Hollow Shells

Caleb ran.

He scrambled out of the apartment, down the hallway, and into his car. He didn't know where to go. He just knew he had to get to Maya. He had to warn her. Vance had done something to her with those chocolates.

He drove to her apartment complex. The drive was a nightmare. The streetlights flickered out as he passed them, plunging the road into darkness. The rain turned thick and red, smearing his windshield like oil.

He pounded on Maya’s door.

"Maya! Open up!"

The door opened. Maya stood there, wearing a beautiful red dress. She looked stunning, but her eyes were glassy, like a doll's.

"Caleb," she smiled. "You're early for dinner."

"We have to go," Caleb panted, grabbing her shoulders. "Vance—he's not human. He's doing something to us. We have to leave town."

Maya didn't move. She felt heavy, anchored to the floor.

"Why would we leave?" she asked. Her voice dropped an octave. It sounded like Vance. "We are almost ready."

"Maya?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, a thick, black fluid spilled over her lips, dripping down her chin onto the red dress.

"The chocolates," she gurgled, the black sludge pouring faster. "They were... warm."

Caleb stumbled back. He looked at her—really looked at her. Her skin was papery. There was no pulse in her neck. She was hollow. Just a shell being driven by the black fluid and the red chocolates.

"You're not Maya," Caleb sobbed.

"Maya is gone," the thing wearing Maya’s face said. "She was lonely. We filled her. Just like we will fill you."

Caleb backed away, down the hall, out into the red rain. There was nowhere to go. The world had ended, and he hadn't even noticed because he was too busy fixing his tie.