(I wrote this story for school last year.. I don't know if it's any good or not.. the teacher liked it. So I don't know. Just read it if you feel like it.)

In The Silence Of The Shadows

Michele looked out the window of the airplane. She was heading to a little no where town. She’d even forgotten what it was called. It was a trip she had won and they had made the trip sound huge but after she had won she found out that it wasn’t that big. The only reason she had even signed up was so that maybe she could find the answer to something that had been bothering her. She’d been getting strange calls and strange letters from some man claiming to know her and who was missing her. The man even appeared in her dreams telling her to follow the sings to where he was. So when this trip showed up, she thought it was the sign she was looking for. At least she hoped so. She wanted to go, hopefully find the answers to who this was and what he wanted. She hoped she could go back home and never be bothered again.

“Excuse me ma’am!” She looked up, surprised to see someone standing there. “Yes?” She asked. “Would you like anything to drink?” The flight attendant asked. “Oh, sure. Just some water please.” She said. The flight attendant gave her a bottle of water. “Thank you.” Michele said, taking the bottle. She returned to looking out the window. She watched the clouds as they flew by. She sighed. All her friends and family thought she was going on a fun vacation. I wish it was just going to be a fun vacation. She thought. She snapped out of her thoughts again, returning her focus to the bottle of water she was still holding. She took the cap off and took a couple of drinks. She put the cap back on and put the bottle down. She wasn’t really thirsty, hungry, or even tired even though she hadn’t slept in hours. She was anxious and nervous. Every moment that passed made her that much closer to meeting someone she didn’t even know. Relax. She told herself. There isn’t even any guarantee that the guy would even be there. It could just be a joke someone was playing. She thought. After a few more minutes, she relaxed enough to slip off to sleep.

“Wake up!” Michele opened her eyes. It took a second for her to realize where she was and what was going on. Then she looked to the person standing by her seat. “What?” She asked. “The plane is about to land, you need to get ready for the landing.” She sat up and yawned. She didn’t have a clue how long she had been asleep but she felt a little bit better. She pulled the belt across herself and clicked it into place. She settled back down, looking out the window. She watched as they started down toward the ground. She felt the anxiety coming back. She tried to forget about it again. There was no real need to be nervous.

After the plane landed and she got off of it, she headed inside to retrieve her stuff. She just wanted to get it over with. She was able to quickly retrieve her stuff and she headed out again to try to find some way into town. A taxi pulled up and she hurried over to it. “Get in.” The driver said. She sighed quietly. No one ever seemed to be very nice anymore. She put her stuff in the car and she got in. “Where do you want to go?” He asked. She handed him the paper with the town name and the place she was supposed to stay. She didn’t know how to pronounce any of it. The driver took it and read over it. “You sure you want to go there?” He asked. “Why?” She asked. “That place is kind of strange. There’s not many people that live there and people who go into that town usually don’t stay long. It drives people away. Some say it’s cursed but I don’t know.” He said. “Well I don’t care. I won this trip, and I’m going to enjoy it.” She lied. “Alright.” He handed the paper back to her. “If you’re sure.” He said and drove away. It didn’t take long for them to get there. He pulled up in front of a place with a sign out front that read “Inn”. Must be an old town.. I don’t know many places called Inns anymore. She thought. “Yes, this town is quite old. Not much ever goes on around here.” The driver said, as if answering the question in her mind. “How much do I owe you?” She asked. The driver laughed a bit. “If you’re crazy enough to stay here for however long you’re planning to stay, I think I’ll just let this trip go for nothing.” He said, still laughing a bit. She was confused and somewhat angry. She didn’t know why it was his business anyway. She gathered her bags and opened the door. “Well thanks for the ride.” She said and got out. She walked up to the door and pushed it open gently. She walked inside, the floor creaking with each of her steps. An older woman stood behind an old beaten up looking desk. “You need something?” She asked. Michele walked up to the desk and laid the paper down. The woman read over it. “Oh. Well here’s a key to your room. It’s down the hallway.” She handed Michele the key. Michele took it and picked up the paper. She smiled and then headed down the hallway to the room that matched the number on the key. She stopped in front of the door and slipped the key into the keyhole. She turned it and felt the lock snap. She pulled the key out and turned the doorknob. The door creaked open slowly. She reached in and flipped on the light switch. Light flooded the room. She walked inside, setting down her bags inside the door as she walked in. She pushed the door closed and looked around the room. It was a small room. She wondered what kind of trip this was supposed to be because she really hadn’t found anything that fun as of yet. She walked over to the bed and sat down, just thinking for a moment. She wanted to rest a bit and then maybe find some food. Then maybe find out what she could possibly do around there. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in, it’s unlocked.. I think.” She called out. The door slowly opened up and the old woman from the desk was standing there. “You have a message here.. I’m not sure who it’s from though.” She said, walking into the room. The woman handed Michele the paper and then quickly left the room. Michele looked at the paper. The handwriting was kind of messy. ‘Meet me at the restaurant in town at 8:30 tonight.’ The paper read. She sighed and laid the paper aside and fell back onto the bed. She fell asleep a few moments later.

Michele woke up, very confused. She forgot where she was and what she was doing. She sat up and looked at the clock by the bed. It read 6:30. She sighed. Apparently it wasn’t that late, although she didn’t know how long she’d been asleep. She stood up and noticed the paper still laying there. “I’ve got to get ready for that..” She said to herself, although she wasn’t sure why she was going to meet a stranger. She shook her head and headed to the bathroom.

At 8:20, Michele stood in front of the restaurant that she was supposed to meet this mysterious person at. How did she know it was the right restaurant? According to the woman in the Inn, it was the only restaurant in the whole town. Somehow she felt that the whole town knew something she didn’t. She couldn’t imagine this little place being the only place to eat in the whole town. It didn’t matter, she was there and she didn’t want to turn back. She looked at the paper in her hand. It was another message, left by this mysterious person. ‘Go in and show this paper to the person inside the door. They will know where to take you.’ The paper read. She walked up through the door. A man was standing there. She handed the paper to him. He read it and nodded. He headed back through the building, Michele following closely. They came to a closed door. “Your host is in there. Enjoy your evening.” The man smiled slightly and walked off, leaving Michele to enter the room alone.

Lacy stood by the window, looking out down the street. “That girl is dead.” She said to her friend standing not too far away. “That’s the tenth girl who has come to this town, winning this “trip”. No one knows what happens to them.” She sighed and moved away from the window. “No one even knows who does it. It’s like a different person each time.” She said, feeling completely helpless.. knowing there was nothing that could be done.

Ring Ring! “Shut up.” Belle muttered in her sleep. But the annoying ring was very persistent. Finally she reached out and picked up the phone to stop the ringing. “Hello..?” She muttered. “Hello, Belle? This is Michele’s mother. Have you heard from her?” Belle sat up. She realized that Michele had been gone for a bit longer than she had scheduled. Michele was her best friend and thought she’d be one of the first to know if plans changed. “No, I haven’t. What happened to her?” Belle asked. “I have no idea.. I think we should call some authorities, Michele should’ve been back by now and if she were going to completely change her mind, I think she would’ve let someone know.” Belle was silent for a moment. “Yes, I agree. Call someone, I’ll be over there as soon as possible.” Belle finally said and they hung up. Fear ran through Belle, she really hoped that her friend was okay.

Days and soon a week went by without much information. The police had told Belle and Michele’s mother and the rest of the family the only information anyone knew. Michele had gone to meet some stranger at dinner and that was the last anyone heard from her.. or even saw her. Finally they gave up, assuming she was dead.

In a dark room, a dark figure stood by a telephone. He was amused by all that had been going on. Michele had been too easy to attract. His magic over everything, over the whole town was amazing. He only appeared at night, making it nearly impossible to track him or anything he was doing. He had no use for the light, it would only harm him and what he was doing. It might even kill him, he definitely couldn’t let that happen.

The telephone ringing pulled Gwen out of her thoughts. She hurried over to answer it. “Hello?” She answered. “Hello, Gwen. I remember you.. I’m sure you remember me. We met not too long ago. I would like to meet you again. Follow the signs to where I am.. please..” She heard a male voice on the phone. “Who are you?” She asked. “Just follow the signs, Gwen. It won’t be too long before we can meet again.”