Good afternoon, House of Madness campers:
Good advice is often ignored, and the consequences can be dire, even fatal if you're unlucky enough. As always, hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Lost
It had been at least three days and nights since Molly Callahan had ventured off into the woods alone. This was obvious simply because after every night she set up camp and woke up the next morning, there was a new symbol located somewhere on her body, not of her doing. She was now up to three of these unwanted markings on her left forearm, and they almost seemed to glow in the daylight, reaching out to their humble maker. The markings weren't quite tattoos, but they also weren't simply drawn in marker either - they were embossed on the top of Molly's skin, and clearly had plans of permanent residence. The worst part of the markings wasn't the pain either, quite opposite in fact, the markings were casual to the touch, almost as if they'd been there her entire life, like a birthmark, but written with the complexity of an ancient artifact. The markings themselves, as terrifying as they seemed, were the least of Molly's current worries, as it had been three days since she set out on her one night camping adventure, and every hour she trekked through the unknown woods seemed to lead her deeper into oblivion.
Molly woke at the crack of dawn on day four, and seemed almost desensitized to the realization that there was a new marking on her left forearm just above where the last had been. Yes, the markings were worrisome, but Molly's main focus today was getting the fuck out of these woods, and getting back to her mundane life of being a working mother to four cats. "Please God, let today be the day" she begged to the sky above, and set out due South for another journey into the unknown, unexpected, and what was starting to feel like the unnatural. The more Molly walked in one direction, as she had been for days, the more it felt as if she were walking in circles - the foliage and trees all looked the same, as if she were trapped in some twisted house of neverending mirrors at a carnival from hell. As Molly cried and plodded on, she couldn't help scolding herself for ignoring her brother's tongue lashing of going out into the woods alone, but what was done was done, and the seemingly endless acres of forest swallowed time as easily as it swallowed Molly herself.
As Molly awoke the next morning, she was relieved, yet almost nervous to realize that there was no new marking on this day. Did that mean that whatever was clearly following her lost her trail, or was this a new game of mindfuckery she was now experiencing? As Molly reached into her backpack for a granola bar from her rapidly dwindling supply, she saw a note, and brought it out with a shaking hand. "Join us" the note said, written in English, but also in an unknown language which matched the symbols on her arm. "JOIN WHO!? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME!? I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" Molly pleaded into the air, intended for anyone or anything that would listen. Just then a breeze colder than the day's air warranted blew by, and with it came a voice bellowing "Join us", yet Molly saw no one as her eyes frantically surveyed the forest. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled once more, but the terror in her voice made her sound about as menacing as a lamb to a butcher, and she quickly packed up for yet another day of peril while the tears consumed her horrified face. Just then, Molly looked up and saw the undescribable monstrosity now standing above her, and she once again wished she had heeded her brother's advice, and just stayed home and binged some Netflix. But she hadn't listened, and now she saw a new symbol on her arm, but this one she recognized and understood immediately - it was a skull and crossbones, and Molly joined them forever.
NB
