It's only attacks at night

Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

Zack sat at his desk, the soft hum of the fluorescent lights above him the only sound in the quiet police station. His fingers tapped restlessly against the cold surface of the desk, a rhythmic sound that seemed to match the beat of his anxious thoughts. It had been a long night of paperwork and reports, but his mind kept drifting back to the strange events that had been piling up, each one more bizarre than the last. Disappearances, the unusual behavior of the dogs, and the eerie sounds echoing through the night—it was all connected. But how?

The door to the station creaked open, and Ethan stepped in, his face drawn and weary. His usually bright demeanor was replaced with a look of uncertainty, one that Zack knew well. He knew Ethan had been struggling with everything lately—the wedding, the bizarre disappearances, and the strange occurrences surrounding their investigations.

"You good?" Zack asked, leaning back in his chair and looking up at his partner.

Ethan didn't immediately answer, instead walking over to the small fridge in the corner and pulling out a bottle of water. He unscrewed it with a sigh, his eyes distant as he stared at the wall. "Not really," he muttered finally, sitting down across from Zack. "I just spoke to Jennifer. We were supposed to meet for dinner, but with everything happening... I can't stop thinking about the wedding, Zack. The cruise ship, the disappearances, the weird sounds we heard on the boat. What if it's not safe?"

Zack ran a hand over his face, the weight of the situation settling deeper into his chest. "I get it, man. Trust me, I'm not exactly comfortable with the whole idea either, but this... whatever it is that's going on, it's not just going to stop. We have to face it head-on. It's not going to wait for us to figure it out."

Ethan was quiet for a long moment, his gaze flickering over the stacks of files and reports on Zack's desk. "I keep thinking about the wedding. It was supposed to be a celebration, you know? A fresh start for Jennifer and me. But now it just feels like we're walking into a storm we can't control. The reception's on that boat, Zack. I don't want the night to end with more people missing, with people in danger."

Zack leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "The cruise ship, the boat—we can't keep running from this, Ethan. But we also have to be smart. If this thing wants us, it's not going to just show up and announce itself. We've been investigating this for weeks, and we still don't know what we're really up against. But what I do know is that we've seen too many signs, too many patterns to ignore."

Ethan rubbed his temples, frustration clear on his face. "I just don't know how to protect her, Zack. It's one thing to fight an enemy we can see, but how do you fight something you can't even understand?"

Zack stood up, walking to the window and staring out at the empty parking lot. The night was quiet, but it felt heavy, like it was holding its breath. "I don't have all the answers. But we'll figure it out. We have to. For Jennifer, for everyone else."

Ethan stood up too, his hands fidgeting with the bottle of water. "And if we don't figure it out in time? What then?"

Zack turned back to face him, his jaw clenched. "Then we deal with it. But we can't think like that. We have to stay focused, stay in the fight. If we let fear take over, we lose before we even start."

Ethan gave a sharp nod, but Zack could see the doubt lingering in his partner's eyes. "I hear you, Zack. I do. But everything feels different now. We can't even trust what we see anymore."

Zack's gaze softened. He understood the weight of what Ethan was feeling. The fear, the uncertainty—it was getting to them all. But Zack couldn't afford to let that fear consume him. Not now. "We'll keep pushing forward. We'll find a way to protect everyone, including Jennifer."

There was a long pause before Ethan spoke again, his voice quieter this time. "I told Jennifer I'd make sure the wedding went off without a hitch. Now it feels like I'm setting her up for something terrible. She doesn't know the half of it, Zack. She doesn't know what we're dealing with. And the more I think about it, the more I'm scared something's going to happen. Something we can't control."

Zack's mind raced, but he kept his voice steady. "We're not running from this, Ethan. We're facing it. Together. I'll talk to the captain of the ship. See if we can get some extra security, maybe even have a few officers there to make sure everything's okay. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the wedding goes off without a problem."

Ethan looked at him, his eyes searching for any sign of doubt. "You think we can stop it?"

Zack paused, his gaze hardening. "I don't know. But I'm not letting it take anyone else. Not without a fight."

Just as Zack was about to say something else, his phone buzzed, cutting through the tension in the room. He pulled it out of his pocket, checking the screen. A message from a local reporter, a friend who had been following the strange disappearances. Zack's stomach churned as he read the brief text:

"Something's happening. People are starting to act... different. Like they're not themselves anymore. The disappearances? They're not just about vanishing. It's something else."

Zack's grip tightened on the phone. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Zack glanced up at him, his mind already spinning with the new information. "People are changing, Ethan. They're not just disappearing—they're becoming something else. And I don't know what that means yet, but we're running out of time."

Ethan's eyes widened. "That's... that's insane. But it makes sense. What we've been seeing, the way things are escalating—it's not just random anymore. It's like... like it's spreading."

Zack nodded grimly. "We need to figure out how to stop this. Because it's not just about the disappearances anymore. It's bigger. It's dangerous. And it's coming for everyone."

Ethan's voice was quiet but firm. "I'll talk to Jennifer. Let her know that we might need to move the wedding to a safer place, or even reschedule. I'll do whatever it takes to protect her."

Zack gave him a reassuring nod. "We'll figure this out. Together."

As Ethan left the station to make the call, Zack sat back down at his desk. His thoughts were a whirlwind of possibilities, none of them comforting. Something was changing. People weren't just vanishing—they were becoming different. And that only made the situation more dangerous.

The phone buzzed again. This time, it was an alert from the local news. Zack quickly opened the message, his eyes scanning the screen as the latest headline blinked back at him.

"Strange behavior spreading through the city. Authorities warn of increasing incidents involving missing persons and abnormal activity."

Zack exhaled sharply. The calm before the storm was over. Something was coming, and he wasn't sure they were ready for it.