Facility

The Tulpa Effect

Outside Adairville, Kentucky

'Are you calling me whilst driving again, Aaron?' Spoke a cold, crisp and prudent voice down a mobile phone. Of course, a mobile phone that was pressed to the ginger-haired Aaron's ear while his hand was resting gently on the wheel of his car. The headlights of this deep blue vehicle pressed onwards through the dark on the road so far, and a little red light on his dashboard signified the Gremlins Rag playing on his stereo. The small spark-like thing provided a cutting aura in the darkness amidst him and the two-lane road.

In the distance, just hiding behind the horizon - something began to amass. It was white and swirling and unnatural. A massive fog-bank, weaving and pulsing like a mind of its own. In front of this brigade, scuttled something black. Something glossy and segmented - like an insect. It stalked and prowled along the scenery, taking in where it was. Like a shadow it was camouflaged, and like a shadow it swim through the darkness. In its vision, the headlights of the car flared up - and provided the creature with somewhere to go.

Aaron shivered suddenly, and he looked at the display on his dashboard. The temperature had dropped by five degrees, and he could see his breath in a cloud before his lips. Slowly pressing down on the brakes, he looked around. He looked around and saw the fog, moving slowly towards him from behind the cloak of trees that surrounded the civilisation. There was something mesmerising about the sight... something almost relaxing. Charming. Like a snake, looming over its prey. With that last thought - however - a wave of fear broke over Aaron, and his palms balled against the steering wheel. His foot instinctively put the car out of brake, and sat on the gas pedal...
He took a breath, and closed his eyes for a moment. There was nothing to worry about. It was only fog. There wasn't anything in it. It couldn't hurt him.
'Just be sure' The thought flashed across his synapses, and as a result his foot pressed the pedal and the car sped forwards. Aaron squeaked as his car ground to an instant halt, and his suspension practically threw him against the ceiling. He'd hit something.
Now he was panicking.
His arm lashed out and dragged his door open, and his feet tramped down onto the tarmac road. He swivelled his head to look at what his wheels had collided with. It looked like a mound of metal, or something. Loads of shiny, black scraps - like the armour of an insect. Aaron approached it slowly, his breath shivering up and down in his chest. Wrapping his coat tighter around his body, the boy moved towards the thing in the road.
Tentatively reaching out with his hand, Aaron took a closer look at what it was. It had a long head, and four legs like a dog. A long, segmented tail curved out from its behind - and curled over it in foetal position. Whatever this was, it wasn't a person.
With a sudden flicker of green light, Aaron stumbled backwards, pulling his clothes over his eyes. When his trembling hands regained control over his nerves, he was able to see that the creature had vanished...
With the strong desire to forget what had just happened, he inched his way back to his car - keeping his eyes fixed on the spot where the monster had been. When he finally reached the car, he swiftly folded his body back into the seat. Clicking the 'lock' key on the door, and then hitting the stereo up to full volume - he pressed down on the pedal and went thundering away.

The mist slowly lapped against the road, like the sea eating away at the beach - and then more of the vapour amounted behind its front-line, and the spectral haze rolled forwards.