As a kid, I always loved road trips with my family. It wasn't because of bonding, or because of where we were going, or even my family. It was the fact I could stare out the window lost in thought for hours at a time. Even on small trips to school, that were barely five minutes with traffic, I'd loose myself staring out the window. One time we went on a trip to my grandma's, I was staring out the window, my dad singing off tune to old Metallica CD's, my sister listening to her headphones, and my mom doing a crossword. I was staring out the window. Wasn't much, just small country scenery. A cornfield here, a barn there. I'd seen it all before, as we visited grandma three or four times a year. But for some reason there was a new one, I didn't recognize. I'm sure the couldn't have been put in over summer, and it wasnt ever there before. Suddenly I saw something. It was just a flash really, but I knew I'd d seen it. It was a man. Or, man-like thing. It was in a cornfield, staring at the car. I didnt get a good glimpse, but what I saw was fairly distinct. He was average height and build, but his face was smooth and grey. Well, more black, because the overalls he wore were grey. And I don't mean smooth black as in clean shaved African American, I mean it was black as the night sky and had no features. I jumped when I saw it, but decided it must've just been a field hand and my sight was distorted. For some reason, at the end of the cornfield, our tired blew out. The back two, and we only had one spare, so dad pulled us up the the farm house. He walked to the door and knocked, we stayed in the car, and when a man about a head taller(and thirty years older) wearing blue jean overalls and a white shirt answered, they had a brief conversation, and dad came back looking disappointed. "Well, bad news is nearest towns an hour away driving. Good news is, he's gonna call us a tow truck and let us in for some lunch. Now, let's be polite ok? He lives a little out of the way so let's not insult him..." He looked at my sister and she rolled her eyes. We all went in and I looked around. Fairly normal, a few animal heads and a gun above a rickety fireplace, and a quaint table and kitchen area. Nothing much. Maybe it was just put in. As we sat down he came back with a platter of sandwiches. That was wierd, how'd he make that many so fast? Oh well, I was starving, so I grabbed one and lifted the bread. The meat was wierd, it was red and had spots where it was darker in some spots. It smelled wierd, but when we asked he said it was ham he cooked himself, so we dug in. I'll admit afterwards my stomach hurt, but whatever. "So how long have you been here?" My dad asked the man, sucking red juice from his fingers. "We've always been here..." Was all the man said. That got me a little uneasy. There was something wrong about this place. For some reason, the tow truck hadn't arrived when it should've. My sister said she had to use the bathroom at about the point I started getting uneasy, and he said there was an outhouse behind the barn. Of course she was grossed out, but she went anyway, though I doubt she'd ever really used it. The sun was going down and she hadn't returned, when we heard a scream. It was brief, but we all heard it. The man grabbed his gun and he and my dad ran out the back as fast as they could. A few seconds later there was a gunshot. My mom hid me in a nearby closet and grabbed a knife, retreating to the opposite corner. Another gunshot. A sickening, crushing sound, then the door open and my mom screaming. I peeked out the crack in the door as I heard a thud. I saw a bloody head, on top of my father's body. I gasped and covered my mouth so I didn't scream. I looked again. He wasn't moving. And someone stepped inside. Stepping slowly toward my mother. He was taller up close. And his face wasn't quite smooth. It had deep groves in it. And a face. If you could call it that. Stitched in the shape of an ex were two "eyes", and a mouth to match. But they weren't holding his features, it looked like there was nothing underneath. And...it was smiling. A twisted, horrible smile. It creeped toward my mother, its grey overalls hanging loosely on it. Suddenly, a gunshot ripped through the room and the creature looked behind it, the back of its head shining a little where the bullet lodged itself. The old man leaned in the doorway, blood dripping down his arm and head. "I'm done killing for you..." He choked out and the...thing...turned back toward my mother, who had now become a blubbering, sobbing mess on the floor. It picked her up by one arm, and a loud crack was heard and she screamed. It grabbed the knife she had, and raised it as another bullet lodged itself in its head. This time he drove the knife into my mother's shoulder, leaving he dangling off the ground and went after the old man, who retreated out the door and the creature followed. On instinct alone I ran out to my mother, trying to pry the knife free and she just pushed me away. "S-sweety...just run. Run and get help. Find your sister and run!" She was sobbing again. "No mom... I won't leave you..." But she cut me off. "Go now!" I don't know what it was but I listened, and I hated myself for it. I peeked at my father. He wasn't breathing. I ran out the front door and peeked through the window in time to see the creature stalk into the room and remove the knife, and shove it into her throat. I pressed myself against the wall, fighting the tears welling in my eyes. It threw her over his shoulder and walked out, grabbing my dad's ankle on the way. I ran around the house, being careful to look for a weapon, not that it would do me much good. As much as it scared me I reached the barn and peeked through a hole in the wood. The scene before me made me empty my stomach onto the ground. I heaved three good times before I finished. What I saw was a terrible combination of animal and human body parts. Limbs, hanging from chains and... In the corner, the corner I was nearest, I heard my sister sobbing. I could see her shoulders bobbing out the corner of my eye, so I wondered closer to her. I called her name, "Hey sis.... I'll get you out, we'll get outta here ok? I'll come get you and-" I clamped my mouth sight of the thing walking into the barn. He had my parents. He shoved my father onto a hook, and plopped my mother down on a table and grabbed a meat cleaver. I gasped and it whipped its head toward my sister. It walked over, towering over her and snatched her up. It walked her to a hook beside dad, and dropped her on it. She screamed so loud. I fell backwards, knocking over a bucket, and I knew it was coming. I ran around the barn and inside, trying to get my sister off the hook and it hit me how hopeless it was. Just as hopeless....as mom. I heard footsteps and ran under the table mom was at. There was a sheet there I was barely hidden by. He...or it, walked over and I heard hacking, and my sister screaming "NO!". At some point my silent sobs were interrupted by a thud and as i looked out I saw my mother's arm beside me... I knew it was hers because of her wedding ring. I sat there for what felt like hours as it disected my mother until it finally left, carrying pieces of my mom. Once it was gone I found where the chain was attached to the wall and knocked it loose, but it make more noise than I'd wanted, so I picked up my sister and we ran as fast as we could. We rounded the house just as it reached the barn, and we saw the old man on the ground. Somehow he was still breathing, and shakily reached into his pocket and brought out keys, choking out the word "Truck". On instinct I grabbed them and drug my sister toward the rusty truck in the yard. "Sis can you drive that?" I asked my sister in a hushed voice. Knowing the thing was close behind. She nodded slowly. I opened the door and helped her in. There was a gunshot, a scream, and a gunshot, then a thud. It was dark, so when she started the truck it cast a dark red glow on the creature. God it was terrifying up close, even compared to the last times I'd seen it. I jumped in and slammed the door, not even waiting to go around the truck. My sister through the truck in reverse and hit it, then the road off down the road. I laughed, and sobbed, and sighed all at once. My sister did the same and I realized her arm was bleeding bad. I looked behind us out the window and found myself face to face with a twisted, stitched smile, just as my sister passed out, and the truck rolled...
