Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The night felt oppressive, like a thick fog that refused to lift. Zack's car crept slowly down the abandoned street, the only sounds breaking the silence being the low hum of the engine and the soft tapping of his fingers on the wheel. The lights had gone out again, plunging the city into an unnatural darkness that seemed to choke the life out of it. He could barely make out the shapes of buildings in the distance, their outlines faint in the dim glow of his headlights.

Zack gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles white. Another night. Another set of disappearances. He didn't know how many more of these he could take. People were vanishing without a trace, and the terror was growing, festering. Every corner of the city seemed to be covered in shadow, each new night bringing with it a fresh wave of fear. And yet, the creature—if it was even fair to call it that—seemed to only grow stronger with every attack.

His mind drifted back to the previous cases, the strange pattern emerging. All of it pointed to something far more sinister than any of them had realized. Something deep, something ancient. And now, it was growing bolder. Zack could feel it in his gut.

He turned down another street, his headlights briefly illuminating a small park. A group of teenagers had been reported missing from a party just hours ago. They'd been playing near the park, having fun, but when the search teams arrived, there was nothing but their clothes left behind. And yet, the ground around them was untouched, no sign of struggle, just emptiness.

Zack parked the car at the edge of the park, stepping out into the cold air. He looked around, scanning the area with his flashlight. It was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that felt wrong, unnatural. His instincts screamed that something was off, but he couldn't place it. The air was thick, heavier than usual, and there was a subtle hum vibrating through the ground, like a low-frequency sound just beneath the threshold of hearing.

He took a few cautious steps forward, his boots crunching on the gravel, when a sound stopped him dead in his tracks. It was faint at first—a whisper, a soft shuffling sound. But then, as it grew louder, it became unmistakable. A low, guttural growl. A sound unlike anything Zack had ever heard before.

His heart began to race. He slowly turned his head, scanning the shadows. The growl was coming from deeper in the park, from the trees that loomed in the distance like dark sentinels.

Zack tightened his grip on his flashlight and reached for his gun, holding it tightly in his hand. He wasn't sure what he was up against, but he wasn't about to go in unprepared. His eyes flicked to the corner of the park where the last reported party had taken place. The area seemed abandoned, but the unease in the air was undeniable. Something was watching him.

He moved cautiously, stepping through the brush and toward the heart of the park. The growling sound grew louder, more distinct. It wasn't an animal—it was something else, something far worse.

Then, as he stepped into the clearing, he saw it.

A figure stood in the middle of the park, back turned, bathed in the pale light from the streetlamp. At first glance, it appeared to be a person, but something was off. The silhouette was too tall, its posture too rigid. The shape of the creature seemed almost... unnatural.

Zack's breath caught in his throat. His mind raced. Was it the creature? Had it finally come out of hiding?

Before he could act, the figure turned around. It wasn't human, not in any way that Zack could recognize. The creature's form was formless, a mass of shadows and shifting darkness, its features indistinct. It was as though the creature was constantly morphing, never settling into one shape for long. And its eyes—they glowed, faintly at first, but then they grew brighter, more intense, until they locked onto Zack with a gaze that sent a chill down his spine.

The creature growled again, a low, hungry sound that reverberated through the air. Zack's mind screamed for him to run, but his body was frozen, caught in the creature's gaze.

"You can't run," the creature rasped, its voice a blend of static and whispers, as though it was speaking through a thousand different mouths. "You never could."

Zack felt a jolt of recognition. This wasn't the first time he'd heard those words. They echoed in his mind, like a memory from long ago. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his thoughts. What was this thing? Why did it know him?

The creature took a step forward, and Zack snapped back to reality. He raised his gun, aiming it directly at the creature's chest. His hands shook, but he steadied himself, trying to focus. He had no idea if bullets could kill it—he'd tried before and it hadn't worked—but he wasn't about to just let it take him without a fight.

Before he could fire, the creature moved again, faster than he thought possible. It rushed toward him, its form twisting and rippling, and Zack only barely managed to dodge the first strike. The creature's claws scraped against the ground, sending up sparks, and its body rippled like liquid, stretching unnaturally.

Zack rolled to the side, firing a shot into the air, hoping to draw its attention away. It didn't work. The creature was relentless, charging toward him with a speed that was almost impossible to track.

Zack stumbled backward, his mind racing for a way out. He had to think. He had to survive. But nothing seemed to be working. Every move he made was countered by the creature, its body flickering like a shadow in the night. It was toying with him, pushing him to his limits, and Zack could feel the weight of its hunger bearing down on him.

Then, something shifted. A distant, muffled sound broke through the tension. A car's engine, revving loudly, followed by the screeching of tires. Zack's heart leapt. His partner, Kyle, had arrived.

The creature's attention snapped toward the sound, and in that instant, Zack dove for his gun again. He fired, aiming at the creature's head. The bullet hit its target, but instead of falling, the creature's form rippled and twisted, absorbing the impact like water soaking into a sponge.

Zack's heart sank. It wasn't enough.

But then, the creature did something unexpected. It stopped, its eyes locking onto Zack once more, and the growl faded to a low murmur.

"You... are not the one I seek," it whispered, its voice now eerily calm. "But you are the one who will end this."

The words hung in the air, heavy and chilling. Zack had no idea what it meant, but he knew one thing for sure: the battle was far from over.