Up, Then Nowhere

"Sometimes, the scariest part of flying isn't the height. It's not knowing where you'll land."

Fredd never planned for anything unusual that afternoon. His house was buzzing with friends, boys, girls, even his longtime crush, Kate. It was meant to be just another hangout until a simple argument over hot air balloons sparked the start of something... unexplainable.

Everyone insisted hot air balloons were nothing more than fiction, until Fredd, curious and bold, led them to his mysterious neighbor's backyard. The neighbor, a high-ranking army officer with more secrets than smiles, wasn't home. But his last-born son, Sam, a boy with a strange presence and eyes that never quite blinked-let them in.

The six towering balloons weren't just for show. And against better judgment, against the girls' warnings, and with Sam's silent encouragement, the group climbed aboard. The sky welcomed them. The wind carried them. But when Fredd looked around mid-air, he realized something was wrong.

Sam never joined them.

Panic spread. The girls screamed. Fredd tried to lead. But even his sharpest thinking couldn't explain where they were or how they would get back. Because below them wasn't their neighborhood anymore.

It was a field, endless, untouched, and hauntingly still. One old mansion stood at its center, the only sign of life... or something else.

The balloons landed. The mansion beckoned. What began as a spontaneous ride becomes a terrifying journey into a place where time bends, unseen rules must be followed, and questions never find answers.

How long can they survive in a place where no one is watching, yet everyone is controlled?

And why did Sam let them go?

Book cover credit [@dexter_io99]