He Sees You When You're Sleeping

12th December- Beacon In The Mist

The night was dark and cold. A cloud hung low over the city, blocking out the moon. The streets were in shadow, and it was hard to see your hand if you held it in front of you. Streetlights lined the pavements and each created a dim circle of light before it, too, was swallowed into the darkness. Even the noises sounded muffled. Nearby chatter seemed quieter, somehow. Muted.
Julian, along with his friend Simons and Anna, were crammed inside a small, dingy corner pub, sitting around a grimy round table. An old couple were bickering in the table next to them, and it was getting a little tiring.
The group of friends paid the bill for their one bottle of beer before heading outside into the darkness.
"Wait a second- what's that?" Anna asked, pointing towards the darkness. Julian squinted, but he could barely make anything out in the black haze.
"I don't see anything." He said, shifting uneasily. Julian wasn't afraid of the dark, but there was something about this dark that was so... off. Like it wasn't natural. Like if you went too far it would swallow you whole and you'd get lost.
"There it is again!" Anna cried.
"Wait- you're right. There's something there." Simon said loudly. His voice echoed through the silent night. "Julian, look."
"I told you guys, there's nothing-" he saw something amidst the fog. It was dim, but a blinking red light shone through the dark curtain. "...there." He finished. "What is that thing?"
"Looks like the backlights of a car." Anna observed, tilting her head.
"Yeah, but it's not moving any closer. Don't the backlights only flash if you're in reverse?"
"I'm going to check it out." Anna claimed, taking a step towards the light.
"What? No! That's a terrible idea. It's like a horror film plot or something." Julian warned, pulling her back.
"The key word in that being film. You're letting fiction get to your head. This is real life. Besides, it's not like we're in some creepy graveyard or haunted house or anything."
"Fine. But be careful, alright? I just... don't like this situation. There's something off about it."
"That's precisely why I'm going to check it out. I'll be back in a second, okay?" She promised. Anna took a few steps forwards before the darkness enveloped her.

A few minutes later, Anna hadn't returned yet. Julian was pacing anxiously in circles. Simon didn't seem bothered.
"Simon, why aren't you worried?" Julian stopped his pacing and gave his friend a puzzled look.
"Why would I be worried?" He answered, just as confused as Julian.
"Because Anna just disappeared into the darkness and she hasn't come back! She's your girlfriend, for God's sake!" He exclaimed.
"I don't have a girlfriend." Simon answered slowly. "And I don't know any Annas."
"Okay, dude. You're scaring me. Stop messing around." Julian couldn't keep the wobble out of his voice.
"I'm not kidding with you. I have no idea what you're on about." Julian looked into his friend's eyes and saw that he was serious. "There's never been an Anna with us here. Just us two."
Julian felt a chill run down his spine. Simon wasn't lying. So... what happened to Anna?
The light. That must have had something to do with it. As if on cue, Simon pointed into the darkness.
"Woah. Look at that thing." He breathed, pointing at the blinking light, starting to walk towards it.
"No. Don't go close to it." Julian warned and grabbed his friend's arm.
"Why not?"
"Anna went towards the light and she disappeared. Now you don't even remember her."
"For the last time, there's been nobody named Anna with us in the first place. I'll be back in a sec, ok?"
Julian watched as his friend melted into the shadows. He didn't come back.

After standing around for a while, Julian came to a decision. He was going to investigate the light. He didn't like the idea of it, and the thought of wandering into the unknown like that put him on edge, to say the least. But he had nothing left to lose. He breathed in, plucking up all his courage, and stepped towards the light.
The red light grew brighter with every step. It lured him in like an anglerfish waiting for its dinner.
After what felt like an eternity of walking through nowhere, Julian stopped. The light- which now was clearly a shining red orb- was hovering in front of him, as if suspended in midair. Then it came forwards- along with the clattering of hooves. He looked up to see a reindeer standing over him, his red nose blinking on and off. Julian took a step back, never once taking his eyes off the beast. Then it attacked.

The fog muffled Julian's scream as it rang out through the darkness.