The sun shone brightly through the trees, highlighting the golden colors of the fall leaves. I’d been on the road for 2 days and had spent the last 8 hours fighting my way thought a freak snowstorm that has blanketed snow across much of the Midwest with the system dipping down into Kentucky just enough to make life miserable. Thankfully it had shifted north as I went south and as I made my way to the TN/NC state line, the sun had come out full force and made the snow a distant memory.
As I twisted around the mountain roads, my radio signal faded out and soon there was only static. I flipped the radio off and as my eyes shifted back to the road, I caught a glint of metal in the sun. ‘Is that a car?’ I thought to myself as I got closer. The GPS didn’t show any places to stop along this road, so I was caught off guard as I came up to an opening in the trees and saw a small structure, almost a shack, set back from the road. There were four cars in the lot and a small chimney near the back of the place was puffing smoke out. There was a small sign at the road that read “All Welcome! Stop in and say ‘HI!’” The paint on the sign was faded, like it had been there for years.
I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but I pushed it aside. I hadn’t had a break in hours and driving through that snow had really taken it out of me. I pulled into the lot and parked next to a navy blue SUV. I noticed it was filthy and didn’t look like it had been washed in years. Where was I? But when I looked back at my own car, it wasn’t much better, covered in black dirt packed on from the snow and its aftermath. I took a deep breath and continued walking to the front door. There was a small porch with a couple chairs and a footstool sitting to the left of the door. Cobwebs and dirt covered the surfaces and caused my anxiety to flair up again.
‘Just breath Erin!’ I thought to myself. ‘This place is in the middle of nowhere, it’s outside, exposed to everything, its normal for there to be dirt and cobwebs! CALM DOWN!’
As I finished that thought, the door opened, and I was greeted by a woman who had a smile the size of Mt Rushmore plastered on her face. I started to turn to leave when she grabbed my hand and said, ‘Come in, come in! There’s plenty of room! Don’t go, we’re just getting started for the day!’ As I stepped into the little entryway, I looked around. Magazines, books, and newspapers were stacked and lined up along the walls. I glanced at the date on the newspaper on top of one of the stacks, ‘November 8, 1953’…Jesus, don’t people know it’s unhealthy to hold onto shit like that forever? With her hand still holding mine, the woman guided me through the doorway into an open room that looked like it had been a living room at some point.
Pictures still hung on the walls and carpet still lined the floor around a counter that had been set up in front of a back wall. There were tables and chairs scattered around the room, in an attempt to make the space look inviting, although failing.
As I looked around and continued to take in my surroundings, the woman appeared to my left, with a cup of coffee in her hand. ‘Drink this hot coffee dear. It’ll warm you up and relax you after your long trip,’ she said as she forced the cup into my hand. She watched me, eyes locked on mine, almost willing me to drink. Not wanting to be rude, I took a small sip and smiled. That seemed to appease her and she turned and walked back to the counter. As soon as she turned, I quickly spit the coffee back into the cup. It had tasted like she had made it back in 1953, no way I could stomach an entire cup.
Suddenly, I was aware of how quiet it was in the room, how there were no other people out here. Where were the people whose cars were out front? Why didn’t I hear them at least? I quickly set the cup down and made a be-line towards the door. As my hand gripped the knob, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I cried out in surprise and spun around. There was the woman who had brought me in, but her Mt Rushmore smile had been replaced with an ugly scowl. ‘It’s VERY impolite to not finish your drink and try to sneak off without PAYING!’ she half-screeched at me. My eyes immediately went to the floor in shame. What the hell was wrong with me? I definitely needed a break and this place might be old and dirty, but it was a place to rest and get my bearings again. ‘I apologize ma’am. I’m just anxious to get back on the road,’ I said as I reached for my wallet. ‘How much do I owe you for the coffee?’. I looked up at her and she was smiling that huge, unnerving smile again. ‘Just a quarter my dear, we’re not trying to get rich, but have to buy our supplies one way or another,’ she said as she slowly turned and walked back to the counter.
I followed and laid a $1 bill on the counter in front of her. ‘Here, this is all I have, please keep the change. I’m sorry I almost left without paying.’ And started to back up towards the door again. ‘Oh dear, you are TOO generous! Please come sit a spell and talk with me!’ I noticed that she had taken a step in my direction with every word. She was closer now and looked like she might jump on me. Something was definitely not right here; all my alarm bells were going off and my body was about to take flight. All I wanted – no NEEDED – to do was get away from this place. The woman came another step closer, keeping with mine. ‘I’m sorry ma’am, but I have to get back on the road if I’m going to make it in time. I have a deadline I have to make, it’s really important that I’m there!’ I hoped the panic in my voice really sold it and she believed me. I couldn’t get away from this place fast enough!
‘Oh, but my dear, it’s already getting so late, why don’t you just stay here tonight,’ she said as she took another step towards me. I had my hand on the doorknob now and was ready to bolt if she kept coming. ‘Umm, I really can’t ma’am, that’s a generous offer, but people are expecting me. I really must go.’ And I pushed the door open as she lunged at me. I cried out as she did and almost tripped on one of the piles in the entryway. The woman reached out and grabbed my leg to try to stop me. ‘NO! Don’t go! Stay! STAY! STAAAY!’ she screamed as I wrenched out of her grasp and ran out the door.
My senses were shocked as I stepped outside into darkness. How in the hell was it dark already?? I hadn’t been in there more than 20 mins. What the hell was going on?! I heard things breaking inside the shack and that got me moving. I got in my car, locked the doors, and jammed the key in the ignition. As the engine roared to life, I looked up towards the house.
My stomach flipped and I almost passed out. Staring out at me from the front window was the old woman and behind her was at least 10 other people of various ages, and ALL of them were wearing looks of dread with their mouths locked into a permanent scream. When I locked eyes with the old lady, she threw her head back and her body shook with laughter. As she did this, the poor people behind her began to scream. I know they were screaming because they filled my head. I couldn’t stay any longer, I was almost past my point of being able to deal with this, so I threw the car in reverse and nailed the gas. Dirt and rocks flew up from both sides as I backed up and turned the car around.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to take one more look back in the rearview. I wish I hadn’t. The entire shack was in flames, and I could still see the poor souls trapped inside…