“Don't step outside Julian!” my mother screamed at me and I stopped, turned around and folded my arms. I heard the screeching sounds of the creatures outside.
“But my things are out there.”
“What things?”
“The wooden man I was crafting and–” she scoffed, cutting me short. Then she marched over to me, grabbed me by my ear and forced me to go into my room.
“By the time those things get you…” she murmured and slammed the door in my face.
Those things. This whole town. Everything was fucked.
It was all her fault. I didn't want to go to the fair. But she insisted that we must go. I knew it was because of a friend that was also taking her kid to the fair. I was slightly annoyed but I just went along with it.
Little did we know that that was the worst mistake we'd ever make in our lives. We were driving and then my mom stopped the car in the middle of the road. We both got down from the car and I was surprised to see a huge tree branch not that far in front of us.
She turned back and tried to find another way but to our astonishment we were driving in circles. Then suddenly we appeared in this town and we saw these people. So my mother explained the story to them. They all looked scared and sad as she narrated that story of our arrival to them.
When she was done, they brought us inside to have a drink while they explained ‘things’ to us.
She declined quickly, politely and said that if we didn't leave soon we'd be late. But they told her that that was the issue. That we couldn't leave.
My mom was so confused and I was just as clueless about what they were on about.
She begged them for directions and told them that if they didn't know the way then they should say so quickly instead of wasting our time so we could head back.
They all shook their heads at her. There was a big woman with blonde hair and a tough expression, a big black man who looked very leader-like, a younger boy, probably in his twenties who was Asian and a few other people standing around us.
The big tough woman spoke first. “Ma'am, first thing you gotta know, as far as you saw the branch on the road, you can't leave here? You–”
“What do you mean I can't leave here?” My mom's voice was strained and I knew she was holding it together as much as she could and trying not to lose her patience. “I drove here with my car and I'm gonna drive out.”
“No, no, no ma'am, you've gotta listen. This place,” the big black man said, gesturing around with his hands. “This place is uh…strange. You can't leave. And if you come out at night, these things…”
He sighed as he noticed my mom was shaking her head and running her hands across her face.
“These things will kill you!” the tough looking woman said and stuck her hands into her pocket.
My mom looked startled for a moment and then she got up after regaining composure.
“Are you trying to joke with me now?” she said.
“Ma'am please!” The black man was walking towards her quickly as she tried to go.
She stopped in front of the door. I looked out the window. It was already late. Probably around late evening.
“There are monsters that will come out at night and hunt and kill. The only way you can stay safe is if you stay indoors.”
“Bullshit.” She pushed past the door and walked briskly to her car and the others followed.
“Julian, come with me.”
“Alright, we're gonna have to do it the other way,” the tough lady said and took a gun from a man standing nearby.
I thought she was going to shoot my mom so I ran. But I was too slow because she shot the gun before I got to her. But it didn't hurt my mom. It went straight to the front tire of her car.
My mom yelled in anger. “What the hell is wrong with you people? I'm calling the police.”
“That's the problem ma'am, there is no police. You can't get out. Your phone's won't work. We're fucking trapped!”
My mom stormed into the house and that night we slept there. All of us. Including the big man and woman and some other people.
That night we saw what they were talking about. I looked out of the window. I saw them. They looked like normal people. But they dressed in weird, ancient clothing and they walked in a weird way. Very slowly, like they were taking a stroll. They walked towards the window where I stood. A lady waved to me and asked me to open the door.
“Hey! Boy! Get off from the window!” The big man yelled and I stumbled backwards.
“Don't…open anything or else they come in and they kill you you get that?”
My mother sat silently and stared at the people as they stood outside near the window. She was shaking a bit. I knew she was scared.
Eventually, I saw them, the weird people, kill and eat someone but that's a story for another day.
The thing here is that we can't leave. We're stuck here everyday and possibly forever.
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I'm obsessed with the from series and I just gave sneak peek to what it's all about
