Swords and Sabotage: A Collection of Short Stories

The Neighborhood

I still remember that day like it was yesterday; it was so surreal. Insane, even, to think about it being real. And yet it was. And it happened to me, of all people. Even to this day, nine years later, I get chills up my spine merely thinking about it.

It was a dreary day, not uncommon to the likes of autumn in Nantucket. Clouds shifted with the wind across the gray sky, and rain spat down from them. The air smelled like fall. I smiled, as I did - and still do - greatly enjoy this type of weather. I walked down the cold, silent streets of the town, the sun setting slowly, illuminating the sky with a soft orange glow through the clouds. I had just begun my walk, leaving me with good time to go around the town before it got too dark. And of course, I had a flashlight with me, in case it did get too dark to see. I was pretty accustomed to the dark by now though, seeing as it was routine for me to go on evening walks.
Lampposts dimly lit the streets, most of them plastered with 'Missing' posters of people from my town. A majority of them had been missing for weeks by now, but searches were still being conducted. Pangs went through my stomach every time I thought about them; what if I was next? What if none of them were ever found? My eyes darted around the empty street, searching listlessly for anywhere I could look to take my mind off it.

Houses lining the sidewalks had their lights on inside, glowing through the windows, and the early Halloween decorations began peeking through bushes and trees. I should start decorating soon, I thought to myself, and nodded. Maybe I'll go out and get some tomorrow, if I have free time. There should be good sales too, at least hopefully. I laughed softly to myself in anticipation. I can't believe it's already October, too, time seems to be flying. I peered up at the sky, letting the cool rain hit my face lightly. If only the moon were out tonight, I heard it's supposed to be a waxing crescent, always so beautiful. I sighed longingly. Well, at least it's still a nice night, despite the chilliness. Pulling my cardigan closer around me, I looked around, noticing immediately the darkness washing over the area. The sky was no longer cloudy and gray, but rather pitch black, no room for stars to shine or the sunset to show. Has it really been that long already? I suppose I should head back then.. I thought, taking my flashlight out and pushing the button. But no light emitted from it. That's odd. I could've sworn it was fully charged when I left. Maybe I took the wrong one? I chuckled at my misfortune and turned to head back. As I was walking, I looked at the houses on the side of the road. It seemed that they had all turned off the lights, not one was on in any house. Did I get lost? That can't have happened, I know my route like the back of my hand. I looked around again, agitatedly, desperately trying to figure out what's going on, then stopped in my tracks, realising quickly that I was no longer in an area I knew of. The houses were more spread out, all seeming to be the exact same length apart. The houses themselves were all exactly the same, built with gloomy gray bricks and lawns with small bushes in the right hand corner. The lights were off, though I could still vaguely see human figures moving around the rooms. Some houses had people walking back and forth in the living room, or eating in the dining room, or even dancing ecstatically. I turned around in fear, trying to find where I came from, but the only road I could go down was the one I seemed to have come from and was previously walking down, but that too was lined with the same houses and the same lawns. I shivered, though this time it was not from the cold.

"Where am I??" I asked the air frantically, trying to find a way out of this neighborhood. I suppose I could have simply walked up to one of the houses and asked for a way back, but the feeling I got from the entire neighborhood felt malevolent, like if I were to interact with any of the residents something horrible would happen. How else can I get out? The road seems to be a practical dead end; I know I didn't walk that far from my house! I stood there, shaking and frozen from fear, as if I was paralyzed. At last, someone walked down the road from the way I thought I came, and I gathered enough strength to walk tentatively up.

As I walked closer, they looked up. They were wearing a low brimmed hat, it was hard to tell what type in the dark. It made it so I couldn't see much of their face, only their nose peeking out through the dark shadows.

"Um, excuse me," I began, my voice audibly trembling. "I'm sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know a way to leave this neighborhood?" I waited nervously for a response, but got only silence. "Did you hear m-" I started, but was interrupted when they said,

"There is no way out. You made the choice to come here and now you're stuck. For eternity." Their voice was gravelly and croaky, almost inhuman, but strangely familiar, as if they were someone I knew once, long ago.

"What do you mean?" I asked, fearful, my eyes darting everywhere.

"What I said," they responded maliciously. My eyes finally settled on their face, which I immediately regretted as they lifted their head fully and stared me straight in the eyes. Their eyes were bloodshot and wide, as if they hadn't slept in days, and they had an uncomfortably forced, twisted smile plastered on their pale face. I inhaled sharply and took a step back, bumping into another of the figures, though this one was different. They began surrounding me by all sides, darkness engulfing me. My breath quickened as I tried to fight my way out of the mob of... beings. All of their faces seemed oddly familiar, the same way the voice of the first one did. Then it hit me. They were all the people who went missing. I hit at them, but no matter how hard the impact was, they seemed to not even notice. They all just looked at me with those wide, distorted smiles stretching all across their faces. Though their mouths weren't moving, chattering came from all around, little bits and pieces of broken, warped English.

"Come with us! It's nice here!" "Join us.."

Th- this can't be happening! I thought, panicking. Naturally, my persistent fighting began to exhaust me. I can't give up, I need to get home! I wanted to yell for help, perhaps somebody may hear me, but I felt my throat close up from fear, making it near impossible to even breathe. One of them took me by the arm and guided me down the street. It's hopeless.... I can never get away at this point, can I? I thought, my nerves slowly settling. Something about this began to seem... normal, as if it's supposed to happen. I let them take me. Looking behind me, I saw the others standing there in anticipation, as if they were excited for something to happen. My skin began to crawl as the figure led me down the street, my face burning, stretching. We got to the house, and they threw me inside, slamming the door behind them. I stumbled to the nearest chair, and sat down, burying my pained face in my hands. I could feel it happening, my smile stretching, becoming a missing person. And you know, I'm glad I joined them. It was worth it in the end.