Unseen

Unseen

His feet were bound at the ankles. A rope tied his wrists together behind him and a cloth gag had been shoved harshly in his mouth. Rob had been riding in the trunk of a car like this for hours it seemed. Sweat beaded on his forehead and soaked through his clothes, what little he wore.

Rob had been sleeping when he woke up to chloroform being shoved into his face. The next thing he knew, he was bound and gagged and bouncing in the trunk of a car. What a birthday present.

Thirty was a turning point for most people. For some, it made them feel old, for others; really old. For Rob, it made no difference. It was just another year. He hadn't planned on celebrating his birthday at all. At first he had thought this to be a joke. His brother Mark playing a birthday prank on him. But after hours in the car, nearly dying of heat stroke, Rob decided that this wasn't a prank, it was for real.

A light stream of music was flooding Rob's ears and he rolled his eyes, wishing that his kidnapper listened to something other than country music. Rob laid his head down on the spare tire and closed his eyes. If he was going to die, he hoped he would die right now, while he still had his cool about him.

No such luck.

The car came to a sudden stop and Rob heard the sound of breaking glass. He cursed underneath his gag at the driver. It took a real numb kidnapper to get in a car accident with someone in their trunk. Rob listened for anything else, but only heard someone shuffling in the front of the car. He heard muffled sounds, but he couldn't tell what they were. He sighed inwardly and closed his eyes again.

Then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Rob's eyes shot open when he heard nothing more and he anxiously waited for his kidnapper to open the trunk or start the car. Neither happened and Rob felt anxiety creep up his throat. He squirmed a little, but only managed to get rope burn on his wrists and ankles. He decided to make some noise.

Bringing his legs up, he hit the top of the trunk with a thud. He yelled through the gag and continued to bang on the top of the trunk. His words weren't understandable, but if anyone was outside, they'd know that there was someone inside.

After a few minutes, Rob heard a key being put into the lock of the trunk. Rob squinted his eyes, preparing for the sunlight. As the trunk opened, the sunlight blinded him anyway and he squinted harder, noticing the thin frame of a woman holding the trunk lid open. He half expected her to scream or gasp and half expected her to be his kidnapper. He didn't expect her to close the trunk, which is exactly what she did.

Rob sat in darkness, wondering what was going on. He thought what the people at work were thinking. It must be pass time for him to show up, he hoped someone worried about him. Probably not though. Rob had always been quiet, stuck to himself. He was never the friendly co-worker.

It only took a few minutes for the trunk to be opened again. But this time, a man was standing in the sunlight. Rob couldn't see any features, he looked like nothing more than a shadow against the sunlight. The man reached down and took a hold of Rob's arms, hauling him out of the trunk and setting him down on the bumper. The man ungagged him and started to untie the ropes around his wrists.

"Thank you." Rob managed, though his voice was parched.

The man nodded, not smiling. He turned his head to the side and yelled, "Mary, get some water." Rob looked to where the man had yelled and saw that the car was parked next to a small house. The house was two stories, with flower beds underneath all the windows. But no flowers were growing. Only dead plants and weeds grew. The house looked rather worn down, but if looked rustic. The woman who had first opened the trunk stood on the porch, clinging to a pole. She turned around, blankly, and walked into the house.

"What's your name?" Rob looked back at the man. He hadn't looked up, just moved to untying Rob's feet.

"Rob."

"What are you doing tied up in a trunk?"

Rob could only shrug. "I dunno." Rob looked around. "Did Mark set this up?"

The man frowned at him and shook his head. "Mark?"

"Um...nevermind." Rob realized that it was true then, he had been kidnapped. It didn't seem to phase him, and that made him feel awkward.

The man looked up and squinted at him, pulling the rope off of Rob's ankles. He stood up and looked toward his house, where Mary was coming out with a glass. She came down the walkway and handed it to the man. "This is Mary. I'm Tod." Tod handed the glass to Rob who took it and sipped at the water.

"Aren't you scared or anything?" Mary asked, standing next to Tod. They didn't touch each other or make like they were together, but Rob saw the matching ring bands on each of their hands. He studied them a little more. Tod was a tall, husky man with blonde hair and a blonde beard. His face was tan and his eyes were sunken and sullen. Mary was the opposite. She was small and petite in her sundress. Her brown hair flowed freely over her shoulders.

"No." Rob said, finishing off the water and handing the glass back to Mary. She took it and crossed her arms over her chest.

Tod pointed to the driver's seat. "Who was the driver?"

Rob turned around and saw what the car had run into. The car's hood was smashed and it was wrapped around a telephone pole. The driver's side door was open and there was a red substance smeared across the white interior. "Is that blood?" Rob asked.

"Probably hit his head when he hit the pole. Do you know who the driver was?" Tod asked, his face showing no emotion. Rob shook his head. "Well, then I guess there's nothing we can do about it until the tow truck gets here. Why don't you come up on the porch. Mary will make sandwiches."

Accepting help from Tod in standing up, Rob stretched his muscles and followed the two to their porch. He sat down on one of the lawn chairs and watched as Tod sat down next to him. There was an awkward silence between the two. Rob felt like he was in a daze. This was the last type of reaction he'd expect out of someone who just found a person in a trunk of a car.

"Did you call the police?" Rob asked.

"We don't have police. We'd have to call the state police and that'd take over an hour to get a squad car here." Tod said. "Besides, you don't know anything. It would be easier to just call and make a report over the phone."

Rob nodded, though thought it was a little strange. He heard Mary come out of the house and turned to see her carrying two plates, each held a sandwich. "Thank you." He said as she handed him one.

Behind Mary, a dog rushed out the door. "That's a big dog." Rob commented, then bit into his sandwich. The dog ran down to the car and started sniffing around. By the looks of it, it was a German Shepherd. Rob loved those kinds of dogs. But this dog in particular was big.

"His name is Demon." Mary said, standing behind Tod. They watched as Demon sniffed at the blood on the car. He started to lick it and Mary tensed. She yelled something that Rob didn't understand and the dog turned its head. Demon barked back at Mary and she held up a finger. The dog barked again and Mary said, "No." Finally, Demon turned away from the car and came back up to the porch. The dog walked slowly and Rob thought that it had more human characteristics than dog. Demon stopped next to Rob and slowly put it's head up, sniffing at Rob's arm.

"He has personality." Rob commented, though he was beginning to get nervous. The people here were odd. Tod and Mary seemed too calm for what had just happened in their front yard. Though, they could still be in shock, he supposed. The dog was just weird, there was no better way to describe him. Demon took one last sniff and then turned back towards the door. Mary opened it and he went into the house. "How long have you had him?" Rob asked.

"Not long." Tod said, his eyes staring down at the car. Rob looked down too and saw that he was staring at the blood on the front seat. Rob looked around. It was a quiet little neighborhood and that's what got to Rob. There were houses everywhere. A road going off to the right, another road further down. The lawns seemed unmowed and overgrown. A tree in one of the neighbor's yards was dead and it looked bare against the overgrown green grass. Sidewalks ran along side and there were children's toys in some of the front lawns. Though, there were no children out and about. In fact, there was no one out. Rob frowned. There was a car accident in their neighbor's front lawn, he thought that more people should be out looking.

"This is a quiet neighborhood." Rob said, looking over at Tod.

Tod looked at him, with a questioning look in his eye, like he was accusing Rob of something. But the look went away and Tod nodded. "Everyone minds their own business here."

"You'd think it would be different. Usually in small towns, everyone knows each other." Rob was talking more to himself than to Tod or Mary, who had found a seat for herself. Rob took another bite of his sandwich and looked across the street.

The house looked basically the same as this one. But there was a children's play tricycle in the front lawn. It was tipped over and looked as if it hadn't been played with for a while. There was a dog house off to the side and a dish for dog food next to it. Rob's eyes moved to the next house and saw that on their porch was also a dog dish.

"People like dogs here." Rob whispered to himself.

"They're good hunters." Tod said. Rob looked over at him. He hadn't realized he had said it so loud. "The tow truck is here." Tod stood up.

Looking out at the street, Rob didn't see any tow truck. But not a second later, one came around the corner. He turned to Tod, about to ask him how, but decided against it. The sooner he got out of this town and back to his normal boring life, the better things would be.

The tow truck pulled up next to Rob's car and a man got out of the front seat. "Morning Tod, Mary." The man said. He was wearing a jean jumpsuit with a flannel shirt underneath. An orange hunter's hat covered his head. Sweat dripped down his cheeks. Besides all this, he was the most normal person Rob had seen thus far. "Jesus, what the hell happened here?" The man said, leaning down and looking at the blood on the car.

"An accident." Tod said, coming around and looking at the car.

"You need me to take this man into town? Get him cleaned up and on his way?" The man asked, pointing at Rob.

"No Carl, that won't be necessary." Tod said, looking at Carl. Carl chewed his lip and nodded. He went to his truck and got a hook. Tod turned back to Rob. "Come on, he can handle this."

"Why don't I just get a ride with him? I can call a friend from town and-"

"He has places he needs to be." Tod said, putting a hand on Rob's shoulder. Rob looked at Carl, who was watching them. When Carl saw Rob look over, he looked nervous but came around.

Carl held out a hand and Rob shook it. "Don't worry, Tod and Mary will take good care of you." He said. Rob felt a piece of paper in between their handshake. When Carl pulled away, Rob curled his hand around the paper.

Quickly, Carl finished hooking up the car and then he took off, without saying goodbye to anyone. Rob walked back to the porch and sat down. He picked up his sandwich and put it on his lap, then opened the piece of paper with one hand. Tod bit into his sandwich and was watching Carl turn around the corner.

Looking down at the paper, Rob frowned at what it said.

Beware the Unseen

Folding the paper back up, he put it in his pocket and looked over at Tod. "So, can I use your phone?"

Tod didn't answer at first. He just chewed his bite of sandwich and looked over at Rob, as if he were studying him. "We don't have long distance. I'll take you into town." Tod stood up and walked into the house. Rob, sighed, finally alone. He looked across the street again and saw that a dog lay on the lawn. He frowned. Another German Shepherd.

"This is too weird." Rob stood up and put his sandwich down. He turned to walk into the house, but found that Demon sat in the doorway. The dog was staring at him. "Hey Demon...boy." Rob flinched when the dog gave a short snort. Rob looked in the window. He saw Mary sitting on the kitchen counter. She held her face in her hands and looked to be sobbing. Tod was pacing the floor. He looked angry, but also upset. Rob licked his lips and looked back at Demon.

"Tod, I'd like to go now." Rob hollered. He saw Tod stop pacing and go to Mary. He kissed her cheek and ran a hand over her hair. It was the most emotion he'd seen Tod give. Mary hugged him and then pushed him to go. When Tod disappeared around the corner, Mary looked out the window. Her eyes caught Rob's and her face took on a look of horror. She looked around quickly and grabbed something, holding it up. Rob saw that it was a can of dog food. He frowned. Mary was shaking her head vigorously.

Tod came out the front door. Rob looked at him and smiled. Tod's face looked run down. There were red rims around his eyes, but still, his face held no emotion. "I'm ready." Tod said, holding his car keys in his hand. Rob nodded and followed him down the stairs, Demon following close behind.

Opening the garage door, Rob nearly yelped when he saw another German Shepherd in the garage. This dog was nursing pups. The dog looked up. Her eyes glowed a little in the sudden sunlight. She sniffed the air and put her head back down. Demon barked behind Rob, making him jump a little. The dog nursing the pups barked back, but did nothing else.

Tod got in the car and opened to the door for Rob. Before Rob could get in, Demon jumped into the back seat. Rob licked his lips, his nerves were beginning to wear thin. He got into the car and closed the door. Tod started the car and backed out of the driveway.

Driving down the road, Rob watched as the houses passed by. He again noticed that he saw no other people. Children's toys were in the front lawn, yet no children. Lawn mowers were out yet no one to push them. A car door was open on one car, but there was no one around to drive it. Rob turned to look at Tod.

"Do you like living here?" Rob asked.

Tod frowned, looking over at Rob, but he quickly looked back at the road. He's nervous, Rob realized. "It's home." Tod answered.

Rob nodded and looked back out the window. His hands clenched his sweatpants when he saw a German Shepherd walking down the sidewalk. He looked up a street as they passed it and saw at least three houses with German Shepherds lying on the front porch.

"Jesus." Rob whispered. Tod looked over at him, but he didn't say anything. Demon in the backseat put his snout close to Rob's head and Rob tensed, picturing the dog clamping down on the back of his neck. But Demon just breathed on him, as if he were tempting him.

"How far away is the town?" Rob asked.

"Not far." Tod's voice held the anxiety that Rob was feeling right at that moment. He suddenly wished that he were back at home and that none of this had happened. Things were getting weird and he didn't like it.

After a few minutes, Tod pulled the car to a stop. Rob looked around. He didn't see a town. They had come to a field. Across the field was a forest. Rob saw a few German Shepherds lying lazily in the field. When they heard the car pull up, their ears perked and they stood up.

"Get out." Tod said.

Rob looked over at him. Tears were brimming at Tod's eyes and his hands gripped the wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. "What's going on?" Rob asked.

"Just get out." Tod whispered, a sob escaping after his words.

Rob put his hand on the door handle and Demon barked, making him jump. Rob couldn't take his eyes off of Tod. "Tod-"

"Please get out. There's nothing I can do for you." Tod said, his face completely caving in to the tears. He downright sobbed and Rob finally opened the door. He got out and was surprised when Demon jumped out after him.

"Demon, get back in the car." Rob tried, but the dog just sat down, staring up at Rob. He thought he saw hunger in the dog's eyes.

"Whatever you do, don't go in the forest." It was Tod, he was leaning across the front seats. Demon barked, turning his head back to look at Tod. "It's the Unseen! Don't go in the forest!"

Demon suddenly jumped back into the car and put his face next to Tod. The dog growled and Tod nodded, crying as he held his hands up in front of his face. Rob had never seen anything like it before. Demon jumped out of the car and Tod closed the door, squealing his tires as he took off. Rob looked at Demon, who growled at him, taking a step closer.

Rob backed up. The dog's snout was nudging his thigh and Rob turned around. He saw that the dogs that had been lying in the field were now coming towards him. He felt a hand grip his heart and he turned back to Demon. Rob decided to do the only thing he could think of. He brought his leg back and harshly kicked the dog.

Demon let out a high pitch yelp as he fell to the side, but his head shot back towards Rob. Rob saw the other dogs run towards him now, their teeth snarling at him. Demon leaped and Rob just barely missed his claws. The dog turned sharply and bit down on Rob's sweatpants. Rob pulled away, his sweatpants ripping.

Rob took off running.

"Whatever you do, don't go in the forest." Rob heard Tod's voice sound in his head. He looked towards the forest and decided to listen to Tod. But, when he turned around, he saw that at least a dozen German Shepherds were coming from the houses lining the field.

"Shit." Rob spat, losing his thought for just a second. He felt a dog collide into his back. He fell flatly on the ground, his face hitting the dirt with a smack. The dog that had leapt on him was ripping at his back with its claws.

Rob rolled over, bringing his arms around to grab the dog's head. The dog bit at his hands, but finally Rob got a strong grip. He pressed his thumbs into the dog's eyes and felt the dog's eyeballs burst beneath them.

The dog let out a harsh yip and went whimpering away. Rob got up, only to have a dog bite onto his leg. He kicked his leg, breaking the dog's jaw in the process. Finally getting to his feet, he ran.

"I don't care about the stupid unseen." Rob yelled back at the dogs. "I'll climb a fucking tree and see how you like that." He screamed, throwing his fist around to smack away a dog that leapt at him.

Rob ran towards the forest, the dogs nipping at his heels. Once or twice he tripped and had to fight off a dog, but it was always only one dog. The others would stop and wait for Rob to get up again before they started running. Rob failed to notice this.

Finally reaching to forest, Rob dodged around trees and ducked under branches. But, he was no match for the forest. A root caught his foot and he fell. Turning around quickly to fight off any dogs that were on him, he saw that all the dogs had stopped at the edge of the forest. The dogs were watching him, but finally they scurried away, whimpering as if frightened by something.

"Ha! Bastards!" Rob screamed. He stood up, wearily but confident now. "Fuck you!" Rob screamed. He had a lack of better words to yell.

Rob looked around, thinking about what Carl had said on the card and what Tod had said in the car. The sunlight was broken in the forest, leaving tendrils of light cascading down. But, the tree tops were so thick that deeper in the forest there was hardly any light at all. He took in deep breaths and listened to the forest for a moment. He didn't know what he was listening for. What exactly had they mean by the Unseen? Rob knew nothing about what he wasn't suppose to run into. How would he know what it was if he saw it? Was it possible to see the unseen?

There was a snap of a twig behind him and Rob turned around quickly. His eyes scanned the forest, but he didn't see anything. Another snap behind him and Rob turned again, this time his eyes caught sight of something, but it wasn't what he was expecting. Taking a step forward, Rob's eyes grew wide.

It was a natural graveyard.

There were bones everyone. Whole skeletons. Rob saw big skeletons, adults. Mixed in between them were smaller ones, the children. Rob thought about the children's toys on the front lawn, the lawn mowers and cars. All the empty houses. Then he thought about the dogs. There were so many dogs, all the same kind.

Realization started to hit. The dogs were trying to get him in the forest. That's what they had done with everyone in this town. It was Tod and Mary's part to play for getting people here, now that there was no one left in town. Had the kidnapping been a set up to bring Rob here?

Looking around at all the skeletons, Rob's eyes widened at a body that still held its skin. The skin was flattened over the bones. It appeared to hold no muscles or blood. "Oh God." Rob whispered, walking over to the body and kneeling down next to it. He searched the pockets for a wallet or any form of identification. Turning the body's arm over, Rob froze as he eyed a single word tattoed onto the arm. "Vida." It was the spanish word for life and Rob knew the tattoo well. Panic struck him hard and he felt himself choke up. He looked at the body and started taking in the features. The hair, the clothes, the face. Though somewhat distorted, he recognized them all.

It was Mark, his brother.

Rob downright cried. It was all suppose to be for fun, just like he had suspected. Mark had always been a prankster. But something had gone wrong. Somehow, he had been forced to come here, and now he was dead. Rob took Mark's hand. The skin was cold and it felt as if it were void of anything but bone and dried muscle. Mark's eyes were rolled back, the eyelids torn off. Rob could only see the whites of his brother's eyes underneath all the blood. Had he seen the unseen?

"Fuck you!" Rob suddenly screamed. He didn't know who he was screaming at, but he knew he had to scream. "Fuck you!" He screamed again, gathering Mark's body in his arms.

There was a high pitched screeching sound and Rob turned his head sharply. A shadow flickered in between the trees. Rob realized how dark it was. "Go away!" He screamed, craddling his brother.

Something tapped his shoulder and Rob flinched, turning his head.

A scream in his ear and Rob whirled his head, meeting two pairs of red eyes face to face. The scream continued as it backed away. Rob saw the unseen. A blade-like claw swung around towards Rob's head.

A sudden pain.

An instant quiet.

Then there was nothing but darkness.

The unseen remains what it is; unseen.


****

Thanks mstempest for the feature in the Horror/Scary Newsletter!!

This was written for "The Stake & Garlic Vampire Contest"   by Jenn .

The prompt was to write about a vampire legend from around the world. I chose the Hanh Saburo.

Hanh Saburo live in forests. They have control over dogs. They will lure or drive people into the forest to attack them.