The Van Meter Visitor

In 1903, the town of Van Meter, Iowa was stalked for several nights by something no one could identify.

Witnesses described a towering, winged creature—its body thin and reptilian, its wings stretched like a prehistoric bat. From the center of its skull protruded a single horn, emitting a blinding beam of light that swept across buildings and fields.

It did not screech. It did not attack.

When townsmen fired their rifles, the bullets appeared to have no effect.

The creature was last seen retreating into an abandoned coal mine at the edge of town. A posse followed. Whatever lived there was never recovered. The mine was sealed.

No body. No explanation. Only firsthand accounts buried in local newspapers.

They called it The Van Meter Visitor.

And whatever emerged from that mine… may not have been biological at all.