An hour and a half later.
Night deepened, and the road by the wild grass grew increasingly desolate.
Occasionally, vehicles with high beams would pierce through the darkness, but when the headlights illuminated the road ahead, the drivers invariably slammed on the brakes, producing an ear-piercing screech.
The road was a mess, shattered fragments of lampposts littering the ground, their sharp edges reflecting the headlights, and the asphalt was ravaged with ominous cracks.
In the center of a crack lay a thin, blackened, dried object, partly stuck to the ground, partly fluttering in the wind.
Like a plastic bag, like tattered cloth, or perhaps… ???
The passing drivers widened their eyes but could not see clearly, yet they all instinctively swerved away, tires screeching as they made a quick detour.
Not a single driver stopped to check, nor did anyone bother to report it.
In the deathly stillness, the air seemed to twist slightly.
"This is...
