The Third Day

Skhisma. I have no idea who you are, but you fucking stay away from me and you stay away from my loved ones.

I actually did what Skhisma said and went out to the Dreams in Darkness field. I’m not stupid, though. I didn’t go at night, and I didn’t go alone. I offered lunch to Judith, Mary, and my little brother, Todd in an attempt to get all of this stuff off my mind. I picked a restaurant near the park with the red building so I’d have an excuse to stop on the way back home.

We didn’t actually stop at the park, but we drove past it both ways.  I could see the brick building in the distance. Each time, I got a cold chill down my spine. Obviously the events that took place there were nothing but fiction. Still, I got that eerie tingling when you just know something is wrong and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as we went by. I knew in my gut it was nothing. No matter how much I felt as though I was being watched, I was simply scaring myself.

After lunch, I told everyone that I had to make a stop. Judith looked at me like I’d just told her that I was in love with her mother. 

“You aren’t thinking about stopping at that field, are you?” 

I couldn’t meet her gaze, looking over her shoulder at my car as I replied, “I have t—“

Her slap came out of nowhere. It wasn’t hard or at all intended to cause pain, just enough to shock me. Mary and Todd both burst into laughter, not understanding the gravity of what was going on. They both thought this was just a prank. Judith, while less concerned than myself, at least understood that it isn’t an idea to run off to where some stranger online tells you to go.

And then she smiled at me, knowing I understood her opinion on the matter, “May as well get this over with.”

The drive there seemed to take twice as long as it should have. Mary and Todd were goofing off in the back seat while Judith and I sat in silence until we arrived. I asked her to come out with me, and thankfully she wasn’t annoyed enough to say no. 

The field was nearly empty, except for a single pole sticking out of the ground in the distance while something attached to it flapped in the wind. I went hand-in-hand with Judith across the field to check it. I couldn’t help but keep my eyes locked on the forest in the distance. That’s where Ted died in the story. It was giving me the same chills as the red brick building.

Judith and I reached the pole. There was an enveloped taped to it. Inside was a single piece of paper. I felt my face go white as I read what it said. I showed Judith, watching her get the same reaction before taking her in my arms and holding her close, never wanting to let her go. We walked shakily to the car, and I made my way home. 

Judith and Todd are staying the night. We only have a few hours before the third day ends. I wish I could say my worries about this and Skhisma and everything would end with it, but somehow I doubt it will…