StarDust

Part 1 Change

"Roan you took the wrong turn," I said, my voice tense as the car's headlights pierced the dense fog ahead.

"I know," he murmured, his eyes never leaving the winding road. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

I studied him, my heart racing. Roan had been my closest friend since childhood, but there was something about him tonight that I couldn't quite place. His usual warmth had been replaced by an eerie calm that sent shivers down my spine.

The car's engine hummed steadily, the only sound cutting through the silence of the night. The fog grew thicker, swirling around us like a living creature trying to claim us. The GPS had gone silent, its screen a stark, blank rectangle.

"Roan," I said again, my voice a bit more urgent this time. "We need to go back."

He ignored me, his focus unwavering on the path ahead. The car's tires gripped the asphalt, the only reassurance in this sea of grey uncertainty. I reached for my phone, but it was dead—no bars of signal, no way to call for help. Panic began to set in as the reality of our situation grew clearer. He had done this on purpose.

"Where are we going?" I demanded, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

He glanced at me briefly, his gaze cold and calculating. "Somewhere you'll never be found."

My stomach lurched. The words hung in the air, a confession that turned our friendship into a horror story. I felt a sudden jolt of anger, but fear held me captive. I had to think, to find a way out of this.

The car's headlights illuminated a narrow dirt road veering off to the right. Without warning, Roan turned onto it, sending gravel flying. The trees closed in around us, their branches like gnarled fingers reaching out to snatch us from the car. The world outside grew darker, more ominous, the fog thickening into a wall of impenetrable white.

I tried the door again, but it remained stubbornly locked. "Roan, you need to tell me what's going on," I pleaded, trying to keep the tremble from my voice.

He only chuckled, a dark, mirthless sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "You really don't know, do you?"

The car bounced along the uneven path, the branches of the trees scraping against the windows, the leaves brushing against the roof like whispers of the damned. I clutched the seatbelt, my eyes darting between the unyielding fog outside and the unreadable expression on Roan's face.

"You've changed," I whispered, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this was all a terrible misunderstanding.

He nodded, his smile widening into something feral. "I've discovered things about myself that you couldn't even begin to imagine."

My mind raced as the car climbed a steep incline, the engine straining. This wasn't the Roan I knew—the kind, gentle soul who had shared laughter and tears with me over the years. This was a stranger, a predator, and I was his prey.