The sun had just set as I drove down an old dusty road. Ahead I saw a huge sign that had been vandalised. The sign read TURN BACK in huge red letters but I couldn't help noticing that behind the huge letters smaller ones hid.
They read Welcome to. The name of the area was too faded away to see.
Underneath that stood something else: Population, dead. Someone had
scrawled over a number and I shivered as I drove past the sign. What delinquents would do such an odd thing to a sign? Normally they would have simply stolen the sign and kept it in their bedrooms. The sky was darkening as the sun had just sunken below the horizon and the creepy spiny trees on the side of the road sent shivers down my spine. I cursed the need to go down this long and lonesome road, but it was the fastest way home. And the sooner I arrived there, the happier I would be. It was terribly boring in this area and I had not seen any cars or people for several hours now. I wondered where I would sleep, in the backseat of my car? Hopefully not. It was getting dark so I turned on the headlights and suddenly I gave a shout
frantically turned the wheel, because in the middle of the road, a dark hunched figure stood. It had just appeared out of nowhere and I yelled once more, once I realised that I couldn't swerve aside in time, and I hit the brakes hard, but the car slid straight into the thing on the road. I felt the shock run through the car as I hit the hapless person and I briefly saw the thing's face, and I shouted again, for the face was dark and snarling
and seemingly unhuman. The car gradually shuddered to a halt and the airbags exploded in front of me. I sat there breathing deeply for a minute
or two before I opened the car door and I stepped out. I slowly walked behind the car and I didn't see the thing I had hit. I frantically searched for it to no success. If it was a human being, which I doubted, then it was no doubt in need of medical attention. If however it was an animal, it was most likely dead. Finally after 10 minutes of searching I came to a small
groove in the dust on the road where it looked as though someone, or something had lain. Careful not to disturb the dust I examined the groove.
I was startled to discover some footprints leading from away from the groove. I glanced in horror and I wondered what creature would have a three toed, no ,three-clawed foot? Definitely not human. Maybe a reptile of some kind? Shivering I returned to the car and I inspected the damage. The front was completely dented, and a headlight was smashed. I checked under the car and I cursed as I saw petrol dripping to the floor from a leak. Worried I went into the car and I started it. I started to calm down after driving a kilometre or two. I had to find a mechanic, or a new source of petrol, or I would be stranded here, in this deserted wasteland. Then there would be no telling how long it would take for someone to tow me away. I wondered what I had hit. It had to be an animal, for no human had a face like that, or had three claws on their feet. A bear maybe, I thought, but the thing was
too small for that. Still wondering about it I almost passed a house. I stopped the car and inspected the house. It was old and looked run down. I was surprised when I saw a huge cross attached to the roof and I realised that it was a church. I wondered who would go to church in this godforsaken place, but I saw a light burning through one of the windows with pictures on them so I got out of the car and slowly walked up to the church. Perhaps
they had a telephone, or better, some petrol. I was startled by an odd warbling cry from somewhere off in the distance and I quickened my pace. I hoped that there weren't any wild dogs in the area. I banged on the huge double doors and I shouted "Hello? Is anyone there? Hellooo?" And suddenly
the huge doors swung open and a small man dressed in brown cloak stood
there brandishing a huge sword. I wondered if it would be in my best interests to run to the car and drive far away, but maybe this man could help, even if he did seem crazy. Startled the man said, "Come in quick!" He looked worried as I entered the church and he slammed the doors shut again and barred them with a huge piece of wood. I introduced myself and told the
monk, which I knew him to be because of his cloak (and the fact that we
were in a church), about my car and for some reason I felt compelled to tell him of the thing I had hit. Perhaps it was because he was a servant of god, or maybe it was because I hadn't talked to anyone for hours. The monk
looked especially troubled when I told him about the footprints and
suddenly another warbling cry sounded just outside the church. The monk looked terrified as he heard it and he shouted, "He is near!" He held his sword up high and he shuffled over to the altar and lit some torches around a chalked symbol on the floor. The symbol was of a circle and a star inside of it. I recognised the sign as a pentagram, which was used to ward of evil
spirits. This was getting weirder by the minute. I probably should have
left then, but the strange cries outside made me stay inside, and I
probably wouldn't have made it far with my leaking petrol tank. I then remembered why I had come in and I asked the monk if he had any petrol and he said, "Yes, I have petrol, but please, why don't you stay the night. It would be much safer than driving through the night." I agreed (remembering the wild dogs) and then I asked about the torches and the pentagram and he
simply said "To ward of evil spirits." He avoided eye contact as if he
wasn't telling the truth and I grew suspicious. I believed nothing of spirits so I was a tad sceptical. Yet a shiver still ran along my spine. It wasn't the first time that day. I asked him if he knew what the creature was that I had hit, and what the strange warbling cries were and the monk
said nothing and he looked worried. Perhaps it was an animal, I said. Suddenly I noticed movement from behind one of the painted windows! A dark
figure stood there and I gasped as I saw the thing's hands, which were
adorned with sharp claws! It was definitely the creature I had hit. Yet
this seemed impossible, because with the velocity I had hit it with, it
should have been liquefied. It seemed to be a queer hybrid of man and reptile. It stood like a man, and had fingers and toes (albeit clawed) , yet its skin was jet black and seemingly scaly. I immediately dismissed the probability that it was an ape of some kind, for this was the desert, not a rainforest. And the fact still remained that no creature in this world was able to ignore being hit by a car with the force I had hit it with (perhaps a whale or a really big elephant). Yet the creature had obviously managed to traverse from where I had hit it with the car to the church in a matter of minutes. My every instinct told me that this creature was evil. It was certainly nothing that I have ever seen, or even heard about, (except in science fiction stories and movies). The monk turned around and his eyes widened as he saw the thing in the window. "Be gone evil beast!" He shouted and he waved his sword and the thing gave another warbling cry before it
sprung from the window and scarpered off. I decided that I would most
definitely stay the night here. I did not like to think of what the
creature was capable of doing to me. "What was that thing?" I asked the monk and shook him by his shoulders. Sweat began to fall from my forehead. Things were not good. The monk then began to tell a tale. "Around twenty years ago," he began when suddenly a loud rumbling cut him off. I gasped as I realised what it was! My car! I raced to the door shouting, "Keep away from my car!" The monk shouted "No!" And held me back as the rumbling died
away and I ran to the window and saw my car driving away in a cloud of
dust. "Damn it!" I shouted. I had left the keys within the car for I assumed that no one here would be around to steal it. It seemed that the creature had managed to find my car. Now I was stranded in this dilapidated church for goodness knows how long. I cursed once more and pulled a handy
out of my pocket. "I'm calling the police." I declared. Everything was
getting to creepy for me and as I dialled the number the monk breathed
deeply. "He'll be back." He said fearfully. I walked over away from the monk and I told the police about the theft of my car and they told me they were coming. I decided to leave out the fact that it had been stolen by an evil reptile creature while I was in a run down church with a crazy monk wielding a sword. I hung up and then the monk said, "Here is my story." He continued, "There is an old prophecy in the bible, that tells of a terrible
force that will come and it will destroy everything in its path. I discovered that the creature was the terrible force, and I knew it would appear in this area. I warned the townspeople, but they wouldn't listen. So
one day I heard that a bunch of kids had gone missing. I recognised the truth. The force had come. I searched for a way to stop it, but I didn't find anything. The numbers of missing people grew and grew but I finally
found something. An old book, which taught priests and monks to battle unholy forces. I used the method described within the tome and I cast it on
the cross atop this church. The beast couldn't leave this place. It is trapped within a radius of 5 kilometres of this church. For a moment, it seemed that I had managed to stay its murderous rampage." The story seemed to have a ring of truth around it, for I had met the creature little more
than a kilometre from this place. I raised an eyebrow but I kept on
listening. The police would come soon. "Now I thought of leaving, but I
couldn't risk the thing somehow destroying the cross and breaking the
spell, so I cast another spell, one that would keep the creature out of this place of worship. Sadly it has to be maintained every fortnight, and tonight I have to maintain it again. Or else the creature will be able to go free." He said and I then said, "That's why you have the pentagram!" The monk smiled and answered, "Yes, I have to keep all of the torches burning, otherwise the spell won't work." "So the thing I met in on the road was the
evil force! How come it didn't die when I hit it?" I asked and the monk
looked troubled again. "I don't think it can die, except when it is hit with holy artefacts of old, like this sword. Few now are left in the world, and I hold one of the last of them. I believe that one day I must do battle
with it, and slay it. The lord is testing me, and I will prevail. Now I
have discouraged coming here, and I do everything in my power to stop
people from coming." He said. My eyes widened "So you vandalised that sign!" "Yes." He simply said. "I will go get some petrol, so I can keep the torches burning." He said and stood up and he walked off into a side room. I studied the pentagram and then I studied the painted windows. The monk
had come back in holding a petrol container. When I heard him I spun around. I was a tad jumpy, I admit. The story seemed to be true. And if it was, I had just stumbled into something that was best left alone. "Watch out!" He shouted but it was too late, as I spun around my arm hit one of the torches. It teetered slightly and then it fell. I rushed forwards to catch it, but it slipped through my fingers. As it struck the floor it went out. Then I felt an ill wind rippling through the church. I wondered how it had managed to get into the church, as all windows were closed. The monk gasped and quickly lit it again. I groaned and I asked, "Is the spell still
working?" The monk looked worried and he said "Hopefully." Then I heard something faint. A slight noise. "Can you hear that?" I asked and the monk
shook his head. "Hear what?" the noise grew louder. The revving of an engine. "My car!" I said and then I looked worried and I said, "You don't think the thing felt the torch go out?" The monk looked terrified as the
noise grew louder and louder. In the last instant I knew what was happening. Sprung aside as my car smashed through the doors and ripped a
huge chunk out of the wall. The windscreen smashed and the car flew straight through the pews and into the altar. Several torches fell over and the car hit the monk (luckily at a slower speed). The monk flew backwards and his sword went flying and it landed by my side. I picked it up and I gasped as the door of the car smashed open and the thing stepped out. It had black scaly skin and sharp red claws on its hands and feet. It hissed
and a forked tongue stuck out. I shouted in pure horror as the creature sprung up onto the crushed altar and it approached me. This was the arcane force of old, the evil spirit. I held my sword ready and I said "Don't come closer!" I waved my sword around and the thing eyed me warily. Apparently it realised that the sword could harm it. It hissed and circled around me,
claws ready. Suddenly the monk smashed it across its head with a broken piece of wood and it fell off the altar stunned. "Run!" I screamed and the monk shouted "No! We must defend the church!" The thing sprung up from the floor and started advancing on me again; I after all had the weapon that could harm it. It grabbed a plank of wood and raised it threateningly. Yet I had never, or would never again, have a sword in my hands, so I was not able to fight well. I shouted and swung at it, but it ducked and struck my leg with the piece of wood. It swung again, but I hacked right through the board of wood. The creature seemed stunned for a second. Then it grabbed a
metal pipe that had been ripped out of the wall and it advanced on me, grinning crazily with its incredibly sharp teeth. The monk looked around for another weapon and he saw the petrol container. He picked it up and he threw it straight at the thing. The container spun around and it missed the creature, but it drenched the pews in petrol. I ran over to the altar and I grabbed one of the torches and I threw it as hard as I could at the pews that the thing was standing on. Instantly it all burst into flames. My idea
was not all too bright I realised as the petrol leaking from the car exploded into flame as well, completely smothering the poor monk and the
creature. I leapt from the altar just as the car had exploded and I was
thrown into a wall. The thing lay on the ground beside me in a charred ruin. Still it lived on. The poor monk, sadly did not. I raised my sword
and I rushed at it and stabbed it in its side. With that, I ran outside from the horrible place in terror, lest the fire get me too. I wept as I stumbled through the demolished doors. Outside, I was relieved to find, was a police car. It was my luck that their station was merely 10 kilometres from the church and they had made it as quickly as possible. I sobbed as I ran at the car. A policeman came out and said "Jesus what happened here?" I simply sobbed and fell to my knees. The policeman then asked whether there were any other people within the building. I shook my head. The monk was already dead and the creature would soon join him. It was then the church's roof collapsed in a huge thud and dust arose everywhere. Alas, for I did
not notice that the huge cross above the church had split in half. The police chief asked me what happened. I told them everything. How I had hit the creature and then how I had come to the church. The police chief raised
and eyebrow and he talked to another policeman who had accompanied him. After a while they told me to come with them and they put me in their car
and as they drove away I saw a dark figure clutching its side as it
shambled away from the church and it lunged into a field off grass and
disappeared. I shouted and screamed "The thing! The thing escaped!" The policemen looked at each other and they drove me far away from the church. I was accused of murder and arson, but I was never sent to jail, for I was pronounced insane. The police dragged me to an insanity ward in the middle of nowhere where I reside today. No one believes me what has happened. They think I am crazy. Everyday more news comes that people have gone missing and still no one believes me. I know that the thing is now free, and it is hunting me, for I am the only one who knows how to stop it. I know that it will come for me, and I believe it will be soon. I hope that someone finds this diary, so they will know how to stop the thing. My diary must endure
so that the world may live in peace once more. This is my story and my legacy. I hope that whomever finds this diary shall use it to vanquish the evil. Goodbye dear diary, it is my time, for the thing is here. I can sense
it. My death draws near.

Farewell