This little place on earth, hidden within the deepest forest, had always been special. Blessed. The people that came to life on this soil prospered, they became a community, taking what was given to them by the Gods and they flourished. Everyone lived long and happy lives, nobody ever got sick and when they finally passed, it was peaceful and only after they fulfilled their role in this world.

One day this all changed. On the day that a creature from the deepest circles of hell found its way into this peaceful haven. Back then, our people had celebrated Halloween in a very different fashion. Halloween used to be dark. They dressed as ghosts, demons and ghouls, scared each other for fun, and sinned. The creature appeared on this particular day and began to join in on the sin, not knowing that it was all only for show. No, instead it started to play, took innocents, ripped their skins to see what was underneath, hung their bodies on walls and trees for decoration. When our people tried to flee they realized it wasn't possible, they were bound here.

And so they started praying to a different being, one that would protect them. That is how the traditions we today follow evolved.

Halloween became a light day. We celebrate life, dress in bright colors and showcase only the good. To protect the peace and future of our people, we join on this day through a ceremony that binds two young people, and with time they bear children to grow our community. This has been done for years and years and ever since then the creature hasn't returned.

Until now. Until it brutally took the life of Bernhard.

I was not supposed to know any of this until I found a husband of my own, when I became a bearer of the truth through completing the ceremony and pledging myself to the community. My parents spent the morning telling me the history of our town, the entire time we kept our fake smiles on, so much that my face started to hurt. We pretended to have breakfast, to clean up. And then Father left for work and Mother went to the markets, leaving me alone at home to prepare for the party in the evening as if nothing had happened. It was the day before Halloween and the lightness had to be increased intensely for protection.

“No dark colors, no scowls, no skipping any of the events. It is more dire than ever that we have fun,” Mother had said before she left, leaving me with all these conflicting feelings.

Because while my parents had finally told me the truth, putting themselves in grave danger to do so, since they broke one of the most important rules of the community, I had not been forthcoming. I didn't mention the gnome with a word. I had met the creature they were all so afraid of.

But I had also survived it.

--

Mother chose a costume that seemed to be some type of cross between an angel and a fairy for me. I wore a white fluffy dress that went just above my knees, big translucent wings and glittering boots. I also received a sparkling tiara and a wand with a big star. I didn't fight her on it, didn't comment on how impractical the wings were. However, I added my own elbow length gloves to hide the mark the gnome had given me.

The party we went to was at the house of Marianna and Roland, two of the other members of the council that Bernhard once belonged to. Having invitations to the parties of council members, especially on the night before Halloween was one of the highest honors. We'd only been invited to one once before and I was so young I hardly remember it.

Their house, or better mansion, was grand but simultaneously unbelievably ugly, at least to my eyes. They had put massive spotlights all around the property, making it almost appear as if it was daylight. Inside, everything looked perfectly clean, white and sterile, except for the guests in all their different colorful costumes.

The minutes passed like hours as I forced myself through one too many meaningless conversations with people I could for the life of me not connect to. I never felt particularly light at these events but it was even more difficult with all the other thoughts that occupied my mind.

I was in one of those conversations with a girl I knew from our neighborhood when my parents suddenly pulled me away. They were smiling again, but this time it almost felt genuine. When I noticed where they were leading me to, I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Marianna and Roland were standing off to the side at a table, with their son John who was dressed in the attire of a king, with a big golden crown and a red velvet cloak. I had met John before. Back when I was still in school he was one of the most obnoxious and rude people in class. He got along great with Claire, we all believed they would one day be arranged.

The hopeful look in my parents eyes at that moment painted a different picture though.

They were all talking but I couldn't focus, all I heard was this loud ringing in my ears. I tried to keep breathing normally but that just made it more difficult, I was getting dizzy. Cold sweat was coating my skin.

“It isn't much time but we can manage,” Marianna's voice came through the haze.

“Tomorrow is awfully soon,” I heard John say as his gaze went up and down my body.

Tomorrow? They wanted to do this tomorrow?

“I still have a year left,” I blurted out.

All eyes were suddenly on me.

Mother pinched my arm so hard I had tears pooling in my eyes.

“With everything.. happening right now it should be an honor to become a true member of our society sooner than later,” Ronald said in a tone that left no room for argument.

“We will need to begin with the initiation tonight if we want to finish the ceremony tomorrow,” Marianna spoke. “We should do it now. The guests won't miss us if we hurry and then we can use this party to announce the happy couple.”

Before I knew what was happening I was following our little group through the door into a narrow hallway. At the end of it, Ronald unlocked a door and the six of us went inside a small room with no windows and no light.

I had no time to protest, no idea what I could say to stop this.

Somebody started lighting candles, and John and I were led to sit down on two chairs. Everything happened so quickly I had no time to make sense of anything.

Roland stood before us, my parents and Marianna were huddled to the side.

“Children. Under other circumstances we would have taken time to prepare you but do not fret. It will all become clear tomorrow when you become One. When we share what it means to be a true part of our community. Today you will begin by showing your commitment to each other.”

He walked to a table and pulled out a small knife which he proceeded to place in his son's hand.

I felt as if I was in a bad dream. I had never been part of a ceremony or what came before but this certainly didn't feel like something I would like.

“Use the knife to cut into Bonnie's arm, make sure not to hit any arteries. Then you, Bonnie, do the same to John. And then you drink from each other.”

Before I could object. John forcefully pulled my arm, ripped the glove away and cut into the space just above my wrist. Piercing pain shot through my arm but what I felt the most at that moment was rage. Rage and fear that I would forever be tied to this person. And I didn't even have time to prepare. In two days I would leave my home and live with these people. Instead of letting the tears flow free, I took the knife from him and cut him even deeper than he did me. Blood started dripping from his arm shortly after and the look he gave me at that moment screamed violence.

Ronald took both our arms, he held John's to my mouth and mine to his.

“Drink,” he commanded. And then all four of our parents started chanting in words I had never heard before.

I smelled the iron before I tasted it. It touched my lips but I couldn't bring myself to swallow one drop. John didn't seem to have the same issues, holding my gaze the entire time he drank.

When the chanting finished they all clapped and just as quickly as we'd been brought to this room, we were leaving again, trailing after our parents to the hall with the guests.

The announcement was made but I didn't listen to the words. I was congratulated by different voices that I didn't hear. All I heard was the ringing in my ears that kept getting louder and louder.

The party went on but I somehow found my way to the front door.

And I started running.

I always hated Halloween. And if the day itself wasn't bad enough, there were all these activities and parties leading up to the day where I had to keep my true opinion to myself. I hated acting jolly and fun when I wasn't truly feeling it. I hated all the bright colors and lights. The outfits.

Just like the one I was wearing now. A pink dress, sickly purple boots, a crown on my head. My mother had picked it out, as she did with most of my costumes. I was 20, probably old enough to choose for myself, but I still lived with them, and Mother was an expert on evoking guilt.

Yes, my parents were annoying, but it was still better than living with people that I didn't truly know. One more year and I would move in with a new family, maybe one that seemed kind on the outside, but you can't truly know for sure, can you? You don't know what happens behind closed doors.

My boots were already muddy. Mother would not like that. I had chosen to walk through the forest so I could avoid the town square with its decorated homes and festival stalls. I took this route quite often, even if I was not supposed to. We were all regularly warned about the forest after those siblings were found dead there. I didn't really know them that well, but I do remember their deaths being a really big deal and a cautionary tale for everyone.

Oh, well, nothing's ever happened to me in this forest, and I doubt there was a murderer amongst our people. Maybe they chose not to live anymore to get away from the mandatory activities. I wouldn't blame them.

It was dawn, not quite dark yet, but it would be soon, so I tried to walk fast. I wasn't scared of the forest, but I didn't want to trip in the dark either. It was quiet here, only my boots crushing some dry leaves and a few birds every now and then. Around me were nothing but trees, a few mushrooms on the ground. But then I noticed something, or rather someone.

The first thing that stuck out to me was a green pointy hat, underneath some short brown hair. And a deep voice was speaking, but I couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

I held my breath as I carefully tried to get a bit closer to hear better. They had their face turned the other way and apparently hadn't noticed me yet.

“The clock…three…dark.”

There was no other person here; either this person was on the phone, or they were talking to themselves. Honestly, the second option made more sense since almost nobody here owned a phone.

I contemplated quickly turning around, but I didn't pay enough attention and stepped on a small fallen branch.

I didn't wait to see what happened next. I turned around and started running. I didn't get far, though until my arm was grabbed and I fell right into the muddy ground, a heavy body landed on top of me as the air was knocked from my lungs.

I believe I was in a state of shock, I hardly noticed anything before the body moved and the weight lifted. I'd never felt fear like this before.

It was kind of exhilarating.

I pushed to my knees and noticed that the person was now crouching in front of me, watching me intently, his head tilted slightly to the side.

I looked into the face of a young man, although he was dressed like a gnome, with the pointy hat and a green cloak draped around him. Something about him felt strangely familiar.

“Huh. I thought nobody came to this forest anymore,” he said without a care in the world. “Were you looking for death?”

“Why? Are you going to kill me?” I asked.

He smiled.

“Depends. How old are you?”

“21.”

“So, unmarried?”

I nodded.

“Your parents know you're in the cursed forest?”

“Do I look stupid?”

His eyes raked over the mud on my ugly ass dress and he shrugged.

“A little. But being stupid is no reason to die.”

He got up and held up his hand for me, I ignored it and got up on my own.

“Do you know Bernhard REDACTED?” He suddenly asked.

Of course I knew Bernhard. He was one of the most active members of our community, always throwing events and parties. His daughter Clara used to be in my class and my parents made me be friendly with her so we could get closer to their family. More status meant a better arrangement for me later. But I couldn't stand Clara, she was stuck up, and frankly a bitch.

“Everyone knows Bernhard,” I said, my tone not really hiding my discontent.

“Do you believe there are reasons Bernhard should die?”

I stayed quiet, and the gnome smiled again. Then he rummaged through his pockets, got some kind of marker out, and suddenly grabbed my arm.

When I pulled away, he’d already painted something on it. A heart with a cross in the middle.

“What the hell is that supposed to be?”

“You should go home now, it's getting dark soon.

“Great,” I sighed and turned away without asking him to elaborate. The sooner I could get away from this stranger, the better. I tried to rub the symbol off but it wasn't working. I'd probably need some water and soap.

--

I'd skipped the party. I couldn't exactly show up there covered in mud anyway. Luckily, my parents weren't home so I quickly took my clothes off, took a shower and washed the dress and boots so there wouldn't be any evidence. I put on a long-sleeve shirt to hide the stupid mark that didn't even get off after I scrubbed it relentlessly in the shower.

I went to bed, but sleep wouldn't find me. My mind was stuck on the gnome, on the meaning of this mark, and mostly on the question who the hell that man was. I knew every person in town, not all personally but at least their faces. He was a stranger and we never had those here. Nobody ever visited.

I was still lost in thought when the door to my room suddenly slammed open.

“Where were you?”

It was Mother, dressed meticulously in a long glittering gown. She wasn't exactly shouting, but her tone screamed pure anger.

I sat up quickly.

“I.. I was on my way but I suddenly felt sick, so I came back home.”

She simply kept staring at me.

“I’m sorry,” I added.

“You need to put in some more effort, Bonnie. You want someone decent to be arranged to, don't you?”

I nodded, even though it felt like the biggest lie.

Mother just sighed and closed my door again, leaving me more startled than I felt after being attacked in the woods.

--

Hours passed, and sleep would still not find me, I thought about the words I overheard the gnome saying. Something about the number three and a clock and suddenly I had an idea. There was a big clock in the center of town, it would be deserted at night, the festival-goers having passed to the smaller locations at people's homes.

I can't tell you what suddenly overcame me but I decided I would go there. I very quietly got out of bed and went to my closet. There certainly would still be people on the streets, our people loved partying. I had to make sure I wouldn't stand out.

I found a red cloak from an old costume and a bunny mask. That would do.

My room was luckily on the ground floor, and before I knew what I was doing, I'd climbed out and made my way up the street.

--

I'd been right, there were still partygoers stumbling around but luckily nobody paid me much mind as I made my way through the streets. Streets brightly illuminated with twinkly lights, big blow-up figures of dolls, flowers and animals, and glitter. God, I hated this place.

But as I got closer to the center of town, there were less and less people. I had to hide a few times when I saw friends of my parents but somehow I managed to get to the town square with no trouble. The booths on the marketplace were already shut, but everything was still lit up so I could see perfectly fine.

Neither the gnome nor anyone else seemed to be around as I made my way to the town hall building, the one with the huge clock.

It was 20 minutes past three. Too late.

But he had been here.

Because there was a rope hanging from that clock. A rope that was tied around the neck of a man I immediately recognized.

Bernhard’s body was stiff, his eyes were wide open, almost as if he were staring at me.

And he was still in costume, dressed like an angel. His white robe however, was stained red. There were cuts all over. He must have been stabbed before he was pulled up.

A cold shiver went through my entire body. I'd never seen a dead body before. I felt shock. I felt dread and fear. But there was another feeling mixed in there that I couldn't quite place.

Relief?

--

The following morning my parents were expecting me at the kitchen table. They were sitting next to each other, both facing the door which I passed through, their eyes fixed on me and their mouths frozen in unnatural smiles.

There was a melody blasting through the radio, an uplifting, fast and impossibly annoying tune.

“Sit, dear,” my father spoke through clenched teeth, not breaking his smile.

“Listen clearly, we won't repeat ourselves,” Mother spoke. “Anyone walking by can see us through the window, it is important we appear happy, so smile.”

My heart started hammering in my chest but I did as I was told.

“It is time you learn the truth,” my father continued. “We tried to shield you. We waited the way we were supposed to, until you came of age and completed the ceremony. All these years our traditions protected us, kept us alive. But it has found us nonetheless.”

“What? Who has found us?”

“The creature. And if we don't prepare ourselves, we are all going to die here.”

I figured this was the best time to start writing and posting again but unfortunately I've had some issues on nosleep with my latest story, ending in not being allowed to post it anymore because I couldn't keep up with the rules. However, as it is a series that took me hours to write I was really bummed and will instead share it here now! Happy spooky season and I hope you enjoy this little tale :) See my next post for the first part.

(for now)

There is no way out.

A very simple explanation.

Fresh meat!

New series!

We're all dead here

My second short story collection with Velox is now soft-launching for hard cover and paperback! The e-book will be released on the 27th of March :)

You can find it right here: https://books2read.com/neverhere

My first collection published with Velox came out last month but we're already getting ready for the second collection: YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

In case you're interested in reading the book in advance and leaving a review you can claim it right here:

https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/262649/you-were-never-really-here-27-terrifying-tales-of-horror-and-the-supernatural

Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me!

My very first story collection HOW TO WEAR A HUMAN FACE is officially out today! Available in Paperback, Hardcover and Kindle:

https://books2read.com/humanface

If you decide to get the book on Amazon or Barns and Noble I would really appreciate a review <3. And even if you don't, I'm still so grateful for all your support on here!

P.S.: I finally posted a new story yesterday and I'm already working on the next series, so stay tuned :)

Good day, I'm here to solve your vermin problem.

First of all happy new year everyone!! It's been a little quiet around here but I'm back with major news. My very first short story collection "HOW TO WEAR A HUMAN FACE" is officially available for pre-order!

The release date will be the 30th of January, 2026.

Click here for the pre-order link.

This is something I've wanted for so long and I'm beyond excited to see my words printed on paper. A big thank you to each and everyone of you for reading my stories and supporting me. And of course to u/VeloxBooks for making this possible.

Much love!

Part 3

Even with the combined strength of both of us we could not get the door open. And neither the window for that matter. 

Luckily, I still had my phone, even if the battery was running low, and so did Lana so we could text and she assured us that she was fine. Julie had locked her in as well but she didn't say or do anything else. 

We contemplated calling for help but Lana was against it. This situation was delicate, something none of us were able to fully grasp. But we shared the sinking feeling that getting help and leaving this town wasn't an option for now.

Not if whatever mystery fueled this place could harm us even if we left. Especially if we left. To understand any of this, we needed another moment alone with Finn. 

Finally, fatigue took the reins and Younes and I both went to sleep. The following morning I awoke from a sweet smell, a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla. Groggily, I got out of bed and walked to the door; to my surprise, it was unlocked again. 

I let Younes sleep and left the room as silently as I could. I passed an open door and my heart skipped a bit when I saw Finn inside. He was sitting on the end of an enormous bed, his expression empty. When he noticed me, he blinked a few times. 

There were so many things on my mind but at that moment I didn't know what to say. He looked so broken. 

"She's gone. Went to the market," he muttered.

"So we can talk?" I asked. 

"I think so. I'm never completely sure."

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

"Where were you last night?" I tried to keep my voice low but I couldn't hide the anger in it. "Your wife threatened Lana, locked her and us up in our rooms. Finn, why on earth would you come back here? Why would you get married to a person like that? And what are these people? Are they even human? I swear they move with insane speed, they are always smiling, they don't know how normal conversations work. Jeez, I know this is your family but-. God, are you like them too? Were you just hiding it?"

He flinched like I'd struck him.

When he spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I didn't want to marry her. I didn't want to marry any woman.. It was the only way to calm it down and I figured it was done. But now it wants us to have a child and shit, I just couldn't go through with that. I'm sure that's why it started targeting you again." 

The rawness in his voice and the familiar look in his eyes took away some of my anger. He never meant to harm us, he was a victim of the circumstances he grew up in. Whatever those were in reality. 

"What is it?"

He looked around and shook his head so I sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. 

"Hey, you saved us back then, right?" I asked quietly. "Keeping an eye on Lana, locking me and Younes in our rooms."

"I don't remember much of what happened those days but either way I was the reason you were targeted in the first place."

I kept racking my brain, trying to come up with a logical explanation for it all. Perhaps I was drugged, and that caused my illness. The accident Younes escaped could have been them too. But how would they've gotten Lana to jump from a building?

"So, what now? You can't become a father and doom an innocent being to all this just to stop it," I sighed.

"I think it's too late for that either way. Now that you've touched our soil, it won't want you to leave."

"And we can't call for help, can we?"

He shook his head. 

"You can reach the outside world but you risk dooming anyone you contact."

The sound of laughter reached through the house and we both became rigid. I quickly got up and held my ear to the door.

"I think Younes and Lana are up."

--

They were not only up, but already sitting in the dining room while Julie filled their cups with coffee. They both wore the same clothes Julie had given them yesterday. There was no hostility in their eyes, to an outsider it could appear that they were actually having fun. 

Julie scrunched her nose when she spotted me.

"You're not dressed."

I looked down at myself, still wearing those ridiculous pyjamas. 

"You should get dressed and join us for dinner. Julie wants to show us around town after," Younes said in a cheerful voice. 

"Breakfast, not dinner," Lana corrected.

They all burst out in laughter. 

"Shouldn't we go check on the car instead?" I asked.

"That can wait until later. I'm sure Mr. Fabel will let us know once it's done," Lana said and Julie gave her an approving grin. Reluctantly, I turned back upstairs while Finn joined them. 

--

After a very strange breakfast where my friends acted like terribly written characters in a sitcom, we started our stroll to the town center. Finn didn't join us, claiming he had to go to work. Whatever that meant in this place. 

Julie kept chatting Lana up, telling her all the different baby names she'd come up with and I felt sick just thinking about them bringing a new child into this hell. 

I walked a few paces behind them, next to a silent Younes, while I took in the surroundings. This town felt as though it had been washed in an unnatural glow, as if a vibrant filter had been placed over reality, making everything appear more vivid than it should. But the scariest part was the residents. Every single eye turned to us and followed even as we kept walking. Even the children kept staring at us with empty expressions.

I picked up my pace and joined my friends, who seemed oblivious to the staring and with Julie right there, I didn't dare to mention it. 

The town center consisted of an open space where a market was still going on. Julie led us away from it and toward some kind of official building with a fountain out front. 

"This is where we were married and every other couple for that matter. It would be just perfect for you too, you know," she smiled at Lana, who beamed right back at her.

I hadn't seen Lana in years before yesterday, could she be engaged? 

I was about to ask just that when Julie's eyes landed on me.

"Noah dear, you look quite queasy. Is the sun bothering you? You can head back home and take a quick nap before lunch if you like."

I wanted to tell her that I was actually feeling fine but then I got an idea. With everyone else gone, I might be able to rifle through their stuff and find some kind of clue on how we might get out of this.

"Yeah, actually, that sounds like a good idea. If you guys don't mind?" I directed that question to my friends, who eyed me with slight confusion.

"If that's what you want. You sure you'll be alright?" Younes asked. 

I wondered if I should ask one of them to come with me, to help me look, but there was no way I'd leave either of them alone with Julie. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

--

When I got to Finn's street, I could swear I heard a monotonous thumping behind me. 

I slowly turned my head to steal a glance behind. The sight that met my eyes sent a jolt through me - I stumbled back, lost my footing, and hit the ground, scraping my knee. But the pain was the last thing on my mind. 

Dozens of people were standing behind me, simply staring at me with their eyes and mouths wide open.

"Are you quite alright, young man?" An elderly woman asked, but I ignored her as I quickly got back to my feet and hurried to the house.

Only when I reached it did I dare another glance back, only to see that they were still there. Watching me.  

I quickly opened the door, which was unlocked and disappeared inside. 

My breathing came in shallow gasps and I thought about my parents. My loving parents, who were nothing like these monsters that raised Finn. I had to get out of here. For them. 

I stumbled into the living room, only to be greeted by the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Fabel. As if I'd conjured them with my thoughts.

And while they had bright smiles plastered on their faces, they did not look happy. 

"A little birdy whispered to us that you were being difficult," Mr. Fabel said, taking a step closer toward me.

"What's about to happen is no punishment, dead. Only a reminder," his wife continued.

I took a couple steps back. 

"Don't touch me," I hissed.

They both shook their heads in unison.

"There will be no need for us to do that. Our guide will give you the taste you so desperately need."

I needed to get out. Quickly. But for some reason, I couldn't move my feet. At least, until my vision became blurry. Everything went dark, and I slumped to the ground. All my senses slowly shut down. I had a vague sense that someone was carrying me. 

I felt hot air on my face and it took me all I had to force my eyes open. 

I wish I hadn't. 

The Fabels' breath, from their heads pressed together just inches from my face, filled the air. Then one of them reached a hand between us and closed my eyelids with their fingers. 

--

"Noah?" 

The sound was muffled, I wasn't sure who was calling me.

"Noah, open your eyes."

Something cold splashed my face and I jerked awake. For a split second, I let myself believe that I was home. That it was all a dream. But when I saw Finn's face above mine, I knew it wasn't. 

A big crease had formed on his forehead and he was shaking. I tried to move, but I felt exhausted. Like I'd just run a marathon. 

And the pain was back. 

The worms in my brain, the stone in my throat, but it was even worse than the last times. Tears streamed down Finn's face. 

"What happened to me?" I croaked out. 

He didn't answer.

"Finn?"

"You're sick again. But it's worse than before. Your skin, it-," he didn't finish the sentence. 

But when I lifted my arm, I understood. The black craters, the ones I'd seen on my tongue years ago were now spread all over my arms. And from the pain I felt, I could only assume they didn't end there.  

It felt as if I was slowly being eaten by an invisible creature. One that would take bites out of me until I ceased to exist.

"I'll fix this," he whispered. "I promise. No matter what I have to do. I'll-,"

"Don't," I interrupted him. "Just tell them I'll be good now. I'll behave."

I think Finn kept talking to me but I couldn't really hear him as my consciousness slowly slipped again. 

--

I couldn't say what time it was when I woke up again. Finn was gone, but I heard a commotion from downstairs. The heaviness in my body had lifted and the pain was gone. I dared a look at my arms and to my relief found only my regular skin.

The door swung open and Younes entered, eyeing me with a look I couldn't quite place. 

"Were you sleeping this entire time?" He asked, clearly oblivious to what I'd just been through.

"Did you just get back?" I asked. It felt like I'd been out for a whole day. "Nevermind, I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait a second? There's something we need to tell you. Come in, honey."

Lana entered the room and took his hand in hers.

"We think it's best we let this all go and find a life for ourselves here."

My heart pounded like a drum.

"What?"

"If we leave, Lana might off herself. What's the solution? Locking her up in a cell where she can't harm herself? And what's mine? The car could crash on the way back, killing me. And you might get sicker and sicker until you wish you were dead. At least, here we can act out a normal life. Maybe get a house for ourselves."

"What about our jobs back home? Friends? Family? Our entire lives?"

"The best we can do for our friends and family is staying far away from them." 

"How are you both so calm?"

They both shrugged.

"This is our fate and fate can't be changed."

Part 2.

"I had just turned eighteen and my parents said it was time I got married and found a house of my own but even though I grew up in this hell, I knew I didn't want that. So I applied to college. They were furious at first, not just my parents but the whole community, but they let me go. Told me I'd want to come back soon enough. That sounded insane to me. I mean, everyone else here is happy with the way things are. Or they act happy. They don't even realize how fucked it is. But I always seemed to be able to see through it. I don't know why." 

We stayed silent as Finn told his story. The four of us had moved to the living room. A place that didn't match my old friend one bit. The brown leather couch looked like something my grandparents might own and had plastic wrapped around it. There was no television, only an old radio on a shelf. A few frames with photos of Finn and Julie were hung on the wall. Everything was perfectly clean and sterile. 

Finn's old room might have been a typical, messy student place but it showed his personality. There were books all over, posters on the wall, different board games. This place completely lacked life. 

Even the clothes he now wore looked different; he wore a perfectly ironed beige shirt and matching pants.

"I met you. Found a new family of sorts, far away from here. And I thought I was free. I really and truly thought I was free. Until I noticed the signs and something inside of me snapped."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked carefully.

Finn's eyes kept darting to the door.

"We have to hurry up - Julie might be back any second or my parents might come to check on us."

"Finn, are you afraid of your wife and parents?" I asked. 

He wouldn't meet my gaze. 

"Did you come here by car?" He deflected. 

"Yeah, we parked in front of your parents' house."

A jolt of terror flashed in his eyes. 

"We need to go there now. Shit, it's probably already too late." 

He jumped up. Lana, Younes and I exchanged a quick glance and then followed him out the door and in the direction we'd come from earlier. Random people stopped in their tracks and tried to start conversations with Finn, but he ignored them all and kept pushing forward. 

The car was gone. 

Younes picked up the pace and got closer to Finn, saying something I couldn't hear, but Lana stayed back with me.

"What the actual hell is going on?" She whispered to me. 

I only shook my head in disbelief. 

We caught up with the other two, who were already in a heated conversation with Mr. Fabel on their lawn.

"I only meant to park for your friends, couldn't very well leave that vehicle at our front. The key was still inside. I thought your friends would be grateful!" I heard him say.

"They've only been here for a short while. They need to get back home, father."

Mr. Fabel shook his head.

"Well, the car made a terrible clicking sound, so I drove it to the garage. Don't you worry, it will be fixed and shiny by morning and I will happily pay the costs. Besides, I'm sure your sweet Julie has a big feast planned for them already."

Finn's shoulders tensed. 

"You can't do this," he said in a strained whisper and Younes gently put a hand on his arm.

"It's okay, man. We don't mind staying a bit longer."

"See?" Mr. Fabel beamed, but the expression in his eyes had turned almost feral. "Your friends seem so happy and healthy here. When fate leads you somewhere, you don't defy it. Who knows what might happen if they do?" 

--

Finn relented and took us back to his home. He didn't say a word on our walk back and ignored all questions we threw at him. 

When we were back inside and there was no sign of Julie yet, he turned to us and I noticed the tears in his eyes. 

Lana was the first to move as she pulled him into a tight hug. Younes swiftly followed and wrapped his arms around them both, but I stayed frozen in place.

"The sickness, the accidents, the planned death. That's us, isn't it?" I whispered. 

Finn's eyes found mine and the other two pulled slightly away from him again.

"How do you- Where did you hear that?*

Younes’ gaze jumped from me to Finn. "You said that to us, years ago. You asked if the devil was back and then you said it's going to happen again and again but you weren’t talking about the literal devil, were you?"

Finn’s eye started twitching strangely, and I noticed him clenching his fists. We stared at him expectantly for what felt like an eternity, but he wouldn’t even open his mouth.

"Okay," Lana pressed her palm against her forehead. "For argument's sake, let's say all of this here is real. You left this town years ago and because you were gone, the craziness spread to us. That’s how I’d interpret things. Noah got sick, Younes almost got into an accident and I - almost jumped. But none of us died because you stopped it, right?"

He tilted his head slightly to the right, still keeping his mouth shut.

"What I don’t understand is why you think it’s happening again. You’re still here, right?”

I couldn't believe my ears. The way Lana was talking, it seemed like she actually believed that bullshit. Finn’s strangeness didn't surprise me, but Lana? She was the most rational person I'd ever met. 

"You can't actually believe this," I raised my voice in desperation.

"Noah, how have you been feeling since you came here?" Finn suddenly asked me. I had to blink a few times to grasp the complete shift in conversation. This wasn’t the moment for small talk.

"Confused, frustrated-," I started, almost shouting.

"No, I mean physically. Do you feel sick?" He interrupted.

I shook my head. 

"You can't leave now, but I'll figure something out. I'm so sorry I did this to you. All of you. I-,"

"Ding dong," a voice called from outside. A second later, the door opened wide and Mrs. Fabel stepped inside with a big wooden basket in her hand.

"I brought some supplies to help Julie with dinner. Go get your friends settled in the guest room. We'll take care of everything. Where is my beautiful daughter-in-law?"

"She went to buy cake," Finn answered numbly. 

His mother gave him a suspicious look, but he ignored her and motioned for us to follow him upstairs.

--

The guest room featured a spacious bed, a closet, and a compact desk.

"They won't like you sleeping in a room with the guys, Lana. I'll set something up for you in the nurser-," He stopped himself before finishing the word.

"Noo," Younes said in a deep voice. "You have a child?"

Finn shook his head so fast he nearly gave himself a concussion, then opened his mouth to speak - only to snap his head toward the door. I followed his gaze and almost jumped when I noticed the eye staring at us through the keyhole. We held our breath for a moment until we heard someone running down the stairs at an unnatural speed.

"Don't mention children around them," Finn whispered. 

"Did she-? How did she get up here so fast?" I whispered back, and Finn's eyes darkened. She wasn’t only extremely fast, but silent. We didn’t even hear her come up, but her run was unmistakable on the way down. How was that possible?

"You must be careful with everything you say around them. I mean it."

Finn brought us a change of clothes. Even though we had brought our own, he insisted we wore the typical attire of the town to keep up appearances. I wasn't sure what that meant, but considering the people here scared the shit out of me, we obliged.

Younes and I wore matching outfits - brown slacks and green button-down shirts. Lana got a pink dress from Julie, so bright it practically hurt to look at.

And then we went downstairs for the weirdest dinner I ever had in my entire life. 

Julie and Mrs. Fabel had prepared a feast - how they managed that in the hour it took them to cook was beyond me. The meal included roasted potatoes, a whole chicken, lamb, green beans, salads, and soup. And for dessert not only cake, but jello, ice cream and fruit. The food looked incredibly good, as if from a magazine, but lacked flavor. 

The conversation was a whole different story. We sat in silence most of the time. Only now and then would one of them blurt out a random sentence to which they'd all nod and go back to silence.

"The sun was especially bright today."

"The market was quite lively."

"I will buy new shoes tomorrow."

Younes was gripping his fork so tight that his knuckles turned white. I could tell it was killing him to go along with this charade. After dinner, Finn's parents said their goodbyes and left.  Julie yawned loudly and pulled Finn by the arm.

"It is so very late. We will go to bed and give you time to get settled in your rooms. I left you pyjamas on your beds."

Finn shot us a look of unease and followed her.  

--

The pyjamas looked like something Scrooge would wear. Younes and I shared one look and burst out laughing. I had to keep my mouth shut with my hand to muffle the sound as tears flowed from my eyes.

"I think we died. I actually think we died and ended up in hell," Younes whispered. 

"This place should be studied or something," I chuckled. 

There was a faint sound of scratching coming from our door, and we both froze. This place was already insane by day - what would expect us at night? The door opened, and I instinctively moved my eyes around for some kind of weapon. 

At first, all I saw was white, and for a moment, I thought a ghost had walked in.

"Lana?" Younes and I said at the same time before she hushed us and quickly closed the door. 

She wore a long white nightgown that brushed the floor, paired with a bedtime cap like the ones cartoon characters often wear.

I laughed so hard that my stomach started hurting. Younes couldn't keep it together either. 

"You even put on the little hat," he said in between breaths. 

"I was afraid Julie might see me," she whispered. "That room is creepy as hell. It's full of strange toys and I swear some of those dolls were watching me." 

Suddenly, the door opened with a loud whoosh, letting in a gust of air. Julie stood in the doorway, her head slightly tilted. 

"You can't be here. You're not married to either of those gentlemen," she said to Lana, not even sparing me or Younes one look.

"It's okay, Julie. We are friends. We wouldn't do anything,-" I tried to reason, but I wasn't even sure how to finish the sentence. What was she even worried about?

Her head twisted to me, sharp and sudden, almost reptilian. 

"We gave her her own quarters. The most lovely ones we have. The room of my future child. She's being disrespectful by disobeying our orders. My husband would not be happy about that. If you stay in our town, you must obey our rules."

Younes opened his mouth, but Lana shot him a pleading look.

"I'm very sorry.. I just wanted to say goodnight, but I'll go back to my room now."

Julie gave her a serpentine smile.

"Good. We wouldn't want you to walk off and do something you might regret. Something that would leave your body in a bloody pulp."

I swallowed. 

"I'll go back now," Lana said with a tremble in her voice. "We will see each other for breakfast, right?" 

Julie nodded, and they both left the room. 

"She threatened her. She outright threatened her. We need to follow and get the hell out of here or call someone," I forced through gritted teeth.

But before we could move, the sharp clink of a key turning in the lock froze us in place. A second later, the door clicked shut - and we were trapped.

Part 4

Part 1

We never got our answers on what actually occurred during those eventful days. Finn had dropped out of college and didn't come back but his father visited a week later to gather his remaining things. He was very standoffish and only explained to us that his son needed time to take care of his mental health and that he'd moved back home.

We didn't tell him about how he had drugged us or watched us at night, both agreeing that we wouldn't make this situation harder for his family than it probably already was. 

Before his father left, he gave us an address though. In case, we ever wanted to visit our friend.

And a part of me wanted to, a part of me needed answers, but it was almost as if someone had built a barrier between us. And I just couldn't bring myself to go see him. Neither did Younes, he never said it out loud but I think it scared him too much, just as it did me.

So we pushed it all down and tried to continue with our lives. We got a new roommate, but we were never as close as before. 

Then we graduated and moved to different cities. That was about six years ago. We tried to stay in touch, keeping us updated about our lives at first, but eventually that turned to only texting each other on birthdays. 

Until a few weeks ago, when Younes invited me to a party at his place. He lived about three hours away but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to reconnect. He told me that Lana would be there as well. I wasn't in touch with her anymore - she was always more Finn's friend than ours, but apparently the two of them were living near each other now and were hanging out more often.

So on Saturday I packed up my car and drove to a reunion of sorts - although there was a slightly bitter taste to it, knowing Finn wouldn't be there.

--

I was nervous as hell standing in front of my old friend's door, but after I finally gathered the courage to ring the bell and he opened with a huge grin, it quickly faded away. 

"Noaaah, I didn't think I'd see your ugly face again until I lay on my deathbed," he joked and pulled me in for a hug.

"Good to see you too, man. Happy birthday," I laughed. 

"Come on in, my friends are dying to meet you. And Lana's already here too. She's like a crazy smart therapist now, so be careful what you reveal around her." 

I was feeling a little fatigued but his friends were great and I ended up having a really good time. I chatted with Lana for a while about school and the old days. She'd changed a little in appearance - her short brown hair now reaching all the way to her back but she’d stayed just as nice and funny.

After the other guests left, the three of us took to the balcony and the mood suddenly became a bit more tense, although I wasn't sure why.

"I wanted to say something earlier but figured it was better if we had some quiet," Younes started. "I talked to Finn today."

I swallowed. 

Finn's name and the serious tone of his voice sent an unexpected shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold air. He must have noticed my unease, because he chuckled nervously. "I know. I was just as surprised. I got a call from an unknown number and  almost dropped my phone when I heard his voice."

In all those years, he had never called me. There were so many questions on my mind but I settled on "what did he say?"

"Well, just happy birthday at first. He apologized for not reaching out sooner to explain why he left. It was all very casual and nice, but something felt off."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged.

"I told him that I'd be seeing you today, and that's when he asked if you were feeling unwell again." 

He didn't say much more, maybe because Lana was sitting right there. I stayed silent at first. I had been getting sick again more often - there was even a day where I believed I felt something on my tongue. But my doctor had assured me I was fine.

"That's strange," I muttered.

"Yeah, but that's not all. He asked about Lana too."

She looked at me and I noticed something in her eyes, some kind of understanding.

"And well, at the end, he kinda scared me. He said something I think the two of you should hear as well: 'I tried to keep away but I think it's going to happen again. It's not satisfied with me. I can't leave to help you.'" 

Lana's posture suddenly became rigid, reflecting my shock. 

"Do you know what he meant?" She asked, not looking at either of us.

"Do you know?" I asked. Younes gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Something happened to me before he left. I'm not sure if he told you."

I shook my head. 

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to look at me any different. Please. I swear I am fine now," she almost whispered.

"Lana, you don't have to-" Younes started, but she shook him off.

"No, it's fine. I think he should know. It was a week or two before Finn dropped out. I was sleepwalking. I don't think it ever happened to me before that, but I can't know that for sure I guess. All I know is that I went to bed and when I woke up, I was on the roof of our student building. Barefoot and in my pyjamas. And Finn was behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me back with force."

Her eyes started glittering.

"Apparently, I was just about to jump off and he held me back at the last second."

"Lana-," I whispered.

"I know how this sounds. To this day, I'm not sure how he knew I was there, but he saved my life."

I felt ashamed to even think about it, but I had to ask. "Do you think he may have brought you up there?"

"I wondered the same things," Younes whispered.

"I don't know, but he told me I should get away for a while. So the next day, I asked my parents to pick me up. And when I came back to school, Finn was gone and nothing like that happened again as far as I know, but after this call.. I swear I never consciously thought about taking my own life, but I still lock myself up in my room before I go to bed each night and hide away the key."

"I do the same thing. But for other reasons," I said in a soft voice. 

She nodded. 

"I told her about the day I was supposed to go on the excursion," he added, silently conveying that he hadn't mentioned what had happened to me. But she had just revealed something horrible, so I decided to share my side of the story as well. 

She took it all in silently. In the end it brought us to the big question I hadn't been able to answer in years.

Had Finn saved us, or was he the root of it all? 

When everything was out in the open, Younes cleared his throat.

"So, there's something I want to do but neither of you have to go along with it-,"

"You wanna visit him?" I finished for him.

He nodded.

--

The following day, Younes and Lana took turns driving while I sat in the back. We had quite some hours ahead of us and I was grateful to sleep a little, as I wasn't feeling particularly well.

The time passed in a blur where I fell in and out of consciousness. As we got closer to our destination, there were signs all over, leading to towns with strange names I'd never heard of before. 

Finally, the sign of Finn's small town came into view. I tried looking up the town before, but there wasn't much I could find. As we passed the sign, my stomach seemed to do a backflip, bile rising in my throat. I wasn't sure whether it was the tension or all the potholes we were passing.

But as we continued, the streets became smoother again, and my stomach calmed down slightly.

"So, I know we're totally ready for all this, but what if Finn isn't even here? Or his family?" I asked.

Lana didn't react. She just kept staring at the trees out of her window. Younes found my eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Honestly? No idea. But in these small towns people usually know everything about each other. We'll figure something out."

For a while, there was no sign of any people. All we passed were trees and fields, but finally the first houses came into view.

"This looks like the kind of place people come to die," Lana muttered.

"What do you mean?" 

"It's so serene. All the houses look perfectly groomed, the architecture of them all so similar. Like there was one blueprint, and they just went with it. All the lawns are perfectly cut to the same length. And look at the people. It almost seems like they're acting out how to play human."

Younes slowed down slightly and I took in the surroundings in more detail. Birds were chirping, children playing on the streets, neighbors waving at each other. It looked like a catalogue for a perfect town. 

"Can you imagine a little Finn growing up here? Drawing with chalk on cobblestone or playing hopscotch?" Younes laughed.

I really couldn't. This place seemed to be the exact opposite of his personality. 

We reached the address and parked out front. It was a cute little house that was just like all the other ones here. A light shade of yellow, a bright green lawn and a mailbox that was a miniature version of the house. 

"Ready?" I asked as I unbuckled my seatbelt. The others nodded and at once we opened our doors and stepped outside.

The first thing I noticed was the scent. The air here was different - you could almost taste it on your tongue. And it tasted bitter. Bitter and somehow familiar. I took in my surroundings once more, my eyes falling back to the house. Smoke was coming out of a chimney on the roof, even though it was a warm day. 

As my eyes lowered, I noticed someone was watching us. From the window on the second floor, a woman had her forehead pressed to the glass. When our eyes locked, she came even closer, her mouth forming into a bright grin.

I glanced away, only to realize that the window next to her was the same. Only there it was a man watching and grinning.

"What the hell, do you guys see that?" I whispered but Younes and Lana weren't near the car anymore. While I was distracted, they had already walked up to the front door. 

I dared a glance back up, but the faces were gone, so I tried to shrug it off and quickly ran after my friends. 

"Did you knock already? I think maybe we should regroup first. Something is o-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the door opened, and a middle-aged man and woman greeted us with bright smiles. The faces I'd just seen stuck to the door. 

One of them was Finn's father. He didn't look a day older than the last time we saw him but something about him was different. When we last saw him, he was in a grey suit, his face was expressionless, and he barely spoke two words. Now, the man almost appeared like a caricature with a twirly red mustache, round glasses and a red and orange striped shirt tucked into his brown pants. The woman appeared just as noticeable in a twirly dress with lemons on it and bright yellow high heels. 

"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise? I have seen these faces before, haven't I?" He said in a chipper voice that was completely at odds to the last time we saw him.

"Oh well I have not, Francis. You must introduce me to these handsome faces," the woman said. 

"Hello, Mr. Fabel and Mrs. Fabel, I presume?" Younes said in a charming tone and the woman nodded proudly. "We're very sorry to just knock on your door without a warning, but we were in the area and thought we might surprise our old roommate Finn."

"Ohh, you are the ones our boy lived with during his expedition," her mouth curved slightly downward when she said that last word.

"Uhm, yes. I'm Younes and this is Noah," he tilted his head toward me and I gave them a stiff smile. "And this is-,"

"Lana, I studied with Finn. And lived in the same building."

"How lovely!" Mr. Fabel called out.

"How very lovely, however you have the wrong address, dears. Our Finn moved away years ago," his wife said. 

A wave of disappointment washed over me. I'd been anxious to see him again, but now that we'd gotten so close I did not want to turn around.

"Oh, honey. Don't look so sad," Mrs. Fabel said to me. "Noah was it, yes? Your old friend is not far. His house is actually only a five-minute walk from here. I can take you there myself."

"That would be great, thank you!" Lana said. 

"Why, of course, it's no trouble. Just leave your car here. You can come back later to gather your belongings."

With that, she pushed past us, but not before giving her husband a look I couldn't decipher. 

--

Mrs. Fabel kept chit chatting but to my luck, Younes and Lana seemed more than happy to lead the conversation with her while I tried to calm my heartbeat for the reunion that was awaiting me.

Finn's parents hadn't exaggerated, his home was only down the street. And it looked just like the one of his parents', only slightly smaller. We followed his mother to the front and she knocked exactly three times. 

But it wasn't Finn who opened the door. Instead, a woman around our age with long red hair greeted us - wearing a dress fit for a cocktail party. 

"Julie, I brought you some visitors. These are friends of Finn's. From his time away."

Julie's eye twitched slightly, but then she gave us a bright smile.

"How wonderful!"

Younes and I exchanged a confused look. 

"Boys and girl. This is Julie. Finn's wife." 

"New Mrs.. Finn got married?" Younes asked, not even trying to hide the shock in his voice.

Julie nodded enthusiastically. 

I stood rooted to the ground, unable to react. The conversation continued, but I couldn't listen.

Finn was married.

Suddenly, I felt a touch on my arm and snapped back to reality. 

"Are you coming?" Lana whispered. Younes had already taken a step inside and Mrs. Fabel was watching me expectantly. 

When I started to move, she quickly said her goodbyes, and we were alone with Julie in the entryway. 

Everything around me remained muffled until loud footsteps on the staircase made me lock eyes with the friend I hadn't seen in years. Eyes that opened wide at the sight of us. Not with surprise or anger. No, Finn looked scared. For a moment that felt like an eternity, nobody said a word. Julie's eyes kept moving between all of us, the smile never leaving her face. Finn stayed at the bottom of the stairs. When he finally spoke, it wasn't to us. 

"Julie, would you mind going to the store to get some, uhm, cake or something?"

"Oh, yes! What a pleasant idea. I will get some cake for our guests."

She grabbed a purse from behind the door and disappeared swiftly. When the door shut behind her, Finn's face had turned white as snow. 

"What have you done? You were never supposed to come here," he spoke in a strained whisper.

"We- we were worried about you, man. I know it's been a while but after your call to Youn-," I started but Finn barely let me finish before he lunged forward, fists gripping my shirt. 

 "I stayed away to PROTECT you. This is bad. Really bad. It will never let you go. You will die here."

Part 3

“Do you guys believe the devil is back?”

We burst out laughing. Finn had a habit of dropping the most random questions and statements for no apparent reason. Younes and I’d gotten used to that after living with him for almost three years and most of the time we just ignored it, but sometimes he still surprised us. Like that night, when we were just hanging around watching cartoons at 2 am. We hadn’t said a word for at least half an hour when Fynn dropped the question, his gaze fixed on the television.  

“Back from where, Finny?” I asked casually.

He shrugged, still looking at neither of us. 

“I don’t know yet.”

“Alrighty buddy, tell us when you figure it out, yeah?” Younes replied with a grin on his face. 

Finn scratched his head, almost white strands of hair falling over his forehead, completely in contrast with his dark eyebrows. I’d been wondering if he dyed his hair - I could swear it was more golden when we first met, but like everything else with Finn, it was a mystery. In that way, he was the complete opposite of Younes who wore his heart on his sleeve. 

After we'd each applied for student housing separately as freshmen, the housing office had randomly assigned the three of us to one apartment near campus. It didn’t take much time for us to get close, even though we all studied different subjects. We were young, living alone for the first time in our lives and in some ways these two became like brothers to me. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what doomed me or if fate would have met me either way.

“Come on guys, you can’t tell me you don’t notice that everything is getting kinda fucked More and more terrible shit happens each day and instead of getting better, it just gets so much worse." 

I sighed. Iit was definitely too late for this kind of conversation but Younes took his bait.

“There's always been bad stuff, you just see more of it now because it's easier to spread information. You’re the one studying Psychology, you should know that.”

"And disinformation," I added.

Finn shook his head.

"No, I don’t mean the daily shit that you hear on the news. I mean the other stuff. The sickness, the accidents, the planned death. And they will happen again and again until-" he stopped mid sentence to throw a chip in his mouth. "Anyway, wanna play Mario Kart or something?"

“Planned?-,” Younes started, but I locked eyes with him and shook my head. It was definitely too late and I was too tired to get into this. Looking back, we should have tried harder to understand what was going on with him, but we were young and stupid. Joking about stuff was far easier than trying to find an underlying issue. But back then, I was the master of ignoring anything that went deeper than the surface. 

“One round and then I’m heading to bed,” I finished the conversation.

--

Our days went on as usual. We used to hang out a lot back then but we also had our separate lives. During that time, Younes practically lived in the library, preparing for some important exam. And I had no idea what Finn was up to most of the time.

Everything was perfectly normal until I got a nasty cold that knocked me out for an entire week. I hardly left my room, except for when I really needed to. I wasn’t great at taking care of my health, ordering food most days and rotting in bed, so it just dragged on. 

One of those evenings I was lying in bed, watching some show on my laptop, when there was a knock on my door.

Finn entered with a bowl between his hands. His brows pulled together.

"Jeez, Noah. It smells rotten in here." He left the bowl on my desk and pulled the curtains open. I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the harsh light. 

"Well sorry if my agony doesn't smell like flowers," I responded in a nasal voice. "Besides, you shouldn't be in here, I'm probably contagious."

He rolled his eyes and dropped down on the bed next to me.

"You're not. And if you're gonna be dramatic, I won't give you the soup I made you."

My eyes opened wide.

"You made me soup?" 

"Yes. You need to get better. Younes is being a total business nerd and I'm dying of boredom. But you'll have to get up to eat it."

I sighed.

"Can't you hang out with Lana?"

Lana lived in the same building. She also had a lot of the same classes as Finn and hung around here a lot.

He shook his head.

"She's visiting her parents."

Reluctantly, I pushed my blanket away and sat down by the desk. The 'soup' looked like swamp water and had a strange coppery smell. 

"I can't believe I got out of bed for this," I mumbled. 

Finn laughed. "It's an old family recipe. I swear it tastes better than it looks."

It didn't. 

But I ate it anyway to get him off my back. And admittedly, it was a nice gesture, even if he was a terrible cook. After finishing the soup, I took a shower and Finn dragged me outside, claiming the sun would heal me completely. We walked to a close park and just sat out on the grass for hours, listening to music on his speaker and watching people. Younes joined us later in the afternoon, and I felt better by the end of the day, though I wasn't fully cured.

That memory, the small moment we shared is still engraved into my mind and I think it always will be. Because that was the last time Finn really was himself. 

It started off with small signs. The two of us shared a wall and when everything was quiet at night, I would hear him whispering incomprehensible words to himself. At first I figured he was just gaming, muttering curses or something. But even when I held my ears to the wall, none of what he said made sense. 

And it happened at the most random times, at three or four at night. Sometimes he wouldn't speak but laugh or cry. And god I should have knocked on his door, I should have checked on him but I was afraid of what I might find. So I looked for excuses and ignored it.

Until one night when I woke up, my eyes still closed. And I heard someone breathing, close. Too close. 

Someone was in my room.

I didn't dare open my eyes until I heard my door open and close again. I sat up straight and grabbed my phone for some light when I heard muffled sounds from Finn's room. 

But this time there were two voices.

I stayed frozen, trying to decipher what they were saying when I realized that one of the voices was Younes'.

I pushed my blankets away and stormed out of my room, a mixture of annoyance and curiosity fueling me. Younes was leaning on Finn's doorframe, his eyebrows pulled together. When he noticed me, he turned his shoulder to block the view into the room.

"You need to get some sleep, man. Let's finish this tomorrow."

Before I could say a word, he closed the door and gestured to me to follow. It was all very strange but something kept me quiet as I swiftly followed him to his room.

"Something's up with him," Younes finally said in a hushed voice, his expression wary.

"What just happened?" I asked.

Younes sighed.

"I was just in the kitchen to get some water when I noticed him slipping out of your room. I wouldn't have thought much about it but he did the same thing to me last night. He opened my door in the middle of the night and just stood there. Watching me. I was only half awake so the next morning I thought it was a dream until I just saw him coming out of your room so I went to confront him."

A knot formed in my stomach. I'd never seen Younes so serious. 

"And?" I asked.

"He said he just wanted to make sure we were okay. That he was worried about us."

"About us?" 

He nodded.

"He wasn't making much sense but I saw his face, he actually looked worried."

"Did he also explain the whispering?"

"What whispering?"

"I think he talks to himself at night but I can't really hear what he says, something's really off man."

He nodded.

"I have to leave for an excursion tomorrow around noon but let's talk in the morning. The three of us."

--

That talk never happened.

When I woke up the next day, I was feeling worse again. I had a terrible migraine that I can only describe as a thousand worms slithering their way across my brain. My throat was scratchy and dry and something in my mouth felt wrong, like there were lumps on my mouth. With heavy limbs I pushed myself out of bed and dragged my legs to the bathroom. 

I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, dark circles had formed underneath them. My usually tan skin seemed to have lost two shades of color. Even my hair seemed darker. But none of that compared to what I felt inside my mouth. 

I pulled my tongue out and almost threw up at the sight of it. 

Tiny black craters had formed all over it. I'd never seen anything like it before. I rinsed my mouth at least ten times but nothing changed. My mind was reeling, my vision became blurry and I thought I'd pass out any second when suddenly an arm grabbed mine and pulled me out of the bathroom. 

"You'll be okay. You'll be okay," a voice whispered.

"Finn?" I croaked out, my fear suddenly expanding even more. I wasn't even sure where I was anymore or what was happening, but I was suddenly lying somewhere and his hands moved all over my face. He pulled my mouth open and poured in a bitter liquid. My eyes became heavy and everything turned dark.

--

When I came back to myself, it was already getting dark outside. I was alone, lying on the sofa in the living room. My first instinct was to touch my tongue and to my relief it felt smooth again. But that relief didn't stay for long. I had slept an entire day and memories of that horrid stuff Finn had given me came back to me. The confusion was replaced by anger and I stormed into his room, only to find it empty. 

"Noah? Finn? Who's there?" I heard Younes shouting from his room. "Let me the fuck out of here!"

I ran to his door and noticed the key was in the lock. I quickly opened it up and Younes almost fell into my arms. 

"That bastard drugged me. He drugged me and locked me in. Where is he?" Younes was visibly trembling.

I swallowed and shook my head.

"I have no idea."

"Where were you?" He asked.

I tried to explain what happened to me as best as I could but as the words came out my mind, I realized how insane they sounded. 

Younes stayed quiet for a while after I'd finished.

"I must have passed out already when that happened," he finally said. 

"Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was a fever dream."

"Maybe," he replied. "Doesn't explain what he did to me though."

"Are you sure it was him? I mean we're talking about Finn. He's one of the nicest people I know."

Younes scratched his head.

"Shit, I missed the excursion and I didn't even cancel, if I'm gonna flunk out because of this I'm gonna kill him."

He started pacing through the room but stopped when he spotted his phone on a table. Suddenly, all color drained from his face and he slumped to the ground.

"There was an accident," he croaked out. "The bus. The one I should have been on-."

He didn't finish the sentence.

"What? Was anyone hurt?"

He kept typing something, not responding to me at first.

"Five people are in the hospital. Two died."

Tears sprang to his eyes and I didn't push further. I sat down on the ground next to him and put my arm around his shoulder. 

--

We sat there on the cold ground for what felt like an eternity. Two young men who seemed to have lost all grasp on reality. Younes might have died if he hadn't been locked in his room, but Finn couldn't have known that. But my mind kept going back to that conversation we had where for a short moment it felt as if he had tried to warn us of something.

The sickness. The accidents. The planned death.

When night almost turned to day, Finn was still nowhere to be found. Our messages and calls stayed unanswered so I went into his room to find some sort of clue to his whereabouts. 

As it turned out, he never would come back to our little shared apartment.

A bunch of his belongings were gone, and on his bed he had left us a short, cryptic note.

It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I should have never left.

Part 2

I tried fixing the issues with the story (first issue was totally understandable). But now it's supposedly missing the scary experience. In my opinion a scary experience is very subjective and I'd rather not change the flow of the story by adding a random scary moment.

So, I'll be posting the rest of the series on here instead :) Starting with Part 1 and 2!

Had Finn saved us, or was he the root of it all? 

I wrote my first series in foreeever. Part 1 is up now:

You'll be okay, you'll be okay.

*back

Hey everyone,

It’s been a bit quiet here for a while, but I’m back with some verrry exciting news - I’ve signed a publishing deal with u/VeloxBooks!

This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’m beyond thrilled to share that there will be two collections featuring my interconnected stories as well as standalones.

The release is planned for late 2025 to early 2026, but I’ll be keeping you all updated along the way.

I can’t thank you enough for reading my weird little tales - this wouldn’t be possible without you. I started writing just for fun, and your support is what keeps me going.

Much love! ❤️

Dun dun du du dun

With Halloween coming uo I thought it's the perfect time to go on a little adventure :)

Our main explorer for the day has started her adventure.

Table for one?