The lights just went out.

As this storm rages, I have embraced an overwhelming truth; it is coming for me. I can hear it outside, moving through the brush with the power and grace of some monstrosity of old. It knows where to go, it knows I am here, and I cannot stop it.

There is something in the wilderness beyond my property. I hear it hunting at night, growls like thunder, and has an appetite like the abyss.

I have done something I should not have, something...

There is a knock at the door.

I stand up suddenly, tipping over my chair as I do so. Thunder booms outside, shaking the house. Downstairs I hear it again, a polite knock.

I creep downstairs, a candle in one hand, revolver in the other. No one should be here at this hour, let alone tonight of all nights. Yet the knock repeats itself once again, and I feel my blood run cold.

I stand in front of the door for another minute or so fretting about what I have seen, before finally answering. But upon opening it, I found the doorway empty, save the driving rain.

“Do close the door, will you? It’s quite cold outside you know?”

I fired, once, twice, three times, at the figure sitting in my favorite armchair. The motion, however, snuffed out my candle leaving me in the flickering light of the storm.

My breath is ragged and panicked, as I try to find the kitchen matches. By the fireplace, I see a flame ignite, illuminating the face of my visitor. He is old and weathered, shaggy grey hair and a thick beard, the fire making his eyes look red as he lit his pipe.

“That wasn’t very nice.” He says, looking at me disapprovingly.

I emptied the gun on him.

The house echoes with the shots for a while, but to my dismay I see the figure unmoved from his place. He seems amused rather than angry at this course of events.

“Do something useful and get a fire going. I haven’t got all night!”

The gun was still smoking in my hand, my last line of defense, useless. And now the being was mocking me. Nonetheless, I lit some firewood and took a seat across from the visitor.

“Why have you come here creature?” I said quietly.

“Creature? Creature!? Such hospitality these days! First you shoot me, now you insult me? Back in my day, we used to treat guests with respect.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” He winked slyly. “Then we’d kill them.”

We appraised each other for a moment. He wore a fur cloak, like some old-fashioned frontiersman. Despite his apparent age, he looked surprisingly strong. I on the other hand, was still in my pajamas and slippers, trying not to fidget too much.

“And to answer your question,” He continued after inhaling thoughtfully. “I believe you know why I am here.”

“I told you before, I didn’t steal anything from you.”

“True, true, but you did trespass on my land, spied on me. Learning about people without their permission…that’s a theft of knowledge in a way.”

“You were eating people.”

“Ah, trespassers, not people. They brought that upon themselves.” He grinned wickedly. “Besides, I was hungry.”

He stared into the fire, apparently reminiscing.

“May I ask you a question?” I asked

The visitor raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

“What is so important about that ravine?”

“That depends…which story do you want? The long one or the short one?”

“Whichever makes more sense.”

“Ha! You came to the wrong place for that.”

Ignoring the fact that we were in my home, I pressed. “The short one then.”

The being leaned back, closing his eyes. “Let’s see…once upon a time, some people went where they weren’t supposed to go. There were deaths, other people were blamed. More deaths, a cover-up and I get to stay there now. The end”

I sighed in exasperation. “Fine the long story then.”

My guest shook his head vigorously. No that won’t happen, I can’t risk them finding me.”

“Who finding you?”

He stared me dead in the eye. “What is the worst thing you have ever done?”

I stammered for a moment before he cut me off. “You know what it is, but you won’t say it because if you do say it, someone has power over you, knows how bad you can be. No one talks about the worse things because if there is any chance of it ever being linked back to them, nobody will remember the good that they have done.”

“And what good have you done?”

“Touché, but all the same, I’d rather not talk about the other thing.”

“Fine, forget the story. Tell me why that land is important.”

For once, my visitor was visibly uncomfortable. His hand shook as he withdrew his pipe, his eyes darting around anxiously. The storm suddenly seemed more menacing. This thing that had shrugged off bullets, was frightened. I got up to check the lock on the door.

Only when I returned, did he seem to relax at all. But even then, he was shaky. “It’s where we put the body.”

“We?”

“Fine, damn you. It was me. I put the body there. How was I supposed to know what would happen next? How could I have known about the other?”

“What’s the other? “

“Never mind that. I’m doing you a favor by not telling. The point is, none of them can find me when I go to the ravine, best of all he refuses to step foot past its border.”

“If you can hide there, why bother killing those people?” I asked, still struggling with the being’s reasoning.

“Because some borders are real, and some ain’t. Land boundaries shift if enough people go through, and I can’t afford to let that happen. I’m not ready for that yet.”

“So why come here of all places? Are you going to kill me?”

“No, I came to you because we are alike.”

“I’m not like you at all. You’re a monster wearing a disguise, dammit. I’ve seen what you look like and you know what? I don’t think I’m afraid of you.”

The creature let out a deep, unnatural laugh that seemed to drown out the raging storm outside and steal the little bit of confidence I thought I had gained.

“If I’m the monster, then what the hell are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Come now, don’t act like you don’t know what I mean. I can see you shaking now. I know why you moved out to this remote speck of paradise. But honestly, I have trouble believing that people think you are who you say you are.”

“Really?”

“Truly.” His eyes gleamed. “I know what you buried out there.”

“We do what we have to, to survive.” I muttered.

The creature grinned, clapping. “See? You and me have a lot in common. Now I have a favor to ask.”

“What?”, I asked incredulously. “After all of this, you just wanted a favor?”

The visitor shrugged. “You’re the one who shot me.”

“What do you want?”

He smiled. “People keep sneaking in there through your property. As your neighbor, I’m asking you to build a goddamn fence.”

I agreed to do what he asked.

As he left, he turned to look at me. “I will do my best, but in the end, nothing stays hidden forever.” And with that, he took his other form: A writhing mass of muscle tissue and bone shards that expanded briefly before contracting into the shape of a hawk. Feathers sprouted all over his body as he took wing, flying away.