Boyd stood in front of the Matthews family, one hand resting on the desk, the other gripping his coffee mug like it was his last lifeline.
His voice was steady but tired, the kind of tone that came from telling the same impossible story too many times.
"Here's what we know," he began. "The tree, that's where it starts. Everyone who ends up here sees it. Once you've seen it, you're in this place. There's no going back. You can drive for hours, walk for days, it doesn't matter. You'll end up right back at that tree."
Jim sat stiffly, jaw tight. "That's insane."
Boyd nodded once. "Yeah. But, it's true. No one has ever found an exit."
Jim took a shaky breath, "How long have you been searching?"
Boyd answered simply, "Almost a year, now."
Tabitha sighed in relied, "That's not that long. There's still a chance..."
Kenny stopped her, "People have been searching for years."
Jim asked, "How many?"
Kenny hesitated, Boyd answering for him, "One of the resident has been trapped here for almost forty years."
Jim and Tabitha gasped, sucking in air. Julie held Ethan to her chest, a look of horror flashing in her eyes.
Boyd tried to distract them from the situation, he pointed toward the door, where the carved stone sigil hung above the frame.
"Those carved stone, Talismans. I found them in the woods. We don't know where they came from or who made the first one, but they keep the monsters out. As long as one of those is near the door or window, they can't cross."
Tabitha looked from the sigil to Boyd. "What are they?"
Boyd shook his head. "We don't know. They look human, until they don't. They talk, they smile, they knock like they're neighbors coming to borrow sugar. But if you open that door…" He paused, his jaw working. "You don't get another chance."
Ethan's small voice cut through the silence. "So they only come at night?"
Boyd softened a little. "Yeah, kid. They hunt when it's dark. Sun comes up, they vanish. We don't know where they go."
Kenny added quietly, "Daytime's the only safe time. That's when we fix houses, gather supplies, farm the fields, send the animals."
Jim gained a thoughtful expression, "Where do the animals come from?"
Boyd answered with a shrug, "Not sure, sometimes they wander into town. Sometimes people spot them in the fields or just past the treeline."
Monte muttered, "That's weird. It's almost like something out there wants us to have hope."
Jim asked, "So, we do what we need to during the day and lock up at night."
Boyd nodded. "Exactly, that's the routine here in town. You stay busy during the day, and when the sun sets... You lock up, cover the windows, and wait for morning."
While Boyd changed the topic once more, Monte slipped quietly out of the room. His limp was barely noticeable now, his movements practiced and deliberate.
He moved through the narrow hallway toward the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. The light flickered to life, harsh against the cracked tiles.
Monte knelt down and opened the cabinet under the sink. He pulled out a duffel bag and started arranging things with methodical care.
First came his chrome M1911, polished and perfect; second was two small bags of weed wrapped tight in plastic; and finally, two cases of alcohol he'd salvaged from the Mustang.
Whiskey, vodka, bourbon, rum, even some wine... the good stuff.
He stacked them neatly, wiped his hands on a towel, and stared at the small stash like it was a piece of home. "In case of emergency," he muttered.
For a second, he just sat there, staring once more at his reflection in the mirror above the sink.
The fluorescent light accentuated the faint scar on his cheek.
"Welcome to paradise," he whispered to himself.
He closed the cabinet, turned off the light, and walked back toward the main room.
When Monte returned, the air inside the station had changed. The earlier tension was gone, replaced by something worse... quiet despair.
The Matthews family sat motionless. Tabitha's eyes were glassy, Jim's hands were clenched tight around his knees. Julie was staring at the floor, her face pale.
Even Boyd's shoulders looked heavier than before.
Monte stopped at the doorway, glancing from one face to another. "What'd I miss?"
No one answered.
Boyd's eyes lifted to meet his, tired and grim. "Finished explaing everything."
Monte nodded slowly, piecing it together. He exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah," he said quietly. "That's must always be the funnest part of the tour."
Jim stood abruptly. "There has to be a way. You just haven't looked hard enough."
Boyd didn't flinch. "We've tried everything. Every road leads back. And you can only get so far into the woods before the light fades behind the horizon."
Tabitha's voice trembled. "So what, we just… live here? Wait to die?"
Monte stepped forward. "You can live here, or you can give up. But either way, you're here."
Boyd gave him a look, it was half irritation at his blunt reply, and half gratitude for saying it for him. Monte's words weren't comforting, but they were honest.
Julie finally looked up at Monte. Her eyes were red from crying, but her voice was steady. "You believe that? We should just live with what we got."
Monte shrugged. "Shouldn't give up, but also be realistic." She nodded slowly.
Monte grabbed the coffee pot, and poured himself amother cup. The liquid was black and bitter, just the way he liked it.
He took a sip and grimaced. "Still awful."
Kenny managed a small smile. "Best we got."
Monte raised the cup in mock salute. "That's a low bar."
No one laughed. The weight of what Boyd had said hung in the air like fog.
Outside, the first light of morning filtered through the holes in the curtains, painting long shadows across the floor.
Monte stared at it for a long moment before saying quietly, "Guess that means it's safe again."
Boyd nodded. "For now."
Monte drained the rest of his coffee and set the cup down. "Then we better make the most of it."
...
Boyd stood by the door, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "Alright," he said, voice rough from exhaustion. "Here's what we're gonna do."
Monte leaned against the wall, arms crossed, still half-sore from Jim's early-morning wake-up call.
Boyd pointed toward him. "Monte, go get Donna. She's the most experienced when it comes to butchering animals. Tell her about the deer."
Monte nodded once. "Got it."
Boyd turned to Kenny, who was crouched near the still-unconscious Jade. "Kenny, bring him to Kristi. Have her check him over, make sure he didn't crack his skull in the crash."
Kenny nodded and started preparing for his trip to the infirmary. 'Have to look my best if I want a chance.'
"And what about us?" Jim asked tightly, standing near the others. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. His anger and confusion burning under his skin.
Boyd sighed. "You and your family come with me. You need to see what this place really is. The town, Colony House, everything. You deserve to see the whole picture before you start making plans that'll get you killed."
Tabitha frowned but nodded. Julie stepped forward to follow after Monte, but Tabitha grabbed her arm gently. "Not right now, you need to be here," she whispered.
Julie rolled her eyes but stayed put, her expression a mix of defiance and worry as she watched Monte sling his jacket on.
Monte gave her a small nod, nothing romantic, just reassurance. Then pushed open the door and stepped out into the pale morning light.
Monte walked down the cracked road, the morning quiet except for the crunch of his boots and the faint hum of cicadas starting up in the trees.
As he passed one of the houses, a familiar voice called out from a porch.
"Morning, Monte."
Sara stood there, leaning against the railing with a mug of coffee in hand. Her smile was too bright, the kind people wear when they're trying to look normal.
Monte raised a hand in greeting. "Morning, beautiful."
Sara's smile flickered. For a second, her eyes darted to her arm. Just a twitch of movement, so quick it barely registered.
Monte caught it anyway. "You good?"
She looked up, blinking like she'd just come out of a daze. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."
Monte gave her a long, skeptical look. "You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Sara's laugh was light but shaky. "Guess I just didn't sleep much."
He grinned faintly. "None of us did."
She nodded, staring down into her coffee. "See you around, Monte."
He waved and kept walking.
Sara watched him go, her smile fading the instant he turned the corner. Her hand trembled, the coffee sloshing slightly as she looked down again.
There was nothing there. No marks, no words.
But she could feel it.
A slow burn under her skin, like something invisible had carved itself deep into the muscle of her arm.
She set the mug down and pressed her fingers into the flesh, half expecting to see blood. There was none. Just smooth, unbroken skin.
Still, in the back of her mind, she heard it.
A whisper curling around her thoughts, a voice that wasn't hers.
'Kill him, Sara. Kill Monte.'
Her breath hitched.
She looked toward the road where he'd just disappeared and whispered to herself, "You're losing it… It's just in your head."
But as she turned and stepped back inside, her reflection in the window lingered a moment too long. Her lips curled into a smile she hadn't made.
Monte kept walking, boots crunching on gravel. Abandoned cars lined the roadside, some with shattered windshields, others with flat tires or rust creeping up their sides.
He slowed as he passed a line of them, his mind already working.
"Could get some of these running again," he muttered to himself. "Couple good batteries, some fuel lines, few tires… maybe we can play bumper cars."
Boyd had told him the woods were full of things... animals, abandoned gear, old tools.
And the Talismans. Carvings that no one could explain, found somewhere in the forest by pure luck.
Monte wondered what else might be out there. What no one had been brave or stupid enough to find out there.
He shoved the thought away as Colony House came into view just ahead.
The place looked calmer in the daylight. With sunlight glinting off the worn paint, curtains fluttering slightly in the open windows.
People moving around on the porch and garden below, doing chores, and laughing softly like they were trying to pretend this was just another day.
Like they hadn't just survived the night because of some carved rock that Boyd found in the forest.
Monte climbed the steps and pushed open the door.
Inside, the smell of coffee and earth filled the air. He barely made it two steps before he bumped into someone with soft curves. He caught her instinctively before she could fall.
"Whoa, easy there," Monte said, steadying her.
Fatima blinked up at him, startled for half a second before she smiled. Light brown skin, a halo of dark curls, and eyes that warmed even this gray little corner of the world.
"You're the new guy, right?" she said. "Monte?"
Monte nodded. "That's me. Just arrived."
"Fatima," she said, extending a hand. "Welcome to Colony House. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best."
Monte grinned. "You got it, beautiful. Likewise."
Her laugh was soft, genuine. "You're trouble, aren't you?"
Monte winked. "Only if you let me be."
She shook her head, still smiling, and stepped past him toward the kitchen.
"Hey," Monte called after her, "Donna around?"
"She's out back in the greenhouse," Fatima said over her shoulder.
"Thanks," Monte said, tipping an imaginary hat in her direction.
Monte stepped off the porch and followed a narrow path that led around to the back. The scent of soil and herbs met him before he even saw it.
Donna's greenhouse, patched together from mismatched panels of glass and wood, sunlight glinting off its frame.
He pushed the door open and found Donna bent over a raised bed, her sleeves rolled up, dirt streaked on her arms. She didn't look up right away.
"Hey, Donna," Monte said. "Shot a deer yesterday. Boyd told me to let you know."
Donna straightened, brushing her hands off on her jeans. "A deer? Out there?"
Monte nodded. "Big one. Got it back to the station. Figured you'd want to handle the… culinary side."
Donna gave a small grunt that could've been approval. "Good thinking. I'll head over when I'm done here."
Monte nodded, lingering for a second. "Appreciate it."
"Sure," Donna said, already turning back to her plants. "And Monte?"
He paused. "Yeah?"
Her tone softened just slightly. "Ellis wasn't happy with the looks you were sending Fatima yesterday. Try not to piss off anyone else before lunch."
Monte grinned. "No promises. Also, tell him if he has a problem to talk to me himself."
Donna shook her head, hiding a frown, and went back to tending the soil.
Monte stepped out of the greenhouse, closing the door behind him. The early sun was warming the fields now, burning off the mist that clung to the town.
He looked toward the woods, where the treeline began. A dark green and brown wall of trees stretching endlessly in every direction.
Monte adjusted the strap of his holster and muttered to himself, "One step at a time, Monte. Don't go looking for monsters before they find you."
Then he started back toward town.