Into the Deepest of Territories

Into the deepest of Territories

Campfire ghost story challenge

By: Barbara Reno

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. To my dismay I wondered if it were because I lacked the visual of always thinking it was just as I saw it, so many days before the big devastation; or until it became an expectation of my imagination or visual concept knowing that there was no one around these parts of the woods for the past 35 years.

Not quite knowing whether or not this was indeed a visual engardiation of my mind and that I’ve already been caught. Unknowingly that this too was a test of knowing whether or not I have indeed lost my mind completely or feeling that this very fire we sit around to which we have done so faithfully for the past 10 years is act of my brain being surged as they have taken you three away from me or if you all are real. If they already got us, assimilating what we have been doing for the past god only knows how long. Must we give up the thought and backtrace the last steps we have done? “Quick kids to the spot.”

The spot is a space in woods that takes great measure to get to, it takes multiple drills and knowing exactly what time per second that weighs the traces of our weight, done daily to see the fluctuation of the kgs matters throughout time and space. Once that trigger is activated it sends us to the next steps that will determine our living or dying.

Not since the devastation of the in 2019.

Do I actually recall anything of sortment being so truly home-like, or even normal. We also lost many hours, days or even months in this very bunker that is buried right below us. Back when the days were really of any given normalcy was back in the 90's before they introduced me to this laboratory. I wish i was never given the approval for entrance, back then curiosity was a good thing.

I remember it like it was yesterday. These days the only thing I have to try and recall is the importance of these three kids knowing that their lives must be guarded at all costs. No matter what high or low circumstance at no cost was anyone to be entrusted with what I learned and what was taken from me at that very lab.

We arrived at the entrance, the time of day was very odd; for why should I have seen that light in that window. When we know that it's well before nightfall. Any one should take cover if they wanted to survive this, but then again was it one of the kids that lit this, was it to be of a joke?, how can it be when they have been obedient for the past 10 years! Knowing that the very steps we take could cause us the very endangerment of our lives. Being exposed would wipe out completely all of the rest of our human kind.

I know this because we are the last four that are left. As we crossed the threshold of the invisible beam, my Avery looked at me as I ran back towards her. I took her by the arm and reinforced her to continue on. She did as required and we had tripped that beam like many times before and the voice activated dial tone, continued as it always has with the compile of numbers that must always be remembered, and timed so very preculatecy and with ease.

I remember my training and my breath as the two other ones file straight in line knowing that their lives depend on it. Little Avery was out of sorts. I couldn't even fathom the anxiety I was feeling within that very moment and I screamed at Avery.

“WTF is wrong with you” she started to whimper and then I knew I had crossed the line, it took me some time before I could even think about talking to her again. On my recovery I then asked the other two to watch her and report to me anything that she had to say about what I had witnessed, still not knowing whether or not in fact I was going bonkers, I went to the motherboard and dialled on the keypad “fortheloveoflifenotwar” just as I have many times before that, this was my only sense of reality whenever things went south and I could no longer recall if my dates and times were even right.

To be continued