Beginning with a Fail.

"Alaric...Honey time to wake up."

A woman called my name as a bright light blinded me along with the quick sound of blinds being opened.

"Mister, you had better wake up right now before I go get the pans."

"Ugh, mom I'm up just give me a minute." I said with eyes still closed. I rolled over in the hopes she would leave me alone but as newly graduated college student.... I was soon rattled.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"WAKE UP ALARIC RIGHT NOW"

BANG! BANG BANG!

Those infamous pans of her's I swear to the gods above. One day I'm gonna melt them down for toilet paper holders.

"OKAY I'M AWAKE DAMMIT!"

"Don't you get that tone with me boy."

"DON'T YELL AT YOUR MOTHER ALIC!" My father yelled from downstairs.

The irony was thick this morning as I trudged through the early morning routine of getting dressed all prim and proper for the day to come.

First on the agenda of the day was to go apply at a job. I was hoping to find something in Game Design, I know classic right? But I figured might aswell make money from doing something I love. There was a branch of a pretty popular VR company at the edge of town that was newly built in the past year and I heard a rumor that they may be looking for some help.

So after getting ready and having a quick breakfast of eggs and toast I hopped in the car and was on my way. They were holding open interviews today for a variety of positions today and I was feeling lucky.

While driving down the highway my phone started to ring showing a stupid picture of my friend Johnny Valurv. Me and him have been friends since kindergarten, He was a huge go with the flow kinda guy but when it came down to it, I knew who had my back.

"Hey asswipe what's up?"

"Nothing man, just going to those open interviews at the VR building. I'm hopeing I can get in on the design team for the next upcoming game."

"DUUDDEEE, that would be awesome, IF you do you should totally hook me up with a capsule. I wanna upgrade from the headset."

"Yea right dumbass, like I got the money to get you one let alone myself. Me first since I'm doing all the work, if you want one then come with me and apply."

"Shit like they would take a guy like me. I got no credentials man, No degree, hell I don't even have a car right now. So how the hell would I even get there in the first place."

HONK! HONK!

"Hold on man someone's outside."

I watched as Johnny opened up his door and saw me waiting outside for him. He looked at his phone and back at me a few times in confusion before he smiled real big and went back inside for a few seconds. He then came running out the door of his house with a slam and before I could blink he was in the car ready to go.

"You sly motherfucker." He said smiling from ear to ear.

"Your my best friend, ofcourse I would want you there with me. If we can both get a job at that place just imagine how awesome it would be. Once I get on the design team I promise I'll put in a good word for you."

He nodded as he grabbed my phone from me and switched on the bluetooth for some driving music.

It took about 45 minutes from our side of the city to where the building was. It was a bit out of the way but the excitement made it seem like only seconds went by.

As we pulled up we saw that the building's parking lot was completely packed with people and the line up to the door was from the door almost to the street that we came from.

"Holy hell, That is a long ass line Alic! You mean to tell me that we are gonna have to wait this whole time just for this?"

"No, because yet again this is why you call ahead and set up appointments. The email never said anything about first come first served. So I called a few days ago and set us both up for the same time interview."

Johnny looked at me with a confused look in his eye before he just shrugged and said whatever as we finally found a parking spot and started to head towards the main entrance.

"Back of the line like everyone else fella's sorry." The guy at the door said. He then pointed at the street where the line had ended up at.

"Oh no, we actually have appointments for interviews. My name is Alaric Dyrrun, and this is my friend Johnny Valurv. I called a few days ago to set them up."

"Hold on." The guy said as he pulled out a walkie and called down a higher up. A few minutes later a woman walks down wearing a business suit and carrying a clipboard.

"Alaric and Johnny?" She asked not even taking the time to look up at us.

"Yes, that's us. I called ahead to make appointments for interviews for today?"

She flipped through a couple pages on the clipboard.

"I don't see the name on the list. Did you register today?" She finally looked up at me and then at Johnny. She looked us up and down. I could have sworn I saw a slight scowl form before she quickly went back to work mode.

"No, I made appointments. We arrived a few minutes ago. We are actually 30 minutes early but with the line and all we figured we should go ahead and let you know we were here."

She looked up at me after hearing the slight undertone my voice carried. She looked back down at the list but then shook her head.

"I'm sorry gentleman but if your not on the list for today you won't be able to have the interview. I don't remember setting up any appointments and I should know, I'm the secretary." She said with a slight high and mighty attitude as she spoke.

I was furious but I kept it in as I wasn't going to let my emotions get the better of me.

"I'm going to need to talk to a higher up, I have the email stating the time and place for this place, here see."

I pulled out my phone and showed her the email. It stated the exact time and place to be there for the interview.

"What this shows me is that you are in the wrong place. This says your interview is for our main office... which is in a completely different state. Now gentleman if you don't mind... Your blocking the line."

She turns around and leaves while the guy and the line of people start laughing at us as we stand there in disbelief. I kept looking at my phone, rereading the same email over and over again but not seeing where it says the main office.

"Let's just go bud, maybe it wasn't meant to be? Anyways why don't we swing by the store and I'll grab us some Fuck it Juice and we can black out this embarrassing moment in time?"

I could only nod as he lead the way back and after running to the store, we went back to his place and drank while playing some games. We usually hopped onto VR but I wanted to drink my sorrows and with VR, you can't really do that.

"MaN, Im SO PIssed.... THats bitch pissed me off..... BuT MAN! Did she have a fine ass."

Johnny with a bottle in one hand and the other wrapped around my neck said.

"HEy, I got it, WHY don't we make our Own VR game huh? WE could call it..... 'SCREW YOU!' and totally have a character built after her. How's that sound buddy?"

I shrugged his arm off and stood up to walk to the window. "Don't joke man. I know your just trying to cheer me up but let's face it, I screwed up today. This could have been the turn around our lives needed and I screwed it up."

Johnny sat down as he sighed. "Yea ya did... But that doesn't mean this is the end dude. I mean there are a billion other things we could do and with your talents and my can do attitude, I bet we could come up with something that changes the world."

Before I could say anything I saw a black mass shoot across the street. I wasn't able to get a good look at it but what I saw was big and fast.

"HOLY SHIT DID YOU SEE THAT? It was huge and it took off like a bullet down the street!"

A part of me was telling me not to investigate but this was something I couldn't just pretend not to see. I set down the bottle I was holding and walked out the door with a stumbling Johnny tailing behind me asking me what I was doing.

"I told you man, I saw something big and fast that ran down the street. It was keeping out of the light so I couldn't see it very well but the outline of this thing was huge."

"SO why are we chasing after it?"

"Because I need something to take my mind off of this failure of a day and what better way than finding a cryptid?"

We walked down the street for a few minutes but ultimately found nothing. We ended up outside the street and in the forest nearby. In our... well MY haste I forgot to grab a flashlight. So with our phone lights we kept walking around in the hopes of seeing something cool.

"We should be heading back man, I don't like the feeling around here. It feels like something watching us."

"Don't be a baby Johnny, what happened to that can do attitude huh? Just keep your light shining and we will be ok."

We walked for a few more minutes but soon I stopped and then Johnny was forced to stop as he bumped into me because he was flashing his light everywhere like a madman.

"Dammit Johnny... Nevermind that just keep quiet I heard something."

He looked like he was going to say something but I raised a finger shushing him. I pointed to my ear as a sign for him to just listen. Nothing could be heard around us except the soft blow of wind through the trees. We would hear the occasional rustling of a small animal nearby but nothing else.

"Man fuck this. I'm tired and my buzz has wore off, whatever fun this could have been wore off a long time ago. I'm leaving dude."

"Johnny shut the fuck up and sit back down man. I swear I heard something."

As he turned and started walking away was when we heard it. The sick crunching and the squelching of something being eaten.

In a whisper Johnny spoke up with fear in his voice.

"dude, what the fuck is that noise?"

"quick turn off your light!"

As we rushed to turn them off the noise stopped. We sat there in the darkness and soon our eyes got used to the darkness as the moonlight started to illuminate our surroundings. It wasn't like I could see forever but atleast a few feet around us was visible enough to start slowly making our way back to his house.

We stayed in silence until we got to the streetlights near his house. As soon as the streetlight hit us it was like some overpowering pressure was lifted off our backs.

"OH MAN, that was intense as hell. What the hell do you think that sound was back there man? It sounded like something was eating animal back there.... or atleast I hope it was an animal."

"Yea, me to. Let's just go back to your place and sleep off the chills that are still running up my spine. We can head out tomorrow during the day and go back to that spot and get a better look. This time I say we bring a weapon just in case."

"Agreed"

I crashed on the couch as Johnny headed for his room. I was to tired from the adrenaline to stay awake any longer but just before I finally slipped off to sleep I swore I heard clicking sound as if something was tapping on a window with a nail.