It was 3 AM and I was just getting off work. Owning a small service business, I worked commercial job sites so people had to be gone in order for me to perform my services. That meant a lot of weekends, holidays, and off hours I was accustomed to working. This early morning hour was no exception. The chill of the night air made my breath visible as I got into my truck. Have you ever been so exhausted you even felt like you were too tired to sleep? That was me. All I wanted to do was get home, maybe have a glass of wine to get what adrenaline was left in me out of my system, take a shower, and hit the hay!

But, the wee hours were not going to be so kind to me. As I sat in the truck I heard a funny distant sound like whistling. At first I thought it was human, but then I realized it was too haunting and mechanical. As I curiously listened it got louder and it appeared to be coming my way! I started up the engine and looked toward the horizon where I thought I was tiredly staring at the moon, but it wasn’t in the right place in the sky. The moon was now moving! It wasn’t the moon at all it was a ball of light, and it was coming toward me and my truck as was the whistling noise! I sprang into action stepping on the accelerator pedal and steering away from what would have been an impact!

I headed down the narrow street that glistened and reflected my headlights. The light flashed by me like a subway train past a terminal! I couldn’t drive very fast on this narrow street and I looked in the rear view mirror and the damn thing was coming my way again! When it was no further than a car length behind me I slammed on the brakes and took a right hand turn onto a side street. The car slid as I hyperventilated in fear wondering if some kind of weaponized drone was on my tail! Once again it flashed by still heading down the street it was following me on! I screeched tires as I backed up and turned into an alley shutting off my headlights and slowly cruising by driveways and garage doors that were closed. All the time with my heart beat racing!

At one point I saw a flash of light down the stretch of the alley behind me and I prayed it wasn’t that ball of light again, but it flashed by the alleyway entrance headed down the street. I finally reached a street where I could turn onto and took a roundabout way to my home all the time, heartbeat racing, and my breathing still rapid fire wondering what in the hell just happened! I pulled up into the front entrance driveway and parked. I got out of the truck shaky kneed and trying to calm down. Opened the door to my darkened house. The curtains were just partially open and a sliver of moonlight cut through the darkness in the house. I didn’t dare turn on the lights! Groping to the kitchen I opened the fridge and reached for the wine.

I plopped down on one of the breakfast nook chairs and drank a couple of glassfuls all the time wondering what the hell had chased me. Was it a UFO? Was it some kind of apparition? I just couldn’t figure it out! Then I realized! I snapped my fingers! I forgot I had a dashcam sitting right there on my dashboard the whole damn time and it was motion activated even when I was parked. It recorded anything that moved. I’m such an idiot! In all the excitement I’d forgotten and now I had indisputable evidence! My plan was to take it to the police in the morning. I was way too tired to deal with this now! I stumbled into the shower for a quickie and collapsed into my bed!

I had a weird dream about talking to the ball of light! It seemed I was transformed into another reality. In the dream I wrestled with the meaning of the communication. The ball of light I’d seen out on the street was saying something telekinetically to me, but I couldn’t understand! I woke up scared out of my wits again! Then fell back to sleep. When I woke up it was late morning. There was no way I was going to eat breakfast. Wouldn’t have been able to keep it down! I just had some hot tea to wake me up before headed to the police station! By the time I got there it was after 11:00 AM.

Small town, small police force, and it looked like there was only one guy on duty and he was having his lunch when he looked over at me. I felt bad about interrupting his meal and offered to wait but he pushed his sandwich and thermos aside and told me to have a seat. He looked to be about 30 years of age, dark headed with a mustache and glasses. He locked eyes with me and spoke, “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Something scared me to death last night, and I thought I should report it.”

“Okay, so describe to me in detail what happened. Try to remember clearly,” he replied with a poker face.

No doubt he’d heard lots of bullshit stories in his time in law enforcement. I swallowed, remembering what I’d been through, “I was just getting off work last night and sitting in my truck about to leave for my house when I heard this very funny sound like a whistling, but it wasn’t really. The next thing I knew there was a ball of light chasing me in my truck and I was driving and watching it in my rear view mirror!” I continued to explain everything I had been through!

Surprisingly, he simply nodded and didn’t seem to be too phased by my story. He had a notepad out and began scribbling some notes and asking typical questions you could expect! Yet, strangely I did not get the impression that he thought it was a hoax. He asked me to fill out an incident report which I did, but I almost forget about the dash camera I’d brought in with me. He patched it into a lap top computer on his deck. I pulled my chair around to sit next to him explaining I had not yet checked out the camera footage so we began rolling the footage backward to the precise time 3 AM the night before and started up the recording!

The images corroborated everything I had explained and the deadpan expression of the officer changed as he watched. There was more than 20 minutes of the chase scene on the webcam then the officer mumbled something that freaked me out!

“We’ve had similar reports. We’ve planned on intensifying patrols in your area.”

“Why in the hell wasn’t this reported to the general public then?” I asked.

“What do you want us to say to the public? Beware of strange nocturnal lights following your car? Create panic with the citizens?”

I rolled my eyes, “Whatever!” I sighed.

“Do you mind if I make a copy of your footage to show to the Chief of Police?”

“No problem,” I said disappointedly. I didn’t know what to expect out of the police, maybe too much.

“Looks like you have more on the film. You said it was motion activated?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s keep it rolling then.”

As it turned out, according to the timer, about 20 minutes later after my truck had been parked and I was probably in bed, motion had activated the camera again. All of the sudden there was a dark figure standing in front of my truck staring into the windshield right into the camera lens! Dressed in black, wearing what looked like an old fashioned detective hat, tall, and thin. The eyes were sunken in and almost completely black. The entity leaned toward the windshield very closely! The flesh on its face was almost as white as the pale moonlight! The film was almost hypnotic! I just sat there in shock! For a good 5 minutes this being stared intently into my truck’s interior not speaking, it even tapped the windshield in a menacing way, but I felt like there was a subtle message, and that message was, “We see you now!!”

I looked at the police officer who appeared as astonished as I was. He didn’t say a word. Maybe he was trying to macho it out and act like he was fearless. It didn’t seem to be working though.

“Bet you didn’t quite anticipate this, did you?” I said. I could tell by looking at him that he was shaken!

“No, yours is the most bizarre sighting we’ve received a report on. I need to make sure we can examine this footage thoroughly and we’ll get it back to you later. That okay with you?”

“Yeah, sure I sighed,” feeling helpless and tired from the incident the night before. “What happens now? What am I supposed to do now?”

“If anything else happens get in touch with us immediately. Like I said, we are intensifying patrols in the area, and we’ll be glad to check up on your residence for you if you feel threatened! Make sure and keep your doors and windows locked, and especially, your vehicle.”

“So, it sounds like there’s not a hell of a lot you can really do, “I replied cynically.

“We’ll do everything we can!” He snapped.

Before leaving I asked another pointed question, “How many disappearances or missing persons reports have you guys investigated in my area over time?”

He didn’t like that question either,” You’d have to talk to Senior Investigator Larry Colson. He’d be able to provide that kind of information. For you,” the officer said as he pulled his lunch back in front of him on his desk.

“And your name is,” I asked looking at his badge. “Do you guys ever report this kind of shit to the newspaper in town of does the newspaper bother to check up on what the hell is going on?” I asked

“Officer, Ron Lewis,” he replied taking a bite of his sandwich, as if to say he was done with the conversation. “Thank you for your cooperation,” He said as he chewed.

“Sorry to interrupt your lunch!” I muttered as I stormed out.

That afternoon I ordered a mechanical garage opener. Then I cleaned up and reorganized my single car garage so I could get my truck in. I wasn’t leaving it sitting on the driveway outside anymore. I installed window locks in the house and installed a dead bolt in the front and back door. I even ordered surveillance cameras to monitor all the doors in the house including the garage! Was any of this going to matter? Only time would tell. I was even contemplating getting a sleeping drug prescription from my doctor because I wasn’t sure just how well I’d be able to sleep anymore.

That night I sank into bed exhausted from worry and stress. The night seemed to close in. The realization that that my world had been invaded by something I couldn’t explain tugged at me deep in the darkness. What would happen next? How long before I became the subject of a missing persons report? God only knew.

THE END