Darkness falls

Knife's edge.

2011. Mark, 7 years after murder of niece. 8:00pm Los Angeles.

Mark pushed his way through the gathered crowd and surveyed the horrific scene. One truck had collided with five cars, one equation that Mark never wanted to add up ever again. Mark cautiously moved to the nearest car and peered in the window. An elderly couple had been in the car, they were both dead.

Mark scribbled 'deceased' on the bonnet of the car and moved on to the next. Paramedics were making their way through the debris now, passing the cars with deceased and getting to the living people in time to save them. Mark reached the truck and opened the passenger door, expecting the worst. It never came. The cabin was empty.

"Where are you?" Mark asked himself.

He walked around to the back of the truck and and swung the doors open. Slowly they creaked and moaned, opening so that Mark could see inside. Although it was dark inside Mark could make out some shapes.

Something flitted around at the back of the container and Marks hand shot to his side-arm. He drew it and pointed it into the darkness.

"Come out with your hands in the air." Mark commanded into the darkness.

Something started towards Mark, but before he could even think of firing his weapon, he was lifted off the ground by a flash of light and thrown into the side of the truck. Something landed on the ground at the end of the truck and ran off into the darkness. Mark got to his feet and gave chase, following the figure into the night. Mark ran down an alley and stopped dead in his tracks. the person, for that is what it was, was standing there with their back to Mark.

"Do not move! I have a gun trained on your back."

There was a sudden flash of light and Mark was blinded, and when his vision finally returned the person was gone. All that was left was a small silver remote and a photo.

****************************************************************************

Mia. 8:53pm

"What a night Lee, what a day, what a week."

Mia was frustrated. Mark was supposed to be home a few hours ago, and he hadn't even called. In his line of business that could mean the worst. Mia ran her hands through her hair and gave an exaggerated sigh, and then she spoke back into the receiver.

"I am worried Lee, he hasn't even called!"

Lee laughed into the phone.

"You get to worry, he is only a guy."

Mia couldn't help but laugh at her friend's brash approach to everything.

" Lee!!!"

"Granted a hot, bronzed, sex-bomb of a man, but still only a guy."

Mia giggled in a nervous, if it makes you happy, way.

"You hear from Sarah lately? I heard that she was off in Paris with some sales rep named Darren." Lee quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Mia grinned and was about to reply when the line went dead.

" Lee?"

There was no reply.

" Lee!"

Mia was getting frantic. She had dealt with things that go bump in the night when she had lived back home but here in the future she had rarely dealt with them at all.

Then the line came back and a low growl emanated over the connection.

" Lee!!!"

Mia's voice was raised to a high pitched squeal. Mark called it her panic voice. Mia dropped the phone and ran to the front door, grabbing her car keys as she sped down the hall. Then a scream echoed from the phone.