Why the City is Safe

Sub-Genre: Supernatural

Style: Soft - Quiet

Prompt: "A couple of kids spot something strange while hiking through the woods." by
Manda43079

Word Count: 661

Why the City is Safe

         The kids were rather suspicious to find their mom and dad surprising them with a hiking trip up Mt. Hayfield one bright morning. With final examinations coming, they half-expected this to be a test of some sort, to see if they were going to make the “right decision” against temptation; adults were such awful people sometimes!

         Tommy, Lisa, and Charlie were all astounded by the hurried calm their mom and dad packed everything into their car, and even more surprised to find out that they were going to start hiking that very day.

         “You guys have been such good kids at school that your teachers thought you might want a break from studying!” chirped their mom, her fingers white on the steering wheel.

         “Yeah, it’s great to know we have kids who do their best... hey, let’s play some music to keep us awake, okay?” chips in the dad, turning the radio on without waiting for an answer. The car stopped at the drop-off point and the rest of the journey would be taken on foot.

         The trip was full of chatter from the adults, with the children nibbling on candy and feeling the early morning breeze on their faces. Feeling completely lost in the real reason for their journey, Lisa, the middle child, began asking questions. “Where are we going?” “How far is it until the cabin you mentioned?” “Why don’t we have anything but junk food?” “Is something wrong?”

         And with every high-pitched question, the parents would simply look to them, give them a hug or candy, and continue walking up the well-traveled path…

         “We’re almost there, kids! Everything’s gonna be just fine…”

         Upon reaching what their parents said was the halfway mark, Charlie calls everyone’s attention to a thick clump of trees several feet to their left. “Look!” he said pointing wildly at the brief distance, “Mom! Dad! There’s someone behind that tree over there!”

         Their parents looked about in the direction Charlie pointed, their eyes gleaming with anxiety. The other two children huddled close to them in tears, with Baby Tommy already sniveling on his dad’s jeans. Within minutes of the incident, however, the hike resumed.

         “Oh, look what you did, Charlie,” admonished the mother, “you scared your baby brother and sister for nothing! Don’t be silly, there’s nobody here but us…”

         The voice they heard was so cold that it kept them all silent until they reached their destination, despite all three children quietly affirming each other’s growing fear: someone was there, just behind the trees. 

         They stopped at a small wooden cabin atop a dry flatbed, with their parents hurriedly pushing everyone in and turning on the lights.

         “Wow, it’s a good thing they have electricity way up here, right honey? Oh, look, they have everything we have in the kitchen! Goodness, will you look at this television? Come on, kids, look: they have your favorite channel!”

         “Sweetie, I think the kids deserve some soda and a really big breakfast after all that hiking, don’t you think?”

         “Absolutely! Kids? Go ahead and watch your cartoon and finish whatever’s left in the backpacks… we’ll just make breakfast!”

         The parents continued their saccharine dialogue well into the kitchen, with Lisa trailing behind, her stunned siblings on the floor, watching television. Her mom and dad were not making breakfast at all, but were going through another exit in a mad rush to leave them behind. She could still make out bits of their conversation, even through the locked door.

         “… it’s the law… … why the city is safe!”

         “… shouldn’t have to… … our crimes!”

         “… oh, God, oh God, … coming! Let’s… don’t … them suffer… …”

         Lisa rushed back to the living area past her brothers, taking a knowing peak at the path they traveled. In the distance, she could make out the whole mass of shambling creatures coming from behind the trees… making their way up the flatbed

         Adults were such awful people, sometimes!