Finn sat nervously in his truck. Mrs. Chaffin said it would only be a moment longer. That was ten minutes ago, and that moment seemed to drag on forever. Come on, come on. He rolled the window down just a crack and strained to hear any sign of the creature he saw earlier. Silence, except for the crickets and night sounds that drowned out all other noise.
“You still there, Finn?” Mrs. Chaffin said on the line.
“Yes, ma’am,” Finn said. “How much longer?”
“I just got a call back from dispatch. Someone should be there in less than five minutes. Can you hold tight?”
“I’ll hold tight, but I—”
Suddenly Finn was cut off by the sound of an unearthly scream from inside the warehouse. Surprised, Finn shouted out loud too. Not a scream—more of a grunt, like the kind he made in football practice when he tackled someone. In a reflex, his hands lashed out and hit the truck horn, causing him to shout out loud again.
“Are you okay, Finn?” Mrs. Chaffin tried to sound calm, but Finn could hear the edge in her voice.
“I, uh, don’t know. I’ve never heard anything like that before. I gotta tell you, this doesn’t feel right.”
He stared at the opening in the bay door and took the truck out of neutral. At the first sign of anything, he was ready to press the accelerator and make a quick exit. He sat frozen, his eyes dry. He blinked once and caught movement from just behind the opening—a passing shadow. He blinked again and two figures exploded from the bay door like acrobats spinning and tumbling in the air. One was a shadow as black as night, the other a young girl dressed in gray pants and a white long-sleeved shirt. The black shadow spun once in midair then landed lightly on all fours as it hit the ground running—if that’s what he could call it. Its arms and legs moved at strange angles as it disappeared around the edge of the warehouse, faster than any living thing he’d ever seen move. The young girl spun helplessly in the air and bounced hard off the ground and rolled toward the truck.
Finn accidentally punched the accelerator and headed straight for the girl, who was now sprawled out on her butt and hunched over on the gravel. She looked up, her eyes bright in the headlights. Her face registered a brief look of surprise, followed by a sudden realization that she was about to be hit by a half-ton truck. The girl instinctively brought up her hands in front of her face in defense just as Finn slammed on the brakes. Gravel and dust flew as the truck skidded to a stop five feet in front of her.
Her hair hung down in knotted strands across her eyes and cheeks, but her face was unmistakable. It was Anna. The new girl. One of his little sister’s best friends.
“Anna? Is that you?”
Finn ran over to her side. In the truck cabin, he could hear Mrs. Chaffin’s frantic voice over his phone’s tinny speaker.
“Oh . . . hi, Finn,” Anna said as she looked up in a daze.
“What the heck is going on, Anna? Are you okay?”
“Oh boy. You can see me?” Anna said as she rolled over onto one knee. She had forgotten she’d turned off her cloaking mode. “That’s not good.”
“Of course, I can see—” Finn’s voice was cut short.
A tall woman in a white bodysuit slowly glided out the warehouse door, her body floating feet above the ground. Floating—as if this night couldn’t get any weirder. She stopped midair and locked eyes with Finn. Beautiful. Radiant. Terrifying. His mouth dropped open. His feet froze in place.
“It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you,” the woman said calmly. Her voice soothing like a song.
She raised her right hand like she was waving to a distant friend. A soft green light emanated from her palm. It seemed to spin slowly at first, then began to pick up speed, followed by the sound of running water and the feeling of sunlight on his face. His body relaxed as his head rolled to the side. In his mind, he shut his eyes. A perfect time for a nap. In the far distance, he could hear the distant echo of approaching sirens. Then nothing.