In my restless dreams, I see that town,

went through her mind as she wandered through the abandoned city. The fog lay heavy inthe air, making it impossible to see the shapes of each building from afar. She could hear hername being whispered in every breeze which blew by. It unsettled Mary as much as itintrigued her. She felt watched out of every corner, but there was no one. There was nothinglurking in the depths of the fog, which was strange. Why’d she feel the watchful gaze of apredator which wasn’t even there?

She ventured alone through the mist, only having a piece of wood to protect her from those…monsters. Those things which seemed to be crawling out of nowhere and attacking her, butfor what purpose? They looked humanoid but weren’t entirely human either. The shapes sheencountered most often were two pairs of legs, sewn together by its torso. It kicked into herdirection, sometimes it missed, but the pain was surprisingly mild, compared to herexpectations. Yet they kicked with purpose, almost angry at her for a reason she could notfathom.

Mary had received a letter, but not from any person. From her deceased husband, Sebastian.Telling her to go to their special place. They had many, but not in that town. The letter hadshaken her to her very core, she read it once. Twice. Just to make sure she wasn’thallucinating. The letter was very real as was the parchment of her drawings. He was dead, sohow’d she receive it? Her question could only be answered if she’d go into this town. Her aimwas pointless when she wandered through the deserted streets, no other human in sightbesides those creatures. Her hope vanished with each step; her mind told her to go and herheart clung onto the very idea that she could find him.

Those empty buildings, void with sound. The only sounds to be heard were her footsteps andher slow, panicked breaths. Occasionally she’d enter one of the abandoned houses, onlydriving the point further home that she truly was alone here. Mary had decided to look forclues in an abandoned apartment complex. Only to be met with a disturbing image of herselfin the mirror. She wasn’t looking at herself, but a female monster. Her eyes were replacedwith horns, her lips were cut open to reveal teeth as sharp as those of sharks. Blood lingeredaround the corners of her mouth, be it her own or that of her prey. The figure was so skinny,the few pieces of clothing she wore clung onto her bony body. Sharp claws were holding alarge butcher knife.

Mary took a step back; her knees threatening to give out. She held back a shriek as she slowly retreated into the room she had come from, her footsteps silent. That apartment building onlyhad more monsters to offer and made her do a puzzle? For what? Just to escape back outsideagain? To be met with disappointment? But yet there she was, clinging onto her only weaponas she exited. There was that feeling again. That feeling of guilt. But whatever for? What didshe have to feel guilty about?

Mary’s hand shook as she exited the apartment complex, the chilling air clinging to her skin.That feeling of guilt gnawed deeper, an ache she couldn’t explain, tied to a past she’d barelyallowed herself to remember. The fog was thicker now, obscuring even her own hands infront of her, swallowing her whole. It was as if the town itself held her secrets, whisperingthem back in distorted echoes.

Her destination lay ahead—the pier near the lake where she and Sebastian had spentpeaceful afternoons. She pressed forward, feeling the weight of a memory on her back,urging her to keep moving, to face it. Every step brought more of the town’s macabre scenesinto her path: familiar places tainted by some dark force, rearranged like distorted memories.Signs hung crookedly, graffiti smeared over doors, all symbols of a town in decay, mirroringher own mind.

When she reached the pier, a figure stood at the end, silhouetted against the churning, mistywaters. His back was to her, his posture hauntingly familiar yet wrong. Her heart lurched; itwas like seeing Sebastian again, but she knew it couldn’t be him. She took a hesitant stepforward, her voice barely a whisper.

"Sebastian?"

He turned around, a charming smile on his face. He looked exactly like him, except that herbeloved Sebastian was blond. The man had brown hair, and his green eyes had a sultry lookto them, alluring but confusing her at the same time.

“I’m Simon,”he introduced himself. He approached her, circling her as if he was apredator, yet that charming smile was still on his lips. She wanted to ask him so much, butshe didn’t. Silently he led the way. Mary was to follow him like a lost pup, clinging ontothe memory of her husband.

They arrived at an old theater, its façade decayed, windows cracked, and marquee broken.Simon gestured for her to enter, his eyes glinting with something she couldn’t name.Reluctantly, Mary stepped inside, the air thick with dust and memory.

“This place…,” she murmured, the empty rows of seats stretching before her like silentwitnesses. She could almost hear applause, distant whispers of long-forgottenperformances. Simon gestured to the stage, his face unreadable.

“Everything you’ve buried is waiting here,” he said.“It’s time you faced it.”

Mary’s steps echoed as she ascended the stage. Memories of Sebastian’s illness, his quietsuffering, flooded her mind. She remembered nights spent by his bedside, his once strongbody weakened and frail. She had done everything she could, yet it hadn’t been enough. Andwhen the pain grew unbearable, she made a decision—a choice she could never take back.

It wasn’t an accident, she told herself again, as if repeating it would make it true. But thatnight, in the darkness of their room, she had smothered him with a pillow, her heart tornbetween pity and a selfish desire for freedom. He’d fought for a moment, but then he lay still.She’d told herself it was mercy, yet she could never shake the feeling that it was more.

With a scoff Mary looked at him and turned around, he uttered no other word, still havingthat stupid smile of his written on his face. Simon silently followed her to wherever shewas going. They found their way to the hospital.

There that woman was again, her ever so large smile seemed larger than it was. She seemedto be looking at them, maliciously, even though she had no pair of eyes. She charged at them.Mary pushed Simon in the direction of the next corridor. Everything after that happened sofast. The slashing of the large knife could be heard from a distance, it attacked the beingswhich were in its way. Mary reached the elevator first, she tried to hold it open for him.Simon tried to hold the door open, his green eyes conveyed to her it was okay what was tohappen. Then the knife pierced through his body, and he went limb.

Blood splattered lightly onto her, and she fell back in shock, the elevator moving upstairs.She dropped onto her knees. Despite not knowing Simon well enough, it still impacted her.Why’d she care? He wasn’t her husband, hell he didn’t even have his personality. Marycould hear his voice from afar calling out her name. She was all alone again, and theunsettling atmosphere was back at it. The scratches on the wall were unsettling her oncemore and she began to think. Her mind wandered too far; it strayed back to the death ofSebastian.

Pitifully she thought of it. Her gaze fell onto her hands, which had begun to shakeviolently. It wasn’t an accident, she’d tell herself. Was it an accident when she smotheredhim with a pillow? No, she just

wanted to be free. He had taken everything from her, yet she still loved him. She hadcommitted the crime for both of their well-being. He had been so ill. It hurt him so much.

Faded images began to appear at the back of her mind, her happiness at stake as she continued to linger there. Every waking hour she spent trying to get out of the city was marked by her own lack of effort. Simon’s voice was haunting her, taunting her every moveand step. It drove her insane. Mary slowly began to realize that when she began to accept herguilt the monsters began to grow weak. And finally, she found an exit out of that darn city.

It was only when she had returned home that the numbness returned. Her gaze wanderedacross the living room. Her body screamed for her to lay down, but her feet carried her intothe bedroom, where his rotting, decomposing, corpse was. Her legs gave out right in front ofhis bed, sobs escaped her lips. She was overwhelmed with guilt and regret for what she haddone. But for Mary it was the only thing for him to be happy, to be relieved from the pain.Her hatred also had something to do with her killing him, she couldn’t stand that he hadruined her life. It wasn’t his fault; he couldn’t have controlled the sickness he had.

Two weeks later the police began their investigation. The officers kicked the closed frontdoor open and scanned the house. It was left untouched, its condition being almost tooperfect. They spread out and looked through every room. One of the officers stepped intothe bedroom, he did not know what kind of view would greet him. There lay the dead bodyof Mary. As it turned out, she had shot herself. Gun right beside her. Her gaze was lifted,she stared up at the lifeless body of Sebastian.

Double homicide. Mary had been found guilty of strangling her husband, Sebastian, with apillow. Out of guilt she had killed herself. Both of their souls trapped in the hell which wasthat foggy town.