Fresh Mountain Start

6

The darkness came on suddenly, just as John was finishing heating up some beans to put on toast. Gary was supposed to be on the verge of arriving, and John wanted to have everything ready for him when he got back. He'd spent the rest of the day cleaning and trying to clear out some of the loose rocks in the driveway- or at least, that's what he had told himself he was doing. While he cleared, he kept looking for signs. He watched the trees. He would move a few rocks, and then stop, and listen.

He served up Gary's beans, and left bread in the toaster for him, then put the beans in the microwave to keep them fresh. Then he wandered into the living room, and flicked on the TV, switching idly between the basic channels as he nibbled on his food, longing for the day that the WIFI came so that he could do the same thing but with Netflix. Fifteen minutes in to his mindless surfing, he settled on a station that was sufficiently bland enough to drown out his thoughts while he ate.

The screen flickered, and the curtain rustled.

Something was tickling the back of his mind. A thought, half formed. Something he'd forgotten. He had settled down onto the sofa, and his body felt like it was weighed down, and sudden exhaustion coursed through him. He assumed it was the long day of cleaning and trying to put the house in order. But he had forgotten something, he had definitely forgotten something. What was-

The curtains.

He stood, and turned, and saw them lying wide open.

The beans spilled to the floor.

A rectangle of light spilled out across the driveway.

It stopped at a pair of feet.

No.

Two pairs of feet.

Something was wrong with the feet. He stared at them, trying to work out what it was. It looked like they were covered in a layer of skin, but the skin wasn't solid enough. It almost looked like a gas, but at the same time seemed fairly solid. One of the feet stepped forward, and his eyes drifted up to the corpulent, elephantine torso, seemingly too big a weight to be supported by those legs. And then, much further up, the face, those eyes, looking down at him.

It stood on the edge of the light, waiting.

Then, one of the monstrous feet moved forward, and the head stretched toward him slightly.

The wind blew, and John was sure that he heard his own name rattling on it.

It took another step forward.

He slammed the curtains shut, hoping it wasn't too late, and grabbed for something, anything, to defend himself with.

The knife, from dinner.

A butter knife. Not useful, but better than nothing.

He turned on the torch of his phone. Scary things hate the light, right?

He ran to the door, determined to record whatever it was that was out there. To show it to Gary, convince him they needed to do something- that they needed to go back to the city, to their parents houses, that they needed to get out of there, now.

All alone, John, the creature whispered.

It held its ground as he threw the door open, smiling down at him.

This was a big mistake, wasn't it? You're all alone out here.

'What- who are you?' he shouted. 'What do you want?'

This is as good as things will get for you, isn't it? This house. The village. The woods. This is your high life, your good life. These are the years where you're supposed to make a success of yourself and look where you are.

He shone the torch at the figure, knife raised.

Even with the light, it was hard to understand what he was looking at.

its neck bent down, doubled in a way that didn't seem like it should be possible, so that its face was level with him, although it stayed a good distance off.

This is pathetic, John. This isn't a life. And what's worse is that you won't improve. You're too lazy, too stupid, too old to get any better. You've wasted what little youth you had, and now you're trapped here. Trapped with Gary, trapped in this house.

'What, what do you want?' he shouted.

I want to offer you a choice. I am your salvation, John.

'A choice?'

Come with me into the woods, it said. I can free you from all of this. Come with me. It will be over quickly, I promise.

'Into the woods?' John asked. 'And do, to do what?'

To be liberated, it said, and stepped closer.

The face smiled. It was nothing but a blackness, and those white, pupil-less eyes and the black, lipless teeth.

I can put an end to all your suffering, if you come with me.

'I can't- I can't come with you, I have Gary, I have the house, I-'

It's as easy as taking a step, the creature said. One step, then another, and we'll be in the woods, and you'll be free.

He didn't answer.

He stood stock still, phone in one hand, knife in the other.

The creature cocked its head, and its grin widened.

It stepped forward just as John did.

Let me show you the way.

He felt its breath on him. He watched as the teeth split open, the gaping darkness of its mouth stretching out as though to swallow him. He watched as the tongue stretched forward, as though to take him.

He raised the knife, trying to do something, to stop it, feeling his body compelled, feeling his legs moving-

'John?' Gary shouted. 'John, are you okay?'

John said nothing.

He dropped the knife, and his legs gave way.

On the edge of the treeline, he watched as the creature retreated into the shadows.