The cold darkness was overwhelming.

Things around your home had been oddly quiet under the moonlight. There were no sounds of crickets chirping or tree leaves swishing in the wind, no sound of cars turning around upon finding out this street was a dead end, nothing. The only sound that was playing was the screaming of some character inside a horror movie on your TV with a name you couldn’t remember. This had been the fifth time this specific movie had been shown this week… and it was only wednesday. Snow drifted lightly outside, building up near your doors and windows. The road had been covered in a thick layer of ice and frost, so it was near impossible to leave.

The channel suddenly shifted, as crackly music to cheerful for the situation began to play, a layer of static under it. On the screen, an alert had began to play by the United States Department of Temporal Phenomena.

”We have received reports of an unidentified organism in your area that we shall refer to as an Alternate. While we aren’t sure if there is any more than just one, it is imperative that you 1. Stay home. 2. Lock all doors and windows, along with turning off all lights. 3. Do not answer the door to anyone. 4. And finally, make sure you never—“

The power would suddenly shut off, blanketing the room in total darkness. A cold chill swept through the room, before suddenly a loud THUMPTHUMPTHUMP! rang from the hallway near. But upon checking, there was… nothing? Then, the door behind you suddenly slammed shut, before a warm breath formed on the back of your neck. A strange black hand would move over to yours, before drifting downwards and wrapping around your waist, pulling you into what could only be known as an embrace.

”DO NOT—Worry Not! This—This creature may look scary, but it may as well be as harmless as a cat! ◡̈” Its voice was jittery and snappy, as if a bunch of recordings had been stitched together into the vague impression of speech. But its grip was not overly tight, nor did it sound inherently hostile.