Aurex stumbled through his front door, his mind a whirlwind of fragmented thoughts. His hands, still trembling, were a testament to the sheer terror that had seized him near that ominous fence. It wasn't just fear; it was a primal dread, an ancient, malevolent force that had reached into him, trying to drag him into the abyss. He'd resisted, barely, but the memory clawed at him.
Earlier that day, Torren's words had offered a sliver of hope: "I'll help you. I'll get a rope. Just leave your window open. We'll leave at 6 PM. If we can't find anything useful, we come back before 7. No heroics." Aurex had nodded then, a semblance of conviction in his eyes. Now, his body betrayed a profound reluctance.
The day dragged on, a suffocating charade of normalcy, same bland breakfast, same forced smiles. He moved through it like a puppet, maintaining the facade, but his mind raced, consumed by the impending escape. By 6 PM, he was a coiled spring, pacing his room, the window already unlatched as instructed.
Minutes stretched into an eternity. Then, a shadow detached itself from the hedge – Torren. He tossed up a thick, knotted rope, which Aurex snagged on the second attempt. He secured it to the sturdy beam beneath his window, testing its hold with two firm tugs. It was solid.
With a deep breath, Aurex began his descent, feet pressed against the wall, a slow, deliberate drop. Then, a sound, a snapping twig? A faint whisper? His hands slipped. His stomach lurched. His feet hit the ground hard, a jarring impact that strangely didn't hurt. He blinked, disoriented.
Torren simply raised an eyebrow. "We didn't even need the rope," he muttered, almost to himself. But there was no time to dwell on the bizarre landing. They had to move.
Instead of heading towards the familiar school district, they veered the opposite way, onto a less-trodden path. Narrow streets, flanked by silent houses, loomed around them. No people, no animals, not even the whisper of wind. The unnerving stillness was a chill down Aurex's spine. It was a replay of before, perfectly staged, unnaturally quiet.
"Where is everyone?" Aurex whispered, the question barely escaping his lips.
Torren shook his head. "Maybe it's the house rules. Everyone staying in. Like ours."
They pressed on. After what felt like an age, they reached the end of the street. The black fence. Again. The same one that bordered the school, stretching endlessly, a dark serpent coiling around the town's perimeter. They edged closer. Beyond it, a sheer drop plunged into the ocean below. Ships bobbed on the water, their lanterns casting warm glows. People moved among them, their laughter and conversations drifting up, a symphony of life.
Torren's eyes lit up. "We're on a mountain… There's a way out. There are people down there. This could be it!"
Aurex stood frozen, watching the scene unfold. Something was off. It was like looking at a painting too closely, the colors not quite blending, the voices not quite carrying, the laughter looping unnaturally, like a broken record.
Then, a memory flashed, short and brutal. From his own perspective, frantically scrawling in blood across a floor: "DO NOT CROSS THE BLACK FENCE. DO NOT."
Darkness.
His stomach plummeted. He turned to Torren, his voice urgent. "We have to go. Now."
Torren blinked, caught off guard. "What? No, Aurex, this is our chance. We can't wait any longer!"
Aurex's voice cracked, raw with desperation. "If you want to go, go. But don't drag me with you." He spun away.
That's when it struck. Something yanked at his body. His legs moved without his consent, a slow, inexorable pull, like gravity, but wrong. Every muscle screamed in protest. The more he resisted, the more his bones ached.
"Torren!" he screamed, his voice tearing. "Run!"
But it was too late. Torren's feet skidded on the ground, but the pull was relentless. He tried to shout, but his mouth wouldn't obey. His eyes were wide with terror, his arms clawing at the empty air. Aurex watched, helpless, as Torren's body was dragged towards the fence.
And then, he passed through. Like mist. One moment there, the next, gone.
Aurex stood alone, shaking uncontrollably. The pull vanished. The air lightened, as if a great weight had been lifted. He collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. Tears blurred his vision, yet a grotesque smile, like a scar, was plastered across his face.
He whispered into the empty street, his voice a broken lament, "Torren."
Aurex didn't go after him.
He couldn't.
His legs wouldn't move, his breath was shallow, and his chest felt like something had tightened around it. All he could do was turn and walk back the way he came. Every step echoed in the silence. Not a single light flickered in the windows. Not a voice, not a breeze. Just the click of his shoes and the pounding in his ears.
He rounded the corner near his house, head down, thoughts spiraling. That's when he bumped into something, someone.
A figure.
Old. Frail. A woman in a shawl with the same smiling expression as everyone else.
> "You should be getting back home, sweetie," she said, her voice warm but empty.
Aurex just nodded and stepped around her without a word. His hands were shaking again.
He reached the wall of his house, looked up, and saw the rope still dangling from his window. He grabbed it, gave it a few solid tugs. It didn't budge. The knot had tightened too much, or maybe it had fused somehow, either way, it was stuck.
Panic flared.
He tried climbing, jumping, but each time he barely made it off the ground. Until the fourth jump...
He soared.
It felt like flying. He landed on the second-floor ledge, hands gripping the windowsill like it was nothing.
> "How…?"
No time to think. He climbed in, locked the window, and collapsed into the darkness of his room. He didn't know how to feel relieved, scared, or guilty. Everything was too much.
And he couldn't stop thinking about Torren. About the fence. About that memory,written in blood, telling him not to cross.
None of it made sense.the guilt and fear were killing him.
The next day came like a hammer blow.
He woke up at exactly 6 a.m. to his mother's soft knock. Her voice was calm. Her face, smiling.
Everything was the same.
Too much the same.
He ate breakfast, watching them, wondering if they somehow knew. But nothing in their expressions changed. No glint of suspicion. No hint of concern. It was like yesterday had never happened.
He followed the routine. Went to school with his brother. Sat through the same classes. Nodded, smiled, obeyed.
Then came the break.
And that's when he saw Torren.
Torren. Sitting at the table. Casually eating. Laughing to himself.
Alive.
Aurex froze. His heart skipped. Fear and confusion locked his legs in place. He stared at him. It wasn't possible. He'd seen Torren fall over the fence. He'd heard the wind rush as he was pulled away.
But now,here he was, waving.
Like nothing had happened.
Aurex didn't wave back.
After class, he waited in their usual meeting spot. If Torren showed up and acted strange… It meant something had changed. If he didn't come at all, it meant he was like them now.
But Torren came.
Smiling. Just like always. But his smile didn't feel fake.
> "Dude," Torren said, leaning on the wall. "You left me there. That wasn't very nice."
Aurex didn't answer right away.
> "I saw you," he said, voice low. "You got pulled over. I saw it."
> "And I'm standing right here, aren't I?" Torren shrugged. "I went over. Nothing happened. I even walked around down there a bit. There's a path. There are boats. People."
Aurex narrowed his eyes. "But I remembered something. A memory. Someone wrote in blood not to cross the fence. 'Do not cross the black fence.' I saw it. I remembered it."
Torren waved him off. "Yeah. That's what this place wants you to think. That you can't leave. That you'll die or disappear. But I did it. I left. I came back. And I'm fine. Look at me."
Aurex didn't respond.
> "Even though you ditched me, I forgive you," Torren went on. "I came back because I don't want to leave you behind. So, tonight, same time. We go again. And this time, we leave for real."
> "Let me think about it," Aurex said quietly.
> "What's there to think about?" Torren stepped forward. "This could be our last chance."
> "I said I'll think about it."
Torren held his gaze for a second longer, then sighed.
> "Fine. But if you're not there, I'll go alone."
And just like that, he walked away.
Aurex didn't follow.
He stood there, heart pounding, head full of noise. He didn't know what scared him more,Torren being gone or Torren being back.
Something wasn't right.
He felt it.
He just didn't know if it was the town... or Torren himself.