Tires skidded and horns honked as Avery drove the highway, she started

feeling uneasy. She felt something watching her, out of the corner of her eye a dark figure crept from her backseat. "Why'd you leave angel?" the man smiled as she fixed her mirror to look at him. Her breath got lodged in her throat, "you aren't real" her voice cracked. Her eyes locked on the road, "you aren't real, I'm just having a vision" she forced herself to smile "a very lucid vision". Arms wrapped around her neck snapping her head back, the car swerved off hitting the curve of gravel strip before swerving back into traffic. The man breathed into her ear, "is this real enough?" he smacked his lips together. His eyes were piercing, his breath was cold. Avery ripped out of his grasp, straightening the car in the lines. "I'm sorry" she looked into the mirror, the man wasn't there anymore. Taking her hand off the wheel she ran it through her hair, something was stuck in the tangles. Yanking it out she observed it, It looked like a large crows feather. The softness was soothing under her fingertips. It was odd though, when did a feather land in her hair? She took a fall, maybe her hair sucked it off the ground. Gripping it tight she slipped the feather into her pocket. She drove, she drove because that's the only thing she can do. These visions will never stop, no angel answered her prayer to take them away. Every night she was on her knees, why be faithful when nobody listens. Her knuckles turned white, it almost seemed as if her skin was splitting. She pictured her knuckles shattering and body breaking, maybe if she turned a little to the left, a sharp turn. Maybe her car will crash. Maybe she'll end the visions herself, her fingers unclasped as she jerked the wheel.

Nothing.

Not even a budge.

"I'm going insane" she whispered to herself, her voice raspy and throat dry. She wasn't, she knew she wasn't. These dreams, these visions have been happening for weeks on end. It's probably been almost and month since they started, maybe even more and it felt like something big was coming. It starts and ends with these men, it's always the same dream but different dangers.

...

..

She was so lost in her failing thoughts she didn't realize the red and blue lights flashing behind her. She looking at the speedometer and realization hit as she saw the needle peek over ninety. She bit her lip and yanked the car into the gravel strip and off the highway. Hitting the break so hard her wheels squeaked and she feared her break lines would be damaged. The police car pulled in front of her, slightly backing up to her front bumper. They got out of the police car, muttering to one another as she slowing rolled down her window. "Is there- a problem officers?" she felt a lump in her throat as her nails scratch the cloth covering on the door. One of the officers leaned into the window, his red hair shagged under the police cap as he looked into Avery's eyes. "We need you to get out of the car ma'am" he grunted under his breath, "I'm sorry officer, I'll explain I-" the man reached into the car grabbing her arm. Avery tried to jerked away, clawing at the officers hands "you don't need to explain anything Avery" the officer looked up into her eyes..

Black.

No white.

No color.

He yanked her, trying to pull her from the car through the window. "STOP, STOP" Avery screamed as the thing grinned a wide grin pulling her. Then he stopped, his grip loosened as she fell back into her seat. Gripping his throat he coughed and choked on what Avery thought as nothing. She was terribly wrong, black smoke trickled from the things mouth and he dropped to the ground gagging. The cop bystander wide eyed as a stream poured up and out of his mouth, he dropped motionless as the black smoke seemed to vanish. Avery hit the gas driving away, she had no clue what these things were but she didn't seem to know what anything was anymore. "Black eyed smoke monsters and an hallucination that can hurt me?" she gritted her teeth and pulled on the steering wheel as a headache started to form.

Get to Caldwell

Find the men

Save them

"Why am I saving strangers?"

She shook her head pulling over the car again, "What am I doing?" she whispered to herself resting her head against the leather of the steering wheel. "You have to save them" the man that attacked her slouched it the passenger seat, she flinched at him as he turned to look at her, she glanced at him trying to really look at him for the first time. She saw deep forehead wrinkles, a mole beneath his left eye and faint grin lines, he seemed- normal and for some reason Avery felt her heartbeat slow down for as long as she was staring at him. "It's not my place to ask for favors but I can't- well they don't- look we aren't on good terms" he smirked a bit "me and Sam are close, closer than he thinks". She shook heard head prying her eyes away from him, "if you're so close then why can't you help them?" he was oddly quiet. She side eyed him "you've been in my head for the past few months-" he snapped at her grabbing her arm "would YOU have let ME in if I told you any of this?" his grip tightened "you would have told me to screw off". The icy feeling of his skin was intense, it almost felt like fire. "Now please Avery, just drive" she stared at him as he let go of her arm "if it's that important I'll go, ok?" she started the car again and pulled out onto the highway. This man has hurt her, intentionally or not he's hurt her. Right now he seems.. calm, almost peaceful but the deepening wrinkles as he looks at Avery are anything but peaceful.