(Hey, I was the original author I just forgot to put my screen name up there. I haven't been coming as often as I usually do, simply because I've been sick. I'm over it now and I thought this might be a good chapter to come back with.)
Ralph ate his dinner in piece with the exception of the occassional sound of leaves shifting around but decided that it was just the wind.
He retired for the night at the usual time and was quickly asleep.
Sounds and images were flooding through his mind. Gray images danced around as an eerie reverberating chant circulated the air.
It was African music. No! The beat didn't sound right. The images began to grow bigger and more frightening. Their eyes reflecting the moon from far above.
The wind was brisk and the moon's eerie glow was all that lit the field.
One of the figures began to take on shape and color as it approached looming in the twilight earth. The Aurora Borealis itself seemed to dance around it.
Its gaze penetrated to the very soul as it approached and flesh burned at its presence.
The creature was close now, almost visible. The aurora which encircled it tickled against skin, creating a warm soothing sensation that was impossible to ignore.
The sensation however was quickly ended as the beast sunk its teeth, stains of red splattering across the shoulder.
Ralph awoke with a start. His breaths were fast and shallow and his face lacked all color. He was in a deep sweat as he sat up in his bed.
He gripped his shoulder. A dull pain echoed through it.
"Could it possibly have been real?" He thought to himself remembering the all too vivid dream.
He shook it off, trying to convince himself that he wasn't insane.
He got up to take a pain reliever for his shoulder, hoping to get to sleep before tomorrow morning.
Ralph came to work the following morning.
"Anything new?" He asked as he walked by some of his fellow detectives before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Nothing so far. Just complaints from their families threatening to sue us with their expensive lawyers." Tom told him.
"Sounds harsh." He said rubbing his forehead.
"What's wrong with you?" John asked.
"It's nothing. I just hate working weekends."
"You? Yeah right, you live for this job! The day that you don't come into work because you 'hate working weekends' is the day that the sun falls from the sky and crushes us all." Tom said sarcastically.
"I think I'm gonna get to work." Ralph said ignoring the comment. "If O'Neal wants me tell him that my shoulder's bothering me and that I'm at my desk reviewing files."
"Whoa! You're actually going to stay at your desk all day! Now I know something's wrong! Are you sure you're feeling alright?" John asked.
"Yeah just a bad bruise." Ralph replied quickly.
"Okay, but it still doesn't seem like you're yourself to me." Tom said calling after him as he walked towards his desk. Ralph made a gesture to show him that he heard it and continued walking.
The day was fairly uneventful and he was already getting bored by the time his lunch break rolled in.
He went to the bathroom to take care of some stuff and as he was looking in the mirror he noticed the stubble growing on his face.
He was perplexed. It was barely even noon and he already had a good 5 o'clock shadow going.
He ignored it and went on to lunch.
It was around 3 when Val, a.k.a. "Newt", came by from the lab.
"Hey, Ralph we found this 500 yards from the scene of the first crime. We just finished getting it dusted and it appears that the victim was the last to use it and sales record shows that he bought it as well." He said showing him a camera.
"Any photos?" Ralph asked taking the camera from him and giving it a quick look over.
"Yeah check these out." He handed him some pictures from the incident.
Ralph smiled seeing that it showed the exact same scenario which Ron Williams had described on the phone.
"Where were these? I thought you had already searched around the house?" He asked flipping through the photos.
"We had. They were buried under the leaves that had been blown around probably just by coincidence."
"Get these enlarged, I want to have them by tonight."
"I was already planning on it."
Ralph left work at around 6:00 o'clock shortly before he would on a regular day.
He went straight to eating dinner when he heard a noise. There was no doubting it this time, something or someone was walking around outside his house.
Getting to his room he took out his rifle, night vision scope included and went outside. There was no sign of the intruder and Ralph figured he left after seeing Ralph leave to get a gun.
He walked back inside to enjoy the rest of the cool, early spring night.