Standing, in the darkness.
Alone, with only your dreams.
Or rather.
Your nightmares.
Could they be fiction?
Or your own reality?

kastanyas Pines, Washington. A small town out from the lively cities and locations of the country. A town of dying business and abandoned homes. It gets by, but barely thriving. It’s a simple town, but that will change. A nightmare is coming into the town. Nobody will suspect it, and when they do, it may be too late. This is a taon of something dark. What will happen? What choices will be made? Will they be for the best, or will they go wrong. The choice is up to you, reader.

*A dark night, empty, no one out, and not even a single kalye lamp on. A girl walks the streets alone, hoping to find anything, anyone, who can help her. Nothing. Not a single ounce of life in front of her. Then, a noise. A sound of something… inhuman, coming from behind her. She begins to run. She doesn’t even look back. She knows what is behind her. It has been following her for nights now. A week, almost. She knows what it is, and she doesn’t want anything to do with it. She continues running, hoping to be away from it. But, she knows, one night, she won’t be able to run anymore. And, when that night comes…*

*Alarm clock ringing, alarm sounding off in the room. A girl raises her hand, and slams the clock with her tired hands, silencing it*
Hannah: *She gets up from her bed, exhausted, but awake. She looks around her room, filled with some strewn clothes, posters, and some modern technology. She climbs out of kama and looks in the mirror. The same face she sees everyday, looking back at her. Black hair, going down to her shoulders, a thin body, wearing a T-shirt of one of her paborito bands and some boxers she wore to sleep. She sighs into the mirror, before heading out to the bathroom*

Drew: *Sitting at the table, wearing his uniform for another araw at the store, as he drinks from his mug, taking in the mapait coffee taste, as he reads from his newspaper, with no news of anything shocking hitting his mind. Just another araw in kastanyas Pines*
*Hannah came down the stairs, wearing a black dyaket over her T-shirt, a palda that went down to her knees, striped leggings and boots. She didn’t go heavy on the make-up, as she found it to be dumb regardless. She sat at the table, on the opposite side of her father, and tried to make small talk*
Hannah: So, dad, what’s the news today?
*Drew looked up from his paper at her. His brown hair combed to the side, his eyes looking at her from behind his black-rimmed glasses, his chin stubble barely appearing from behind the newspaper as he looked at her*
Drew: Nothing much. Just that Officer Marcus stopped another group of kids from stealing from the pharmacy
Hannah: Again, huh? Same old stuff, I guess.
*The conversations between them were always quiet and awkward. Hannah had never known her mother. She was told that she died giving birth to her. Hannah wish she knew her mother. She never even saw her face. All of the picture frames in the house were empty, and all of them were mostly just that of Hannah as a child. None of her mother. She wondered why, but didn’t want to ask. She asked her father many times what happened to her, but when he talks about her, he tries to change the subject, and avoids mentioning her. The clock struck 7:00 AM. It was time for Hannah to head out, and get to school*

*Hannah was on her way to the school. It was not a long trip there, but she would always take the long route. She enjoyed walking during the morning, when the sky was cloudy, just when it was about to rain. She always enjoyed the rain, but she never understood why. One of the spots that Hannah would always pass sa pamamagitan ng on her way to school was one of kastanyas Pines’ national monuments: The paruparo Graveyard. Many towns have that one thing that stands out as a legend to the town. For this town, it’s the paruparo Graveyard. Whenever a paruparo comes to kastanyas Pines, they never come out. They always come to this one spot, and for whatever reason, die in this one location. It was a small spot underneath a lamp post that never worked, at least, as long as Hannah could remember. mga paru-paro would land near the bottom of it and die from unnatural causes. It was something strange. As Hannah walked sa pamamagitan ng this one today, she could see a paruparo on the ground, already accepting it’s death, as a trail of ants marched towards the butterfly. It’s wings were clipped, it’s eyes gouged, and it’s legs ripped off sa pamamagitan ng the ants pincers. It was a graphic scene, and made Hannah sick to her stomach. She hated bugs with a passion, and begun to walk at a madami brisk pace just at the sight of them*

*7:45 AM, Jeremiah Pines High School. Named after the founder of the town, it was a simple little school. It wasn’t anything special, but it got the job done when it came to the education of the students. As Hannah was walking through the halls, she met her friends, Rebecca. Rebecca always kept her hair short, never wanting to let it grow out. Some people called her a boy, or a lesbian, but she didn’t care. She would wear a T-shirt and jeans, and try her best to just hide from the group. She and Hannah easily became friends*
Rebecca: I swear, this town is dull as hell
Hannah: I think it’s nice. It’s got a sort of charm to it
Rebecca: Hannah, towns like this don’t get sa pamamagitan ng just sa pamamagitan ng having charm. They should think about adding some places here. A dance club. Fuck, a bar at least. And I’m not talking about Todd’s. That place reeks of the fifties.
*As Hannah and Rebecca continued talking, another girl bumped into them. It was Wendy, a very nervous girl. Her black hair tied into a ponytail and her eyes always looking down behind her glasses. She never tired to wear anything but a dress sando and skirt, trying to look professional. She didn’t even apologize to Rebecca and Hannah as she ran passed them nervously, speaking to herself as she did so*
Rebecca: What the hell’s with her?
Hannah: Wasn’t that Wendy?
Rebecca: Yeah. She’s been pagganap weird recently. Weirder than usual, anyway
Hannah: What do you mean?
Rebecca: She’s usually the tuktok of her class. Always trying to get work done so she could get into a good college and get out of here. But she’s been falling asleep in class, her grades have been going south, and she’s just not been herself for who knows how long.
*Hannah looked back at her as she continued to ilipat down the hall. Hannah didn’t know what to make of it. It was definitely something strange. She hoped that she would be alright*

*Hannah sat inside Mr. Franklin’s classroom. First name, Andrew, Mr. Franklin was a teacher that everyone looked up to. He seemed to really care for his students, almost in a way that seemed fatherly. He taught creative writing, a class that Hannah took every taon to help her calm down and write her emotions on paper. Wendy was also a part of this class, and as Hannah’s eyes trailed over to her, she could see her falling into a sleep, her head nodding off. Mr. Franklin could see her, but choose to let her, sensing a sort of stressful night for her*
Mr. Franklin: Confucius once said, ‘Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail’. We have all done something that we failed at, even your glorious Mr. Franklin has at points
*A slight chuckle came from the class*
Mr. Franklin: But, I bring this up, because there are points where, yes, you will fail, and you have to do what you can to raise from that failure and learn from it, and keep on going
*In a brief moment, Wendy woke up with a scream. She shouted loudly, shaking in fear, as she continued to shout, startling the class. As soon as she looked up, seeing where she was, she looked around and, without a word, made her way out of the class. Mr. Franklin excused himself and followed after her to check on her. Hannah watched from the window on the door to see Wendy lean against the pader and bury her head in her lap*

*Classes had ended and school was done for the day. Hannah and Rebecca were heading outside*
Hannah: Hey, my dad’s going to be working overtime today. Do you think it’s okay if I hang out at your place
Rebecca: *She looked at the ground nervously as she scratched the back of her neck* Yeah, sorry Hannah. I don’t think tonight’s a good night. I have to help my dad with cleaning his tools
*The excuse sounded farfetched and dumb, especially with Rebecca’s tone of voice, but Hannah didn’t tanong it. She knew that Rebecca had other things to do during the night, so she didn’t bother asking*
Hannah: That’s fine. I’ll just be at my usual spot
Rebecca: God. You mean that weird spot where the mga paru-paro die. That places scares the shit out of me
Hannah: I think it’s poetic in a way. Something like a paruparo dying. It’s philosophical in a sense
Rebecca: You’re weird, you know that?
Hannah: Shut up. I’ll see you later
*With that, the two parted ways, and Hannah was on her way to the spot she always go to. As she was, though, she was stopped sa pamamagitan ng the sound of someone’s voice*
???: Hey, you there
*Hannah stopped and forced herself to turn around. She was greeted with William, the school security guard. He had a habit of blaming students for small things, and she knew that even she, someone who tried to avoid the eyes of everyone in school, couldn’t avoid him for long*
Hannah: What is it, William?
William: A student in this school, Wendy Autumn, she’s been pagganap strange recently. I think that he must be getting bullied sa pamamagitan ng someone. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who would do that.
*Hannah knew that, due to her attire, she didn’t look the most trustworthy. She looked at William and spoke in a serious tone*
Hannah: So you think I did it?
William: I don’t think anything yet. Not until I have all the evidence I need
Hannah: Well, I didn’t do it, so I need to get going
*As she began to walk away, William stood in front of her*
Hannah: Do I have to yell for a real police officer?
William: Listen here, little girl. You better not be hiding anything from me. I’ll find out if you are, so you’d best confess while you still have the chance
Hannah: I don’t have anything to confess, alright? And don’t call me little girl
*With one last hard look, she passed William and made her way to her location*

*As Hannah made her way to her location, she could see some people out on the streets, talking with each other. Some of them were grown adults, sitting on the porch, talking amongst themselves. Others were children, playing in the autumn weather. Hannah could hear several conversations as she passed sa pamamagitan ng the people. Some about how Marcus is doing his best to keep this town safe, with others about Diana Hearthway, the richest woman in town, was looking for a suter. It was mostly gossip, stuff that Hannah was never interested in. She continued walking down the leaf covered streets until she came to her spot. The old, rusted lamp post with the paruparo corpses underneath. The paruparo Graveyard. As Hannah was ready to sit down and start writing, a strange sight came to her. It was a small butterfly, with blood red wings, that landed on the ground. It was unlike anything she had seen before, the patterns on it’s wings almost like a strange language to her. But, it would die soon, Hannah thought to herself. But the paruparo stood there, it’s wings fluttering every now and then. Before she knew it, the paruparo flew up and, to her surprise, landed on the back of her hand. The paruparo rested there, gently brushing its legs against her. Hannah watched, surprised that the thing was still alive, before it finally flew off of her hand and away from her sight. She was amazed at what she saw, but she brushed it off, and went back to writing.

*The sky turned to night in what felt like segundos Hannah decided to stay out a little longer, knowing her father wouldn’t be back until later in the evening. She decided to enjoy herself for the time being, sitting on a bench across from the paruparo Graveyard. She enjoyed staying out at night, letting the cold air of the night brush against her skin. However, tonight was different. She couldn’t get the thought of the paruparo out of her mind. She wondered why it didn’t die and how it touched her, and how it felt… strange. She never felt a paruparo touch her, but she believed that they wouldn’t feel like a person’s cold hands brushing against them. She continued to stay in thought, until her mind became a haze. She didn’t expect to feel so tired so soon, but she decided that the best course of action was for her to head home. She got up from bench and made her way back home, before she saw a strange light. The light from the lamp post of the paruparo Graveyard had turned on. It was never meant to be working, but there it was, on, for her to see. And underneath the light, was a strange figure. It appeared shirtless, and it’s face hidden. Hannah didn’t know what to make of it, until it’s back split open, and a pair of bony wings came from its flesh. As Hannah watched in shock and fear, the creatures face was almost clear to her. All she could see where it’s eyes. Black, empty, and soulless, filled with nothing but hate. For her, or for someone else, she didn’t know. But she knew that the creature was aware of her. But, before she could react in any way, she awoke, her head leaning against the park bench, and the light from the lamp post turned off, and the creature gone. A dream, it seemed. She must have fallen asleep on the bench. She shook it off and got up, making her way home. She got a couple of feet down the road, passing down one of the shopping areas in town, where most places were closed. As she did so, she saw a strange purple glow coming from down an alleyway between an apartment building and a computer store. She looked down to see a single door with neon sign in purple lights that read “The Enigma”. A bar, it seemed. Hannah had never heard of this place, and she knew every inch of kastanyas Pines. She didn’t want to be associated with a place like that, and just made her way back home*

*Hannah climbed into her bed, and was already drifting off to sleep. As her eyes began to feel heavy and her mind already hazy, she saw the image in her mind. The black eyes staring at her. When she saw them looking back at her, she immediately shot up, and looked around the room. But, this room wasn’t the same as before. It was a new place. She was in her usual attire instead of her clothes she slept in, and her room looked like a burned building, charred with ash and scorch marks everywhere. She stood up from her bed, now a pile of ashes against her, as she looked outside the window. It wasn’t just her house. It was the entire town. The entire town was decayed and burnt, almost like it had been abandoned for years. Hannah made her way down the stairs, telling herself that all of this was just a dream. She didn’t see her father anywhere, and assumed that this had to be a dream, without a doubt. She stepped outside, looking at the world around her. The sun was gone, and the sky was blackened sa pamamagitan ng a thick, black fog. The ground was cracked and the trees were dead. Not a speck of life could be seen. Hannah made her way through the barren world that was once kastanyas Pines, hoping, she could find someone she recognized. As she continued walking, a scream could be heard from one of the houses down a few blocks. She was startled sa pamamagitan ng the sudden sound of another person, but was also relieved. She was glad that there was someone else here, and she did what she could to follow the scream. The sound came from a house further than Hannah expected, but she still did what she could to find the pinagmulan and get there to see if it was a familiar face that she could be with until she woke up. As she made her way down the road, she didn’t expect to see someone following her. The sounds of their feet slowly clapping against the road both frightened and relaxed Hannah, knowing that another person was here. She turned to greet them, only to be met with a horrifying sight. The person, or what she thought was a person, had a no arms, and very stubby legs, barely keeping the bloated torso up, as the creature looked at her. The most disturbing feature was the face of the creature, making a hollowed face of agony, with the head wearing, what looked like, extra layers of flesh, to make it seem madami like a human face, but with no facial features on it at all. The creature began to lumber towards Hannah, who ran in the opposite direction of the creature in response. She needed to find out who else was here as soon as possible and hopefully wake up soon. As she got closer and closer to the house, madami of the same creatures began to walk towards Hannah, some of them with different body proportions, such as some having breasts and others being of different heights and sizes. Hannah just ran, not wanting to look at the grotesque creatures, and made her way to the house that she believed, she heard the scream from. As she opened the door, she saw Wendy, standing on a chair, as mirrors surrounded her. Her reflection could be seen in the mirror, only, it wasn’t her. It was a creature, it’s face mutilated in a horrifying fashion, with no eyes, it’s upper lip torn upward passed where it’s nose should be, and covered in scars. The body was dressed in what looked like a revealing uniform, with large breasts and a short skirt. They all seemed to be copying Wendy, standing on a chair. As Wendy stood there, she stepped off the chair, ready to kick it off. Hannah rushed over to her, hoping that she could help. As Hannah got close, Wendy kicked the chair back, and fell from it, but was stopped in mid air, a snap was heard as she was stopped. And then, the world disappeared in front of Hannah*

*Hannah woke up in her old room, in her sleeping attire, in a room that wasn’t burned, with the sun hitting her eyes, not gone from the world. Hannah, however, was in a sweat, nervous as to what she just witnessed. It was a Saturday, so there was no school today. For some reason, the dream made her worry about Wendy. She knew where she lived, sa pamamagitan ng assuming that the dreams were similar to the real kastanyas Pines. Hannah began to think that she was crazy to think that it was real, and that a dream could point her in the right direction. She told herself that it was a dream and that Wendy is fine, and she only came up in a dream because Hannah was worried about her. But, a small part of her wanted to check on her to see if she was okay.*