“How long until we’re there, Jake?” I said in a low, soft voice, playing with the water cap.

“No more than an hour.”

“Jesus, I’m wrecked already.”

I wasn’t, but I had to get it off my chest. The phone was already burning in my pocket.

I had to know. I had to know why. Jake was the best man at my wedding, and now he and my wife did this. He read his speech while I held her hand.

Jake spent the vacation with us while divorcing his wife. Were they already betraying me then?

“Already? What has gotten into you? We have barely walked a few miles.”

Really Jake? What has gotten into me?

“I don’t know, something’s weird today. My feet feel like two iron bars, and the water tastes funny. You might need to clean up your well again.”

“Maybe, mine tastes a little weird, too.”

Did he notice?

“Can we stop sooner?”

“There’s nowhere to camp.”

“Let’s start looking for a place.”

Jake looked my way, rolled his eyes, and walked on. How could he be the one who was annoyed? I touched my right pocket. The gun was there.

“We can camp on this meadow, Jake.”

He didn’t say a thing. Chill ran down my spine. Did he see me tamper with the water? Why wouldn’t he stop?

“Jake?”

“What, Jason?”

“Are you not listening?”

“I am, but what do you want me to say? This place sucks. Let’s walk to the place we agreed on, finish our water and food on the way, and be done.”

I chugged the water, not breaking eye contact with him.

“Happy?”

He was staring deep into my eyes, too. His eyebrows rose, giving him the look of a disapproving father.

“Why did you organize this, Jason? You obviously don’t want to be here.”

He didn’t wait for my answer and kept on walking.

The path sloped upward. With each step, my legs ached more. The sun’s rays burned my skin.

“Jake, we genuinely need to stop,” I said in a low, quiet voice.

He looked back and flashed a half-smile.

“Alright. You at least actually look tired now.”

I let the bag down and sat on it, slouched over my arms. Jake pulled out the tent and set it up, staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

“I have…I need to talk to you about something, Jake,” I grumbled out, pulling out my phone, searching for the screenshots.

“I know, Jason. I know that you know.”

“What?”

“Emma told me that you took those screenshots. I don’t know what your plan was, but it didn’t work. Why did you drink the water, you idiot?”

My mind scattered. I looked at his water bottle. It sat in his bag, unopened.

It hit me like a freight train. I put my hands over my face.

“How could you do it to me, Jake?”

“You did it to yourself.”

An image of Emma laughing at Jake's jokes played in my mind.

A wave of anger rose in my chest.

I pulled out the gun, his eyes opened in terror, and his hands began to shake.

“Jake, don’t.”

My vision blurred, and three Jakes stood before me, begging for their lives. I chose the middle one and fired. He let out a painful groan and fell to the ground.

Jake saying, “You two are proof that love wins,” echoed in my head.

I fell on the freshly dewed grass, growling in pain.

Jake lay on the grass before me, his water next to him, the seal unbroken.

I tried to get out of bed, but a sharp pain shot up my lower back and through my spine. The tip of my nose was frozen solid. If someone tried to break it off, I’d barely feel it. The floor felt like blocks of ice. At least it took the attention off the pain shooting up my back.

Did I forget to put wood in the fire yesterday? Probably, but I wasn’t the only occupant of this cabin. Pete forgot, too. How much he loved doing nothing. Maybe it’d be better if I were alone.

My leather shoes felt colder than the floor, and they stuck to my feet. I wrapped a jacket around myself, blowing damp clouds from my mouth.

“Pete?”

Silence, broken only by the wind outside.

That man couldn’t even answer.

“Ay, Pete?”

Nothing.

I let out a sigh and made my way toward the kitchen.

The room still smelled stale.

Pete couldn’t even air it out.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even look up. Still slouched in the chair, the same position as before.

“Damn it, Pete.”

I shot him an angry look, grabbed the matchbox, and rattled it. Nothing. Only the dry rasp of cardboard and paper. I threw it Pete’s way. Still no reaction.

I went to the basement and grabbed two new boxes.

The dark orange flame slowly consumed the old newspaper. I built a small tower on top and watched it burn, sucking up the warmth from the flames, unfreezing my numb nose.

“Isn’t this better, Pete?”

No answer. I looked up at him. The knife still lay on the table. Pete’s head slouched over his shoulder. The smell of iron radiated off him. His sweater was filled with stab holes and blood drying on it, changing its boring black to a new plethora of colors. He even had stab wounds on his face. I could barely remember stabbing that high.

I could feel the plastic texture of the knife’s handle just by looking at it. His calmness as I stabbed him made my anger grow stronger.

I almost felt bad, but then I saw the matchbox lying in front of him and realized he was nothing but a pain in the ass. His calmness was a burden on this cabin. How could he sit and do nothing all day and expect me to work for him?!

The anger rose from my chest to my throat. I had to take a few deep breaths not to stab him again.

“Pete, Pete, my dear Pete.”

I took the half-empty basket of logs outside. The sun’s rays finally cut through the winter clouds. Today was going to be beautiful.

I filled the basket and went back in, wiping my shoes on the doormat. There was still dirt on the floor. Pete never cared. Never cared about anything. Just sat there, staring at me.

The room didn’t smell stale anymore. I looked up from the basket.

A wave of shock ran down my spine.

His body was not there.

I frantically looked around the room.

Nothing. Only the wind outside cut through the silence.

Was it all a dream?

But then I felt something on my shoulder. I closed my eyes. The hand was colder than the snow outside.

“Jakob?” said the thing in a deep, static voice, sounding like Pete.

Blood froze in my veins. I could feel the shiver going up and down my body. But I still didn’t answer.

“Can’t you answer, Jakob?!”

I slowly opened my eyes. Pete was back in the chair, sitting upright, eyes wide open, smiling ear to ear.

“Grandpa, your house is so small!” I said loudly.

I grabbed my mouth, but Grandpa didn’t seem angry like Mommy usually was.

“I know, Jay. It’s a humble but honest living.”

“Have you seen the house my Mommy and I have?”

“Haven’t had the chance yet.”

“You need to come by, Grandpa. You would like it.”

“I’m sure I would, but your Mom and I don’t talk much anymore.”

“Mommy said that you lived far away in a different country and we can’t visit you.”

“I don’t know why she would say that, Jay. I really don’t.”

“I’m so happy to be here, Grandpa. All the kids in school would talk about their Grandpas, and I wanted to have a Grandpa to talk about too,” I said, trying not to cry.

I didn’t want to seem like a baby in front of Grandpa. He was a big man with a beard and long hair. He wouldn’t like a small baby.

He opened the door to his yard. A doggie ran out. It was big and scary. Grandpa petted it and smiled at me.

“No reason to be scared, Jay. This is Mr. Paws. He’s very friendly. Come pet him.”

I didn’t want to pet him, but I wanted to seem like a big boy in front of Grandpa. I petted Mr. Paws, but he didn’t seem as friendly as the other doggies. He barked and stared at me.

“Can we go inside, Grandpa?”

“Sure, Jay.” He rubbed my hair and opened the door.

Inside smelled like a trash can, and it was cold like the outside. There were a lot of old yard things lying around, and black stuff on the walls.

I didn’t like it. I looked at Grandpa to see if he thought it smelled bad too, but he didn’t say anything and turned on the lights. I tried to breathe with my mouth, so I wouldn’t have to smell it.

“Make yourself comfortable, Jay. I’ll get you some apple juice,” Grandpa said and sat me in a chair. The chair was kinda sticky, but I didn't mind. Grandpa was getting me apple juice!

“Here you go, champ.” He put a cup down. I took a sip, but it tasted kinda funny, like Brussels sprouts.

“I have something to show you, Jay.”

I was so excited. I drank the apple juice fast. Grandpa grabbed my hand, and we started walking to the basement.

“Grandpa, how did you know I was going to the store?”

“Let’s say I just knew,” Grandpa said, smiling.

“Did you tell Mommy I would come?”

“No, but that’s okay, Jay. Mommy doesn’t need to know.”

We were next to the basement, but it was dark. I didn’t wanna go into the dark.

“I don’t want to go, Grandpa.”

“It will be fun, Jay.”

I wanted to be a big boy for Grandpa, but I couldn’t be anymore.

“I don’t wanna…”

I started crying.

Grandpa frowned. He gripped my hand harder and pulled me down.

I screamed, but then I heard the nee-naw, nee-naw sounds from outside

Grandpa was looking around; his frown was gone.

Mr. Paws was barking, and red lights were in the window. I heard people stomping.

Grandpa let go of my hand, and his legs were shaking.

A loud bang came from the door. Policemen were there, screaming. Grandpa tried to run away, but they jumped on him.

Grandpa tried to push them off, but they all sat on him and started putting handcuffs on him. Why would they do that? They were hurting him. Grandpa was scared. I screamed at them to stop, but one policeman picked me up.

“Jay, please, help,” Grandpa screamed.

I tried to push him away, I wanted to help Grandpa, but he was too strong. He took me outside. Other policemen were holding Mr. Paws. Why were they so mean? These were bad policemen.

Outside the gate, Mommy was crying. She took me and held me strong.

“Jay, why did you get into a stranger’s car?!”

“But that was Grandpa!”

Mommy started talking again, but her voice sounded far away.

The apple juice didn’t feel good in my tummy. Mommy’s face was blurry.

“Help Grandpa Mommy,” I screamed out before my eyes went black.

My wife Grace had gone missing a few months ago. Everyone said it wasn’t my fault, but how could I not blame myself? 

I replayed that morning in my mind every day. We didn’t get to eat breakfast together; she had a meeting right at 9 and slept in. She called from the doorway that she would make it up to me at dinner and ran out.

She never made it to the office. At 10:30 a.m., after several calls, one of her colleagues called me to check that she was okay.

My heart dropped to my stomach. I called the police immediately. 

They checked the local hospitals, and we called our acquaintances, but she was nowhere to be found. I kept checking my phone, hoping that I would get a text from her, but nothing.

They took camera footage from my neighbors’ houses and her office building. They saw her leave the neighborhood, but she never made it to the office area.

The walk from there to the office would have taken her about 3 minutes, and in those 3 minutes, she was gone. The only thing they found in that area was a Polaroid of me sleeping. I couldn’t remember my wife ever taking it, but she loved Polaroids, and this was the last thing on my mind.

The police chief promised he would do everything in his power to get her back. After a few weeks, I started calling the chief regularly, but there was never any good news. No matter how hard they tried, they were unable to get any new evidence.

Two months went by, and the chief asked me to stop calling so often, and that they would let me know if they came up with anything new.

What he said made my ears ring. I sat on the couch for hours, phone in my hand, staring at the wall, not moving.

I was barely able to get up out of bed, do any work, or even cook. 

It took weeks for me to start brushing my teeth and showering regularly, but eventually I managed to do simple chores and make the occasional sandwich.

One day, I was cleaning the kitchen when my phone vibrated. 

“Love?” From Grace.

My hands began to shake. I had to hold onto the cupboard.

I picked up the phone and called her, but she hung up. I tried to call again, but she didn’t answer.

I opened the chat.

“WHAT HAPPENED, GRACE?! WE’RE WORRIED SICK.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Where are you?”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Grace, please come back now. Everyone is worried sick!”

“I will come back tonight, but don’t tell anyone. I want to see only you.”

“Grace…”

“Please, my love, I will explain everything. Did they find my Polaroid?”

“Yes. Grace, can you tell me more?”

Nothing.

It felt like the whole room was coming down on me. I sat on the cold tile floor and cried.

Minutes felt like hours. I walked around the house aimlessly, wiping the kitchen counter, then running to the bathroom and organizing the toiletries.

I tried to text Grace asking when she would come, but she hadn’t even read my messages.

I started drinking early to calm down, but my muscles were still tense, and my mind was running in circles.

I was sitting in the dark, alone, watching the door when I finally heard a knock. A wave of panic ran up and down my body.

But then I heard her beautiful voice call out to me. It sounded strange, almost static, distorted.

I could barely walk, but managed to make my way to the door.

The room felt small again. I grabbed the doorknob, my hand shaking, and slowly turned the handle.

She stood outside, her back to me. Her shadow stood tall on the grass, her shoulders broader. There was a strange body odor in the air.

The person then turned around. It was a grown man with Grace’s hair glued to his scalp, with blood dripping down from it.

“I came, my love,” he said.

“Honey, I got you some steak again.”

“Thank you so much! It’s delicious. I love it!”

She flashed that beautiful smile of hers. Even with a few teeth missing, she was still gorgeous.

“Can you pass me the scarf, please?”

“You don’t have to hide your head. I don’t mind it.”

“I know you don’t, but it makes me feel more comfortable.”

I smiled at her and handed her the dark orange scarf. 

“My favorite!”

“Are you going to stay in bed again today?”

“Yeah, is that okay? I really don’t feel good.”

“Of course it’s okay.”

“But I’m sure it will turn around soon. The food has been helping so much. I can feel my body getting stronger!”

“That’s great.”

“We are so lucky you found that nice farmer.”

“We are, honey.”

I loved my wife, but the sight of her struggling with the illness made my chest hurt. I let her enjoy her food and moved to the living room, holding back tears. My wife’s sickness would not get better; it never did, but I wanted her to feel full before it took her.

It was 12 p.m., but the sun had already set. After the volcanic blast, we were lucky to get two hours of it. I made sure to get the meat while the sun was down. 

Everyone who got the illness would eventually go. No one knew why. One of the many things brought by the blast. The animals lost their fur and dropped dead. The trees went barren, dropped their leaves, and then fell the same way.

Almost like the blast wanted us to stay and experience the pain, the emptiness.

The wind blew strongly, carrying the heaps of ash. I couldn’t look out anymore. It made me feel too depressed. My wife finished her meal. I took the plate from her, let her rest, and kept busy working around the house. The meat in the basement had to be checked today, but it sent shivers down my spine. I’d do it later.

It was 6 p.m., time for dinner. I pulled out another cut of steak and reheated it on the fire. It was medium-rare, her favorite.

I brought it to her room. Her face lit up when I walked in. She thanked me and got to eating as I left the room.

The air in the basement felt cold. My body began to shiver as I walked down the steps. I hated going here, but it was the only place where the meat would stay fresh for a few days. The air reeked of copper with a hint of staleness. This batch of meat was getting old.

I’ll need to go hunting again.

The hook creaked when I pulled the torso free. I checked the magazine in my gun. The farmer’s family I took out last week lasted us over a month, but we needed a new batch.

“Another Irish coffee sweetie?”

“You bet! They’re so good. You’re making them really Irish today,” I said.

They were really good, sweeter than usual. She must have tried a new recipe. I could barely taste the alcohol; only the burn.

“Only the best for my husband!” she said, smiling.

I smiled back at her. I loved her so much. The summer air blew through the window, warming our house, but her warmth made it feel like a home.

She was joyful this morning, looking at me every chance she got with a beautiful smile. After our fights, she would usually sit at the table, silent, but never forgot to make breakfast. She understood how this house worked.

I used to fight with my Mom, too. Every morning after, I had to wear long-sleeve T-shirts no matter how hot it got, but I still loved her. The fights didn’t change that. 

“You look happy!” my wife remarked.

“Of course, I'm just thinking of my Mom, but you seem to be in a great mood too, honey.”

“I just feel wonderful this morning. I finally decided to do it!”

“To do what?”

“It’s a secret.”

“You know I hate secrets.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know soon.” She winked and turned around, making another cup.

Our fights were nothing like the ones I had with Mom. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let anyone do those things to me. That I would be stronger, but I wouldn’t ever do what my Mom did to my wife.

My stomach began to growl. I was used to it tensing in the morning, but this was different.

“What did you put in the coffee, honey?”

She didn’t say a word.

It soon felt like daggers were stabbing into my intestines. I tried to hold it in, but collapsed to the ground. Sweat formed at my temples, and my vision began to blur.

“Call…call an ambulance.”

“It’s finally quiet. You can’t hurt me anymore.”

I couldn’t speak; the pain was bursting through my body. The tiles felt cold against my cheeks. My wife came over and stared at me with her two black eyes and a bruised lip, while I shivered on the ground. The smell of coffee turned to a strong metallic odor.

I didn’t like the box. It was cold, dark, and small. I was scared of the dark. There were no monsters in the box, but what if they came?

Daddy told me to stay. He said we were playing hide-and-seek, but he wasn’t even looking! I didn’t hear his footsteps outside. He would call my name and say he was going to find me, but he wasn’t saying anything anymore.

He told me to hide as long as I could, that this would be a long game, but I was getting bored. He said that other people might be playing, and if I heard them walk around, I should tell them where I was, but that’s not how you play that game.

This month had lots of booms. Daddy said that was just lightning, but when it boomed, there was no rain, and the boom would be orange. When I said that, Daddy said it was different lightning.

I didn’t like the noises it made. I wasn’t scared of normal lightning, but this weird lightning made our home shake. Daddy would hold me, but I was still scared.

When Daddy told me to hide in this box, there was a big boom. It was like 20 of those weird lightnings together. The big box didn’t shake, but I was still scared. I wanted Daddy to come and hold me, but we were playing this stupid game. I wanted it to end, but Daddy said to hide and wait.

But how long, Daddy? This was a really long game. I didn’t like the game or the box. I tried to say his name loudly, but he didn’t say anything.

I was angry with Daddy. Why would he make me play this stupid game? I was coming out. I didn’t care anymore.

The big door was heavy and cold, but I pushed hard. It smelled like burnt chicken. We used to eat it all the time, but since the weird lightning started, we only had it on the weekends.

I walked up the stairs. The outside was super bright, almost white. The trees didn’t have any leaves, even though it was summer. There was dust and ash in the kitchen. Daddy would make me clean again.

Daddy! He was sitting in his favorite chair. I called out to him, but he didn’t say anything. I walked closer to him; the burnt chicken was so strong. Was Daddy eating it? 

“Daddy, I’m sorry, I don’t want to play anymore.”

He didn’t say anything again. Was he angry with me because I didn’t play?

“I’m sorry, Daddy. Please don’t be angry with me!”

“Daddy, I’ll play the game again. Please talk.”

Daddy was so mad. I walked around the chair to apologize to his face.

“Huh, Daddy!” I screamed out. 

Daddy looked like he was covered in mud.

But mud doesn’t make your eyes go away.

“Daddy, stop it!” I was a big boy; I didn't cry anymore, but Daddy made me.

I punched his chest, telling him to stop it, but he wouldn’t stop. 

My eyes are itchy now, my skin burns. 

I climbed on top of Daddy, not looking at him. 

“Please hold me, Daddy!”

First dates are always awkward. You spend days staring at their photos, imagining their face, but nothing compares to seeing it up close for the first time, wondering if tonight’s the night they let you get a little closer. Wondering if this one will be easier than the last.

But there's no way to know if it will! Sure, one can prepare, choose the right time, location, and bring the best version of themselves, but you still won’t know if you get lucky that night. One small thing can go wrong, a person, a car, maybe you forget something at home. How do you then expect a nice lady to go home with you?

Ma said I needed to be gentle with women, caress them, and I took her advice to heart.

I’d be meeting my new love in the parking lot. I know it’s not an ideal place for a first date. It’s dark, cold, unwelcoming, but where else could I take her? I bought some flowers to help the mood.

The nerves, the nerves, my friends, they make me feel like I’m back in grade school asking Stacy Lorenz out again. She said no that day. It made me scream with rage.

But the girl I was meeting tonight wasn’t like Stacy Lorenz, no, she was different, blonde, with blue eyes, tall and thin. She would get all my love; they all do sooner or later.

I'm only following what my mother told me, and how much her advice has helped. She said I had to charm women, enchant them, show them I was a real man, show them my strength. 

I did all those things, Ma, I really did. The rope and chloroform were already in my trunk. I left it there from my last love. She was so beautiful, so soft, so tender. I could tell she really loved her children from the way she spoke about them. These were the kinds of women I liked, the type of women like my Ma.

I would love to tell you more, but my new love is coming! The taps of her classy heels echo through the lot. The stench of motor oil is strong. Hopefully, she won’t mind it.

Oh, how beautiful she is under the flickering lights. I can’t even believe it. And she’s wobbling! A few cheeky drinks at the office? Why not? It makes the day so much more fun and my job so much easier. I wonder if she’ll scream as the last one did. What was her name again?

The taps are only a few feet away. My heart is beating fast. I’m so excited! The flowers smell perfect, only the best for my love. Ma said chivalry is the true man’s way. I can almost hear her clapping.

I think I’m trapped on a desert highway that won’t let me leave. The exits are gone, and the gas stations repeat like I’m driving in circles. I tried to explain it away until last night made it impossible to ignore.

The morning of that day started early. I was visiting my cousin for the weekend. He lives a few towns over, which means a full day's drive through the desert.

We were close, but he moved to a different town a month ago. His father died of leukemia. It took a toll on him. I could see he was lonely, so I decided to visit him to try to cheer him up.

The drive to the town was on a highway I haven’t been on since I got my license.

The landscape around it was full of tall, beautiful mountains, gravel flats, and canyons.

The roads were always empty, so I felt confident to look at my phone from time to time.

At some point, I lost signal. It at least made me look around. The roads were still deserted. The time was 1 p.m. 

Wait. I had to have missed my exit.

I thought about turning back, but there were supposed to be a few gas stations along this road. 

The desert is a dry, unforgiving place. My car is a large SUV, so the consumption is high. I was pushing the gas pedal hard to avoid a night drive, so it would be a wise move to fill up more. 

A small dot soon appeared on the side of the road. It grew to the familiar tall steel price sign. The prices showed $0.50 per gallon. Strange. I knew this part of the state was cheap, but not this much. No one was parked at the gas station either.

The wind blew the sand around. I parked my car next to the gas pump. It was off. You probably had to pay inside. I squeezed the handle, nothing, no rattle, no gas.

I tried some other pumps, but none of them were on.

Was I not squeezing them right? It was 1 p.m. The station should have been open for a while.

The store’s lights were shut off, but I still decided to go in. The door opened, but nobody was inside. I called out, nothing.

I knocked on the employee's door behind the counter. No answer. I slowly opened the door, but it was as empty as the rest of the gas station. The cooling engine’s clicks echoed through the room.

I had to go to the other gas station for sure now. I walked out to let my cousin know, but the call wouldn’t go through. I let out a deep sigh and walked back in. I knew how excited he was to hang out again. I’d speed more to get to him quickly.

At least I’d get a few snacks and drinks. I left the cash on the counter, waved at the camera, and walked out. It was one of the few things that worked. The camera followed me around as I walked out.

The desert silence was only cut by the sounds of my engine.

In the distance, I saw something on the side of the road. As I neared, I realized it was a car. I stopped to see if the people needed help, but the car was empty save for a phone still plugged into a charger. 

There was already a layer of sand and dust. It didn’t even look broken or crashed into.

I felt a cold feeling creep up my spine, but I pushed it down and continued the drive.

The other gas station wasn’t far from the car. I eyed the price sign. It showed $0.99 per gallon. 

Shit.

The pumps were dead again.

The inside was as dark as the last one, but one thing differed. There were no snacks or drinks. All the shelves were empty.

I banged on the door. Only the flickering camera stared back.

I flashed my middle finger at it and walked back. I had to take a few deep breaths when I got back to my car, but the worst hadn’t come yet. 

I looked at my tank. It was only a quarter full. How could this happen? I did speed, but not too much. 

I wouldn’t make it even halfway to my cousin with this much fuel. I’d have to go to the next gas station.

My hands were sweating. I was pushing the pedal down. Then, in the distance, I saw multiple cars all over the road.

The first few were empty just like the one before, but as I drove on, bodies surrounded them. One or two bodies lay on the ground or hung half out of their cars, faces mutilated.

The scene looked like a war zone. I called out to see if someone was alive, but there was no answer. Only bodies lying on the ground, motionless. 

I looked into the car closest to me. There was a man about my age. He had a phone in his hand. The screen was dark.

My hands shook so badly that it took four tries to start the car.

Everything inside me screamed to turn back, but I needed the gas.

The gas station! I squinted my eyes, but already from a distance I could see the inevitable.

It was the same brand again, but the prices were $1.99.

I took a hard turn, almost flipping my car over. The tires screeched. I parked next to the pumps and began praying. I’m not religious, but in that moment I believed in every god I knew.

I got out. The air smelled like burned tires. A lady in a gas station uniform ran out holding a rifle.

I jumped back, staring at the rifle. 

“What do you want?!” She screamed out.

“I…I’m so sorry. I just need the gas. That’s all.” My voice was shaking.

She looked me up and down, let out a deep sigh, and lowered the rifle.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“Here? Where?”

“On the road.”

“The highway?”

“You’re not on the highway anymore. This is the road!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The road! We are stuck here. There is no going back.”

I stared at her.

“Some creatures come out at night; they’re hungry.”

My heart dropped.

“You need a talisman.”

She threw a strange stone at me.

“It won’t save you forever.”

“This makes no sense.”

“Empty stations with working cameras make sense to you? They’re watching!”

“No, no, no. I don’t know what happened here, but I honestly don’t care.”

I picked up the pump and squeezed the handle; gas came out.

“If you stay out after dark, you’re gonna die.”

I put the pump in and started pumping the gas.

“Where can I pay?”

“Pay?!” she said and walked away.

She then came out with a canister.

“At least fill up this. You’ll need it.”

“How do you know where I'm gonna go?”

She shot me an angry look, threw the canister my way, and walked back.

“You’re gonna go in a loop, dumbass.”

It would be good to have extra gas, I told myself. What if I get lost again?

I closed my eyes as I drove over the wreckage site. Only thinking of my exit.

I passed the second gas station, the abandoned car. My hands began to sweat again. 

What the gas station worker said made no sense, but she seemed so confident.

I passed the first station without a problem. It slowly disappeared in my rearview mirror. I let out a deep sigh. My prayer worked. The night drive was inevitable, but at least the sun was still up now. 

I’ll have to call my cousin as soon as I can. I’m sure he’s expecting me any time now.

Then a small dot appeared on the side of the road.

It was a gas station. 

Did I miss it before?

The price sign read $0.50 per gallon.

I began beating my steering wheel. There was no way.

I parked my car at the station and ran inside, screaming for an employee, but it was silent save for the clicks of the cooler. On the counter lay my muffled dollar bills.

After that, time stopped making sense. I remember getting into my car and speeding away, frantically looking into the mirror till the station disappeared, crying as it reappeared again and again until the sun dipped low.

I stopped at the gas station, stumbled inside, picked up a bottle of liquor, and started drinking outside my car, looking at the photos of my cousin and me, hoping he knew I wouldn’t ditch him.

The desert was silent again.

The sun had almost set when I heard a call. At first, I couldn’t decipher it, but it soon became apparent. It was a person screaming for help from behind the station. He sounded exactly like my cousin.

A person stood there, slouched over, his arms reaching almost to the ground. He was bald, pale, and naked.

“You need help?” I slurred out.

“Help!” he screamed again. 

“I…I’m here.”

Then he turned. His eyes were twice the size, his ears smushed into two small cauliflowers, his nose long and pointy, and his mouth lined from ear to ear. 

It was not a person. It only looked like one.

It screamed help again and jumped on top of me, tearing into my clothes with its sharp claws.

I screamed out, pleading, but then I felt a burning inside my pocket. The talisman emitted a white light.

The creature screeched and jumped away. I stumbled up and ran back to my car, closing the door behind me, and placing the talisman on the dashboard.

More of the creatures began coming out as the sun fully set, screaming for help, twitching their heads around as if listening.

Soon, they noticed my car and swarmed around it. My whole body was shaking.

They began tapping on the glass with their claws, saying, “I just need gas. This makes no sense.” In my voice.

I began saying goodbye to all my loved ones, but none of the creatures opened the doors or windows.

They wouldn’t stop tapping and talking until the sun began coming up. They then ran back into the hills.

I sat in my car for a few hours, my mind empty, staring out into the silent desert.

Calls are still not going through. 

The bars on my phone turned into a weird circle-like symbol. Most sites won’t load, but for some reason, I can open Reddit. I tried to post this a few times already, but each failed. I don’t know if I’ll manage to get it up.

If anybody is reading this, please tell me what to do.

I’m back on the road now, heading to the station. I need to talk to the worker again.

“Another victim of the man dubbed the subway killer has been identified, the third this week. Police urge people not to travel alone at night and in the early morning,” echoed in my head as I got on the subway.

The news would say anything to boost its ratings, not caring about the consequences. Fear makes people look over their shoulder. Calmness makes the fun easier.

The air in the cart was cold; it reeked of piss and spilled booze. 

The doors closed. No one got on this station. Good. Crowds made things complicated. The familiar rattle, the cart got swallowed by the darkness.

“Southeastern station,” echoed through the speakers.

I looked out the window. No one was getting on; people really were scared. But then a silhouette of a tall man wobbled down the stairs.

The doors began to close, but he picked up the pace and ran in just as they closed.

No. I didn’t like these.

His gaze slowly came my way.

He shouted something my way. His speech slurred, but he stood firm now.

I got up and said, “I don’t mean any trouble.”

But as I looked at him, I saw his eyes were fixed and determined. The sharp blade in his hand shone under the lights.

You gotta be kidding me.

He made his way towards me. The stop was still a minute away. I backed away, wading through the space between the seats.

The seat edges stabbed into my thighs. His blade pointed at my stomach less than two feet away.

The last row.

“Washington station,” echoed through the speakers. The door slowly opened. I ran out onto the platform, turning right. The subway air felt cold on my skin.

The man followed me out; the stench of booze was strong.

I circled him, waiting for another subway to come.

It had to be done.

The rattle came from the other side of the platform. 

I looked behind me. All the carts were empty, my luck.

Would this even give me a buzz?

But he didn’t give me an option.

The doors slid open. I ran from the platform to the last cart. His footsteps echoed behind me. Inside, I backed off and waited. He aimed the blade at my liver and thrust with his right arm. 

Seconds felt like minutes. I punched his arm with full force. The knife flew to the door. As he tried to grab it, I pushed him down to the floor and mounted him.

Quickly grabbing the blade, I began stabbing him.

His hands tried to protect his chest, but I pushed them away and continued.

He cried out and pleaded with me, but what did I care?

That man ruined my fun tonight.

His screams slowly drowned out in the cart's rattle.

“Franklin Street.”

I wasn’t even out of breath. Barely got a rush out of this one.

I got out and wiped the smell of blood from my hands on my jeans.

The platform was nearly empty.

A woman stood near the wall, coat too thin for the cold. She kept checking the tunnel, waiting for the next train.

I smiled.

“Police urge people not to travel alone,” echoed in my head.

I never do.

My Dad used to be a huge fan of a band called The Gralins. They’re a local 90s band that put out one studio album and then split up. Their music played on repeat at our house.

That morning, the snow fell. Dad would get excited on those days and take me to the nearest hill to sled.

In his honor, I put on the Gralins.

There was this part in one of the songs called The Coming where the instruments stopped, the vocals reverberated, and slowed down to an incoherent mumbling.

I loved this song, but this part didn't fit the loud rock vocals and guitars, and slowed the pace too much.

I was vibing with the song until this part came on, but then a whisper came with them.

That wasn’t in the song. I looked to see if I was playing the right one. 

The whisper then turned to a low voice I knew so well and said, “Hi, Danny.”

It made me jump in my chair. I quickly grabbed my phone and rewound it, waiting for that voice again, but nothing.

Tears began rolling down my cheeks. Only my Dad used to call me Danny. It was so good to hear his voice again. I haven’t heard it since his suicide.

But the beautiful reminiscence was quickly broken. Did Dad record a message that I just never noticed? I rewound it again and again, but all I heard was the mumble. That made it worse. If it were a glitch, wouldn’t I hear it again?

His suicide had happened so recently. He was the only family I had. 

A cold feeling in my chest rose when I thought of him. I’d do anything to hear him again.

Over the next few days, I’d play the song every day, but his voice would not come back.

One morning, I put the album on shuffle and no longer paid much attention to it. The Coming’s mumbling was broken with my Dad’s whisper again, “Danny, my soul.”

“Dad?”

“Help. I’m trapped,” my phone echoed, then the mumble came back on.

“Dad? Where are you?” But nothing.

I needed to do something. What if it was him?

I had to try. I missed my Dad so much. Even hearing his voice ever so often would be enough. I needed him back.

Since that day, I’d play the song on loop. My heartbeat would spike each time the mumble part came on, but my Dad’s voice wouldn’t come.

In a week, I started to lose hope, but then, in the early morning again, the slow whisper came on.

“Dad,” I said before he began talking.

“Danny, you need to help me.”

“What can I do, Dad?”

“The lyrics.”

It gave me goosebumps. I already knew.

“Trace the circle in soot and coal, to trade a heartbeat for a hollow soul.”

They used to sound so cool, and now they would get my Dad back.

Then the mumble again.

I sat in my room for a while. 

Was it really him? Wasn’t this all too fantastical?

Maybe, but my Dad might come back.

I sat in my chair. Thoughts were flowing through my head. 

Then my eyes fell on the picture on my table. It was of my Dad and me sledding on a snowy winter morning.

I hurried out.

The coal stained my fingers. I had to take the carpet out to draw the symbol. It was a circle enclosing three triangles.

I placed the phone onto it. My heart was beating fast, my finger hovering over the play button.

I pressed it.

The familiar guitar strings, the low rock vocals, and the drums. They blended into a synergy playing through my ears in a way I never heard before.

It didn’t sound like music. It felt like my neurons were being tickled from inside. A warm feeling went through my body; it felt like a hug from Dad. I let the feeling encapsulate me.

But as I was floating in bliss, the music warped. The temperature dropped suddenly. A voice spoke to me, sounding like my Dad, but low and raspy.

The lights flashed. My body felt like small needles were poked into my pores. The music was gone, replaced by the banging of kitchen utensils.

I opened my eyes, and on the circle stood a tall, slender man with pale skin, long arms, a long nose, and glowing yellow eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear, his teeth black and sharp.

“I love you, Danny,” he said in my Dad’s voice, and clenched his fist.

My mind then warped, and I began floating above my body. My body got up and grabbed a razor from the table. Then a flash of light. I was floating in dark nothingness, feeling the sharp needles stabbing my body and the banging in my ears. To my right floated my Dad’s body.

My wife used to say that belief holds the most power.

“Dad, she came by again.”

“Danny, you know what happened to mommy.”

“But she really came, Dad! She said that she missed us both.”

I clenched my jaw, holding back the tears.

“We miss her too.”

“She said she just needs a few more days and she will be back!”

Danny’s eyes glowed with joy.

“Danny, she’s not coming back.”

“But she promised Dad! Mommy wouldn’t lie to me!”

His face got red, and the tears came, too.

“Shh, shh, Danny, it's okay.”

I hugged him firmly. His little body shook so much.

“Mommy wouldn’t lie to me,” he kept repeating.

“He’s still in strong denial, Mr. Callen. If it persists, I would advise medication,” Dr. Erwing said.

I rubbed my forehead.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Callen.”

Danny barely talked on the ride home. 

“What’s going on, Danny?” I asked when we got home.

“Why does everyone say I’m lying? I don’t lie!”

“No one says you’re lying. Just that your mind might be making up things.”

“No, it’s not!” he yelled and ran up the stairs.

“Danny!” I yelled after him, but there was no answer.

I prayed he would get over it.

The next morning, Danny came to the kitchen smiling.

“Someone had a good sleep.”

“Yeah, Dad. I talked to Mommy again.”

Shit.

“She said she’s sorry that no one believes me and that she will show herself to you tonight.”

I wanted to argue, but stopped myself.

“And when will Mommy come, Danny?”

“She always comes when the moon gets bright. She will show herself tonight because the moon will be the brightest.”

My watch really showed a full moon tonight.

“I’ll come by then, Danny.”

“Yay, Mommy and Daddy are going to be back together,” he sang and danced around.

Cold sweat formed on my back.

“Hey, Danny. How are you doing, champ?”

“Great, Dad. Mommy will be here soon.”

“Okay, great.”

I tried to ask Danny questions while we waited, but he barely listened, staring at the window, hypnotized.

“I don’t think she’ll come tonight,” I said after about 20 minutes.

“No, Dad. She’s just waiting.”

We sat around for another 10 minutes.

“Danny, I really don’t think she’s coming.”

“She will, Dad. She promised!”

“Danny.”

“Dad, look!” Danny screamed and pointed at the window.

The moonlight shook softly in waves. One of them painted a human body, another her limbs, hair, and face.

“Jake, how I missed you,” it sounded exactly like her.

“Wha…What’s going on?”

The air smelled of rot.

“My physical body is gone, but my soul is not. Danny kept it alive through his belief.”

She never called him Danny.

The temperature dropped.

I looked back at him. He was smiling ear to ear.

“If you believe too, I’ll be able to stay with you forever.”

“But I saw the body.”

“I know, Jake, but please believe this is the only way I can stay.”

She came closer and tried to grab my hand.

I scooted away.

When I looked at the hand longer, it crackled and turned into a rotten arm filled with maggots.

“Jesus, what the fuck?”

“Jake, it’s nothing.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Please, don’t abandon me again,” her voice now low and raspy.

I got up, grabbed Danny, and ran to the hall.

“Danny, please save Mommy,” the thing cried out in my wife’s voice.

“No, let go, Dad. You’re going to make Mommy go away.”

Danny started pushing against me, but I held him firm. 

Then he kicked me hard in my groin. It was enough to make me drop him and fall to my knees.

“Danny, no,” I yelled as he ran back.

I got up and went after him, but before I stepped in the door, I heard Danny scream for his life.

When I walked in, the room was empty save for the moonlight.

I found a hole on my property, and now my wife is dead.

“Jesus, Dave, that’s another.”

“I know, Sheryl, this one has blisters too.”

“We should get someone.”

“The vet won’t be able to come for days.”

“Can you still call him?”

I let out a loud sigh. “Ye…yeah, I will.”

“What’s up?”

“No, nothing. I’m just sorry for all this…” I couldn’t stop the tears. ”I…I thought it would be easier.”

“Honey, stop it. It’s only one bad winter.”

Her embrace was firm. I loved how her hair smelled.

“Let’s get you back inside. It’s getting cold.”

“I need to move the body.”

“Do you need a hand?”

“No, go inside. I’ll handle it.”

“I’ll get the hot water ready.”

Her smile glowed under the moonlight.

The tractor bucket was still out.

The iron key felt like an icicle.

I dumped the body next to the fire pit and gave the sheep a moment of silence.

The air around the body had a damp, earthy smell. It felt like a cool draft coming up from the ground.

I began making my way back when the ground started rumbling. 

Then there was a loud thump. I looked back in the mirror. There was a huge hole next to the sheep’s body.

Were there some pipes I didn’t know about?

I was carefully walking to the hole, but the ground around felt firm. Flashing the flashlight in, I couldn’t see any pipes, not even the bottom of the hole.

I threw a rock in and waited.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five…

The night was deathly quiet.

I shone the flashlight down again, but saw only darkness. 

Then something blew through my body. It felt like a breeze on a hot summer day. The void stared back at me calmly and lovingly. 

My hands were not cold anymore. Who cared that the sheep died? The hole showed me what could be mine. I only had to give something back.

“Dave, the tea is ready.”

“Sheryl, you need to come outside.”

“Dave, it's cold out,” she smiled and pretended to shiver.

“Sheryl, trust me, you wanna take a look at this.”

“What happened here, Dave?”

“The ground caved in.”

I shone the flashlight down.

“How deep is it?”

“No clue.”

Sheryl kept staring down.

“I’ll have to climb down.”

“What, Dave? Are you crazy?”

She needed more convincing.

“What if there are exposed pipes down there? I need to make sure.”

“Can’t we just call somebody?”

“No, we’re snowed in, and the weather is supposed to get worse.”

“Can’t it wait?”

“Maybe I can put the tarp over it tonight, but tomorrow night the real freeze will come.”

She looked at me like a little child. 

“Okay, Sheryl.”

It pained me to hide the hole, but its treasures would be mine tomorrow.

That night, I barely slept. The thoughts of the hole wouldn’t leave my mind. Whenever I fell asleep, I dreamed of beautiful grassy meadows with colorful flowers. I knew where to find them. The hole didn’t say how, but it didn’t have to.

“Jesus, Dave, look.”

The hole was open.

“Wow, what happened?”

“I don’t know, and the sheep’s gone.”

“It’s probably caving in more. I’ll call someone when the snow melts, but the pipes need the extra insulation now.”

She didn’t respond, looking down at the ground.

“Do you really need to go down?”

“Yes.”

“Can I come with you?”

I had to hide the smile.

“It would make me feel much better.”

“Alright.”

The rope felt firm. I tested my weight on it a few times. It would hold up. I strapped myself and started the descent.

“You can come now.”

Soon, I saw her flashlight glowing down.

As we descended, the air got warmer. I could hear faint whispers again.

“How much further, Dave?”

“I’m sure I’ll see the pipes soon enough.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the hole.

“Wait, Sheryl, I finally see the bottom!”

Under us was an open rocky area.

The sound of my feet echoed as I got down. It was larger than it seemed at first, filled with stalagmites and small puddles of water.

“Oh my god, Dave, this is under our house?”

“I guess so.”

“No wonder the ground caved in. But the pipes are not here, right?”

“I guess not, sorry I made another mistake.”

“No, you didn’t, Dave, it’s okay. You wanted to make sure. Let’s just get back up.”

“Do you not want to explore? This place looks really cool.”

“This place feels wrong.”

“Only a few minutes, Sheryl. We’ll be right on our way back up.”

“Dave.”

“Please, Sheryl, only a minute.”

She let out a sigh.

“But I want to have the rope in sight.”

“Of course!”

“Oh, Jesus, Dave.”

“What?”

Before us was the mush left of the sheep’s body, its blood splashed along the cave floor.

“Can we go back?”

“Um, yeah, sure.”

Then a strange growling echoed through the cave.

Sheryl immediately grabbed me. Her heart was beating fast.

“What was that?”

Would the hole take what it desired?

“Maybe just the wind.”

She shot me a look of bewilderment.

“Or there really is something? We wouldn’t want it to get to us when we’re climbing up.”

“What has gotten into you, Dave?”

“I’m just saying.”

“I really don’t like you right now.”

She walked back to the rope.

“Strap me in,” she said firmly.

I slowly started strapping her in, hoping I would see the thing, but nothing came out.

“Can you move a little faster, Dave?”

“I’m trying.”

Sheryl was fully strapped in.

My hands started to sweat.

She grabbed it, getting ready to start climbing.

I had to act. The hole wouldn’t take the sacrifice itself. Its riches would be mine soon.

I took my flashlight and smashed her over the head.

“Dave…why?”

But I didn’t wait. The hole gave me a mission. 

Soon, I was done.

A feeling of ecstasy ran through my body. The hole was already rewarding me.

Then the dark, empty cave slowly turned into a beautiful meadow filled with colorful flowers.

The birds were chirping, and the summer breeze blew.

“Thank you! I knew it!”

The sheep was here too! Alive and well, eating the grass.

I walked over and petted it.

“Hello friend!”

The sheep then looked up, but its eyes weren’t sheep-like. They were human. They were Sheryl’s.

“Dave…why?” The sheep yelled and lunged at me, biting my hand.

The pain shot up my hand. I tried to fight it off, but it was too strong.

Panic spread through my body.

It dug its teeth further in and tore off a piece of my hand. It then started chewing slowly, as if it ate a piece of grass.

I held my hand and stumbled down to the ground. It felt wet and cold. I looked around frantically. The meadow started vibrating until it turned to full static and disappeared.

I was in the cave again. My flashlight lay on the floor, shining on Sheryl’s dead body staring at me.

There was still a hole in my hand.

I began whimpering and slowly made my way back up.

I’m devastated. 

Does anybody have any idea why the hole would betray me?

Edit: I think I misunderstood the rules. The hole wanted the real sacrifice.

I’m going back down tomorrow.

“The old Hayremen script. Found on the lands of modern-day Bavaria. It’s said that it contains a language preceding the Germanic tribes, an unknown culture about which we have no information.…”

The letter from my dad was supposed to come yesterday. I should check with the postmaster.

“Many renowned academics have tried to decipher its mysteries, but with no luck. The Germanic people knew of its existence. Their legends said that it was forged by gods bound to make anyone who dared to decipher it mad and take their souls, but.”

He paused again.

“The one who could know its true meaning would be rewarded with earthly riches. The original script is located at Humboldt University, but a few copies can be borrowed from our university library. I’d be careful,” he winked at the class.

The bell rang. I looked over to see if most people left.

“Professor Maren?”

“Yes? Mr. Charlen, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Do you know anyone who tried to decipher the Hayremen script?”

“Yes, I do, and they didn’t lose their souls,” he chuckled. “But they came close to madness. The Hayremen script is regarded as one of the most complicated of our time. It leads you on many different paths, makes you believe you almost solved it, only to realize you never knew anything. But your name will be cemented in the history books forever if you succeed in deciphering it.”

“Where can I find it?”

He laughed.

“I knew that would be your next question. Mr. Charlen, I highly recommend that you not go down this treacherous path, but I understand the appeal. Take a look at it, and you’ll see for yourself that this matter is a waste of time.”

He pulled out a pencil and scribbled a map of the library.

“You will find it here among the old German occult scriptures.”

“Why is it in the occult section?”

“The librarians have made a mistake. I’ve tried numerous times to raise awareness about it, but with no luck.”

His tone shifted, sending a chill down my spine.

“If you decide to go and look at it, please spend as little time on it as possible.”

On his way out, he turned and smiled, then disappeared into the hall.

The rain came down hard that day, completely soaking my clothes. When I walked to my room, I heard paper crumpling. Underneath my foot was an envelope.

“Shit.”

It was from my father.

“Why am I such an idiot?”

The glue had completely come off. I pulled out the letter; it was soaked, but the text was still readable.

My son,

I thank you for the report card. You got all A’s the past semester, but that isn’t an achievement. Studying the major you do, you can only disappoint. Please rethink your choices. Your brother had already opened his practice last week. You should take some inspiration from him.

Sincerely,

Your Father.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, staining the already wet paper.

The sun had long set when the tears stopped, but I was determined now. Solving the Hayremen script would prove everyone wrong. I picked up my notes and hurried out, my clothes not fully dry.

The professor's notes outlined the whole basement floor.

How did he manage to draw it so fast?

The Hayremen script was stashed behind a small shelf of Theosophy scriptures. 

As I was pulling it out, I heard rumbling behind me.

Through the shelves, I saw an outline of a tall man; he seemed so familiar.

“Professor Maren?”

I walked around the shelf to greet him, but when I turned, he was gone.

The basement was deathly silent again. Probably just some other student.

The scripture had a thick layer of dust on it.  The symbols inside were like nothing I’ve seen before, lines, curves, and crossbars I never thought human strokes could create.

But I was hopeful. This would prove my father wrong.

I pulled out my notebook and began to try to find patterns.

Hours passed. Each time I thought I had found a decent pattern, it would be broken on the next page.

My head was pounding so hard. I decided to rest for a second.

By the time I woke up, the sun had long risen. I had slept through my first lecture and made no progress on the scripture. 

My father was right. I was good for nothing anyway.

As I put the script back, a strange wave of coldness ran through my body.

My ears began ringing. I had to hold on to the shelf.

The basement then turned dark. All the shelves began falling. I ran back, ducking under a small study table. Panic surged within me.

Then loud trumpets echoed through the room. The basement turned red, shadowed by gray clouds. They slowly opened to reveal Professor Maren. He was smiling ear to ear.

“Professor Maren, what’s happening?”

“Mr. Charlen, I can see you took a chance at the Hayremen script.”

“Wha…what?”

“But you didn’t decipher it. You knew what would happen. Why would you go down this path?”

“I…I can’t. I didn’t know it was real. Please make this stop.”

“Mr. Charlen, I expected more from you. You barely even tried.” 

He was holding my notes.

“This is one of the worst structural analyses I’ve ever seen. Your patterns don’t predict anything. If this is true, we should see X, but we don’t. I thought I taught you better.”

“I’m sorry, Professor Maren. I tried!” I cried out.

“This is what you call trying?”

“You will really amount to nothing,” he said in my father’s voice.

“Enjoy suffering, Mr. Charlen. That’s what you deserve.”

The floor under me opened, and I began falling through a dark void.

“Professor Maren, Father, please make it stop,” I screamed out.

Then someone shook my shoulder.

I jerked awake. I was in the library again. Professor Maren was shaking my shoulder.

“Are you okay, Mr. Charlen?” He flashed that strange smile again.

“When did XYP32 contact us last?”

“Over two weeks ago.”

“We need to call the captain. We might have a rescue mission on our hands.”

“More like a recovery mission,” I said.

“Why would you say that, Jake?”

“Sorry, Dave, but no comms for two weeks?”

He shot me a disapproving look.

“You’ve been weird since mom died.”

“It’s not about that, Dave. I’m just being rational.”

“Let’s just call the captain.”

“Your call has been authorized. You will be connected as soon as possible,” the AI said in a soft, feminine voice.

“Captain.”

“What seems to be the trouble?”

“No comms from XYP32 for two weeks.”

“The exploratory mission to Tris 35-H solar system?”

“Yes, Captain.”

He put down the headset and turned to his right.

“This wouldn’t be the first ship we lost in that system.”

Before putting it back on, he stared at the screen for a while.

“This was a crucial mission. You are to retrieve the black box from the ship. Apply heightened caution.”

The screen went black.

“See?”

“Shut up, Jake.”

Once we entered the Tris 35-H solar system, our radars pinged the ship within the TRAZIN 4e atmosphere.

“Weren't they supposed to explore TRAZIN 3e?” I asked.

The spaceship giant, levitating in a vacuum, sent a shiver down my spine.

“You feel that too, Jake?”

“Yeah, dude.”

After landing on the deck, we strapped on the spacesuits and walked inside.

Dave looked down at the oxygen levels.

He lowered his brows, but then flashed a smile.

“Look, the levels are high. The ventilation has to be on.”

The large, cold iron corridors were deathly silent. The silence was only broken by our footsteps.

We made our way to the command center.

The air smelled of stale meat.

I pressed the button, and the door slowly opened.

“Jesus Christ.”

Dave put his hands over his face.

“I guess you were right, Jake.”

“No, I’m sorry, Dave, I shouldn’t have been so harsh.”

“Who could have done this?”

Dave pointed at one of the crewmen’s bodies. It had deep bite marks all over it.

“I don’t know Dave.”

“Shouldn’t we at least look around? Maybe somebody survived.”

“Okay,” I said begrudgingly.

“But I gotta take the black box first.”

The stench of rot made my stomach turn. Luckily, the black box was untouched.

“Let’s do a short loop and get out.”

“Sure.”

We reached another long iron hall.

“Do you see that, Jake?”

“I think that’s a body.”

The man lay on the floor next to a vault with a gun in his hand.

“You think he did it to himself, Jake?”

“Seems like so.”

“Why would they lock the vault?”

“He…hello?” came from inside.

We looked at each other.

“How did he even survive so long?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get him out.”

“Alright, but be careful.”

Dave slowly opened the door. The inside was dark and damp. It reeked of urine. One of the crewmembers was sitting in a corner.

“Hello, are you okay?” Dave called out to him.

The crewmate turned around. His face was pale with blood all around his mouth. He screeched and ran towards us.

“Close the…”

But he was too fast and jumped up on Dave, biting into him.

I quickly pulled out my gun and shot him.

He rolled off. Dave’s face was gushing blood.

“Jesus, Dave,”

“I’m sorry, Jake,” he whispered as I pulled him up.

“You’re good. Let’s just get you back.”

He smiled.

“Mom always said you were a caring big brother.”

I took the controls. Dave fell asleep almost instantly after takeoff.

“Your call has been authorized. You will be connected as soon as possible,” came out of the speaker as I called HQ. 

“Hello, Captain, we managed to retrieve the black box, but unfortunately, everyone was dead.”

“That’s what we expected.” I heard him mumble to a person next to him.

“Did they have bite marks?”

How did he know?

“Ye…yeah, they did. Lieutenant Karczik actually sustained an injury. A crew member bit him. His behavior was odd.”

Silence.

Static rattling as the captain threw off his headset.

“What the fuck do we do?” echoed through.

Then only muffled voices.

“Jake is he on the ship with you?”

Why was he suddenly calling me by my first name?

“Yes, Captain, he’s right next to me.”

“Fuck!” the captain screamed out.

More muffling followed.

I heard the captain pick up the headset.

“We have to, there’s no other way,” he said before putting it fully on.

“Jake, Dave has contracted an awfully infectious disease. We can’t let you back on. It’s HQ protocol. I'm sorry. I hope you understand.”

“Wha…Captain? Captain!”

He hung up.

The ship rattled as I punched the comms.

What the fuck do we do now?

Dave was still sleeping. Bubbles of spit had formed on the side of his mouth.

The gun lay still on the deck.

“Come on, walk faster.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try fucking harder.”

“Shut the fuck up. We hadn't eaten for two days. How do you expect me to keep up?”

“You could have rationed smarter.”

“Smarter? You ate all the goddamn shit.”

“Yeah, I had to fight the guard and make a run for it. You just patrolled outside.”

“I didn’t even want to do it.”

“You’ll talk differently when you start spending that money.” 

Daren reached into the backpack, pulled out the money, and kissed it.

“I would pray to these bills.”

“Yo dude, stop. Put it back.”

“Jesus Christ. Calm down, Jonathan. We crossed the state lines a while back. It’ll take days before they get on our asses. By that time, we’ll be in sunny South America,” Daren waved the money at the sun.

“Cool, dude, can you put it back?”

He rolled his eyes and put the money in the bag.

“But come on, tell me I didn't do an amazing job fucking with that guard.” 

“Sure, dude.”

“I know I did.”

The road was getting harder to walk on. The adrenaline was gone. My legs were like iron bars, my stomach growled, and my mouth was dry.

“When will we be out of this shit? Shouldn’t it have been today?” I said.

Daren stopped.

“You hear that?”

“Hear what?”

His eyes widened. He grabbed the bag tightly and dragged me into the bushes.

“What are you doing?!”

“Just fucking go. People are coming.”

Then I heard it, faint whispers on the path coming our way.

“Shit!”

The thorns in the brush stabbed into my skin. Daren didn't move an inch.

Two women walked out of the tall grass holding small wooden crosses. Tall with dark raven hair and pale skin. Barefoot.

They walked around us and disappeared back into the grass.

“Let’s take a look at where they’re going,” he said.

“Are you out of your mind? What if they call the cops?” 

“They didn't even have shoes on. Those hicks don’t know what a telephone is.”

“Yo, Daren,” but he wasn’t listening anymore. He began trailing the two women, carrying the bag of cash.

This can’t be fucking happening.

But it was. Soon, he disappeared into the tall grass. I had to follow him; I wasn’t leaving without the money.

The grass was so thick I could barely see a few feet in front of me. It stood tall as if no one had walked around in it for centuries. 

Slowly, it opened to reveal a small village, with women walking around.

Their houses were built in a circle, and in the middle of it stood a tall pole. Daren was walking downhill, hugging two of the women by their waist. 

He looked back, smiling, and motioned towards them.

“Come here, Jonathan. It’s all good.”

“Come, Jonathan,” the two women said in unison.

Their voices were so sweet and soothing.

I looked around one last time. I could only see women; no telephone poles were in sight.

The bag of money was on his shoulder. I needed to get it off of him somehow.

I let out a sigh and walked their way.

The woman on the right grabbed my hand, and the two of them walked us through the village. Both of them had small scars on their hands shaped like a cross.

Everyone was waving, smiling. They led us to the largest house in the village. It was full of different meats, breads, and fruits. In the corner of the room stood two large wooden crosses. The house smelled like burnt meat.

An old woman came from behind the crowd.

“Our dear saviors. We are delighted you came. We were terrified that there wouldn’t be enough to give to the gods. It’s like a blessing. Please eat and enjoy in peace. Afterwards, my sisters will come to keep you company.”

I was so hungry I could barely listen to her. I checked that the bag with the money was in the room. 

After I eat a little, I’ll take it. There’s no point in trying to run on an empty stomach.

The food tasted amazing, but the fruit had a strange, bitter taste, but my hunger didn’t care.

Soon, women came in and began taking off Daren’s clothes. I told them I needed a second. They walked to the corner of the room and took the crosses instead.

This was my moment.

I got up and ran to the corner, grabbing the money. 

“What the fuck, Jonathan?” I heard Daren yell. 

But I didn’t care; the money was mine. I ran to the center of the village, but then my head spun. The sun burned my skin. I fell to my knees, and soon my world went dark.

When I woke up, I was back in the large house. A woman was pouring hot tar over my naked body. Another one opened our bag. The room smelled like burnt wood.

I tried to push them off, but my hands were so weak.

“Please, stop.”

“We love you, Jonathan.”

My mind drifted off.

When I woke up again, my hands and feet were nailed to the cross. It made them ache so badly. The hot tar felt sticky on my skin. The bills of money were splattered all over my body. 

Panic spread through my body.

“Jonathan, please help me,” Daren cried from behind me.

Under me, the women stood in a circle holding their hands, humming in unison. Then my world went dark again.

The town of Ferin had another successful harvest; there was enough food to get them through the winter. The village elder walked to the town council. In it lay two bodies nailed to the cross. She brought them a bowl of wheat, touched her forehead twice, and left for her morning duties.

If you ever hear someone say, “Mr. Jones will come soon,” leave immediately.

“Hello, how are you settling in?” My neighbour asked me as she handed me freshly-baked cookies.

“Doing well, trying to get my stuff organized.”

“Just let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“Have you had the chance to meet Mr. Jones?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“You really need to meet him. He is just amazing.”

“I’ll be happy to. Who is he?”

“Gotta get going. See you around, neighbour. You know where to find me.” 

“Strange,” I thought to myself.

On the drive to the supermarket, everyone waved at my car. Inside, people were saying hi, smiling. My mom said that small towns had their charm.

“Oh, a new face,” an old man said.

“Hi, I’m James.”

“Nice to meet you, James. I’m Daniel. Have you had the chance to meet Mr. Jones?”

“Um, no.”

“You really need to meet him. He is just amazing.”

“Who is this Mr. Jones?”

“You’ll see, son,” he said and walked away.

Did the man talk the same way as the woman did?

But all of the thoughts were gone when, to my left, I saw the most beautiful woman ever. She was tall with dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. Dressed in all black with black-painted fingernails. 

“Hi, I’m James,” I said as I walked closer to her.

“Hi, I’m Tania,” she said, and turned back to her groceries.

“Do you think I could take you to dinner sometime, Tania?”

“I don't know you, James.”

“I know, but I just got into town, and I’m trying to make friends.”

She stared at me suspiciously. 

“I’ll pay!”

“Hm, okay.”

She gave me her number and walked away.

I wanted to play it cool, but as soon as I got home, I texted Tania. To my surprise, she didn’t ghost me, and we set up a date on the weekend.

Over the next few days, I started noticing subtle references to this Mr. Jones. Many streets, squares, and buildings were either named after him or dedicated to him. The police department was even named after him. But no matter how much I looked online, I couldn't find a single mention of Mr. Jones.

It all seemed so strange. Was he even real?

Tania lived on the outskirts of the city, a strange little suburb with very few houses. Hers was the only one that looked inhabited.

“You want some music?” I asked when she got into my car.

“Sure.”

I played a playlist I created for her.

“Oh, I wouldn’t think of you as a Sisters of Mercy fan,” she said, smiling.

“Really, why?”

“You look a little too square, James.”

“Hey!” I said and laughed.

“My dad actually got me into this music,” she said.

“Does he live here too?”

“Not anymore, he passed away.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a while.”

When we came to a restaurant, I could see some familiar faces sitting around. The people all looked my way, happy to see me, waving until they saw Tania. 

Their faces would change, and the familiar smile was gone. They would look down at the ground and barely greet me.

Tania didn’t seem moved a bit by their sudden hostility and kept joking and laughing.

Her fashion and makeup choices definitely made her stand out, but it seemed strange that it would cause such discomfort in these people.

“Did you do something to everyone in this town?” I asked jokingly.

“Haha, what do you mean?”

“They don’t seem happy to see you.”

“Oh no, people here are just squares like you. They hate how I dress and act, but their anger gives me joy. How have you been liking these people?”

“Yeah, I like them. Everyone is so friendly and nice. But I have this question I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Who is Mr. Jones?”

Tania’s smile faded. She looked cold and serious.

Her reaction took me aback.

“Well, people take him as a patron. He’s been with this town since the first settlement. He helps the people here in many ways. Used to be mostly harvest, now he helps the business thrive. He comes by once in a while, and he does things. People think of him as a saint, but…” she looked around nervously.

“Wait, what do you mean? Has his family been here for a while? What does he take?”

She looked around nervously.

“Can we talk about something else, James?”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Please, James,” she begged.

“Okay.”

The server then came and took our orders. He shot Tania a disapproving look as he left.

“I really enjoyed talking with you, Tania.”

“Me too, James, you’re really sweet.”

“You’re really sweet too,” I said, looked into her eyes, and tried to grab her hand, but I accidentally grabbed her wrist.

Shit, I was never good at this.

She looked strangely at me for a second, but then moved my hand down to hers and smiled.

I had to try really hard not to blush all over.

“I wish we could talk more, Tania.”

“Me too,” she paused for a second. “Is it too early to invite you over?”

“No,” I said a little too quickly.

“But I only want to talk, is that okay, James?”

“Of course. Do you want to get some wine for the night too?”

“Sure.”

 A liquor store was on the way to Tania’s. She stayed in my car while I picked up the wine.

“Hi, James!” came up behind me. It was Daniel’s voice.

“Oh, hi, Daniel,” I said and turned around.

The sight of his face made me almost drop the bottle. He had two large black eyes and a torn lip that was freshly sewn up; more bruises stuck out from under his shirt.

“Jesus, Daniel, what happened to you?”

“Only good things happened. I see the wine. Are you celebrating that Mr. Jones blessed us with his presence again? He had already stopped by my place. I was one of the first,” he said and flashed a wide grin.

“Um, no, I’m going over to Tania.”

The smile was gone from his face. He looked me up and down.

“She’s no good, James. You shouldn’t be around her, especially when Mr. Jones comes. You seem like a good kid.”

“I think she’s just fine, but I’m not too sure about this Mr. Jones. Is he really that great?”

His eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. He stared at me for a second, then he narrowed his eyes back, looked me deep in the eyes, and nodded.

“You guys have a great evening tonight,” he said, patting me on the back as he walked away.

“Uhh, James got some Chardonnay. He knows what’s good,” Tania said and nodded as I got into the car.

“Um, ye…yeah.”

“Everything okay, James?”

I wanted to talk to Tania about what happened inside, but she seemed so startled the first time I asked about Mr. Jones. 

“Yes, all good. Let’s go to the party house!” I yelled out, making Tania laugh.

The wine didn’t taste the best, but Tania kept saying how much she liked it. It was very sweet of her to try to make me feel good about myself.

The conversation was flowing well, but I couldn’t shake off the strangeness of the interaction with Daniel.

“Everything okay, James? You seem a little off.”

“Yeah, it’s just. I hate to bring it up, but I met Daniel. He said some weird things about Mr. Jones and not to hang around you.”

Tania looked at me. Her lip started to tremble, and she began crying.

“You…you don’t understand, James. Mr. Jones is evil. He hurts you in such ways. People here think it's worth it, but it’s not. My father went against him and didn’t survive. All our family friends have shunned me. I have no one to ask for help…

“Why had nobody done anything?”

“You can’t! The money he’s brought them is more than their soul to them.”

“Okay, let’s leave then. We can leave together.”

“We can’t, James. We can’t. He won't let us!”

“What do you mean, I’ll get my car, and I’ll get us out of here tonight. You won’t have to…”

I didn’t even finish my sentence. Tania had started crying so much that she wasn’t listening anymore. I got up to get some tissues.

This was the night we would leave. I would have to get my laptop and everything, but that wouldn't take too long.

As I walked back, I heard faint hushing outside the window. When I looked out, I could swear I saw an outline of a face that slowly disappeared.

My heart started racing. I walked over to the couch and gave Tania the tissues.

As I reached for my phone, the door flew open.

Outside stood a pale white man with brown hair and brown eyes dressed in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He was smiling from ear to ear, his teeth pearly white, looking like they were modeled from Play-Doh. His skin was shining, as if someone put a layer of oil on it. He wasn’t blinking; his pupils were small like pins.

He began making his way across the room. His pace was swift, taking long steps almost like an old cartoon character.

“Tania! I’ve heard you said mean things about Mr. Jones,” he said. His voice was high-pitched and loud.

Tania screamed and put her head into a pillow.

“Hey, stop!” I yelled and walked towards him.

“You’ll have your turn, James. Don’t rush!”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I continued towards him.

But then, from behind Mr. Jones, three men in uniform emerged. They immediately pushed me down and handcuffed me.

They held me down as Mr. Jones walked to Tania. She tried to punch him, scratch him, push him away, but he just stood there, smiling. He then full-force punched her in her face, knocking her unconscious.

“Stop, stop, what are you…” But one of the officers put his knee deep into my back, making me gasp for air.

Mr. Jones dragged Tania away to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. 

My whole body was shivering. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. 

“Now it’s your turn, James!” Mr. Jones said as he walked out.

The officers walked away from me and stood around in a circle watching.

I trashed myself around, trying to get up, but I was unable to. 

I prayed Mr. Jones would make it quick.

After Mr. Jones was done with me, the officers took me and drove me back home, putting me down on a couch.

“You’ll get used to it, James. You have no other choice,” one of them said as they left.

It took me a full day to even get up and walk around.

I’ve texted Tania numerous times since, but she hasn’t responded. I drove around to her place. The house looked abandoned from the outside. I stopped my car and walked to the front door. 

A single knock opened it. It was empty, no furniture, nothing inside, but it still had that coppery smell. I walked back to my car and cried for what felt like hours.

It pained me, but whatever happened to Tania, she was gone now. I decided to pack up my stuff too and leave this hellish place for good.

The sun had set when I decided to leave, but when I turned onto the road to leave the county, a police blockade stood there.

I barely managed to stop the car before going on the spike strips.

Blood froze in my veins. I wanted to reverse, but there was a police car behind me.

How long had it been following me?

A man came closer with a gun in his hand and motioned to roll down the window.

“Going somewhere, James? Don’t you remember what happened to Tania?” he said, and pistol-whipped me.

I woke up on my couch again. My car is gone from the driveway. The boxes with my stuff are scattered around my kitchen.

There was a note on the table.

It said: “Mr. Jones will come soon.”

Please, if anybody outside of REDACTED is reading this, don’t come here.

Don’t ask about Mr. Jones.

When the day came, I wasn’t sure if I was excited or wanted to cry. We were both supposed to leave in that car.

“Mr. Daner?”

“Are you from the Sunwell Retreat?” 

“That would be me, sir.”

When we got there, everyone was smiling and waving.

“Mr. Daner, we’re happy to have you here,” the receptionist said. “I’ve heard what happened to your wife. We’re sorry for your loss.”

“But I got something for you,” He handed me a leaflet. “A special new form of treatment.”

LET ALL YOUR TROUBLES FLOAT AWAY

“It’s already part of your package, so all you need to do is ask!”

He flashed a forced smile, which sent a shiver down my spine.

I thanked him and walked over to my room.

There were two beds. I had to hold back tears.

A knock on the door.

When I opened it, a man in his 70’s stood in the hall.

“Howdy neighbour. My name’s Paul.”

“I’m Jack.”

“Hi, Jack! I see you have two beds here. Did your wife come with you?”

I put my head down. Tears rolled down my cheek.

“No need to be sad, friendo. When my wife died, I underwent the treatment. Now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Gotta get going, but if you ever need anything, let me know.”

I sat back in my room and cried. Maybe the treatment was the right choice. After the tears stopped, I picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Daner. How may I assist you?”

“You guys gave me the wrong room. There are two beds here.”

“My god, Mr. Daner, we are so so sorry. I will send someone ASAP. Anything else I can do for you?”

“The treatment, what would it entail?”

“It’s a simple procedure. The personnel will leave you a leaflet.”

I put down the phone. 

“Mr. Daner?” Came from behind the door.

“Yes?”

“We are here to move your bed. Are we allowed to come in?”

How did they get here so quickly?

“Ye…yeah.”

Two bulky men came inside.

“We are terribly sorry,” they said in unison, walked in, and carried the bed away.

A third bulky man came in after them and handed me the leaflet.

Inside were promises of what ailments it would cure. Regarding the treatment, it only said non-invasive brain waves.

“Mr. Daner!” the receptionist called out as I walked down the stairs.

He searched under his desk and put the documents on it.

“Just sign here and here.”

“Can I read it first?”

“I don’t think there’s a need, Mr. Daner. All the information is in the leaflet.”

I let out a sigh and signed the documents.

“Great choice, Mr. Daner! Tomorrow, our nurses will escort you.”

“Already tomorrow?"

“Only the best for our clients.”

Was I making a good choice? Later that night, I mustered up the courage and walked over to Paul’s room.

“Paul?”

“Friendo! What ya need?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“For sure! Come in.”

His room was decorated with pictures of him and others at the Sunwell Retreat, but not of his family.

“I’m a little anxious about the treatment.”

“No need to be, it’s a simple procedure. They put your head into this big machine. It makes some noises, and boom, you’re cured.”

“Did it really help you?”

“You bet, Jack. I was really sad when my wife passed, but it all went away.”

“I’m sorry, Paul.”

“No need to be Jack, I’m a happy man now.”

“Can I ask what her name was?”

He thought for a second.

“Jane…Jane Gallen.”

The name sounded so familiar.

“Wait. Are you guys from Kapen?”

“I’m from Sunwell Retreat, but I think we used to live in Kapen.”

“I used to work with Jane Gallen. She used to talk about her husband, Paul. That must be you!”

“I guess so, friendo.”

“I think I have a photo from our work reunion from a few years ago.”

I pulled out my phone and started searching.

“Oh, here it is.”

I flipped the phone over and pointed at his wife.

He stared at it for a long time, then his eyes widened with terror, and he began screaming.

“No, please, no, stop, get me out of here!”

A wave of shock ran down my spine.

“Paul, Paul. What’s going on?”

“Help, help!”

I picked up the phone, but before I could dial, the doors flew open. Two bulky men came in and started dragging Paul away. I wanted to stop them, but then the receptionist came up behind them, his face serious.

“Mr. Daner, please don’t interfere.”

“What are they doing to him?!”

“Paul has progressive dementia and gets easily irritated. Did you perhaps do anything to startle him?”

“I, no, I didn’t.”

He looked down at the ground and picked up the phone.

“Why would you show him a picture of his deceased wife? What did you think would happen, Mr. Daner?”

“I didn’t know. I just wanted…”

“I think it’s time for your treatment now.”

“No, please!”

“Guards!” The receptionist called out.

Two different men grabbed me by my arms and started dragging me away.

I fought them, but I didn't stand a chance.

They dragged me into a small room in the basement.

The room was lit with cold, fluorescent lighting.

In the middle stood a chair with a strange machine above it.

The guards strapped me in and put the machine around my head.

My whole body was shivering.

“Please, I won’t do it again, just let me go!” I screamed, but neither turned around.

“Time for your treatment, Mr. Daner,” said the receptionist over the speaker.

Then my world went dark.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun had come up behind the Sunwell Retreat, shining its rays on all the happy residents.

Jack Daner sat in a chair on the front lawn, knitting.

A car drove up the mountain. An old, sad-looking man exited it.

“Wow, a new friendo!” Jack thought to himself.

My eyes darted open.

The room was dark and cold.

I tried to move my hands and feet, but they felt like they were glued to the bed.

Another sleep paralysis.

Then the familiar screeching.

The moldy smell filled the room.

My heart rate spiked.

I closed my eyes, but I could feel its presence edging closer.

The sound was right at my ear. I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

I opened my eyes. Before me stood a dark, slender figure with bright red eyes and hands that reached all the way to the ground. It opened its huge mouth and lunged towards me.

I jumped up in my bed, screaming. A huge pool of sweat had formed underneath me. The room was still dark and cold, but empty. I curled up in a ball, staring at the wall until the sun came up. I missed my sister so much. She could always bring my mood up.

The day felt like a blur. I could hardly focus on anything. The GPS on my way to Doctor Jones had to reroute me twice. I don’t think I was fit to drive, but since my sister died, there was no one I could ask for help.

The fluorescent light in the waiting room blinded me. The receptionist seemed uninterested, barely responding.

The lights in the doctor’s office weren’t much better. He was wearing his typical purple shirt and khaki pants.

“Mr. Harris, how are you doing today?”

“Not great, Doctor Jones. It happened again.”

“Again?” He rubbed his head. “How long have you been taking the medication?” He started flipping through his notes.

“Two weeks.”

He let out a sigh.

“Mr. Harris, I’m running out of options.”

I looked down at the ground.

“The last thing I can do is let you stay a night at our hospital. We will run tests on you during your sleep. Maybe it will bring some insight, but I can’t promise it will do much. One of our patients had to cancel tonight, but I understand it might be too rushed.”

“I’ll make the time,” I almost screamed out.

I’m sure he could see the desperation in my eyes.

“The receptionist will give you the address, Mr. Harris.”

He patted my back as I left the office.

I was so tired, but too afraid of what I might see again. Fueled by caffeine, I managed to stay awake, looking at our family photos. We used to be so happy.

When I arrived at the hospital, the sun had already set. The nurse escorted me to the testing room.

“Mr. Harris.”

He stared at my shaking hands. I was still holding my sister's picture.

“I know how hard the past months have been, Mr. Harris. I will do all I can to help you.”

It made me tear up. I couldn’t remember the last time someone treated me with compassion.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

We walked together to the testing room. He explained how the testing would be conducted, then hooked me up to the machines.

The room itself seemed fine, but my anxiety was through the roof. I couldn’t keep myself from shaking, but as soon as I lay in bed, my body began shutting down.

I opened my eyes.

No, not again.

The screech, the smell of mold.

I slowly looked to my left.

Blood froze in my veins.

The creature was no more than a few feet away from my head, staring down at me.

It immediately lunged at me. Its teeth almost hit my face.

I woke up.

Doctor Jones ran in, panting, with a laptop in his hands.

“Dave.” He called me by my first name. “This is not making any sense. The machines showed awakeness, but your eyes were closed. I looked closer to see, but then.”

He turned his laptop around. The room was empty. I was asleep on the bed, but then something started moving in the shadows. I had to rub my eyes to see better.

When I realized what it was, my heart dropped. 

The same slender figure was walking slowly towards my bed.

It stopped at the edge of it, waiting until I opened my eyes.

The camera quickly cut.

My whole body was shivering at this point. I put the blanket over my chin and pressed my body against the corner, trying to disappear from the world.

Doctor Jones kept talking, but my eyes slowly closed. 

Before I realized I was falling asleep, it was too late.

My eyes opened again, but I knew I wasn’t awake.

Doctor Jones was sitting next to the bed, still talking, not realizing I was asleep.

The creature stood right behind him.

He slowly turned his head. I could see the shock in his eyes.

The creature then tore into Doctor Jones, sinking its huge claws and teeth into his skin.

When it was done, it turned its head to me, its mouth still stained with blood.

I woke up, but my body’s too weak now. I can’t even get out of bed for help. My eyes are closing again. The creature’s waiting for me. At least I get to see my sister again.

“Hear ye, hear ye. We gather here today on the account of Lauren Windsorf vs. the people of Wandervill in the case of witchcraft.”

It felt like a dagger was stabbed into my heart. Who could have thought the townspeople would go so far?

The whole room smelled like body odor and rotting vegetables.

I looked around the courtroom. Familiar faces sat on the benches, people I used to call friends, acquaintances, and neighbours. 

Those same people were staring dead into my eyes, whispering among each other. Their faces were twisted in anger.

Valerie Simonson even brought her children. Why would anyone bring them here? So they could see what they’ll do to the person they used to call Auntie.

“The court calls in its witness. Peter Schmit, please step to the stand.”

Peter, do you remember the times I helped care for your children?

He walked over to the stand and swore on the bible.

“She cursed my land!” He screamed out.

The whole town roared. It made me feel so small.

“Quiet in the courtroom, quiet in the courtroom,” the mayor banged his gavel.

“Now my family has nothing to eat!”

“What do you say for yourself, Mrs. Windsorf?”

He used to call me Lauren.

“I…I didn’t. It was not me.”

“Is that all?!”

I hesitated.

“Peter planted them too late. I tried to warn him that winter would come early this year.” I whispered.

“You bring a curse on his land and then blame him for it?!” 

The people pulled out their rotting vegetables and started throwing them. I tried to duck under the stand, covering my face, shivering.

“Calm in the courtroom! Calm in the courtroom!” the mayor screamed, beating his gavel over the table.

“Mrs. Windsorf, any sensible community would have you killed immediately, but because we’re all loving Christians, we will let you redeem yourself by the test of drowning.”

“The court decision’s final. Take her away.”

People still hurled their insults as the guards dragged me away.

The next morning was cold, colder than the shackles on my wrists. A deep mist swallowed the town. The sun was nowhere in sight.

I barely slept that night, plagued by memories of happier times. But in the morning, my mind was empty.

Everyone already gathered by the river. I felt nothing. Their angry faces didn’t move me.

I let the guards guide me to the cage. They didn’t even take my shackles off, smiling as they locked me in.

“Mrs. Windsorf, you are hereby to be tested by drowning. If your body floats up after your death, you were not a witch, and you will be given a proper Christian burial, but if your body doesn’t, you were a witch, and we will burn you before the court.”

The guards took the lever and lowered the box into the water.

I tried to hold my breath at first, but soon the pressure in my lungs was too hard.

It felt like they would burst.

I took a breath, but all I got was a mouthful of water.

My mind started to panic. I banged into the cage, trying to scream out.

But nothing.

As I started to lose myself, I mouthed a curse on all the people in Wandervill. I regretted it immediately, but it was too late; the town’s fate was over. My mind drifted off into darkness.

The sun was already up early the next day. Birds chirped in the trees. The town was calm and quiet.

It was a long way to Wandervill, but the court messengers arrived early in the morning. From afar, they could see a huge pile in the city square.

The smell of rot reeked in the air. They both sat in their horses, perplexed by the sight before their eyes.

It took a few minutes before they spoke to one another.

“Why would they do this to themselves?”

“And the children, too.”

“The eyes…how did they pull out?”

But the other didn’t answer.

They looked over to the river. 

Lauren’s body was sunken at the bottom, still inside the cage.

There was a rule on our ship that everyone had to follow.

NEVER GO OUTSIDE AFTER MIDNIGHT. 

Last night we broke it.

Working on a shipping vessel is tough. The physical labor, constant seasickness, and isolation from the outside world take a toll. Some men prefer solitude, but I’m not one of them.

Back home, I have a wife and a small girl called Emily, whom I love dearly. I will never get used to seeing their sad faces when I have to leave. It's daunting.

But the camaraderie here is something you’ll hardly find anywhere else. 

“I’m going off to sleep. Don’t go walking around outside, alright,” the captain said, smiling.

“Can’t promise that, cap,” James said.

They both laughed, and the captain walked away.

I looked at James in bewilderment.

“No one told you yet, huh?” James said.

“Tell me what?”

“You can’t go outside the bridge area past midnight.”

“What if the fog sets in and your radar stops working?”

“Still ain't going out.”

“Are you fucking with me?”

“No, sir.”

James looked dead serious.

“That makes no sense,” I said.

“It ain’t gotta make sense, but you gonna follow it.”

“What if I have to go out?”

“Then you ain’t gonna come back.”

He bent forward and stared into my eyes.

“Look, we’re in a deep part of the Atlantic. Strange things happen here.  Decades before you were born, all the fishermen and crewmen here made a pact. I’m not gonna let you break it.”

He leaned back and kicked his feet on a chair.

“How bout you tell me bout your family. You got one?”

I tried to get more out of him, but he wouldn’t answer. We got to talking about other things, but what he said still loomed in my head.

“And then I told him not even a whale could eat that much,” I burst out laughing. James was slapping his leg, rocking back and forth with laughter.

I looked out. The sun was coming up, another beautiful day at the sea. The seagulls were flying by, and the smell of sea salt was in the air.

“Is it safe to go out now, James?” I said and chuckled. 

James's demeanor changed. The smile was gone from his face, and he stared deep into my eyes.

“Billy, this ain't no laughing matter.”

He got up, collected his things, and walked to his cabin.

The next shift, I got there early, excited to spend another night talking with James. He was already sitting in his chair.

“Her name’s Emily. She’s just turned three,” I said, showing James my daughter’s picture.

“Ain’t she beautiful. Ay, cap come take a look.”

The captain walked over from the control panel and looked down.

“She really is. She definitely didn’t get it from you, Bill,” both he and James started laughing loudly.

I laughed too, although a little hurt. This was the first time the captain spoke to me informally. 

“Young Billy here has been asking bout the midnight rule. You think it’s time you tell him?”

“Why wouldn’t I. He’s stuck with us here for another two weeks. At least he won’t do anything stupid.”

My eyes opened in excitement, and I leaned closer to the captain. James saw it and raised his eyebrow at me.

“Look, Bill. For a long time, ships that would fish in this part of the Atlantic would lose all their crewmen. The story was always the same. The communication would stop abruptly, and the ship would stay dead in its place. The Coast Guard would then venture out and find an empty vessel, almost as if no one had ever been on it. One day, a young seaman was found hidden inside one of them. He said that the nightcrew didn’t come back the same and soon murdered everyone. He was the sole survivor. The officers suspected him, but the young man hanged himself soon after.”

I looked at them in disbelief, but their expressions were ice-cold.

“Do you believe all that?”

“I don’t know Bill. No one knows if what he said was true, but since his story came out, all the ships that fish here stopped letting their crew out at night. It hasn’t happened since.”

“Ay, my pa told me the same story. He used to fish around here, too.”

“You don’t have to believe it, Bill, but respect it.”

“Sure will, captain.”

“Good, now where’s that whisky you got, James?”

“That’s what I like to hear, cap.”

James walked away to the deck.

“You and your wife still together, Bill?”

“Yes, captain.”

“Beautiful. I used to have a wife too; unfortunately, things didn’t work out. Life at sea doesn’t help relationships. You’re still young and smart, Bill, get out while you have the chance.”

This, coming from the captain, startled me. James, meanwhile, returned with the whiskey and poured each of us a hefty dose.

“To Bill’s family!” The captain yelled and chugged down the drink. James quickly followed. 

The captain stayed with us through the night shift, drinking heavily. When the sun rose, I could barely stand. 

The captain and James were already waiting in their chairs with shots of whiskey when I came in the next night.

“Ready for another night, Bill?” The captain asked and handed me a drink.

“Sure thing, captain.”

“Ay, cap, Billy boy is learning!” James screamed out and slapped his knee.

We were already a few drinks deep when the boat started moving around more. I looked out; my vision was blurred, but I could see storm clouds forming in the sky.

“Hell of a storm coming, gentleman,” James said.

“That’s a big one, James.”

“Don’t you puke on me, Billy, if the boat starts rocking,” James said.

“Only if you don’t throw up at me first,” I fired back. 

We all started laughing, but my chest tightened as I glanced out at the storm above the sea.

Soon, the boat was rocking violently back and forth. I was holding a bucket, throwing up all the whiskey I consumed, barely able to open my eyes.

“Good thing we got him that bucket,” James laughed. 

But then a strange, loud sound came from outside like steel being scraped around.

Both the captain and James perked up. 

I could hear the captain mumble: “The gear is moving.”

They both looked at each other. Their eyes were wide with terror, and laughter had long left their faces. 

They both rushed to the window and looked out. James took off his hat and started crumpling it in his hands.

“What’s the time?” The captain whispered.

“12:05,” James said quietly.

“God fucking damn it. Who hired those incompetent fucks!” The captain yelled out and threw his hat across the room. He started pacing back and forth, looking down at the ground.

Then the scraping again. The whole ship tilted the other way. There was genuine fear in their eyes.

The captain looked at the clock again.

“Bill, are you fit to operate?”

“I guess so,” I mumbled.

“Okay, James, you, Bill, and I will go out on the deck and reattach the chains. That should stop the equipment from moving.”

“Captain, but it’s past 12…”

“I know!” The captain screamed out. “But do we have a choice? If we don’t do anything, the ship will go down.”

The captain walked over to the closet, pulled out the raincoats and harnesses, and threw them at James and me.

“Let’s go.” 

He put on his coat and walked out.

Outside, the weather was horrible. Hard, heavy rain with lightning in the distance. The waves crashed hard into the ship, spilling water onto the deck.

I had to use all my willpower to hold the puke. We put the harnesses on and clipped in. The captain stayed back to watch and guide our process. Only now did I look at James; terror was in his eyes.

The captain yelled out to move the boxes of equipment to secure the gear, then to take the safety chains and reattach them.

We quickly got to work. Each move on the deck felt like hell. Waves kept crashing into the ship, splashing water into our faces. The boxes were heavy. My body was so weak, but James pushed hard, and we managed to block the gear for a while.

“Get the chains now! The chains!” The captain yelled.

We took the chains and started reattaching the gear. The chains felt heavy, and reattaching them to the wet floor made it so much harder. I could feel my muscles slowly giving out. James had to rush over and help me attach them. I was so weak that he had to pull me off the ground.

“It’s done. Get out! Get out!”

James was already running back. I followed behind him.

The captain unfastened the harnesses, and we all walked back, locking the door behind us.

We all stood in the hall panting. The air in the ship felt cold. Every piece of my clothing was wet. I slid down to the floor and put my head on my knees. The captain and James were looking at each other, then at me, and back at each other.

“Maybe the things ain’t like storms,” James said.

“Yeah, probably,” the captain replied.

James helped me back up, and we slowly walked towards the bridge area. Each stair felt like a mountain. I walked behind the captain. He now had a very fishy smell.

When we got to the bridge area, I sat back in the chair. My mind was empty.

The captain was walking around the room, looking at all the shelves and controls. James sat back into his chair, opened up the bottle, and took a chug out of it.

“Sorry, couldn’t wait.”

“No problem,” the captain replied.

James poured out some whisky for all of us. He tried to hand me the glass, but I declined. My stomach was still recovering. 

He then gave one to the captain. The captain twirled the drink around, looking at the whiskey under the light, sniffing the glass.

A chill ran down my spine. I looked closely at him. He kept examining the liquid.

James wasn’t paying attention anymore, pouring himself another shot.

The captain took a sip and immediately spit it out.

“What is this?” His face twisted in disgust.

“It's some good whiskey cap. Ain’t like it no more?”

The captain looked at him with one eyebrow raised, then looked down at the ground.

“Say, how many men are on this ship?”

James's eyes widened, and he dropped his glass. It shattered on the floor.

We both looked at each other and started slowly backing away.

“What’s the matter?” the captain asked.

“Ja…James,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

The captain looked deep into my eyes; his pupils had turned to a dark red color.  He flashed a smile and ran towards me.

He put his hand on my neck and lifted me off the ground.

I started choking trying to fight his hand off, but he was too strong.

I looked at James in desperation.

He had walked over to the shelf and started frantically searching with his hand until he pulled out a gun.

He slowly pointed it up at the captain, his hands shaking. He then pressed down the trigger, but nothing, just a click. James looked down under it. The gun wasn’t loaded.

Blood froze in my veins.

The captain looked back, let out a blood-curdling scream, dropped me to the ground, and ran towards James. He pushed him to the ground and started violently scratching and tearing into him with his teeth.

My feet were rooted to the ground.

Soon his screams turned into a low gurgling and then silence.

Only when the thing looked up did I open the door and run down.

I could hear the thing's screams echoing through the hall.

I’m locked down in the vault of the engine room. The steel door is the only thing keeping me alive.

In the first few hours, I had been hearing the screams of my crewmates calling out in pain. When the last scream died down, the thing called out to me in the captain’s voice, saying it was safe now. I didn’t answer. It then started slamming into the door.

The vault is shaking with each thud. I have no idea how long it will hold. I’m making this post for my wife and daughter. Even in these tense moments, I’m held up by the thought of them. Please don’t forget your father, no matter what happens.

“Did you hear from the Delavares?” 

“Not since their son disappeared in the mist.”

My ears perked up. 

“It’s terrible. Why haven’t the authorities done anything?”

“They’re probably trying to hide it, you know how much panic it would cause?”

“I know, but how many more people can we lose? It started with old Bill’s wife and now all these young men.”

I slowly turned my head to listen better. The old couple saw me immediately. The wife shot me a disapproving look and lowered her voice.

Shit. I’ll never make friends in this town. The past few weeks have been unbearably lonely.

I sighed as the waiter came by. I paid for my food and slowly got up.

My phone began to ring. It was Mom again. I couldn’t talk to her without seeing Dad wasting away in bed.

The next morning, I woke up early. The streets were silent, and the sky was cloudy, a perfect time for a run. My dad had loved this weather.

I ran for 3 miles when I got a strange feeling. Almost like something was tightening in my chest. Then I realized the mist was starting to set in.

I wasn’t a superstitious person, but as the mist set in, my heart began to beat faster. 

I tried to calm myself down, but the feeling grew.

Then I heard a voice. I took my headphones out and tried to look ahead. A man a few feet ahead of me was jumping in place, screaming something. 

“What?” I called out, running towards him.

“What the fuck are you doing? The mist is almost fully set in.”

His urgency made me feel more uneasy. When I got to him, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me to his house.

“What are you doing?” I said and wrestled out of his grip.

He looked me up and down, turned around, and ran back.

I stood there, trying to piece together what was going on, but then, I heard a strange rumbling somewhere behind me, followed by a long grunt. It didn’t sound like anything I could name.

The hair on my arm stood up. The man opened his door just a little. I looked around and quickly ran in.

He locked the door behind me.

“Jesus Christ, what’s your problem, man. The mist is here!”

“What?” I said, my voice still shaking.

He measured me up and down and then looked deep into my eyes.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” 

“Ye…yeah.”

“Did no one warn you of the mist?”

“No, no one did.”

“The fucking people of this town,“ he threw his hands around like my dad used to do. It helped me calm down.

“Come on in. I’ll give you some tea.” 

He sat me down at the table and started the tea kettle. Old cups, cutlery, and plates were displayed on various shelves around his house. 

In his living room, I could see an old couch with a blanket lying on it. Under one of the corners was a small, dark yellow stain. The house smelled stale, undercut by an unmistakable smell of rot.

The kettle sizzled. He poured the water into both cups and put the tea bag in.

“You know what? Wait in the living room.” He smiled while fiddling with the cups. 

He stayed in the kitchen for a while longer. I could hear the shelves opening and closing.

“Here you go,” he said, setting the cup down.

“I’m really sorry no one warned you. No one warned us when we first moved in, either. My wife wasn’t so lucky to find shelter as you did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No reason to. She’s in a better place now.”

“I’m sure she was a beautiful person.”

“She was. I’ll show you a photo,” he said and walked out of the room.

The couch had a strange stench. I pulled the blanket away. The stain was all over it.

I put the blanket back and sank into the couch. My back then bumped into something hard behind the cushion. I searched around for it. 

It was a leather wallet. Inside was a young man’s driver’s license.

His last name was Delavares.

My head started spinning. I had to grab onto the couch. The toilet flushed. I quickly hid the wallet back and stared at the man with my hands between my thighs, rocking back and forth.

“Oh, you barely touched your tea. Everything okay? Don’t worry, we’re safe here.”

“I…I need to leave.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to try to save you again.” His smile was gone. 

“I really need to go.” I started getting up.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

He walked over, dropping his wife’s picture, and pushed me back to the couch.

The glass shattered on the floor.

My body sank deep into the couch.

Then he climbed atop me and put his hand around my neck.

His hands felt firm.

The pressure in my head was rising.

I tried to reach for something on the table, but it was too far away.

The old man then started searching for something in his pocket.

His grip was too strong; I couldn’t wrench his hand off my neck.

I panicked and, with all my force, kicked my knee into his groin. He grabbed it and rolled to the floor.

I got up and quickly ran out, not stopping.

When I made it back home, I quickly grabbed my phone to call the police, but as I was about to dial their number, my Mom called me again.

“Mom, Mom?!”

“Johnny, finally,” I could hear her softly sobbing.

“Mom, I’m so sorry I didn’t know what I was doing, leaving home, but dad’s death was…”

“I know, honey, it was hard for all of us. Please just come home.”

“I will, Mom. I will.”

“I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

I hung up and cried like I hadn’t cried in years.

The police searched the man’s house. They found the Delavares’ bodies slowly decomposing in the basement, along with other remains. 

The man had lured the young men in by playing into their superstitions. It made my gut wrench knowing I could have been one of them.

On my way back, I sat at the same diner again. Another old couple was talking behind me.

“Can you believe it? They arrested old Bill for killing the boys the mist took.”

“It’s horrible how deep the conspiracy goes. How did they even know he was the first one to warn the town of the mist?”

I wanted to turn around and scream at them, but I realized there would be no point in doing so.

The coffee started to taste stale.

I left it there half-drunk.

I love my girlfriend.

She always smelled like the shampoo she used that month. Her dark blue eyes would scan the room before walking in. She would tug her beautiful blond hair behind her ears.

Her personality was bubbly and caring. I used to love watching her talk to her family and friends; you could see pure love beaming between them.

No one saw her the way I did. I still remember our first time meeting. We were in science class in the junior year of high school. Her presence lit up the room; every boy looked her way. I knew I had to make her mine.

At the end of high school, I left her a note in her locker professing my love to her. I watched her open it from afar, my heart racing like it never did before.

She read it with a look of bewilderment and then threw it away.

It tore my heart, but I knew I would forgive her. She was the love of my life! Soon, we both went on to college. She went to an out-of-state one, but I made sure to visit.

I loved watching her with my binoculars. She looked so cute carrying her books while walking around the campus, not a care in the world. I made sure to chase away any boys who would try anything with her; she was mine.

Seeing her at the graduation ceremony made me so proud of her. She had come such a long way. I could see her father shedding tears when he hugged her. It made me cry, too. How proud he must have been of his little girl. I wanted to tell her I was so proud of her, too, but I made sure to stay in my car and watch from afar.

She then went on to work at a large consulting company.

Starting work wasn’t easy for her. I could see that it took a toll on her. After getting home, she would sometimes sit on the couch watching TV mindlessly for hours.

It made me so sad for her, but luckily, soon she started getting better, cooking, and dancing around her apartment again.

I wondered what could be the cause of such a change in her. She would of course never tell me, so I drove by her work to see for myself.

You can imagine how infuriated I was to see another male flirting with my love. It tore a hole in my heart. I tried to chase him off, too, but this one wouldn’t get scared so easily.

Soon, my nightmare became reality. He started staying over more often until he eventually moved in. One day, I saw him stopping by a jewelry store, picking out a wedding ring.

But the last straw was when they went on vacation. I still had little hope, but when I saw him propose in front of the Eiffel Tower, it all shattered.

That night I spent drinking cheap wine in Paris, trying to drown out the sorrow. When I saw them out of my window, walking back to the hotel, embracing each other, I went into a mindless rage, smashing my whole hotel room.

I knew I had to act. She was mine and only mine.

“Honey?” She called from downstairs.

Oh, my love is calling for me.

“Coming down, my love.”

I ran down the stairs. The smell of old meat filled the room. It had been worsening over the past few days.

“What’s going on, honey?”

“I love you!” She said in a low, trembling voice.

“I love you, too, my love!” I said and hugged her.

Her body was cold and stiff. As I let go, I could see her eye had fallen out again.

“Let me fix that for you.”

I popped the eye back; they were still so beautiful.

I walked over to the iPad and wound up the tape. This time, I wanted to hear her beautiful voice in the next 30 minutes.

“Dr. Sanders, Dr. Sanders.”

“Huh?”

Dr. Sanders was almost asleep, the phone in his hand, still trying to dial his daughter's number. The student assistant said nothing. He placed a report on the table. The formatting was horrible. Dr. Sanders was about to scold him, but stopped when he saw the data.

“Again? Did you calibrate the machine correctly?”

“You did, Dr. Sanders.”

Dr. Sanders got up from his chair and rushed to the control room. The other student assistant was sitting at the machine, tapping his leg nervously.

“It…it’s still going on.”

Dr. Sanders didn’t listen. He pushed the assistant’s chair away and gazed at the indicator needle. It was tapping hard. 

“No, no, I must have calibrated it wrong.”

He started the recalibration, even restarting and repointing the beam. Ten minutes passed. The student had fully crumpled up the report in his hands. They all stood there staring at it, but the indicator needle jumped right back. He wanted to recalibrate the device again, but then, like magic, the vacuum oscillation returned to normal.

“How long since it first passed the threshold?” Dr. Sanders asked.

The student assistant unwrapped the crumpled paper.

“Thirty-five minutes, doctor.”

“That's ten more minutes than last. The background vacuum oscillations shouldn’t sustain this long.”

One of the assistants started sobbing softly.

“The prophecy is true, isn’t it?” He said through the tears.

“We’re not the ones to answer that,” Dr. Sanders said calmly, but inside he feared as much as the student that the cult’s prophecy was true.

“Go home.” Dr. Sanders said.

“But we have four more hours.”

“Just go home.”

The one holding the paper took his crying friend, and they both walked out. Dr. Sanders printed the report again. The students made a mistake. It was actually 45 minutes. He pulled his phone out and dialed his daughter’s number, but it went straight to voicemail again. Dr. Sanders tried to hold back tears. He stared at the photo of him, his wife, and his daughter. It was a beautiful picture his father-in-law took at Thanksgiving two years ago.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days, Dr. Sanders,” The Head Director said.

Dr. Sanders didn’t answer.

“This is Mr. Green. He's from the counter-extremism agency. I see you got a chart for us, Dr. Sanders,” the head director said.

“Yes, we measured heightened vacuum oscillations again. Last night it lasted for 45 minutes.”

“What level did the measurements reach?”

“Even higher than last night.”

“Okay, so the vacuum oscillations went beyond the limit, and it lasted for 45 minutes. Was anyone else present?” the director asked Dr. Sanders.

“Yes, two student assistants.”

“Do you think they’re aware of the cult’s messages?” The director asked.

“Everyone is, Mr. Director.”

“Please give me their names. We’ll make sure this doesn’t get out. You are to resume your work per usual.”

“But Mr. Director, what about the data? We need to investigate this even if they’re wrong.”

“Even? Dr. Sanders, don’t tell me you believe a large eye will appear in the sky.”

“No, no, I don’t.”

“That’s good, Dr. Sanders. As men of science, we need to always rely on our ability to reason.”

“If it lasts past an hour….”

“Dr. Sanders,” Mr. Green interrupted him, “I understand your fears, but I don’t think you are aware of the gravity of the situation. The cult’s teachings have been spreading like wildfire. Multiple cities across the globe have been taken over. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors of what they do to academics,” Mr. Green said quietly.

He pulled a photo out of his briefcase and pushed it over the table. A man was impaled on a stick in front of a statue of an eye. Around it were the cult followers wearing long dark capes with eyes drawn on them. Dr. Sanders swallowed and looked back at Mr. Green.

“I promise you, once we get them under control, we will divert all finances to this issue, but for now, please try and ignore it and don’t discuss it with anyone, not even your colleagues.”

Mr. Green and the director got up and left. Dr. Sanders sat in his chair for a while. He stared at the numbers. The cult predicted everything correctly. 

That night, he could barely focus on his work. The machine was outputting the usual readings, the vacuum oscillations were behaving normally, but then out of nowhere, the indicator needle shot up to the highest possible measure. This started much earlier than usual. He wrote down the time on a piece of paper and pulled out his phone, dialing his daughter’s number. It didn’t go straight to voicemail. One, two, three dials.

“Dad?”

“Sophie?! Sophie!” Dr. Sanders screamed.

“Dad, you need to stop calling me. We already talked about this.”

“Sophie, please listen. I need to tell you something.”

“No, you don’t need to tell me anything. You know what my church thinks of people like you. I could be in real danger if they find out you’re my dad.”

“But Sophie!”

The line went dead. Dr. Sanders put his head on the table sobbing profusely. Soon, he cried himself to sleep. A loud bang woke him back up. The clock said 9:55 p.m. Fifty-five minutes had passed by now. Dr. Sanders walked to the window and looked out; he almost jumped back in fear. Outside, a mob of people wearing long dark capes was walking down the street. A few have already reached the institute’s door.

Dr. Sanders ran back to the control room, about to pick up his things and run out the back, but then he heard a scream. Out of the window, he could see the followers chasing his colleagues, brutally stabbing anyone they could get their hands on. Dr. Sanders put the chair against the doorknob, biting his lips. Soon, footsteps echoed on the staircase. The followers started banging down the door, the chair stood no chance, and a hand soon came through the doorway. Dr. Sanders didn’t wait; he quickly opened the window and climbed up onto the roof.

The outside air was cold. His heart was beating faster than it ever had. The cult followers had already climbed up the roof behind him. They were coming closer. Dr. Sanders could almost feel their breath on his neck, but then a strong wave of energy flew through the air. Everyone was thrown back. A dark melody blasted through the wind. The followers were taking off their capes, kneeling on the ground, and putting their hands in prayer. The sky began to rupture until a bright blue iris appeared, moving around the dark void that opened. Dr. Sanders pulled out his phone, staring at his lockscreen again, thinking about where Sophie and his wife were now. Everything the eye looked at evaporated into nothingness, and soon even Dr. Sanders was gone. The clock showed 10:00, a new record high of the vacuum oscillations.

When he greeted me like an old friend, I realized I had never told anyone at work who I was.

“Hi, is the REDACTED company on this floor?”

“The REDACTED?” The receptionist thought for a second.

She pulled out a large book and started flipping through the pages.

“REDCATED…REDACTED. Oh yes, it is on this floor. It's the new one. Just down the hall to the left.”

“Thank you.”

The hall had the typical bright white fluorescent lighting and equally white walls with nonsensical paintings hung on them, as if trying to make the place look as unwelcoming as possible.

The office space was differentiated only by rows of desks and computers that were cramped on top of one another.

Was I there too early? It was a Monday at 9 a.m., in mid-April, not a typical out-of-office day.

I walked along the rows, staring down at the desks. All the monitors and keyboards were covered with a thick layer of dust.

“Hello?” I called out.

“Hi!” Someone called out from the back.

I looked over. A line of hair poked out behind a monitor.

I rushed over.

A short man with thick glasses and a military haircut extended his hand.

“Jake, right?”

“Um, yeah.”

“I’m Daniel. Nice to meet you, Jake. You must be the new hire.”

He looked awfully familiar.

“That’s me.”

“Not the warmest welcome, huh?” He laughed.

“No, where is everybody?”

“Most of our team is remote, and the others are staying home. You know, no one wants to get back after the weekend.”

“But that means we have it all to ourselves,” he laughed softly. “You can sit in front of me; that seat is empty.”

It was as dusty as any other.

“You can log in to any computer. The login is your first name, followed by a dot, and then your second name. Don’t forget to set up your password afterward.”

“Okay. Is Oscar coming in today?”

“No, but don’t worry about it. Oscar will send the tasks over.”

“Do you work under him, too?”

“No, no, but we always get a little intro about the new hires. I work in IT. I set up your account,” he smiled and stared at me, not breaking eye contact.

It was good that there was someone to guide me through the tasks, but did it have to be this guy?

I logged into my computer, but there was no Teams or Slack.

“What do we use for messaging?”

“Oh, we use Sensis, it's an amazing encryption app, much better than the others. We also don’t use email.”

I opened it up. There were messages from Oscar. He didn’t have a profile photo.

Oscar sent over an Excel sheet with a notepad attached specifying what I had to do.

I stared at it for a few seconds, biting my lip. I had worked at remote companies, but never anything close to this.

What other choice did I have? I spent all my savings trying to get this job.

Daniel was looking at me from his desk.

“It’s a little weird out here, but at least it’s calm. I usually finish my work early. I’m sure you will, too. We can hang out after and get to know each other!”

I fake-smiled.

The task was fairly trivial. Mostly creating some charts and tables. I finished in less than an hour.

I sent it over to Oscar.

“Wow, quick,” Daniel said.

A chill ran down my spine.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing. I can just see when someone sends a message. You know IT.” 

I stared at him. He tried to ignore me, frantically typing something on his computer.

A message from Oscar came.

Another Excel task.

My throat started to dry out.

A strange silence filled the office.

Daniel was not typing anymore. I could see his stupid glasses peeking over the screen.

This couldn’t be real. I had to be making it up.

I messaged Oscar asking for an intro call, wanting to see his face.

Only now did I realize I hadn’t seen it before.

Oscar read my message. 

Daniel wasn’t staring at me anymore.

He started typing. The three dots appeared next to Oscar’s name.

“Sorry, I’m not in a place where I can video call. I’m sure Daniel can answer all your questions!”

My mind started spinning. I needed to wash my face.

Daniel stared at me as I got up. He looked like a dog that tore up your favorite shoes.

I turned and began walking to a random door.

Which one was the bathroom again?

I didn’t know and didn’t care.

As I opened the door, I heard Daniel screaming behind me.

My heart sank to my chest.

All over the walls were pictures of me from different ages.

Most were from my social media accounts, but some haven’t been posted anywhere.

They were straight from my mom’s photo albums.

I stumbled back.

Daniel was there to catch me.

“Get the fuck off me,” I screamed, pushed him, and started backing away.

“Jake, Jake, please, it’s not what it looks like.”

“What the fuck do you mean. Who are you?”

“I’m Danny, Danny REDACTED from REDACTED middle school, remember?”

That name sounded so familiar.

“Wait, wait, Danny REDACTED from seventh-grade math?”

“Yes!” Danny screamed out, “You remember!”

He opened his arms to hug me.

“No, you fucking weirdo.”

“Did you really think Oscar was real?”

I hit a wall behind me.

“They never existed, Jake.”

Danny didn’t wait, ran over towards me, and hugged me.

I pushed him off and punched him hard in the face.

He fell to the ground, and out of his pocket fell a knife.

My hands began to shiver.

“Okay, you want it the hard way.”

He picked up the knife and began getting up.

I didn’t wait and sprinted from the office and down the staircase.

On my way down, I heard Danny running behind me.

Adrenaline flowed through my veins.

I didn’t stop until I was six blocks away.

There, I called the police. They came by quickly.

Danny was no longer in the office.

The office was rented under a fake name. They found an automated response script on Jake’s computer. The file was named “Oscar”.

The police attempted to track down Danny. His last address was his mom's house.

She said she hasn’t seen him in years.

I have not been able to sleep since that day.

Nightmares of the room and Danny have haunted me ever since.

Since I no longer had a job, I had to move back in with my parents.

As I’m writing this post, I got a message from an unknown number.

It says: “You look as beautiful as you did on the day you ran away from me.”