"Come With Me" by K. L. Patrick

Come With Me

by K. L. Patrick

The Appalachian Mountains are older than the first sin. People came here from all over entering these ancient woods. Woods that are darker and deeper than they could've ever imagined. 

Yet the rules of our world are lost on folks who come here for the mountain life or a crumb of solitude, some get more than they bargain for as their prissy cars speed down the dirt roads. 

People like Krissy, who found the darkness firsthand.

"Man, this place is far out," Krissy muttered to herself. It was time to live off the grid all alone, to be self-sufficient, so she quit her job and moved into the heart of mountains just outside of Roanoke, Virginia. Krissy danced to the music as she sped down the road she was finally out of the city and that was what mattered.

18200 Lost Mountain Rd appeared on her right. My stop. Lucky for her the previous occupants had been living off the grid for a while, shoot they even left her some crops. Krissy was going to be living the old ways in person. The thrill sent a shiver through her.

She smiled as the old single wide came into view, it was decked out with all the essentials, solar panels, a garden, various other small buildings, one she thought must be an outhouse. Before, she had associated a single-wide with the trailer park trash she knew in high school. Trash people are what she always called them. They could never live like she was going to. The garden sat right in front of the house. She jumped out of the car running towards the house.

The woods pulled in all around the house, tucking the porch into the shade. The trees danced in the woods as she climbed the front porch. Krissy pulled out her keys and jingled them a bit as she searched for the key she needed. She found it and was about to insert it into the door when something cracked in the woods behind her.

Krissy spun around, her heart slamming in her chest. She waited for a moment; nothing came through the thick laurels that sat beneath the tree.   

Probably the wind.

She put the key in the door and entered. There wasn't much to it, but it was home.  A pull-out couch sat in front of her in the living room. The kitchen was directly connected to it. 

Something caught her eye on the coffee table.  A note, how nice. Krissy opened it without a second thought.

Dear Krissy,

I am so glad you chose to purchase our house. However, I wanted to warn you of the few odd things about the property, as well as the ins and outs of living off the grid.

These rules you need to follow.

1. Don't go out at night. Seeing as we don't have any lights installed out there it can be very dangerous even sitting on the back porch.

2. There is a trail in the woods, only walk upon it. Nothing else, something watches in the night.

3. Get up at 5 and in before dark. If you don’t, things could get dire.

Anyways, enjoy the off-grid life!!

Carmen.

Krissy sighed and balled up the note and tossed it away. Seeing the stars at night was one of the reasons she left Roanoke. I’m not staying in. 

They were trying to scare her. . . that’s the only thing that made sense. Krissy smiled as she ran back out the door, bringing in all her stuff. Before she checked out the crops, she didn’t know much about farming, but everything looked great.

Another loud crack echoed from the woods behind her. She turned and again there was nothing but the swaying of the trees. The hair on the back of her neck rose, she was sure something was watching her. 

"Who's there?" She called. Krissy voice trembled but she wanted an answer, she wanted to know. Yet, at the same time she didn't. 

She thought being out in the woods would be the ultimate freedom but something seemed wrong. Krissy left the garden shutting the door behind her, making her way towards the woods. 

"Hello," she called again to no avail. As she got closer to the woods a chill ran through her. She could see the trial that Carmen mentioned to her right and was tempted to follow it.  

Another crack rang out and Krissy ran inside.  It took her a while to get her nerves back, and by that time it was night. Kissy ran out the door, and the stars dazzled her, each glittering like she had never seen before. She couldn't believe the natural beauty around her. 

A light flashed to her right and she shot her head in that direction. A light flashed again in the woods. It almost beckoned her. She moved into the darkness without thinking, and before Krissy knew it, she was pushing her way through the laurels into the darkness of the underbrush.

She laughed as she chased after the light. It danced around in the darkness in front of her. All her fear was gone. 

Come with me. It whispered. The trees got closer, and a searing pain shot through her arm. She screamed and fell to the ground, yet her arm didn’t come with her. It popped off easier than it should've. 

Come with me.

Krissy stared up in horror as a tree close by sucked her arm into its mouth. It smiled a crooked bloody smile, as stars disappeared into the foliage.

Lights burned within the trees like eyes all around her. They were surrounding her. Pain welled through her body as the trees tore into her. How had they gotten so close?

She screamed but no one could hear her. The last thing she heard were three words. 

You are me.