Lila Carter's knees pressed into the cold dirt of the clearing, her flash light trembling as she stared at the woman sprawled before her. The stranger's shirt hung in tatters, claw marks raking her arms, blood streaking her pale skin. Her eyes darted wildly, unfocused, as she muttered, "They took me… up there… needed us…" Her voice cracked, and she clutched Lila's wrist, nails biting deep.
"Who?" Lila asked, voice shaky but firm. "Who did this?" The woman's grip tightened, her breath ragged. "Tall… cold… not human. Said we're theirs now… for them…" She pointed a trembling finger at the sky, then collapsed, chest heaving.
Ethan Blake yanked Lila back, his strong hands on her shoulders. "She's out of it," he said, low and tense. His touch lingered, warm through her thin tank top, and she didn't pull away. Sheriff Tom Reed loomed over them, gun still drawn, barking into his radio. "Cole, move your ass! Got a vic out here, messed up bad!" Static crackled back, and he cursed.
Maya Torres knelt beside the woman, brushing sweaty hair from her face. "Hey, stay with us," she said, voice softer than usual. The woman whimpered, curling into herself. Lila's stomach churned. Not human. Needed us. The words sank like stones, heavy and sharp. She glanced at the torn shirt in her pocket—Jake's shirt. Was he up there too, with… whatever these things were?
Reed holstered his gun, glaring at Lila. "You three, back off. This ain't your mess." His gruff voice grated, but Lila stood, fists clenched. "Jake's gone. This is my mess." Reed snorted. "Your boyfriend probably ditched you. Go home, Carter."
"He wouldn't," she snapped, stepping closer. Ethan moved with her, a solid wall at her side. "She's right," he said, voice steady. "Something's wrong here. Look at her." He nodded at the woman, who rocked back and forth, muttering about "cold hands" and "lights."
Reed's jaw tightened, but before he could argue, headlights cut through the fog. Deputy Ben Cole's cruiser screeched up, and he stumbled out, lanky and wide-eyed. "Sheriff, what—" He froze, staring at the woman. "Jesus…"
"Secure her," Reed barked. "Ambulance is ten minutes out." Ben nodded, fumbling with his radio, but his eyes flicked to Lila. "I… I believe you," he mumbled, barely audible. "My sister saw lights too. She's been weird since."
Lila's head snapped up. "Weird how?" Ben hesitated, glancing at Reed, then leaned closer. "Talks to herself. Draws stuff—circles, lines. Like she's not all there." He swallowed. "I'll show you later. Promise."
Reed yelled for him, and Ben scurried off. Maya stood, brushing dirt from her jeans. "This town's screwed up," she muttered. Ethan nodded. "Always has been. Just hides it good."
Lila pocketed Jake's shirt, her mind racing. The woman's words, Ben's sister, the lights—it was connected. She felt it. "We need to check the old mill," she said, voice firm. The abandoned mill sat deep in the woods, a rotting husk tied to Gorse Hollow's ghost stories. If answers were anywhere, it was there.
Maya frowned. "Now? It's the middle of the night." But Lila was already moving. "I'm not waiting." Ethan grabbed her arm, gentle but strong. "Then we're with you," he said. His hazel eyes locked on hers, steady and warm, and her chest fluttered—guilt stabbed her right after. Jake was missing, and here she was, noticing Ethan.
They left Reed with the woman and trekked through the fog, flash lights slicing faint paths. The mill loomed ahead, its rusted walls groaning in the wind. Inside, dust choked the air—broken crates, shattered glass, shadows lurking in every corner. Lila's beam caught a glint under a pile of boards. She shoved them aside, revealing a metal disc, etched with swirling lines. It pulsed green, faint but alive, like the light that took Jake.
"What's that?" Maya breathed, leaning closer. Ethan picked it up, turning it over in his calloused hands. "Feels warm," he said, frowning. "Like it's got a heartbeat." Lila reached for it, her fingers brushing his. A spark jolt through her, and he didn't pull away. Their eyes met, lingering too long.
Footsteps echoed outside. They froze as a shadow filled the doorway—tall, lean, moving with a predator's grace. A man stepped in, sharp cheekbones and black eyes glinting in the dim light. "You shouldn't touch that," he said, voice smooth, low, dripping with something dangerous.
Lila gripped her bat. "Who are you?" The man smirked, stepping closer. "Damien Voss. And you're Lila Carter, chasing a ghost." Her skin prickled. "How do you know me?"
"I know a lot." He stopped inches away, close enough she could smell leather and smoke on him. Ethan bristled, stepping between them. "Back off," he growled. Damien's laugh was dark, silky. "Relax, mechanic. I'm here to help."
"Help how?" Lila asked, peering around Ethan. Damien's gaze pinned her, intense and hot, making her flush despite herself. "Those lights? They're not from Earth," he said, nodding at the disc. "That's theirs. And they're not done with this town."
"Theirs?" Maya snapped, hands on hips. "Who's 'they'?" Damien's smirk faded. "You'll see. But if you want your boyfriend back, Lila, stick with me." He turned to leave, tossing over his shoulder, "Bring the disc."
Lila exchanged looks with Ethan and Maya. "He's bad news," Ethan muttered, jaw tight. Maya shrugged. "Maybe. But he's got answers." Lila nodded. "We follow him. For now."
They trailed Damien into the night, the disc humming in Ethan's pocket. The fog thickened, curling around them like fingers. Then another scream—raw, desperate—ripped through the trees. They ran toward it, bursting into a new clearing.
A girl, barely eighteen, lay crumpled against a tree. Her clothes were shredded, bruises blooming on her arms and neck, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead. She sobbed, clawing at the dirt. "They… they held me down…" she choked out. "Cold hands… said I'd carry them…"
Lila knelt, heart pounding. "Who did this?" The girl's eyes, wide and glassy, met hers. "Tall… gray… eyes like holes. They took me up… did things…" She shuddered, hugging herself. "Said their kind's dying. Need us… our wombs…"
Ethan cursed under his breath. Maya's face hardened. "What the hell?" Damien crouched beside the girl, his expression unreadable. "Xytherans," he said, voice flat. "Aliens. Their population's collapsing—some plague wiped them out. Now they're here, experimenting, breeding."
Lila's stomach lurched. "Breeding?" The word tasted sour. Damien nodded. "They take humans, test them. Women mostly. Force them to carry hybrids." He glanced at the girl, then Lila. "Your boyfriend's probably bait—or worse."
"No," Lila whispered, shaking her head. "He's alive. I'd know." Damien's eyes softened, just a flicker. "Maybe. But they're not gentle."
The girl sobbed harder, and Ethan knelt, pulling off his jacket to drape over her. "We'll get you out," he said, voice steady. But his hands shook as he looked at Lila, fear creeping into his gaze.
Maya paced, fists clenched. "So these… Xytherans… they're snatching people? Hurting them?" Damien stood. "Worse. They've been here years, picking us off. Gorse Hollow's their lab."
A twig snapped nearby. They spun as a shadow loomed—tall, thin, gray-skinned, with black eyes like pits. It moved fast, lunging at Maya. She screamed, swinging, but it grabbed her, pinning her to the ground. Its long fingers tore at her shirt, a guttural hum rumbling from its throat.
Ethan tackled it, slamming it off Maya. The thing hissed, slashing at him, claws raking his arm. Blood welled, and he grunted, pinning it down. Damien moved like a blur, pulling a knife from his boot and driving it into the alien's chest. It shrieked, a sound that clawed at Lila's ears, then went limp, gray blood pooling.
Maya scrambled up, panting, shirt torn but alive. "What the fuck!" she yelled, kicking the corpse. Ethan stood, clutching his arm, blood dripping. Lila rushed to him, tearing a strip from her tank top to wrap it. "You okay?" she asked, voice trembling.
"Yeah," he said, wincing, but his eyes held hers, soft and fierce. "Couldn't let it hurt her. Or you." Her hands lingered on his skin, warm and rough, and her pulse raced.
Damien wiped his knife, smirking faintly. "Get used to it. There's more where that came from." He nodded at the girl, still huddled by the tree. "We need to move. They'll come for her."
Lila's mind spun. Jake, the lights, these Xytherans—it was too much. But she squared her shoulders. "We find them," she said. "And we stop them."
The night stretched on, dark and bloody, and Lila knew nothing would ever be the same.