I have always been a Christian, ever since my youth I had a personal connection to the faith. Now I can’t say that I have always been the most behaved Christian man. I’ve done most of the foolish things kids do, stole small stuff, lied to my parents, smoked cigarettes in my teens…but I always had the faith. I also had a bit of an obsession with monsters. I liked the concept of massive beasts not of this earth, crazy aliens and wild Lovecraftian horrors. It was just one of my personal things, but it wasn’t until I went to the drive-in with my best friend that I began to truly understand the concept of monsters.
“You know I haven’t been to one of these in a really long time, how do they even stay open?”
I looked over at her with a slight smirk and grabbed my wallet from off the bench seat, waving it in the air and laughing as I spoke.
“Because there’s dedicated people like me who drop every bill they have on large sodas and stale popcorn”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head at me before adjusting her shoulder wrap and looking outside at the bare winter trees.
“Don’t you think it’s a little foolish to go see a movie during the winter? I know you’re dedicated and all but remind me why I came with you?”
I gestured to the back seat of the car and turned into the ticketing lane.
“You came with me because you absolutely love spending time watching monster movies, and because you came with me, I brought enough blankets to smother Godzilla”
A pale sickly teenager leaned out of the ticket window, looking down at me through dead eyes and a slight hunch to his posture. He looked from the computer screen and back to me before speaking meagerly and holding out his hand.
“That’ll 19.82 please”
I handed him a 20 and smiled as Christine began yanking blankets from the freshly laundered pile in the backseat.
“Keep the change”
He smiled for a second and began counting quarters as he waved me off, but before I could pull away he put his hand up as if to stop me.
“Sir, the radio station is 104.3, and make sure to stay inside your vehicle if you’re close to the screen, we’ve had a couple pest issues lately”
I have him a thumbs up and pulled away, driving past the long column of shrubs and barriers that separates the entrance from the main lot of the drive-in. As the massive park came into view, I saw Christine’s face begin to widen with a smile. The bright yellow poles stretched far past our view and a bustle of cars and young people covered the lot around the snack shack.
“There’s so many people here, I guess you’re not the only one who’s dedicated huh?”
I chuckled and surveyed the horizon
“I guess not”
We pulled into a spot just 4 rows up from the screen and I hopped out of the car to retrieve our cooler from the trunk. The sun has just begun to fall below the tree line as I tugged the plastic box from its space between my spare tire. Once I had freed the perspiring case, a large gust of wind like none I had ever experienced blew in from the north and nearly knocked me over. I got a hold of my footing before I could hit the ground and shook my head in bewilderment. I looked around to see if anyone had been blown off their feet but as I scanned the area, it seemed I had been the only one to even notice. There was a man three cars over with a canvas lawn chair and he was still having a grand old time, smoking his cigar and watching his son and daughter bicker about a sleeping bag.
“Hey, everything okay?”
Christine had gotten out of the car and come to
check on me as I continued turning, searching for any sign that someone else had been affected. I tried to let the thought leave my head as I smiled and turned back toward her.
“Yea I’m fine, sorry lovely, did you want anything from the snack shack?”
She furrowed her brows and veered at me
“Lovely? You haven’t called me that since I went to see Godzilla with you, what’s going on?”
I walked around to the side of the car and opened the back door, sliding the cooler onto the seat and adjusting a towel beneath it. Once the box was settled I closed the door and stepped over to Christine, clasping our hands and beginning my walk to the large neon building that held the most prized fried garbage.
“Nothing, just felt like calling you lovely is all”
I had called her lovely to distract myself from the wind, I had an eerie feeling since the gust hit me and as I continued looking around the sky, something just felt off about the clouds.
“So does that mean this is a date?”
As we crossed the gravel and ducked between poles I thought back to one of our previous conversations. Halloween night for the third year in a row we went in matching costumes to a party, where our friends had for the third year in a row instigated us to date, where I for the third year in a row…broke her heart.
“Do you want it to be a date?”
She looked up at me with glittery green eyes, speaking softly as we stopped in front of the massive line for the food counter. Before I could hear what she said though, another gust of wind blew in from the north and put my hair on end in seconds. A pit began to form in my chest when instead of Christine’s kind loving voice, I heard the whisper of a thousand souls speaking in tandem.
“Do you think she is safe?”
I shook my head and looked down at Christine and questioned her as the wind stopped..
“What did you say!!?”
She looked up at me and then the line in front of us
“Sorry I didn’t realize how loud it is, I said I wouldn’t mind if it was a date… are you okay? You look really pale, if this talk is too much for you we don’t have to have it right now”
I shook my head and pushed my thoughts to the back of my mind, casting it off as a side effect of getting almost no sleep the night prior.
“No no, it’s fine, I wouldn’t mind this being a date, I just want to make sure this is what you want”
She smiled and grabbed my arm as we looked ahead at the menu above our heads.
“Of course it’s what I want, I feel safe with you”
I looked down at her with a mixture of happiness and unease, deciding to deal with the wind thoughts tomorrow and focus on enjoying the movie. We got our popcorn and a large soda to share before heading back to the car and stepping into the front seat just as the trailers began to play. Once she had placed the popcorn down and began to get comfortable, I leaned over the back seat and grabbed one of the many blankets I knew she would need. I draped the soft cover over her legs as she leaned against me and we prepared for an enjoyable watching experience…then I realized I needed to use the bathroom.
“Hey, I’m gonna hit the bathroom before the movie starts, stay here and I’ll be right back ok?”
She nodded and smiled, turning up the radio and tossing a piece of popcorn at her open mouth. I stepped out of the side of the car and began speed walking to the shack at the edge of the lot.
“You aren’t good enough for this you know”
I whipped my head around as the whisper hit my ear and a cold breath traveled down my neck. My hair stood on end once again and I shouted out over the echoing voices of several movies.
“Who’s there?”
No response came as I looked in all directions, and found myself more alone then I had ever felt. I continued my near run to the bathroom, strolling into the door and taking care as quickly as possible. I stepped away from the wall and began washing my hands, making a mental note of where I’d heard the voice and planning to avoid the route on my way back to the car.
“You are nothing”
I screamed as a formless gray being stood behind me in the mirror, a set of ink black eyes the only indication of life from the towering shadow.
“What the hell”
I tried to turn around as my legs turned to concrete and I found myself unable to avert the beings gaze.
“Leave the girl, you aren’t strong enough to protect her from what is to come”
As the beast mentioned Christine I felt an otherworldly courage invade my tongue for a moment and I snapped back at the entity.
“And you aren’t powerful enough to best me”
I shuddered as the beast dissipated into a small rain of ash and I finished washing my hands as feeling came back to my legs. I took a deep breath and whispered to myself.
“What the hell was that”
My resolve broke and I looked at the floor beneath where it had just stood, I knelt down to inspect a small gray mass and as I poked it with my fingers and rubbed them together, I discovered a thin gray layer…of ash. I sped out of the bathroom and made a beeline for the car, ducking through closely parked cars and leaping over chairs. I slammed into the door and threw it open, ducking inside and turning to make sure she was still there.
“What’s wrong?”
There she was, welcoming as always, speaking softly as I hyperventilated and tried to push the thoughts from my head. The blare of the movie studios logo rang in my ears as I looked into her eyes and for the first time since I met her, I felt the need to shield her from the world. Christine had never been the princess in the story book in terms of personality but she had seen far more misery than she deserved. I was certain the being in the bathroom was threatening her and as the beautiful shimmer of her eyes reflected back at me, I made a vow to myself.
“Nothings wrong, and I want to ax that conversation we were gonna have, will you go out with me?’
She cocked her head and smiled at me
“One trip across the parking lot and suddenly you’re on board?”
I nodded and smiled back
“I just can’t imagine losing you”
She closed her eyes and began to lean in, I did the same and felt the world stop around me as our lips grew close.
“You cannot protect her”
The tall gray creature dragged its claws along the window and I watched Christine’s eyes go from happy to terrified
“What was that?”
My fear rose inside as I came to a realization I hoped I wouldn’t approach…she could see the entity as well. I shook my head and spoke in a low tone.
“I saw it while I was in the bathroom, I thought I was hallucinating, listen maybe its nothing but its a tall gray entity, I don’t know what it is and I’m praying to god its not real, look to the window behind you, don’t make eye contact if you see it”
The radio continued playing the movie as she shivered, her small form slowly turning as her breaths became ragged and her fear grew immensely. As her eyes crested the viewpoint from where it might have been, she began to shake more and I watched a tear fall from her eye.
“I see it”
I gently guided her chin back toward me and made eye contact with her, looking deep into her pupils and speaking as calmly as I knew how.
“Don’t worry, keep looking at me, its going to be okay I’ve got-”
A thin gray hand plunged through the window and she began to scream. Glass rained on us from the side and her yells were matched only by the screams of the movie over the radio. I wrapped my arms around her and kicked against the door, sending it open and slamming the heavy metal paneling into the chest of the beast. I turned the key and hit the gas pedal while still holding onto her, forcing the car forward and through several of the speaker columns. I jerked the wheel to the left and tried to get us on the road as the force of the turn closed the door, and a loud shriek pierced the air. The radio began to buzz in and out and the shrieks grew louder as countless hands began reaching for the car from the woods. I veered away from the tall green pines and pushed the gas pedal down farther, driving the car to its limits. The hands continued to scrape against the car till we reached the front gates and flew past the empty kiosk. We drove home in silence, I thought of asking if she’d like to be home but when I pulled up to her house and looked at the front door she just clung to me tighter and shook her head. I pulled into my own driveway and turned off the engine, sitting back against the seat for the first time since I started the car and looking at my pale white garage.
“Let’s go inside, I’m sure they didn’t follow us home”
She carefully got up and let go of me, her hands left a red imprint on my forearm and I watched her shakily get out of the passenger door and shake glass from her sweater. I grabbed the blankets from the back and met her at the front of the car, grabbing her hand and walking slowly toward the front door.
“She will never be safe, we will come for her, and the moment you sleep, she will be ours”
I waved the whispers off and clambered up the stairs, she went over to my bed and collapsed almost immediately, holding my pillow so tight I think the feathers may fly out of the top. Every so often another hand scrapes against the window and makes my computer screen go static. I have the curtains closed on all except the one behind my desk, where I’ve been watching one of the entity’s slowly stroll around my yard, and every time he comes close to the window, I see a large circular shadow begin to creep into my yard. I have my Bible nearby and I’ve been reciting verses to try and calm my nerves, I can’t begin to understand all this but something about it feels demonic. I don’t know if anyone else has ever experienced this kind of thing, but I’d really like to sleep soon, and I can’t let them take her away from me.