He Comes At Night

At first, it happened in a blur, a mere flicker caught in the corner of her eye. But as the headlights of her car illuminated the figure standing in the middle of the road, everything snapped into focus.

It wasn't a mere "thing" or an ordinary animal. No, what stood before her was unmistakably human—a towering figure, standing at a formidable six feet tall, solid and real.

The unexpected appearance of a man in the dead of night, seemingly materializing out of thin air, sent a shiver down Rose's spine. 

Who was he, and what was he doing here, blocking her path in the darkness of the forest? 

The intrigue of the moment gripped her, igniting a spark of curiosity amidst the uncertainty of her surroundings.

And when the car's headlights illuminated him, he turned his face towards Rose, freezing her in place with a single glance.

His eyes gleamed under the light, casting an otherworldly glow upon his face. It was as if the illumination didn't come from the headlights, but from within him, as though he emitted a radiant aura that transcended the darkness of the night.

But it was his visage that truly mesmerized her. His features were so unearthly, so ethereal, that for a moment, Rose questioned if in the middle of the night and in the middle of the forest she came across a spirit. A spirit not of this plane.

In that fleeting moment, he seemed to embody the essence of the earth, the sky, the moon, and the sun—all the beauty of the world encapsulated in one stunning figure. 

He was a vision of perfection, a spirit of unparalleled allure that left Rose breathless with awe and wonder.

She couldn't deny the captivating allure he possessed. If she were to choose any word to describe him, "beautiful" would undoubtedly be fitting.

Beautiful! Not a word that usually utilized by Rose to describe an attractive opposite specie. But this man would surely make her eat her own words if she used anything other than that for him.

Tall and lithe, a hood cascading from his head, his slightly longer, tousled hair dancing in the forest breeze, he seemed to move with a grace that was both mesmerizing and unsettling.

And then, without warning, he began to advance.

As he began to move toward her, Rose's heart lurched in her chest with a lethal mixture of surprise, fear and frustration. She was hurtling toward him in a speeding car, yet he made no attempt to evade the collision in fact he was coming towards her!

Who does that?

In that split second, a whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn't shake the sense of disbelief at the impending tragedy unfolding before her. 

It seemed inconceivable that such a strikingly handsome and seemingly otherworldly individual would meet his end on this desolate road. And by her car no less.

But as the reality of the situation sank in, anger flared within her. Why wasn't he moving out of harm's way? Instead, he was approaching her car with an eerie calmness that sent shivers down her spine.

In that moment of chaos, Rose made a decision. She couldn't afford to let her life, the beauty of the car, or the potential consequences of her actions go to waste. 

A surge of determination, steeled her for what was to come, refusing to be a prisoner to his fate. And eating prison food for the better part of her life when she still had teeth in her gums, for running over a man.

With the distance rapidly diminishing between her speeding car and the enigmatic figure in her path, Rose knew she couldn't hit the brakes now. The likelihood of still running him over loomed ominously if she attempted to stop.

With a surge of determination fueled by her aversion to prison food, Rose made a split-second decision. Gripping the wheel tightly, she turned sharply to her left, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Shit!" escaped her lips as she beheld what unfolded next.