The Silver King

King On The Highway 2

A car just sitting in the middle of the road. I saw it soon enough that I slowed down and stopped a few feet from it just staring at the odd sight. We were on the highway but it was the dead of night and I saw no cars. Plus, any cars coming up behind us would see both cars stopped soon enough to break safely.

The car had the driver side door open and the passenger door open. It sat on a strange angle idling. When I reached to undo my seat belt and get out to see what was going on I felt a small hand on my arm and it made me jump.

"Keep driving."

Elly's voice was so stern it froze me in my place. It was no longer the voice of the soft-spoken child I had heard before.

"But... Someone could be hurt." I stammered not knowing how to react.

"They're already dead."

My mind couldn't process those words. I suddenly started to question who I had let into my car and if I was safe. But my rational mind said that the car in the middle of the road was a trap. Once I got out, I could be dragged into the middle of the woods by who ever put the car there to start with. Movement made me pull my gaze away from Elly and to the road.

Out from the front of the car a large dog came trotting out staring at us. At first, I thought it was a breed of husky, but it took me a few moments to realize my mistake. That wasn't a dog, but a wolf. I had never seen a wolf in person before. They were much bigger than I ever thought. Its yellow eyes stared us down, waiting for us to react.

Then another came from the trees.

This whole thing was crazy. My mind couldn't put together the two facts of a car in the middle of the highway and wolves wandering around it. Wolves weren't native to the area, Coyotes maybe, but not wolves. If the car was placed to ambush people, then why were wolves in the area? I didn't understand any of it. I understood less when the wolf by the car started to stand up.

My throat closed up and my body tensed up as I saw the creature seamlessly turn from a wolf just standing on its back legs to a hulking monstrous form that towered in the darkness before us.

"Drive." Elly ordered and his hand gripped into my arm hurting just enough to bring myself back.

"I don't understand." I said still a bit dumb founded.

"Silver king, O Silver King! A pleasure running into you here! Come out to greet us!"

The figure's standing in the road roared at us in a booming voice and out stretched its clawed arms in greeting. It was covered with dark rough fur with a body similar to a man. Its head was large but looked like the wolf that had been looking at us seconds before. Its legs were the same of the wolf also and I wondered how it was even standing. Behind it, a tail nearly half the size of its body moved back and forth.

"Is that... It that a werewolf?" I asked the idea sounding completely insane.

Monsters weren't real. They just weren't. I couldn't believe what I was seeing but it was in front of me. Standing there beckoning us out. I looked over at Elly expecting him to disagree or even call me crazy. But I only saw a look on his face saying not to ask him to say the ridiculous truth out loud. Before I could ask again the creature outside spoke.

"Come out! We have such treats tonight!"

On its odd legs it walked over to the idling parked and easily ripped the back door off so he could reach in and bring something out. My blood froze when I saw he was holding a stuffed rabbit. A child had been inside that car. My head started to swim and I felt sick. Again, my hand went to my seatbelt even though I had no idea how I could help in any way.

"I told you, they are already dead. Do not leave this car. I cannot protect you." Elly warned in his gravely stern voice.

"Didn't he just call you the Silver King? What's that about?" I demanded in a low hiss.

"That is my title. I am the king of them. The King of everything born in the moon light or the dark, and as I could easily kill them, I cannot do so in order to protect a human. I am their King, not yours. So, stay in the car."