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The Face in the Moon (4) : The night seems darker than it should be, but it’s been a cloudy day so it’s not too surprising, unless you’re also factoring in the strange sensation that someone is watching you. You won’t see anyone if you look around, but the longer you’re outside, the more intense and unnerving things become. And then–if you look up–you see why. The moon that you know has been replaced with a devilish face, with wide, piercing eyes and a devilish grimace. No matter where you go, it’s watching you–and it even seems like it’s unusually large in the sky. Maybe others around you have noticed the same thing–or maybe it’s just you. Maybe it’s in your mind, but if you stare up at the face for too long, you begin to hear a low growling, or a shrill static. Its eyes are hypnotic and fearsome. Whether it disappears behind the clouds or the horizon, at some point it is gone. The strangeness fades with the moon, but there’s still no real explanation. It doesn’t photograph, and nothing about it can be recorded. You just have to hope it was a one time nightmare.
Bryia pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she stepped outside. The chill in the air felt colder than usual, nipping at her skin as if it were already winter. She let out a sigh, her breath hanging in front of her as she walked down the neighborhood street.
It had been a long, frustrating day, full of incompetent people emailing her questions about things they should know. But now all she wanted was 15 minutes of fresh air now that overtime was finished to clear her mind of the endless stream of small annoyances of coworkers who had been at the company longer than she had but still didn't have a clue about what they were doing.
But as soon as she left the warmth of her apartment, something felt… off.
The evening was darker than it should have been. Granted it had been a cloudy day, as if a thunderstorm might roll in at any minute. Bryia’s steps slowed as she glanced around. The street was empty, not unusual given the time of day since most people were sitting down for dinner about now. However, she couldn’t shake the sensation crawling up the back of her neck, like icy fingers brushing her skin.
It felt like someone was watching her closely. So close she could have sworn the small breeze was a breath against the back of her neck.
She spun around, her white hair swishing in the air as she did, her violet eyes scanning the darkened street. No one. Just rows of parked cars and shadowy houses with spooky Halloween decorations placed around the front yards. She sighed, her lip curling in irritation. Great, she thought bitterly. Now I’m paranoid on top of everything else.
But the feeling didn’t go away. In fact, the longer she stayed outside, the more intense it became. She could feel her heart beat faster, and her stomach churnd in an unsettling way that made her more worried than anything. Bryia’s jaw clenched. She didn’t do paranoia. She wasn’t the type to jump at shadows. But this? This was different. It was like the sensation of eyes boring into her back.
Instinctively, she looked up. And that’s when she saw it.
The clouds had parted just enough to reveal the moon, or what should have been the moon. Instead, a devilish face hung in the sky. It felt like its eyes were staring straight into her soul. Its mouth was twisted into an unsettling grin.
Bryia’s breath caught in her throat as she stumbled back, her heart pounding. Her first instinct was to laugh it off. She was tired, and overworked which only made the stomach cramps worse. This is just my mind playing tricks on me. But no matter how many times she blinked or rubbed her eyes, the face didn’t disappear. It was still there, staring down at her with those hypnotic eyes.
Son of a b***h...She swore under her breath, biting her lip to distract her from the other very real problem that was about to happen.
This isn't real. It couldn’t be real. Bryia pulled out her phone, her hands trembling slightly as she aimed the camera at the sky and snapped a picture. But when she looked down at the screen, it was blank. Nothing but the empty night sky.
“Of course,” she muttered bitterly. “Figures it wouldn’t show up.”
Bryia’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the moon, from its hypnotic gaze. It was as if it was daring her to look away, to break the spell. But the longer she stared, the more she felt her mind slipping.
Suddenly, the face disappeared behind a thick veil of clouds, leaving the night just as dark and unsettling as before. Bryia blinked, her breath shallow as she looked around. The street was still empty, still silent. But the world felt normal again.
She let out a shaky breath, shoving her phone back into her pocket. Whatever it was, it was gone now. But her mind raced with questions. Was it just a nightmare? A hallucination? Or was there something more to this devilish moon that couldn’t be explained?
Bryia shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. Whatever it was, she hoped it wouldn’t come back. One encounter with that face was more than enough.
(733 words)
