When they approached the gates, Leena felt a familiar pull in her heart, one that told her she should run and never come back here. Her feet started to become heavy, taking all of her will to keep up with Bo. Then they stopped moving completely. Bo stepped in front of her, hand motioning for her to wait,

The gates suddenly seemed taller than she remembered, darker and more forbidding. An eerie miasma emanated from the town, wisping up into the sky like smoke that quickly dissipated before it hit the clouds. There were no fires, no lights, no sounds. The silence was excruciatingly jarring. A smell like that of blood was picked up on the wind.

A shrill shriek hit her eardrums, and Leena’s heart stopped. Bo touched her arm, drawing her attention.

“Leena, let me talk, okay?” Bo said, his voice muffled.

Crunchy footsteps.

“Who goes there!” shouted a voice, like that of a lion.

“Two travelers!’ Bo shouted back, “We come for goods!”

“Oh…I don’t like this, Bo,” Leena murmured.

Crunchy footsteps.

Several men brandishing axes and knives appeared as if from a fog, like shadows into light. Their clothes clung to them, draping raggedly over limbs and bodies. Their hair was clumped against their heads, grayed and frizzed. Their bodies stumbled as if in a stupor.

“Travelers? Travelers?” one of them said, “Travelers, they say! What do you see, Heinrich?”

The man named Heinrich hunched over and squinted at them, approaching both of them at alarming speed. His feet seemed to suck into the road and release with a crackly sound at each step.

Bo clenched his fist. Leena watched in horror as the ghost of a man ran at them, knife glued to his hand.

His eyes were black.

Heinrich stopped just short of Bo, crouching a bit low and sniffing.

“Mmm…I smell girl,” he said, his voice like that of a cow, deep and whining.

“Have you goods to sell in this town?” Bo asked, sticking a hand up. Heinrich peered around Bo, staring straight at Leena. She felt the cold enter her, and she gripped the talisman Bo had given her hard in her hand, feeling a warmth.

“We’d take her,” Heinrich replied.

“I’m afraid she is not for sale,” said Bo carefully enunciating every word.

Heinrich’s face broke into a grin, yellow teeth jagged and loose.

“I said, we’d take her.”

Leena screamed as Heinrich plunged his knife at Bo. Bo gritted his teeth, his back to her. The air turned colder and colder.

Was he stabbed? Was he okay? Leena could not see.

Bo punched Heinrich and turned his head to her as the other men began running towards them, eyes black and weapons raised with shrieking war cries.

“Run,” he screamed, “Run!” She turned and ran, abandoning Bo to the wild men.

Run.

Her feet hit the cold road. Wind blew up behind her as if pushing her along.

Run.

Her ears were filled with chaos.

Run.

She hit something, falling backwards. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Leena scrambled to turn around, to look behind her.

No one was there.

The screeching of the men had faded.

She let out a single wail.

She abandoned Bo. What was she thinking? She knew it was a bad idea to go. Why did this happen? She was so stupid. She just...didn’t remember. Until now. She forgot the town had fallen into…whatever it fell into. She should have just stayed away like Grandfather told her to. Bo protected her. Now Bo…What happened to Bo?

She felt at the pendant in her pocket. A slow warmth spread through her from her fingers to her core like melted gold. She felt a subtle determination. Grabbing at her knife in her pocket, she started jogging back.

Clouds were gathering in the sky, darkening the world. Thunder rumbled, breaking the single sound of her footsteps.

She saw a figure up the road and slowed a bit, flipping out her knife. Her whole body was on fire, her legs and arms shaking from exhaustion.

“It’s me, Leena,” the figure said, “It’s Bo.” As he approached, she saw it was Bo, striding slowly towards her with a slight limp. His shirt was torn a bit on the shoulder, and his face looked like that of a ghost, but there was no blood. Leena ran towards him, pocketing her knife.

“What…What happened? Are you okay?” she babbled, waggling her arms, wanting to touch him but also wanting to keep her distance.

He sighed deeply, eyes turning towards the tree line.

“They’re too far gone. It’s no use. We have to go. I couldn’t talk to them at all.” His voice was monotonous, distant, and Leena felt the chill hit her soul.

“Here, hold your pendant,” she said, offering it to him.

“No, I’m fine,” he replied, pushing her hand away, “We need to leave. There might be more.”

“More what?”

“More townspeople coming. I managed to fend off the gang. Killed two of them. Is there anything you need at your grandfather’s house?”

“I can’t…I can’t leave Grandfather.”

“It’s too late for him. He’s almost as gone as the rest.”

“No, he’s…he’s fine,” Leena stammered, clutching her hands to her chest. Bo stared at her darkly. Rain started to fall, tapping them as if to warn them to move quickly before the downpour.

“Do you want to stay here when the townspeople come for you?” he asked.

“N-no…” she said quietly.

“Then come with me.” She hesitated. The rain became heavier.

“You’re asking me…” she started, “to leave the one place I know, the one place I grew up in. The place where my father died, my sister died, my grandmother died. You’re asking me to abandon my grandfather who…can’t take care of himself. And I only barely met you yesterday.” Bo frowned.

“You…I’ve…No. Okay, look. Your mother wants to see you,” he said, waving his hands, “If you want to see her before…before she dies, you have to come with me. You won’t get another chance.”

“Just…let’s go back to the house,” she said, reluctant to make a decision. Bo rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Fine,” he said, “But you’ll see what I mean about your grandfather when we get back.”

She followed him quickly towards the house. The rain was getting heavier, and their clothes were soaked to the skin. Bo went up to the door first, motioning Leena to wait a moment.

He knocked.

Footsteps blended in with the rain, disguised by a sudden clap of thunder.

Grandfather answered the door, scowling, with an axe in hand.

His eyes were black.