The town of El Bueno

Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first story on wattpad and it would mean a lot to me if you guys voted on it if you liked it. It'll keep me motivated to keep going. Hope you guys enjoy the ride. This isn't your average horror story :)

It was dark by now, very dark indeed. I was only dimly aware of the fact that my legs were starting to buckle from the pain. Even for someone who was used to walking long distances, this particular venture was stretching it. 

I kept walking forward on what must have formerly been a bustling road. Right now it was just mostly sand with bits of concrete here and there. The water in my jug in the back was almost empty and I still had some food left but I didn't dare drink the water. Of course the steaming hot Mojave weather did not help but I still could not be sure of how far away I was from human civilization and thus was summoning every last bit of perseverance to drink as little water as possible.

My walk wasn't aided by the fact that I had a cut in knee, due to me stumbling upon a piece of stray rock on the road. More inconveniently I had to use some of my precious drinking water to wash the wound.  I had not anticipated being injured on the way and my amateur first aid skills meant that the wound still lay open, albeit a lot drier now and possibly more dirty than before. i had cursed myself more than once for my clumsiness. I felt this was a mishap that could have very easily been avoided.

Nonetheless, despite my never-ending thirst, buckling legs, bleeding knees, a full bladder, and sweaty forehead, I did not regret my decision to leave my, for a lack of a better word, 'home', behind me. I was sure that whatever lay further down the path was far better than what I had left behind.

Suddenly I stopped. I brushed some hair out of my eyes and looked ahead. I blinked to ensure I wasn't imagining things. There was light ahead, and light meant a building and more often than not that lead to human civilization.

My walk now began to garner pace. I summoned every inch of strength available and fixed my eyes in earnest on the spot of light glowing on the horizon. The light grew brighter and brighter until finally, I could see the outline of a number of small buildings and what looked like a church in the distance.

I continued to stagger forward. This had to be a town of some sort. Sure enough, I came upon a signpost stuck hastily on the left side of the road, slanting on the side. I titled my head and read it.

El Bueno.

"El Bueno" I repeated under my breath. I had never heard of this place before but now was not the time to be dwelling on this, any sign of human civilization was a gold mine for me.

I continued my trudge forward. I noticed that a road was gradually beginning to take shape beneath my feet which made the final leg of my marathon walk a lot easier. I was now close enough to see the little town in all its glory. There were a number of small houses dotted around like polka dots on an umbrella, the town's tallest building was the church which was some distance away,

presumably at the very end. The streets were completely deserted, not too surprising considering the lateness of the hour. However, the main thing that caught my eye was a two-storied building, located just a few yards away that read "El Bueno inn – open 24x7".

"Perfect" I muttered under my breath. I'd spend the night there and perhaps continue on my journey. I did have some cash saved up (or to be more truthful, stolen but let's not dwell on that now) so money was certainly not an issue, at least for now.

Like a snake that had spotted a frog, I staggered forward in much earnest toward the little inn. I would do anything for a good glass of wine and some bread at the moment, perhaps even the leg of a chicken if I was in the mood.

I was soon at the doorsteps of the inn, it was closed. I knocked once on the wooden door.

No reply.

I knocked again.

Still no reply.

I frowned and read the sign affixed to the inn to confirm that it was indeed 24x7. I was now slightly annoyed at the owner's incompetence. No doubt it was a late hour but if you affix a sign on the front that says "Open 24x7" it means that you signed up for this.

With my patience wearing thin and bladder filled to the brim, I knocked forcefully on the door three times in succession but I might as well have been knocking on a brick wall for the answer would have been the same.

"Screw it" I muttered and I tried to open the door myself. It was locked.

"What do you think you are doing boy?" growled a hoarse voice from behind.