Beware All Who Enter Here

1999

Diane was driving across the country to return home for the summer break. She had made the decision not to teach any courses and to simply take a real break for a change. There would be no students, no professors, and no dean, just the open road with her mother and father waiting for her at the end. She needed a mental break before arriving home in order to prepare herself for the news she would be sharing with them.

So far on the trip, everything had been uneventful. The weather had been pleasant, and both the tires and engine were in good condition. The gas stations were not crowded, allowing her to move smoothly. Additionally, the car appeared to be achieving better gas mileage.

She had traveled a good 600 miles before encountering any trouble. Just outside of Alton, she encountered a thunderstorm. She tuned the radio to a local station, hoping to receive a weather alert. Catching the tail end of a news broadcast, she heard the reporter discussing possible tornadoes and hail.

Just on the other side of Alton, the weather became extremely severe, hindering her visibility to only 5 feet ahead. Consequently, she further reduced her speed and veered towards the side of the road. All of a sudden, the wind began to blow with gale-like force. Its strength was so intense that it caused the Impala she was driving to spin around in 2 or 3 full circles, ultimately colliding the front end with the drainage ditch adjacent to the road.

Diane was knocked unconscious for a few minutes, and when she regained consciousness, the storm was subsiding. She realized that she couldn't stay in the car because it could take hours before anyone passed by. Therefore, she decided to leave the car and set off on foot to find the nearest phone. She had to be cautious as she walked, as the path was covered in melting chunks of hail.

She had only walked about 20 feet when she realized she couldn't see anything in front of her. A fog unlike any she had ever seen before had rolled in with the absence of the storm. She considered turning back, but she felt she had come far enough to start seeing some houses soon. So she continued trudging carefully through the mist.

It didn't take long for her to realize that her path was no longer on the paved road. She could hear the sound of gravel crunching beneath her feet. The trees lining the small side road appeared as ominous, dark shapes in the fog. She could hear movement in the forest beyond and desperately hoped it was only water dripping from the leaves onto the ground cover. Just up ahead, she thought she caught sight of a dark figure darting across the road, causing her to quickly turn around and flee in the direction she had come from.

She would have kept running back the way she had come if she didn't see 3 huge shapes emerge out of the mist. Freezing in her tracks, she turned and fled back in the other direction. Knowing she would soon be killed if she didn't keep running.

Good grief, she could not die here. She hadn't even had the chance to tell her parents about Jill. Jill, with flowing red hair and green eyes. Beautiful Jill, who had won her heart this past year. The secret romance she hadn't had the chance to disclose to her parents yet. Yeah, that Jill. Diane refused to be a casualty of this storm and never see her Jill again.

Diane thought she heard something running beside her in the woods. As she increased her speed, she believed she heard it growl as it fell behind. She was grateful that she made herself run on the university track every day, as she could feel her second wind coming into effect. By the time she emerged into the clearing, she felt confident that she had left the predators far behind.

She had taken several steps into the clearing when she noticed that the fog was dissipating in this area. Stopping, she looked around to get her bearings. She was still on the graveled path, which led to a darkened house. The house seemed to have blackout curtains because she could see a light seeping out from the edges where they didn't quite cover the windows completely.

By this time, Diane was shaking just as much from the cold as she was from her fear. She had never been outside at night except to drive a vehicle. She never realized how scary a completely darkened world could be. Reading about fear wasn't the same as experiencing it, she realized. She was torn between going up to the two-story, black house with gables or continuing to run, running anywhere but here.

Going against her instincts, Diane continued up to the house. Even as her jaw tightened and she tasted metal, she persisted. Even as every muscle burned from shivering, she persisted. However, when she suddenly felt her stomach clench and heave, she stopped momentarily. She vomited out some of her fear and then resumed her journey.

When she climbed the steps to the wraparound porch, she stopped once again. This time, she paused to examine the dark, gothic dragon door knocker. She was hesitant to touch the ring in the dragon's mouth to knock, as she could not spot any doorbells. She attempted to knock on the door with her tiny hands, but it was so thick that she seriously doubted anyone inside could hear her. Gathering her courage, she grasped the ring and knocked on the door three times.

The door opened with a creak.

Creeeeaak

The outdoor light turned on, making it difficult to see inside the darkened entrance hall and the silhouette obstructing the entry. Whatever stood in front of her had a hunched back and was wearing a pointed hat. Diane screamed before she lost consciousness.

When Diane woke up, an hour had passed and she was laying in a soft bed with a floral comforter. The room was set up like many motel rooms she had stayed in. Getting up, she went and opened the exterior door. She was in a motel room, in a Comfort Bed Inn motel. Her car sat was parked in a spot in front of the room she was in. The only hint as to the damage it had gone through was the hail damage. Taking a closer look at the grill, Diane noticed some mud caked in it.

Diane looked around the parking lot, then backed slowly into the room she had just exited. She was confused. Did last night happen or was it only a product of her overactive dreams?