Here is my entry!
(
just a little music to enhance your reading experience lmao because it's kind of weird but the music is nice so maybe it'll make my writing seem nicer!)
---
The full autumn moon hung low in the sky, it's ethereal glow casting shadows that danced in the darkness. It was absolutely silent other than the distant crashing of waves upon sand, and the buzzing of a dimming street lamp that sat outside of a dreary train station. A crisp breeze rustled the leaves of hues of orange and red, although the colors were muted by the darkness that enveloped the sleepy town. Well, it wasn't much of a town to be realistic. There was a consignment store that sat in a patch of dirt, weeds popping up between cracks in the stone that paved the entrance to the now abandoned shop. It's windows were crudely boarded up, and a "CLOSED. FOREVER." sign flapped loosely in the wind against a door with peeling paint. A few paces west of the empty shop there was a stone building with light seeping out of the windows and the crack in between the door and the ground. Inside, a dog with thick yellow fur sat behind a desk twiddling her fingers. There were stains underneath her eyes that ran down her cheeks where tears had once fallen, but she had done nothing to conceal them. She remained relatively still in her seat, although every time her eye caught a flicker of movement outside the window, such as a rogue leaf riding the breeze, her eyes would light up and her tail would start wagging. These fits only lasted a few seconds, and afterwards she would return to her sullen stationary position.
This night was not unlike any other in this place; silent. That is, until the distant rumble of a train on the tracks began to fill the silence, and every creature turned it's ears to see what, or rather who, was arriving. The dog with the thick yellow fur jumped out of her seat, and ran as fast as her short legs could carry her to the train station, an old lantern in her hand to provide light for the journey. Halfway to her destination though, she stopped mid-step, her ears swiveling to the right to investigate a sound. She scanned her surroundings, but it was so dark she could only see within the radius of light her lantern provided. What had she heard? Whispers? Or merely the wind? She clutched the lantern closer, and her expression became solemn. She stood there like that for a moment, her gaze trained on the ground in an act of pondering, and then continued about her way.
When the dog arrived at the train depot, the train itself was still a ways off. Despite this, she entered anyways. A weary monkey clutching his hat behind a ticket booth looked at the dog, bewildered. "Isabelle", he gasped. "Do you think it could be?" Isabelle offered a weak smile, and shrugged. "Who else would it be, Porter?" Porter scrambled for words, blubbering. "I mean, I don't know!- we
are the only town this far down the circuit, so it's not like they could be visiting anywhere else, and... who else could it be?" As soon as Porter finished his sentence, the train pulled up, it's brakes hissing. Isabelle adjusted her shirt and swallowed a lump in her throat, her heart lurching. She didn't think she'd live to see this day, even though she hoped for nothing more than to be able to. The doors opened slowly with a prolonged squeak, and a pretty young woman stepped out and into the station. She had short black hair and wide blue eyes that were framed by a pair of glasses. She held a small suitcase in one hand, the other fidgeting with her dress. For a few moments, they all stood in a group looking at each other, searching for words. None of them knew exactly what to say.
It was Isabelle who first broke the silence. "Welcome back, Alice." She wanted to finish her statement with some kind of snarky comment, but she restrained herself, not wanting to seem out of character. Alice looked at Isabelle, and then around the rest of the building. "Hey, Isabelle. Some welcome-back party, huh? Well, at least you're here, right?" She retorted with a sideways smile. Isabelle smiled and placed her hand on Alice's to quiet her fidgeting. "I'll always be there for you Alice, you know that." The words echoed through Alice's mind, and she nodded, her smile fading. "Seriously, though. Where is everyone? Sleeping? It's only, what... 10? 10:30 at most. I mean, I get it if Molly is sleeping... but what about Jacques? Fang? Those guys are real night owls, you know what I'm saying?" Isabelle watched Alice as she spoke, her face callous throughout the duration of the spiel. "You'd like to know where they are, Alice?" Alice laughed dryly. "Yeah, I'd like to know where they are." Isabelle nodded slowly, and raised her lantern. "Well, all right then. Follow me."
Together, Isabelle and Alice walked through the dry husks of long grass and weeds, Alice glancing around restlessly. "Where are we? Isn't this where Annalise's house is supposed to be? Isabelle, did she move?" Isabelle remained silent, and continued leading Alice through the desolate town. Alice stopped, watching as Isabelle continued ahead. "...Isabelle?" The dog turned around, her eyebrows knit together. "You want to know where they are? The others?" She asked maliciously, walking closer towards Alice. "I thought you would have heard them by now!" Alice frowned in confusion, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking abo-?" Isabelle shoved the lantern into Alice's arms, and whipped her around so Alice's back was touching her chest. "Listen, listen to their voices... every night they call to you. They scream your name, Alice." Alice broke free of the dog's tight grip, laughing in disbelief. "What are you talking about?? I don't hear anything but the wi-"... Alice stopped, her face falling. She turned around slowly and raised her lantern to the darkness, her heart stopping. "...what was that?"
Soon, voices began to fill their ears, carried in on the breeze. "Where were you, Mayor?", "We needed you... You weren't there! You were never there!", "Why did you leave us, Alice?", "I missed you... did you miss me?". Alice stumbled backwards, reaching for Isabelle. "Isabelle, what's happening? Help!" Her arms grasped at air, missing the dog by nearly a mile. "Isabelle!" She grabbed again, once again getting nothing. Shadows began to creep out from the darkness and crawl towards Alice, and she screamed in terror, tears of confusion and fear filling her eyes. "ISABELLE!", she shrieked once more, her voice cracking as she turned around to face her friend.
But Isabelle wasn't there.