Park Owl

People had been disappearing at night. The news had barely spoken about any of the victims, but we all knew. Things get around in a small town like this. I'm a night summer time jogger and have been since high school. Most people hate to run, but I love nothing more than to strap on my headphones and just go where the night breeze takes me. Because of the recent disappearance I have been staying in, the stagnation was starting to bother me more than the thought of winding up missing. two of the girls had gone to my high school, they were the type of girls who snuck out often to be with boys their parents didn't know they knew, no one was surprised when they didn't come home. Mrs. Smith however was the opposite of that. Just a sweet old lady who like to watch Judge Judy reruns and quilt. She went missing from her back yard, the only thing they found of her was a single house shoe with a drop of her blood on it, no footprints of anyone but her... almost as though she had been taken by air. Ill miss her, my mom used to go do welfare checks on her, just to be a nice neighbor, she was always talking about owls, how much she loved them, how to always be sure to respect them. I shook my head, I need air. Ill take my phone, some mace, and my pocket knife I thought, I will be fine. I took off on my favorite path along Woodward Park and headed up a hill to the right, I could see a tree with a bench under it in the moonlight. I'll stop there to rest, then head home, I told myself.I reached the tree and sat down. the town looked like a city of stars, no one could know the pains this city has held by looking at it like this I thought and decided to snap a picture with my phone, my screen turned on ultra bright and briefly blinded me as it lit up. Above me I heard a shreek and the cracking of limbs. I about jumped out of my skin as i shown my light up to see what moved beyond me. Hidden amongst the branches was what i could make out as an owl, but, this had to be some kind of different owl, it was huge! bigger than i was by far, and its face, looked....off, skeletal, sunken, dark, all excepts its eyes, its eyes were glowing this greenish yellow. i lowed my light and chucked to myself nervously. its just a stupid owl, i said to myself, calm down. your a big ugly bird now aren't you? well have your tree, I'm off. as I turned to jog back a deep voice from behind me spoke, you shouldn't laugh. my blood ran cold. without turning around i asked, did you just talk? i was met with complete silence for a moment, then a subtle, normal owl hoot. i laughed hard at this, for sure my mind needed a rest. talk of killers had me all worked up. i started down the hill when i noticed a shadow around me, the moon was bright and this was an open path, i looked up and nearly lost my mind. it was following above me! huge, the wingspan twice as wide as my height. Kicking it into high step, and forcing myself to push past, just as i started to realize that I'm running from a bird and this is probably in my mind, it spoke again and relieved all doubts i had that i needed to run faster. "you shouldn't have laughed, you disrespectful thing, i will clean your bones, you will grow my wing' having to think fast as i did not want to lead this creature to my house i dipped across the bike path, off the park property and across traffic. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, i saw headlights coming right for me and then the car swerved and hit a nearby tree. i rushed over to see if the driver was okay but before i could get to him he was out of the car and cussing at me about my carelessness. withing a moment, the owl descended on the man, plucking his eyes from his skull as he screamed and then his tongue. i was horrified. the monstrous owl lifted the still alive man into the air and took off with him. paralyzed in fear I stood there then another approaching car shook me from my daze and i ran the rest of the way home. That's been days now, I haven't left home. people keep disappearing but no one is searching for them and I know why. its out there, even now, in my neighbors tree waiting for me. foods been running low, but the pizza guy never made it to the door. i don't know why its here or what we did to upset it, but I dont think its going away anytime soon.