Everyone gets junk mail that
advertises something they may or may not be interested in. Donna and I happen
to get a letter that advertises a new cabin for couples. We’re given exclusive
access to it as its first-time inhabitants. It’s supposed to be a cozy place
where we can stay together in isolation for the week. This idea obviously
appeals to Donna who’s been bugging me about it ever since we got news of it. I’ve
had my scouts check the place out and they said it was clean so I guess we can
go. I leave my family in charge of my kids as Donna and I head out in our first
vacation by ourselves in a while. Actually, it’s our first vacation in a while
period. I’m always keeping myself busy with requests, meetings, and other
activities to make sure the cultures keep their trust in me. Maybe it is time
to take a breather.
When we arrive at the cabin, it looks
exactly as the ad and my Sparrows reported. The cabin is a small house that looks
perfect for a newlywed couple with all of the decorations around it that make
it feel like a home. We get our bags, put them inside the house. I then rest on
the couch because of the long ride. Donna plops herself on top of me.
She says, “Whew. It took a while to
get here, but we’re finally alone together with nothing to worry about and no
one to bother us.”
“I’m bored already.”
“I can make this way less boring if
you want.”
“You’re trying to now even without
me saying anything.”
“You’ve got that right. We finally
have some time to relax so we should make the most of it.”
“Why does that always involve us
being naked together in your mind?”
“It’s more comfortable this way. Don’t
act like you don’t like it because I know you do.”
“Sure, I do. It’s just that I’d
like some time to relax before you start stripping me.”
“Too bad.”
For the rest of the day, Donna and
I silently enjoy each other’s company while talking about things off and on. It
took us a while to get to the cabin and life has been so exhausting that doing
nothing is the best thing that we could do right now. Donna is the first to
fall asleep so she’s stuck on me. Even though I wanted to eat and drink
something before we slept, I guess I’ll have to deal with it. At least it’s nothing
major that I should be concerned about.
Once I fall asleep, I hear a finger-snapping noise. Donna has disappeared and the flames that lit up the room have
all gone out. My clothes and bags are gone and there’s no sign of anyone coming
in or out of the house.
“Donna?” I call out only for the rug
to fall out from under me.
I fall down a hole and land in the
hand of some demon-looking creature.
“Who are you?” I ask the creature
with my hands up ready to fight.
The creature just smiles before
closing its hand on me, which transports me back to my hometown. Everything
appears to be normal except for my missing clothes. Corso and Stella find me in
the crowd. They don’t comment on how I look and appear to be normal.
“What are you doing here, Benedetto?”
Stella asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be with Donna?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what’s
happening now.”
“You should come back home. She’s waiting
for you so you two can go to the cabin you’re vacationing at.”
What? She’s saying I didn’t go yet?
What’s going on here? Since I don’t know what else to do, I go home to find my
family waiting for me with my bags packed near the entrance. I remember it
being this way before I left. After a single blink, everyone is gone. It’s
quiet all of a sudden as this situation keeps getting stranger. Someone
behind me covers my eyes. It feels like Donna.
Sure enough, I hear her voice say, “Get
ready for a surprise in three, two, one…surprise!”
“What is all of this?!”
I open my eyes to see the
horrifying sight of my entire family with my friends, and Sparrows slaughtered in
front of me. Donna is in the pile of bodies with our children around her so the
one behind me is a fake.
I put my hands on the throat of the
Donna behind me and say, “Who are you?!”
The fake Donna just smiles at me
before turning into the creature I saw before. For some reason, I have my weapons
with me. I try fighting with them, but the creature manages to knock me down.
When I get up, I see that I’m wearing my older gear with my older weapons. Every
time I fight against the creature, I get knocked down, and every time I get up,
I get younger and younger until I’m a child. Now, it’s obvious that I can’t
fight the creature like this. Before I can do anything else, I’m enclosed in a
box of knives with Donna inside as well.
The box slowly closes on us as I try
to push it away with my hands and feet. The knives cut at my skin, but I’m not
going to let it end like this. There’s no way I’m going to make Donna suffer a
horrible death like this even if I can reset time. She clings to me as she
tries her part in pushing away the knives.
“Benedetto! I’m sorry for making us
take a vacation here.”
“It’s not your fault things are
like this. Just don’t give up! What did that creature show you?”
“It showed me everyone we knew
horribly killed with their remains piled on top of one another.”
“It showed the same to me.”
“I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t
do anything.”
“This thing can’t be defeated
normally it seems.” I then get an idea that can get us out of this situation. “Donna,
I think this creature is making us see things. We shouldn’t be afraid of it no
matter what it shows us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. There’s no other explanation
for this other than this isn’t real.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
Donna holds onto me as the knives
close in faster on us. She puts her face on my shoulders as I hold her tightly.
I stare directly into a knife as it closes onto me as it shatters as it touches
my eyes and our bodies. A loud cry is then made as everything else around us
shatters as we’re instantly transported back into the cabin. We still have the
cut marks on us, but at least we’re back to normal. Not wanting to get
comfortable here anymore, we pack our stuff then leave the cabin.
Once we’re back home, our wounds
are treated, and we tell our story to our family and Sparrows. A team goes out
to destroy the cabin, but they never find it. Donna and I have to spend a lot
of time resting at home because of our injuries, but this is fine for me in
terms of a vacation. As long as I’m with those I love, my mind is at ease and
nothing will scare me.
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