Aiden, what the hell have you gotten yourself into now? He wondered, sighing as no clear answer came.
He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, shielding himself from the cold drizzle.
His fingers brushed the damp, cold metal of the bus stop bench before he sat down, eyes straining to pierce the heavy fog that limited his vision to barely thirty steps ahead.
His mind replayed the events leading here: the arrest, the courtroom, the six-month sentence in juvie, and the sudden discovery of a father in some unknown town far to the west—only to be dropped off at this ghostly place.
Life felt like it had come full circle, crashing down around him in these last few moments.
He shoved in his headphones and let music fill the void—Soccer Dad by Schl-Boy Q flowing through the speakers.
Thirty minutes later…
The wind had shifted, and the fog had thinned, no longer choking the long road behind him. A gentle breeze brushed across his face, carrying the scent of the nearby sea.
But something else was there—a presence, lurking just beyond his senses.
Aiden glanced up from his phone, his heart jumping as he spun around. Only the stiff trees swayed in the wind.
He stood and circled the shelter, shaking off the creeping unease with a nervous laugh.
Just as he sat back down, a cold wave of fear surged through him. Goosebumps rose across his skin.
His eyes darted down the road.
A dark figure stood in the middle of the path, shrouded in mist, its form hazy and indistinct.
"Hey, is everything okay? You need help or something?" Aiden called out, voice steady though his eyes never left the silhouette.
The figure remained still.
Closer now, he made out the shape of a woman, about five-foot-five. She stepped slowly into the dim light, revealing more: a long, flowing dress hugging her curves, and wild, curly auburn hair cascading over her face and arms like the siren of a forgotten sea shore.
Though she didn't sing, a haunting melody filled the air—Aurora's "Murder Song" slipped faintly through his headphones, as if meant only for him.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled.
He took a step back.
Then came a low growl, followed by a hiss.
The woman crouched, predatory.
"Nah, fuck this," Aiden muttered, turning on his heel and sprinting down the road without a glance back.
He didn't dare.
A cold grip seemed to clutch the back of his neck—the invisible jaws of some unseen beast ready to claim him.
But just like that, the pressure vanished, as if it had never been.
He ran hard for half a mile, until he dared a glance behind.
Only the distant howls of wolves broke the night's silence—wolves he hadn't noticed before.
"I hope I'm not losing it," he muttered, disbelief crashing over him. Who'd believe some crazy woman attacked him in the woods?
Shaking off the lingering dread, he stared down the empty road, convincing himself it was just bus fatigue or his imagination.
But the fear was real—too real to ignore.
Then headlights cut through the darkness—an approaching vehicle.
A police cruiser slowed beside him, its red and blue lights bathing the mist.
A man of medium build stepped out, and relief washed over Aiden as the sharp blare of a police horn drowned out his spiraling thoughts.
For now, the nightmare could wait.