Highway 97. A mostly deserted Texaco truck stop. Dark and cloudy. The rain comes and goes, lasting only fleeting moments before stopping again but the raindrops are the size of nickles. In the distance a factory vomits steam into the night. The occasional sound of a truck passing on the highway. An owl silently lands atop a telephone pole. The sign flickers and then goes black as the station shuts down. The only light now is that of a lone streetlamp at the edge of the highway, its dull yellow glow casting an obscure circle of light beneath it.
The field behind us is pitch black. Even Thor senses something and doesn't stray into the thick brush. He just stands at the edge of the gravel and stares into the darkness, his hackles raised. Something is watching us. Something large yet perfectly quiet as it moves to keep it's scent downwind of us.
I call Thor back into the truck and we lock the doors. We know it will come closer but it won't touch the vehicle. During the night it will circle and dart about but it never tries to gain entry... It wants us to stray.. to come looking.. It wants to stalk us..
Thor whimpers as he tries to nuzzle up to me. The owl is gone. The air is icy though it's only 63 degrees. Shadows creep into the cab and there is movement outside. I close the curtains knowing it will be a long night...