No Signal

No Signal

The road stretched endlessly before them, a ribbon of asphalt winding through dense forests shrouded in mist. Anna gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white. Beside her, Ryan fiddled with the map on his phone, squinting at the screen as if sheer willpower could coax the device to load.

“Still nothing?” Anna asked, her voice taut.

Ryan shook his head. “No signal. It’s like we’ve driven into a black hole.”

"Fine," Anna groaned, annoyance gathering within. The sun was dipping down below the trees; with it, crept into her mind a slow certainty that they were indeed very lost. A camping weekend, which had begun promisingly as a romance-filled escape, was quickly degenerating into a logistical fiasco. They had missed their left turn three hours prior; the GPS hadn't picked up since then.

“There has to be a town nearby,” Ryan said, though his tone lacked conviction. “Let’s just keep going. We’ll hit something eventually.”

Anna nodded, though unease gnawed at her. The forest seemed alive, its towering trees leaning closer, their branches clawing at the car like skeletal fingers. The headlights carved a narrow path through the encroaching darkness, but beyond that, the woods were an impenetrable void.

Just then another twenty miles through trees in semi-hapless gloom, suddenly and on my right side a sign looms forth in the darkness: Raven's Hollow – Population 437.

"Finally." said Ryan with a shudder of relief. "Stop and ask for the bloody road signs."

The town as if out of the sea-mist materialized at an angle, cobblestones shining wet, glowing yellow gas lamps flicker in the shadows. Older than the houses were - a long way back as a matter of fact is a step.

Anna pulled into the town square and parked near a small diner. A sign above the door read Martha's Place in peeling paint. Inside, warm yellowed lights beckoned.

"This looks promising," Ryan said, already unbuckling his seatbelt.

Anna hesitated. Something about the town felt off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The streets were eerily quiet, without people or movement. Even the air seemed heavier here, thick with an indefinable tension.

"You coming?" Ryan asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," she said, forcing a smile. "Let's go.

The diner's bell jingled as they stepped inside. The interior was just as antiquated as the rest of the town, with red vinyl booths and a jukebox in the corner. A woman stood behind the counter, her back to them as she wiped down a coffee pot.

"Excuse me," Ryan said. "We're a little lost. Can you help us?"

The woman slowly turned, her movements almost mechanical. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes sunken. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Lost, are you?" she said, her voice raspy. "Not many folks pass through Raven's Hollow these days."

"We're trying to find the main highway," Anna said. "Do you know how far it is from here?"

The woman's smile failed. She looked toward the window, as if expecting to see someone there. "The highway… it's… hard to say. Roads around here can be tricky at night."

"Can we use your phone?" Ryan asked. "Ours aren't getting any signal."

Her expression darkened. "No phones here. Signal doesn't reach this far out."

Anna looked at Ryan, then back at the woman. "Well, do you have a map we could borrow?

The woman hesitated, then nodded. "I might have something in the back. Wait here." She disappeared through a door behind the counter, leaving them alone.

"This place is creepy," Anna whispered.

Ryan shrugged. "Small towns are always weird. She'll be back in a minute."

But the woman didn’t return. Minutes stretched into an uncomfortable eternity. The diner’s silence was oppressive, broken only by the faint hum of the jukebox. Anna stood, her nerves fraying.

“I’m going to check,” she said.

“Anna, wait—” Ryan began, but she was already moving.

Through the door at the rear of the counter she pushed herself into a narrow hall. Here she felt colder air, and noticed a small smell of mold. "Hello?" she called.

There was silence.

She moved further and passed doors that closed out of the hall at the bottom where she came to a small staircase. A dim flame flickered below casting ghostly shadows.

"Anna?" Ryan's voice came from behind her, startling her. She turned to see him standing in the doorway, his expression a mix of concern and irritation.

"She's not back there," Anna said. "But there's something downstairs. I think she might be there."

Ryan frowned. "Maybe we should just leave."

Anna hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her to turn around, to get back in the car and drive as far from Raven's Hollow as possible. But curiosity won out. "Let's just take a quick look."

Reluctantly, Ryan followed as she descended the stairs. The creaking steps echoed loudly, each one amplifying their presence. Down there, they found a basement that was dimly lit. Shelves lined the walls, filled with jars of preserved food and ancient tools. Centered in the room was an old rotary phone, its receiver off the hook, the cord swaying slightly as if recently disturbed.

This is freaky," Ryan said. "Really freaky."

Anna moved toward the phone, her heart racing. She picked up the receiver and held it to her ear. Static crackled lightly, punctuated by a low, rhythmic hum.

"What the hell?" she breathed.

Ryan pulled on her arm. "Let's go. Now."

Before she could answer, the basement door slammed shut. Both of them turned to look, panic spiking. Heavy footsteps thumped down from above, slow and deliberate.

"Who's there?" Ryan shouted.

No response.

The basement lights flickered and died, plunging them into darkness. Anna patted about for her phone; she flicked it on by accident. The beam cut across the dimness, and it only did a little for the stifling atmosphere.

"We need to get out of here," Ryan said, his voice shaken.

Anna nodded, her throat too dry to speak. They moved toward the stairs, but as they ascended, the footsteps above grew louder, heavier, as if whatever was up there was coming closer.

When they reached the top, the door wouldn't budge. Ryan threw his weight against it, but it held firm. "It's locked," he said, panic rising.

A noise came from behind them that made Anna freeze. It was faint at first, soft scraping, but it grew louder, more insistent. She turned the flashlight toward the source and saw a figure emerging from the shadows. It was the woman from the diner, but her features were distorted, her limbs jerking unnaturally as she moved.

Her mouth opened, and a guttural, otherworldly sound escaped. "You shouldn't have come here.

Ryan grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her down the stairs. They ran, their steps echoing in the small space. The basement seemed to stretch on forever now, its walls closing in. Behind them, the woman twisted form gave chase, moving inhumanly fast.

They forced through another door, ending up in a tunnel of thin width. The air was cold and damp, the walls moist and slippery. Anna's flashlight began to falter, its beam struggling against the stifling darkness.

"Move!" Ryan pushed forward.

The tunnel seemed to extend on into infinity, twisting off in every direction. The woman's footsteps chased them around, echoing without definition. Anna's lungs were on fire, her legs shuddering beneath her, but she could not stop.

Finally, they came out into a cavernous chamber. In the center of it stood an altar, surrounded by candles that flame. There were strange, incomprehensible symbols, etched into the floor of stone, but oddly disturbing.

"What is this place?" Anna whispered.

Ryan didn't respond. His eyes were stuck on the far wall, on which a huge door stood like a monolith. It was made of black metal and had carvings all over it that seemed to twist and writhe in the candlelight.

"We have to keep going," he said, moving toward the door.

As they came closer, the symbols on the floor began to glow with a sickly green light. A deep, resonant hum filled the room, vibrating through their bones. The door creaked open, revealing an abyss beyond.

Anna paused, but the sound of footsteps behind them sent her walking again. They stepped through the doorway, and the world seemed to tilt. The air grew colder, heavier, pressing against them from all sides.

They emerged into a landscape that defied comprehension. The sky was a swirling mass of black and red, and the ground beneath their feet was uneven and slick, like the surface of some immense, rotting creature. In the distance, towering shapes moved, their forms indistinct but undeniably alive.

“What is this place?” Anna asked, her voice barely audible over the wind that howled like a chorus of tormented souls.

Ryan shook his head, his face pale. "I don't know. But we need to find a way out."

As they stumbled forward, the doorway behind them disappeared, leaving only the alien landscape. The realization hit Anna like a punch to the gut: they were trapped.

In the distance, a figure appeared out of swirling mist. It was tall and gaunt, with glowing eyes that had an unnatural sheen to them. The hand it raised, skeletal fingers long and curved like scythes, pointed straight at them.

The ground began to rumble beneath their feet and crackled with a sound that had no equal to thunder.

Shadows surged toward them, twisting like living smoke.

But there was nowhere to run. Shadows closed in on them, touch cold and suffocating. Anna's flashlight flickered out, plunging them into total darkness.

And then there was nothing.