“People are disappearing here! They’re gone without a trace!”

Alis watched two officers grappling to remove an older man from the old convenience store building.

As they passed, an officer bumped her, causing her to lose balance and catch herself by the wall.

Naturally. Out of all the convenience stores for miles, she’s stuck with the one that attracted the crazies.

“Don’t let them cover it up! Monsters live among us! They’re here!”

A tingling shiver rushed down her spine.

This man’s clearly delusional, yet apprehension hung in the air like a dead skunk on the road.

Everyone around watched the scene unfold in utter shock, as if they’d seen a ghost.

“Save it, Dave. This is the third time this week.”

One officer pushed the deranged mans head down as he dropped him into the backseat of the cruiser.

“So, uh. What can I do for you?”

The cashier, a young man only about twenty-five, stood patiently behind the counter, awaiting her response.

Alis shook herself out of her thought induced haze.

“Ah, yeah. Fifteen on pump two, please. What, uh? What was all that about?”

She pointed toward the doorway with a nod.

“Ah, that’s ol’ Dave. Poor guy lost his family a few years ago in an accident. Ain’t been right ever since.”

The cashier quickly counted the change and closed the register. The man may be young, but he’d obviously worked there a while.

“What brings you here, in the middle of nowhere?”

She put away the change and pulled out a slip of paper from her purse.

“I’m looking for this address. Could you, by chance, give me directions? I know it’s somewhere around this area, but I think I took a wrong turn. I’m not used to all these back roads.”

The mans eyes grew wide. Smile faded to shock as he read the address. Darkstar Estate.

His fingers trembled as he handed the paper back.

“Wh—Why go to Darkstar?”

“Well, you see, my late grandmother passed away recently. She’s from this area. While sifting through the inherited belongings, we discovered an unexpected deed - one for the Darkstar Estate. I’m here to check it out and see if it’s worth keeping.”

“That old dust bucket?”

As if nothing unnerving happened, his demeanor changed back to the joyful cashier, flashing her a wide smile.

“Trust me, there’s nothing worth a penny here in this old town. Especially Darkstar. It’s surprising the place hasn’t turned to dust with age. There ain’t nothing here but these old mountains. People get lost, sometimes never found. Best to just pass by and move on with ya life.”

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As if summoned by his words, a sudden gust of wind carrying fall leaves blew the doors open, startling them both.

The young man let out a deep sigh and turned back to Alis.

“Well, I guess that’s my sign to let you go. You’re close to Darkstar. If you go left from here.”

He lead her outside the doors, speaking with hand gestures showing the way.

“Take the next left and continue for around fifteen minutes. Darkstar Estate is at the end of the road.”

Alis gave a last thank you for the information and departed.

As the car pulled away, a young woman approached the man.

“When are you going to learn? You know the rules.”

Half ignoring her, he turns to walk back into the store.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re never to speak that accursed place’s name, but come on Millie. She seemed nice enough. Why does she have to—”

Once again, the wind intensified, bringing a chilling howl through the trees.

Millie gave him a hard look and put a finger to her mouth to shush him.

“It’s not our problem, Zack. Let the outsiders mind outsider business, and we mind ours. It’s the unspoken law, the community has followed this way for generations. Now, I don’t want to hear another word about it. We have a lot of work left and not much daylight. Tom will be furious if he comes back and we’re not finished.”

Zack closed the doors and lowered his head, sighing in defeat. Millie was so bossy and always won these battles. It was exhausting.

“Fine, fine. You win, let’s go.”

As she followed the directions given directions, Alis sensed something was off. It was midday. The sun was still high in a cloudless sky. Yet it seemed to get a tinge darker as she traveled. Though that could’ve been the placebo effect of being alone in the mountains.

The road lacked proper maintenance. If someone had maintained it, the mountains would have painted a beautiful and serene scene bathed in autumn leaves. Large pieces were missing on the cliff edge side of the road as it snaked through the mountains. Though being alone on the road was certainly unsettling her.

Lost in thought, she almost didn’t notice the massive black gates that barred the road. The entrance had beautiful and elegantly crafted gates guarding it. They looked like they guarded a place fit for a king. Well, except this gate had large signs hanging that read Beware: Cursed Land Ahead, No Trespassing, and Turn back now if you value your life.

That’s a little dramatic, she thought. She had done some digging before coming and knew there were superstitions about the place. There was no information about the place anywhere, even on the internet. It shouldn’t exist. Yet in the local area, rumors abound of hauntings, disappearances, cults living in catacombs beneath, etc. She didn’t believe in any of that hogwash, but apparently someone had.

A deep sigh escaped as she opened the envelope containing the deed and fished out a set of keys.

Palming the key that read Front Gate, she got out of the car and approached the old ornate gate. As the key slid into the lock, her attention jumped beyond the gate to the road curving around the mountain. An unsettling red glow shimmered at the curve, and with it stood the silhouette of a man. The shadow motioned her to come through the gate.

To see better, she moved closer, but he vanished in an instant along with the red glow. Girl, you’re letting all these stories get to you, she thought.

As the click of the lock sounded and before she could turn away, a powerful gust of wind hit her from behind, nearly knocking her off her feet. She regained her composure as the enormous gates screeched open. An invitation? An icy chill zapped down her spine at the thought.

Eager to shake the eerie feeling, she hopped back into the car and continued around the mountain. The old neglected road this side of the mountain was in better condition. As she continued her journey, the road experienced less damage until it became freshly laid blacktop. The estate itself was only a two-minute drive from the front gate. Tucked deep in the mountains, away from prying eyes. It was perfect for privacy. An environment she’d enjoy relaxing were circumstances different.

Pulling into the parking lot and shutting off the car engine, she sat with herself for a moment. Stilling herself for the meeting ahead with the caretaker. She wasn’t sure if there was one, or what to expect. There was no contact information about the place. No listings for flights, no information from realtors, nothing. Only a deed, some keys, and a location, which is how she ended up here in person. Someone had to be taking care of the place, though. The fresh blacktop didn’t lay itself. OK, let’s go get this over with, she thought.

She turned to get out of the car and her hand bolted over her heart as it sank in fear. A face stared back at her through the window. The eyes and mouth were black pits of nothingness, dripping black ooze. The face tilted slowly to the left as it stared. Alis. The words were slow, raspy. Haunting.