Town Darkness

Chapter Two

        The Town was silent and empty as they walked through the streets, the lack of people causing unease to grow and turn in their stomachs. Ethan was on edge, a dull burning sensation flowing through his veins. "Where is everyone? Did we stumble into a ghost town or what." Felix said. The group made it to the center of the town, a sense of disorientation hung in the air. "This fog is so damn thick, it's hard to see almost anything." A woman's laughter echoed through the silence, startling them, goosebumps rising on their skin. "Who's there!" Mark exclaimed, turning frantically towards the sound. "Visitors... the Town hasn't seen... visitors in so long." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, grown weaker with age. Her hobbling figure became more visible through the fog as she drew near. 

       "Miss, we seem to be really lost and you're the first person we've seen since getting here. Can you please tell us the way out?" Her faded gray eyes looked up at Mark, then to all the others, her gaze seeming to rest on Ethan the longest, making his stomach drop. She then gazed back to Mark, smiling a toothless grin. "Been here... all my life... there is no true way out... not without, of course... sacrifice." 

       She laughed crazily, causing the group to slightly grimace. "The Darkness means to consume all... it will consume you... and all your friends." She gazed at Ethan once more, causing him to become on edge. "The Darkness senses... a familiar... kindred spirit. It sees the Lost one. It feeds... off of it." She cackled, "Fight the consumption... you may survive.... but the longer you stay... the more it infects you all." She pointed her arthritis-ridden index finger towards Ethan and smiled, causing the rest of the group to turn towards him, visibly puzzled. She whispered the words, "Lost... one." before disappearing into the fog.

       He felt as if his heart would erupt out of his chest, his breathing became unsteady as his hands began to shake. He tried to escape this Town and all memory of it, but it wouldn't let go. Its claws sunk deep beneath his skin and a part of him knew this Town made him, it coursed through his blood, he could never escape what he is a part of. "Ethan... what the hell was that about? Do you know the old lady or something, because it seems like she knew you." Jack looked at him questioningly, they all did, they awaited his answer. He swallowed hard, his heart racing, he tried to steady his breathing to steady his voice. "I... I really don't know, I've never seen her before. But I have an idea on where we should go." Misdirection, it should work, for now.

       "We should go to the police station, maybe we'll find people there... or a map... or even call for some type of help, right?" The group sounded mutters of agreement, as Mark looked at Ethan doubtfully. "I think we should, the only problem is... we have no idea where it is." Felix said, defeatedly, Matt piped up, "Well... we're in the center of town, so I'm thinking, with a small town like this, it's not going to be too far. It'll be one of these buildings that are around us. So we'll head north, and if it doesn't work, then south, then so on. We're bound to find it eventually." More mutters of agreement.

       The group began their trek through the northern part of the town, walking along the sidewalk with abandoned trash in front of the desolate stores. They were silent, the only audible thing being their footsteps, but even those seemed disembodied, coming from a faraway place. Cars stood parked along the street, almost seemingly untouched, as if the owners had just vanished, never to have existed at all. Jack brushed his hand against one of the random cars' windows, the dirt and dust smearing across it. "No one's been here in forever. This is way too creepy." He said as they walked on. "Ya think, this town is a thing of-" Nate was cut off before finishing. "There it is!" Matt yelled. Everyone turned to face where he was pointing, it was a sheriff's station, it seemed small and slightly decrepit from the outside.

       They walked towards the building, hoping that they would be able to find something that could potentially help them escape this horror landscape. A siren began to sound, the group stopping in their tracks right outside the station. "An air raid siren?" Mark questioned. "We need to go inside, right now. This isn't good." Ethan felt sick, his temperature began to rise. He coughed into his hand, black droplets staining his hand. "Shit." He muttered to himself, panicked, as he wiped his hand off onto his pant leg before anyone could notice. They went into the station, just as the sky grew dark, and outside became a pitch black abyss.