It was a calm night. The weather was balmy, not too warm, and not too cool. Detective Richardson was taking his usual route home from his job as a private detective. He had had a long and stressful day, and his was still exhausted from the case. The police had needed his assistance in locating a local serial killer and rapist. So far in the case, three young women from the high school had been sexually assaulted before being murdered, all with slit throats. The police were stumped, but Richardson immediately discovered a connection. All the girls were social outcasts who were often out late drunk, they were all brunettes, and they were last seen talking to a middle aged Caucasian male, with short cropped hair and glasses. After searching the residents of houses near the high school, they found one man, a Mr. Rodman, who matched the definition exactly. He was unmarried, and had moved in a week before the girls started dying. He was immediately convicted and detained, with charges of rape and murder of the second degree.
Richardson rubbed his forehead. 'Why do people do it?' he wondered. He was almost home, and could see his apartment building in the distance. He had always thought of buying a house, but dismissed the thought. He could easily afford a house, but what would be the point? He was unmarried, and his girlfriend had left him three years earlier. He was already forty-three, and the extra space would be a luxury. He got to the front of his apartment building and sighed. The red Mazda in the driveway could only mean his obnoxious neighbor Dan was home.
Dan had moved in two years earlier, and had instantly abhorred Richardson. Dan was twenty-one at the time, and he would try and make Richardson feel old whenever he got a chance. He drank, he brought prostitutes, and he played loud music whenever he could. Richardson complained to the landlord, Mr. Turner, multiple times about Dan, but every time he did, he got the same response.
"I want him gone to. He constantly tries to get with my daughter, and he shows up drunk too much. But he pays his rent in full every month. There's nothing I can do." Mr. Turner would say, his head shaking in obvious sorrow.
Richardson looked at his watch. It was past twelve forty-five, so Dan should be sleep by now. Richardson proceeded to his apartment, number four twenty-six. All was silent, and Richardson trundled off to his room. He got into his bed, took out his contacts, and then drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Across town a young drunk couple was walking out of a bar. The man was teasing his girlfriend when they saw a light falling from the sky.
"Make a wish," he said to the girl.
Seconds later, the light seemed to grow brighter. It grew closer and closer. It crashed maybe a mile away in the small forested area nearby. The couple, still very drunk, slowly drifted towards the steadily fading light. As they approached, they noticed a faint thumping sound.
Thump-Thump
The closer they got, the louder it grew.
Thump-Thump
The found the crater. A pulsing red light was radiating from deep within the crater. A small dark rock-like object was releasing the beam.
Thump-Thump
The couple was mesmerized by the light. They drew closer and closer to the unknown object.
Thump-Thump
They were no more than a yard away, when two tendrils of energy sprang from the sides of the rock. One tendril went into each of their mouths, probing through their bodies.
Thump-Thump
After the tendrils finished inspecting them, they receded in to the object. It started to violently shake.
Thump-Crack!
The object split in two, revealing a metallic interior. Slipping from within it were two small, gelatin-like substances. They slid quickly along the ground, before reaching the still dazed couple. They climbed up along their bodies, then using their gelatinous forms, slid through their nostrils towards their minds.
The next day, Detective Richardson was waking up from a rather fitful slumber. His insomnia had been acting up again, and he had woken from sleep several times. His intuition told him that he was going to have a very productive day ahead of him...
