“I love you“, he says lying through his teeth. “I’m so proud of you“. But I’m onto him now. I see what he really is, I just can’t prove it yet. So I continue my act, play along to gather more information and be done with him forever. “I love you too Dad” I lie right back. This man, no this thing is not my father. I’m done being tricked into thinking he is still alive. But without evidence to show he isn’t Dad, he isn’t even human. I have to keep playing his game.

“So Dad, tell me about your day.” I say prying for any information to cling to and dissect. “Oh, you know. Boring old retired life. Sat in front of the TV. Drank an unhealthy amount of that coffee your mom gets, what’re they called? K-pods?” “K-cups Dad.” I answer. “Nothing else though?”. He pauses a moment to think over the rest of the day, shifting in his chair. I can see some inhuman glint in his eyes, something primal and predatory. “Honestly nothing of interest hun.” He finally replies after too long of a pause. “Sounds boring for sure then. Hey, did you hear about the neighbors cat? I guess she’s missing but the Fredrickson’s found blood all over the backyard. They don’t want to think she’s dead, but we all know she is. Damn scary how pets just keep getting massacred all over the neighborhood”. “Really? I haven’t heard anything of the sort. They must not like me or something, none of the neighbors seem interested in chatting with me too much these days.” He replies with a sort of faked sorrow only a sociopath could mimic. Equally see-through yet believable if you didn’t know just how wrong things felt and were with him. His complexion far paler, almost damp to the eye with this viscous sweat covering him. “Say Dad, you’re looking more and more sick lately, are you feeling alright? Have you taken any meds or anything?” I ask, trying to keep as sincere sounding as possible. He slowly looks up at me from his chair, smiles a half assed grin and chuckles, “oh honey, I’m perfectly okay. Maybe a bit under the weather, but nothing a good meal and some rest won’t fix. But on that note, I’ve got to head into town for a few ingredients your Mom asked for. I’ll see you later tonight for dinner honey. I love you.” His response with a certain coldness, a chill of menace about his tone and keeping that creepy grin the whole time. He gets out of his chair, it creaks from the movement, and he stretches his arms before heading for the door. He grabs his keys hanging on the key hook right by the front door, turns and with blackened cold eyes stares at me for what feels like an eternity. Then abruptly opens the door and nearly slams it behind him as he leaves.

I walk over to the window to watch him leave. Looking out towards the driveway I see him sitting in his car, staring forward but remaining completely still. Almost like a mannequin, so inhuman, so demonically errie goosebumps coat my arms. Then he turns his head and locks eyes with me. That’s when I notice it, that grin still painted across his stupid face! I shudder and the car roars to life, he reverses so fast the front bumper slams against the sidewalk at the end of the driveway. His eyes never breaking contact until his car races out of view. I let out a sigh of relief, then open up his location on his phone. I managed to turn location settings on to track him and I’ve just been waiting for him to leave. “I’ve got you, you son of a bitch!” I think to myself. “I’ve got you”. In my gut I just know he is off to feed on some other poor animal, or even worse. He could start moving on to bigger game. I stare at the tracker transfixed, watching each twist and turn of his chaotic route. Then I notice he is headed out of town, towards the forest. I can’t say what compels me, but I hop right onto my bike and start towards the forest after him. My phone propped on the phone holder on the handlebars. My camera slung across my chest. “I’m going to get photographic evidence that he is some monster!” I think to myself as I start peddling faster.

I B-line straight for the forest, no need to be discreet or take his strange twists and turns. I can get there in maybe 10 minutes if I keep pace. Feeling the wind flush through my hair, damp with sweat. maybe from nerves, maybe from the activity. I honestly couldn’t say which. The cooling feeling bringing me a small relief from the sweltering summer heat. 5 minutes until I’m there, well at least wherever his phone is. He hasn’t moved since I left the house. “What if he knows I’m following him?!” My thoughts get more and more paranoid the closer I get. I shake my head, thinking the action with make the paranoia cease. “Just keep it together, all I need is a picture of him acting strange or doing something, I mean why come to a aforest?! For ingridients?! Yeah right?! You got this, then you can show Mom and confront this monster once and for all!” I say quietly to myself, trying to hype myself up for whatever lurks minutes ahead of me.

I see his car, parked haphazardly on the side of the road, hazard lights flashing and driver side door wide open. Heavy boot prints trace a clear walkway down into the forest. “Definitely his boots” I think to myself as I slowly pull my bike over. I hide it quietly in a bush maybe 10 feet from his car. The tracker leads to his car and I see his phone laying on the passenger side seat. It’s unlocked and has my location pulled up and being tracked. ”Fuck…he knows”. Suddenly I hear a low and long wail. A pained and desperate call for help from some beast in the trees. Against all better judgement I slowly and quietly start down the path, following his boot prints. Doing all I can to calm my breathing and nerves I delve deeper into the forest and closer to the wails, now more pained and horrible. Suddenly A cold wave of fear covers me as I see the path start to redden. Deep drips of blood start littering the path. Drips progressively getting thicker and heavier. Nearly black with the amount mixed with the dirt. A few paces ahead I see it. The crying is coming from this, this poor nearly bisected deer. Intenstines dragged out of it, but it’s still alive. Crying that horrible call. That plea for help. I gag at the smell and sight. Doing all I can to keep from vomiting. Warmth trickles down my face and I’m shocked back to reality when I hear heavy footsteps running just beyond the tree line. Just out of sight.

“You shouldn’t spy on people dear”. A deep gutteral voice bellows from the tree line. Moving fast and all around me. “I’m certain your mother and father taught you better than that.” The voice echos out, shifting to sound like my father’s voice. Close but with some deeper and demonic sounding tone. “You’ve gone and ruined my dinner, how rude of you girl” I start taking pictures with the camera, backing away slowly, “I should have told someone I was coming out here.” I regretfully think to myself. “Oh, you should have sweetie.” What now sounds like my Mother’s voice but distorted and wrong, responds. “It’s reading my thoughts!” I think, “fuck, it’s known that I know this whole time. it’s played me”. One last thought before feeling a deep cold pain in my back. “It’s fast”. Warm pain leaks from my back as I collapse to my knees. Looking up I see it, what it really is. “I thought you deserved to see what I really look like before I devour you. Just as I did your dear sweet Dad and Mom.” The shadow emerges from the trees, easily 7 feet in height with sickly skinny build. Grey leathery skin sags from its spiderlike limbs. A maw starts opening and the jaw dislocates like a snake’s jaw would. Rows upon rows of jagged and broken teeth layer the gapping mouth. My world goes black as I hear a crack. And before the world goes quiet I hear my voice start singing “Happy Birthday”.