The Last October

Chapter 1: Far From Home

A cold breeze cuts through the soft pastel colored maple leaves over head. The persistent wind gently lifts my hair off of the back of my neck as I walk. Over the top of the buildings I can see the Space Needle reaching high above towards the bright blue sky. Upon reaching an intersection, I lean my back against the corner of a cement wall to my right and take notice to the seasonal decorations on all of the stores. The bowling alley across the street has a dozen plastic pumpkins on the window sills and near the entry ways, which are illuminated with lines of orange and white lights running up and down the building. This is definitely one of the more decorated buildings of the festival. There are no cars driving on the street, but many parked along the edge of the road. Through the sea of people, I can spot many stands and kiosks selling food, shirts, and even a few games. The one right around the corner has a line of children waiting to get their faces painted. "Where is she?" I say to myself. I pull my phone out of my pocket when suddenly; a voice calls out "Emi!" I curiously glance at the hundreds of faces passing me by, until my eyes fix on a woman emerging from the crowd wearing faded blue jeans and a white spaghetti strap top. "You made it!" she adds. "Stephanie! I was just about to text you!" I reply with a smile while tucking my hair behind my ear.

Ever since I moved to Seattle a year ago, Stephanie was always the person I knew I could trust. I had met her at the diner just down the street from here, she was the only other waitress that was my age. She took care of me from day one, and our friendship seemed to bloom from there. She led the way as we walked down the busy street. Her hair was summer blonde and cut short in the back, and if it weren't for her being taller than me, it'd be almost impossible to tell us apart from behind. I almost didn't notice the man walking to her left. He was wearing a black jacket with a red undershirt and seemed to tread softly. In his stocky arms he held a blue coat. "You're Eric, aren't you?" I inquire "I don't think we've met yet." He seemed surprised, but nodded his head and muttered something that I couldn't hear under the veil of noise bellowed by the crowd, but with the happy, yet embarrassed inflection on his face I assumed that he was trying affirm my accusation. Stephanie glances over her shoulder and smiles as she playfully pulls him close to her side.

With a very animated gesture, Stephanie shouts "I think I just saw Trevor and Anna!" and sails off into the crowd, dragging the poor soul behind her like a paper anchor to her lead sails. I laugh a little at the assaulted expression Eric had on his face, and start off in their direction. Before I can take a step, something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. To my left is a stand with a variety of stuffed animals, but I find myself focused on one bear on the inside of the shack. The bear looks like your average teddy bear, except for the cute business tie sewed around its neck. The middle aged owner greets me and I smile and nod back at him and advert my focus back at the bear. "He looks like he could use a home, five dollars and he's yours!" He adds with a very welcoming smile on his wrinkly face. I nod and reach into my pocket to get my wallet and all of a sudden, I feel all of the noise behind me abruptly muffle, like and there was nothing behind me but an endless abyss. I franticly turn around to face the street only to be greeted with absence. I feel my wallet slip from my hand as I turn back around to the stand only to find the man gone, and all of the animals tattered, torn, and covered in ash. As I hear my wallet hit the ground, I notice that the bear that caught my eye is no longer there. I take a few steps backward into the road and look at my surroundings. The street is paved with ash that also piles onto the many parked rusty cars on the street. The buildings appear old and their color has long since faded. The sky is cloudy and gray, and snowing ash and embers with a burning amber glow off in the distance. "Hello?" I cry out, my voice shaking. "Is anyone there? Steph?" I can hear my echo slowing become one with the howling of the cold wind. I pull my phone out of my pocket and manage to stop shacking long enough to see that I have no service, and as I put it away I notice a pair of doors across the street from me with a wide cement staircase leading up to them. I make my way towards them and cautiously climb the steps, being careful to not slip on the ash. After I wipe the filth from the window, I cover my peripherals with my hands so that I can see inside. I can see a long hallway with two flickering lights cutting through the darkness. Hesitantly, I quietly open the door, and enter the black hallway.

I slowly follow the door closed with my back. The latch catches and the echo runs down the corridor. Through the flickering of the lights down the hall it appears that the corridor opens up, but just beyond that is a thick darkness, unyielding to the dim light. I feel disinclined, but I have to move, I can't stay here forever. I take a step forward, and my hand hesitantly follows as it slides off of the door knob. The floor is made up of what used to be white tiles leading to a dark blue border along the walls. I reach the mouth of the room; it's completely black and desolate. Yet I swear I can hear quite, unintelligible voices emitting from the darkness, but I'm convinced that it's my imagination. I franticly feel the wall for a light switch, but with no luck. I pull out my phone and flick the screen on. With every fiber of my being protesting, I venture forward.

With the screen set to full brightness, I can clearly see ten feet in front of me. The shadows of the rows of seating dance as I walk, taunting me, like this is some kind of sick game. I come up to what looks like a large desk with a sign above that reads "Nurses station." I look to my left and notice dozens of balloons tied to the chairs. They are all completely deflated and laying on the ground. There are magazines scattered around the room, and it looks like no one has been here in a while. Suddenly, I feel like I'm being watched. I shoot my head to the right and tremble when my eyes lock with the dead black eyes of the same bear from the stands. It's sitting on one of the chairs in near the balloons and staring at me menacingly. After I collect myself I angrily approach it, pick it up, and begin to examine it. It appears to be the same bear from before, but it looks a lot older, and it's coated in the same ash and dust that seems to plague my world. "Stupid toy" I mutter as I toss the bear back onto the chair and return back to the desk.

Out of nowhere, I hear a voice call out and echo through the hallway to the left of the desk. "Hello?" It calls out again. It sounded like a forlorn little girl. "I'm here!" I shout as I take off through the corridor. With my momentum, I force the door ahead of me open only to trip on my own two feet. I fly forward and land face first into the dust. I cough and wipe my face, only to notice that the floor beneath me is no longer tile, but dark hardwood. Disoriented, I stand up and find myself in a living room with two sofas, a coffee table, a television set, with a hallway and a staircase past the room. Dull light shines through tattered white window curtains. I slowly turn around to see a porch outside of the open door leading to a walkway surrounded by dead grass. Beneath the grey sky are many houses up and down a long street. I lean against the door frame and slowly slide down to grasp my knees and close my eyes. "This is a dream. I just have to wake up." is say "Wake up!" I scream while shaking my head violently with my hands. I feel a tear trickle down my face and halt at my chin. I don't know what to do.

A sound sends a jolt through my body that lifts me back on my feet. It sounds like a music box, and it sounds like it's coming from another room of the house. I catch my breath and slowly, yet eagerly, walk towards the hallway. I find myself looking at three doors, one on the right side that is very close and another two at the end of the short hallway on either side that are cracked open. I quietly grab the knob of the closest door and open it slowly. It leaves a trail in the ash as it opens, but it's too dark to see inside. I reach for my pocket for my phone, but freeze at sound of quick little footsteps to my left. I turn to glimpse at a girl in a white dress scurry into the room to the far left. Discomposed, I make my way to the room and cautiously round the corner. She was sitting on the far side of the room with her back to me watching what appeared to be the music box. She had beautiful, long black hair, pale skin, and was wearing a dusty white dress. The room was empty other than a bookshelf and a few toys on the ground. "Little girl?" I call out. My presence didn't seem to startle her in the least. "I'm not a little girl." She replies quietly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean. Where's your family?" I ask. She then says "Do you want to play with me?" I shake my head and say "No, I can't play right now. Where is your family?" The little girl responds "I don't like this game" and turns her head to face me. Screaming, I back away from her while covering my mouth. She didn't have any eyes or mouth, her face was just completely bare, but I could still tell that she was looking at me with a sharp gaze. "You shouldn't yell at me like that." She said. As the music box stops, she lifts her arm slowly to point at the corner of the ceiling behind me. "You'll make Mama mad."