Misty Road

The mist around the lights cast an eerie glow upon the road. Couples and groups could be heard laughing as well as muffled conversations due to distance. Though the path seemed eerie it led to salvation.

Every person on this road was hoping for better. A better home, a better life, a better community. In the distance sirens wailed. Some looked back at the wreckage that once was home, but they quickly tucked themselves against their partner or shoved their hands into their pockets and determinedly looked forward.

The road seemed to go on forever and as the people walked the sirens faded into silence. Now no laughter or sounds could be heard. Just the scuffing of shoes and the uneven walking of multiple people. All they knew was to stay on the road, keep following the lights and don't let your eyes linger for too long on the shadows skirting the asphalt. They knew they'd been walking for some time, but the lights never flickered. The sun never crested along the horizon. The silence was oppressive but no one dared to break it.

The earlier excitement and anticipation had long since waned to a feeling of apprehension and wariness. Could you truly trust the strangers ahead of you to lead you in the right direction? Were the people behind you people you could trust at your back? The atmosphere shifted as the silence continued, now footsteps were quiet, calculated. The hazy mist clinging to the lamp lights altered the shadows of those walking underneath them.

The people continued on the road, sure that there was something for them at the end. Something worth this trek that seemed to last for days.

A small child's voice echoed along the street, "Are we there yet?"

The question hung in the night air and a hoarse voice murmured a shushing sound to the child, but the damage had been done. Now the people were panicking. Should they keep going straight or turn around? Was there really an end to this walking? But, the most troubling question that had been hanging over the people's head was not voiced.

How could they voice it when the shadows had grown into eyes, and the eyes followed their every move. Surely to mention them would be their end. The boogeyman come to life after ripping off your blankets. A scream echoed down the road; from ahead or from behind, they couldn't tell. As the scream stopped, in an unnatural abruptness that sent shivers down every adult's spine, the hazy lights began to flicker off.

One by one they shuttered out and the darkness spread. The people huddled together in their groups, fear and apprehension bringing the strangers together. The eyes multiplied as the lights went out. The largest groups of people huddled under their light, watching as others disappeared into the darkness.

Were they dead? Was this the end that they were promised? Where was the joy? The better? This was cruel and unjust, all they wanted was a sanctuary from the horrors of their old lives.

One flicker and the crowd gasped. Hands clutched bodies tighter and those weeping were pressed into jackets and chests. Another flicker of the light and the eyes multiplied. The bulb dimmed and shuffling could be heard outside of the small ring of light. Another flicker and a third of the group disappeared as the light turned back on. As the lights dimmed and the circle of safety shrank, so too did the quantity of the group.

"Just close your eyes", someone whispered," it's better if you can't see it coming." They held each other close and squeezed their eyes shut just as the last lamp post's bulb popped and littered crackling shards down upon the remaining people.

The road seemed to go on forever and the mist made the lights look rose colored and dreamy. Groups and couples could be heard laughing and murmuring to each other as they walked along the asphalt, looking for something more