Three… Two… One… Click.
The motion sensor light above the garage was a blessing and a curse. It was sensitive, too sensitive. A moth could trigger it, flooding the driveway with harsh, clinical LED whiteness for exactly ten seconds before plunging the world back into pitch black.
Click. The light snapped off. Darkness reclaimed the concrete.
I stood by the kitchen sink, gripping the edge of the counter. I had heard gravel crunching. Heavy footsteps. Not a moth.
Snap-Hiss.
The light flooded the driveway again. Empty. Just the oil stain on the pavement and my parked sedan.
Ten… Nine…
I exhaled, the fog of my breath ghosting against the cold window pane. It was just the wind.
Three… Two… Click.
Blackness. I turned to walk away.
Snap-Hiss!
The yard lit up instantly. I spun back to the window. My stomach dropped.
Standing behind the sedan was a silhouette. It was crouched, limbs too long, fingers gripping the trunk of the car like talons. It wasn’t looking at the house; it was sniffing the air.
Ten… Nine…
Panic seized my legs. I couldn’t move. I could only count.
Six… Five…
The thing turned its head. It didn’t have eyes, just hollow sockets where shadows pooled. It saw me.
Two… One… Click.
The world vanished. I fumbled blindly for the sash lock, my fingers trembling so hard I scraped my knuckles against the frame. I needed to make sure it was locked.
Snap-Hiss!
I flinched. The light was back.
The driveway was empty. The sedan sat alone. The creature was gone.
A sob of relief tore out of my throat. It had run off. The light had scared it away. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass, closing my eyes, letting the adrenaline fade.
Ten… Nine…
I opened my eyes, staring out at the empty concrete.
Four… Three…
I relaxed my grip on the counter. It was over.
Two… One… Click.
The floodlight died. Outside, the world went pitch black.
Inside, the sudden darkness turned the window into a perfect black mirror.
In the reflection of the glass, the pantry door behind me was slowly creaking open, and long, grey fingers were curling around the frame.
By Pamela Beach ‘Beyond the Blog’
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Pamela Beach is a multi-genre author, poet, and lyricist who writes from her home on California’s foggy Central Coast. She is the creator of the “Morro Bay fog-mythos” and author of The Unstoppable You. You can read more of her work and explore her complete “fog-mythos” collection at her blog, Beyond the with Pamela Beach
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