panic the officer rolled down the window squinting at me through the drizzle that had started to fall can I help you sir I blurted it out then the whole story The Warehouse the Blood stains the the creature he listened without interruption his face unreadable beneath

his hat when I was done he didn't laugh or call me crazy which was honestly what I expected Ed instead he nodded and told me to wait there I watched him walk slowly towards my house saw the porch light come on as he knocked on the door an eternity passed my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst finally my wife opened the door They talked for a long time her face tight with worry the officer came back 10 minutes later his expression grim you need to come with us Mr Reynolds they didn't cuff

me turns out they'd already found the bodies at the warehouse torn apart half eaten exactly like I'd feared my description of that thing lined up with what the crime scene texts were calling in unknown animal attack but some of the younger cops I noticed they looked at me differently after my story Spent the weekend in a Cell answering the same questions over and over finally my alibi checked out security cem footage at a gas station timestamped to confirm I was nowhere near the warehouse at the time of the Attack released but not cleared I went

home but it didn't feel like home anymore my wife bless her tried to make it normal again but I could see the fear in her eyes the kids they sensed the tension the way things had changed even if they didn't Understand why the news said it was a wild animal maybe a rabid bear or something but I know what I saw they never found the body what was left of it anyway some nights I dream of that hungry grin the glint of those inhuman eyes I didn't drive for the grocery company again after that got

a job at a call center pays nowhere near what it was was but its indoors well lit safer sometimes though I catch a glimpse of myself in the computer monitor sunken Cheeks haunted eyes and I realize I'm becoming something like that creature myself not the bloodthirsty part at least I hope not but something's changed inside me some Darkness got in that night I keep telling myself it was sleep deprivation adrenaline some trick of the light that made him look the way he did but those teeth that smile they weren't tricks I saw a real life

monster and that monster Changed Me Maybe the worst part is knowing they're still out there Hiding in the shadows waiting for their next victim and there's not a damn thing I can do about it