The Invasion...

With red-rimmed eyes, and grim expressions... they wandered, with their lethal weapons ready to strike... in search of their prey...

The full moon illuminated the surroundings, and rendered a ghostly aura around each of the creatures' countenances, as they prowled.... unrelenting....untiring... unforgiving...

Like J.K. Rowling's dementors, these creatures exuded a sense of deep-rooted evil. They seemed to suck out happiness from their surroundings. Their presence seemed to make one's limbs grow cold and heavy.

He was worried, deeply worried. The infection was spreading... just 24 hours ago, there hadn't been many of 'them' around. People who had been friends, brethren, comrades, with cheerful faces, and friendly grins, had turned into these ....these....monstrosities....who would stop at nothing!!

He had tried searching for a cure. Other researchers like him found themselves in a similar predicament. His neighbourhood was not the only one affected. There had been sporadic bursts of this 'epidemic' all across the world. He had a hunch that the DNA strands of the creatures had altered their sequences due to extreme conditions.

On analysing the behaviour patterns of the creatures, he found that they subscribed to some form of societal behaviour. Like moths tend to flock towards a source of light, every evening, the creatures tended to congregate at a designated spot. On congregating, they would lay down their weapons, and stay in a trance-like state for some hours, in complete silence. After that, they would utter raucous cries, and forage for food. The pattern stayed the same, unwavering, unchanging.

After weeks of research, he managed to make some headway. He managed to procure a weapon similar to one of the creatures' and joined their flock as they congregated. Distasteful though it was, he attended their feeding ceremony. Observing the creatures from close range gave him some new ideas to further his research.

His nightly forays into their flock became more and more regular. A dangerous pursuit though it was, it gave him a thrill to be part of the flock. But then, one day.... disaster struck!! During the creatures' trance, he accidentally happened to cough. In a flash, all the red, menacing eyes turned upon him, and the creatures began to circle him. The circle became to converge, till he could feel the breath of some of the creatures upon him. The world went black around him, as he felt drained...and cold, oh so terribly cold....

Epilogue: I am one of them now....with red-rimmed eyes, and a grim expression... I prowl the night, with my weapons - thick academic books, and my flock of other such creatures. We congregate at the library, each day, and spend hours....in a trance-like state, as we hunt for the elusive el dorado, an A-pos. One day, we shall take over....one day, we shall rule!! We are the ghissus, the invasion has begun...