I was hesitant to knock.

the door seemed to be radioactive, the yellow light above me making the door look as if it glowed in the dark. I huddled, my long sleeve black shirt hugging my arms, failing to keep warmth under my skin.the wind whipped around my ears and nose, making it seem like snakes were wriggling off my head.was going to freeze out here if I didn't let them take me in. my white knuckles rapped on the wood, a hollow echo following. at first, I was only met with the sound of rain falling on stone. then, I heard the heavy steps of a large woman tromping down the hall towards the door I stood behind. I saw the knob jiggle and for a moment, and my heart stopped. my instincts told me to run, to camouflage into the trees if I could. but I had already knocked.

A fat lady answered the door. she wore a frilly blue dress that clung to her stomach and hips, along with small shoes that didn't fit her completely. her hair was an unnatural yellow, which was slightly tacky, and looked as if she had peeled off wallpaper and glued it to her balding head. her makeup was piled on, making her look like a model that let herself go. but... I could tell she was nice. when she saw me, she placed a thick hand to her bright red-lipped mouth.

"my... I didn't think we would have company so late in the night. come in come in, you'll freeze out there."

her voice wasn't loud, which was a surprise, and it had a slight country slang in it that you could notice right off the bat.

" my name is Jane. welcome."

jane held the door open for me as my meal and tired legs threw me inside. I was sure she lifted me up at some moment to stop me from falling on the dark wooden tiles.

"t-thank you...."

she closed the door behind me, and I felt...

warm.

immediately, it was a welcoming feeling, like ...

hope.

"anything I can getcha' ?"

"no.. thankyou."

jane draped an arm around my shoulder, as I finally lifted my head to peer around the room.

it was old, however very inviting.

the wallpaper was orange and brown, like a marmalade color. above it was a smaller type of chandelier that was entangled with diamonds and woven gold. there was a long maroon carpet across the floor, like an elegant river of copper flowing through the cracks of the plastic. there was an open door to my left, which jane was slowly pushing me towards.

"where... where are we going...?"

she didn't answer, instead, pushing me with only a single percentage of her strength. i honestly did try to restist.

but then I smelt food.

i hadn't eaten ... in... in countless days.

she wasn't even pushing me anymore.

she was tailing behind me as I followed the smell through the door.