The Midnight Man by Kevin Saito

  ~o0o~

  Kayce giggled. “Aren’t we supposed to be out looking for the Midnight Man?”

  “Nah, we’re supposed to be hiding from him,” Lance replied. “And I think we found a pretty cozy little spot.”

  They were in what had once been a small office. The paint was peeling off of the portions of the walls that didn't have holes punched through them and a collection of assorted debris littered the floor. They set their candles atop the battered remains of a desk that stood in the center of the room. It was one of the few rooms they’d passed that still had a door so Lance had pulled her inside and shut it. Smiling, he grabbed Kacey around the waist and pulled her close.

  “Yeah, but Jordan also said that we weren’t supposed to stay in one spot,” Kayce said. “We’re supposed to keep moving. It was like bad luck or something if we didn’t.”

  Lance leaned in to kiss her as a peal of thunder roared overhead making her jump.

  “Come on,” he laughed. “You don’t seriously believe in all this do you? It’s just a stupid game. Nothing’s going to happen.”

  She smiled at him as he picked her up and set her on the desk, tilted her head back and kissed her. She abruptly broke the kiss and moved her head to the side as if she were listening to something.

  “Did you hear that?” She asked.

  “Hear what?”

  She brushed his hands away and slid off the desk. Kacey walked over to the door and opened it a crack.

  “What are you doing, Kace?”

  “I could’ve sworn I heard a scream,” she said. “It sounded like Ruby.”

  Lance leaned back against the battered desk and crossed his arms over his chest, his annoyance level rising. He watched as Kacey stuck her head out into the hall looking first to the right and then to the left.

  “It probably was Ruby,” Lance said. “They’re all probably out there fucking around in the dark, scaring themselves stupid.”

  Kacey closed the door and turned back to him, smiling. “Are you pouting?”

  Lance rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not pouting,” he said. “I just wanted to enjoy a little alone time with you.”

  She giggled. “So you are pouting.”

  She walked back over and wrapped her arms around him, looked up at him and smiled. Lance leaned down and kissed her again as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. They both jumped at the sound of something hitting the door hard enough to rattle the frame. That was followed by what sounded like nails being dragged down the wooden surface. Kacey gasped and backed further into Lance’s arms.

  “Fucking idiots,” Lance muttered. “It’s probably Kyle screwing off out there.”

  He disentangled himself from her and strode to the door.

  “Kyle,” he shouted as he ripped the door open. “I’m so going to beat your ass.”

  He was momentarily puzzled when he found the hallway empty. He looked both ways and didn’t see anybody or hear any footsteps running away. Lance turned around and shrugged at Kacey who huddled away from the door, fear etched upon her face. Inside, Lance was irritated. Nothing was going the way he’d planned it.

  “It’s just Kyle, baby,” he said. “He’s just screwing with us.”

  The candles on the desktop flickered as if caught in a breeze and went out, plunging the room into a murky darkness as another peal of thunder tore open the sky above them. Lance shook his head and sighed.

  “Lance,” Kacey’s voice wavered. “I don’t like this. Let’s go find the others and get out of here.”

  “Baby, it’s nothing,” Lance said quietly, trying to soothe her. “Seriously. It’s just Kyle or Milo trying to freak us out. Let’s just hang out for a little while longer.”

  A flash of lightning flared behind the sloppily boarded up window, briefly illuminating the room around them. Lance’s eyes grew wide and his heart raced as he saw the tall, dark silhouette standing behind Kacey.

  “What in the fuck is that?” he whispered.

  He opened his mouth to warn her but was unable to muster another sound. Kacey's scream, nearly as loud as the thunder that roared outside, filled the room as the Midnight Man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to him. Kyle shook his head, trying to dispel what he thought was just a terrible hallucination. Kacey struggled and thrashed as the Midnight Man picked her up by the neck, lifting her clear off the ground. A loud snapping sound filled the room and suddenly Kacey was still. He body hit the ground with a meaty thud as the Midnight Man dropped her lifeless body.

  “This isn't real,” he said, finding his voice again. “This can't be real!”

  Something in his mind whispered to him urgently, telling him that this was no hallucination, that he needed to get out of there. Lance finally woke up to the horror before him, the pale blue eyes of the Midnight Man and the corpse of his girlfriend on the ground at his feet. His felt numb with shock, his breath was labored and ragged but his paralysis was broken. Lance turned and ran from the room, bolting down the hallway in the direction he hoped the common room and his way out lay.

  Lance rounded a corner and tried to stop short. But his foot hit a wet patch on the floor which sent him sprawling, the air driven from his lungs as he landed flat on his back. The dark figure of the Midnight Man, pale blue eyes glowing in the darkness leaned over him. As cold, corpse-like fingers caressed his skin and the stench of death filled his nose, Lance opened his mouth and screamed.