The Growing Population of Hallowden

Iris paused her private, off-key performance when the radio stuttered. She sighed and waited for it to sort itself out. Always cuts out at the same spot on this highway, every single day.

“This is HLRS and I’m your host, Chuck Blore, signing off for the night. Quick reminder, Community Lunch will be held at St. Agnes Church this Saturday at 12. All are welcome. Our newest resident is on her way here as we speak. I hope you’ll greet her warmly.” 

The radio crackled, and her song resumed. Iris frowned at the dashboard. She’d never heard of this station before, nor had she heard of St. Agnes Church, and she’d lived here for years. 

She shrugged and cautiously resumed singing along to the song. Five minutes later, she pulled off at her usual exit, her blinker clicking loudly as the radio went quiet. 

She hit the main road and immediately furrowed her brow. Where’s the giant sign for Minnie’s Diner? Did someone steal the Exit 55 marker? 

Grip on the steering wheel tightened, she continued driving down what should be the familiar road she always followed home. She passed where the abandoned church should be and pulled over, certain now that she’d somehow taken the wrong exit. 

She grabbed her phone and punched her home address into the GPS.  

“You have arrived.”

The robot voice spoke as soon as she hit “Start route.” She glared and checked her signal. Her chest tightened when she saw zero bars.  

She reset the GPS and put her address in again. 

“You have arrived.”

“No I haven’t!” she groaned and tossed her phone onto the passenger seat, leaning her elbow against the door to put her head in her hand. 

She glanced out the window and finally noticed the houses that lined the street. Small and perfectly uniform, each one had a slanted red roof, a blue door, and pristine white paneling. Her eyes widened; the street stretched as far as she could see; houses lined each side until they disappeared into darkness. 

She pressed her foot on the gas pedal until it met the ground, the colours blurring in her periphery. She drove until the houses disappeared and everything grew dark, her headlights illuminating nothing but dust. 

Her shoulders relaxed and she reached for her phone. Still nothing. She sighed and sped up, seeing light up ahead. She almost laughed to herself, ready to chalk it all up to a wrong turn after a tiring day at work. Then she saw the red and blue on either side of the road. 

Her clock read 9:46pm but it could almost be daytime with how bright the sky shone. She looked up to see more stars than she’d ever seen before, all large, bright, and perfectly spaced. Lowering her gaze, she gripped the steering wheel with both hands, arms straight, elbows locking. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She opened her eyes again and felt tears well up behind them; nothing around her had changed. 

She picked up her phone and scrolled until she found her fiancé's contact: Stefan Sorano. She clicked his name and closed her eyes, willing his voice to come through the speaker. 

It just beeped; no signal. 

The car radio crackled again before the suspiciously enthusiastic voice boomed: The town of Hallowden welcomes its new residents with a home of their choice. If you’ve just arrived, pick whichever unoccupied home you’d like but please ensure you are inside before ten o'clock. Don’t forget about the festival of bones taking place next Tues-

The broadcast cut back to static. The clock blinked: 9:52pm. 

Iris looked around as the light dimmed, the stars above switching off, one by one. A loud, rolling rumble rang out in the distance. 

Heart pounding, she slowly opened her car door. The rumble intensified. A minute passed. The ground shook in bursts; the sound of stomping grew louder with each one. Iris slipped back into the car, grabbed her things, and sprinted up to the closest house, hoping no one was inside. 

She took a deep breath and tried the knob. It turned. She darted inside and slammed it shut behind her, locking it immediately. The space around her illuminated itself with a soft yellow glow before she even had time to look for a light switch. 

Her breath caught. “H-hello?” she rasped, the silence swallowing her voice whole. 

Somewhere deeper in the house, a floorboard creaked. Iris backed harder against the door, reaching to double check the lock. “I’m sorry,” she called, hating how weak she sounded. ‘I just needed somewhere to—” 

A click sounded overhead. Then another. Lights came on, one by one, lighting up a nook at the end of the hallway. A small table was tucked into the depressed wall, a vase of fresh flowers on top. Above it hung a large ornate frame with no image inside. 

Confirming the door was securely locked, Iris ventured into the small living room to find it filled with warm orange light and plush furniture. A fireplace sat across from the large couch, a plume of smoke drifting up the chimney. 

She approached and felt a small rush of warmth as if someone had just extinguished a flame. Positioning herself behind the armchair, she pushed it in front of the fireplace to block the opening. Then, she grabbed the firepoker and went back to the front hall. She pushed the small table out of her way, the vase smashing as water spilled across the clean wooden floors. She leaned against the wall and slid down, makeshift weapon poised, eyes trained on the front door as the house shook in time with the rumbles outside. 

Light slowly dissipated from behind the curtains until the pitch black spilled in against the cozy lighting inside. She stayed there, fire poker ready, until the sun came up. 

Carefully stretching her legs, Iris lowered the fire poker and stood. Her knees cracked and her back had developed several knots while she‘d sat still, scared to even breathe. 

She turned her head to look around and screamed. The previously empty picture frame now held a sharp, beautiful image of her and Stefan from behind. His arm draped around her waist as they stood on a white-sand beach and looked into the sunset. She remembered the day clearly; the taste of salt in the air and the warm breeze on her face. The way the grains of sand gently scraped over her toes as she dug them in. 

She also remembered how alone they’d been. Lifting her weapon again, she sprinted down the hall and yanked open the front door. Seconds later, she heard a scream to her left. 

Whipping her head around, she locked eyes with another woman standing on the porch of the house next to hers. Eyes wide and hair disheveled, she held a small pocket knife in front of her, gripping tightly with both hands. 

“Who are you? Where am I?” The woman shouted, voice shaking. 

Iris lowered the fire poker and lifted her free hand in surrender. “My name is Iris. When did you get here?” 

The woman shook her head as tears spilled over her eyes. “I just dropped my son off at daycare. I was almost home, but I took a wrong turn. I drove straight for an hour but kept coming back to this street. I keep trying to wake myself up.” Her voice cracked on the last syllable. 

Iris glanced down at the woman’s bare arm and saw several shallow slashes. “What’s your name?” 

The woman paused. “Lorie.” 

“Okay, Lorie. Did you pick up a weird broadcast on your car’s radio?” 

Lorie froze, pocket knife shaking in her hands. “How did you know that?” 

Iris bit her lip. “I got one too. Community lunch at St. Agnes?” 

Lorie nodded. “This Saturday.” 

“Three days from now.”

“What do you think will happen then?” 

Iris shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’d prefer not to find out. Any chance you’ve got service?” 

Lorie plucked her phone from her pocket and shook her head. “Nothing. GPS wants to work but just says I’ve arrived no matter what address I put in.” 

Iris nodded. “Mine too.” She paused and watched the woman sheath her knife and slip it into her pocket. “So driving is out, maybe we can walk our way out of here.” 

Lorie squinted her eyes. “Wait. How long have you been here?” 

“I drove in late last night.”

“And you didn’t try to run away?” 

Iris looked at the ground. “The radio said to get inside before ten PM. I wasn’t going to listen. But the ground started shaking and it sounded like a pair of giant footsteps were headed my way. So I ran inside. “ 

Lorie paused and pursed her lips, looking Iris up and down. “Okay. Let’s go for a walk. Maybe there’s a way out behind all those trees.” She jutted her thumb behind her house at the thick woods. 

Iris slung the fire poker over her shoulder and hopped down the three porch stairs. 

They made their way toward the treeline, walking beside each other but keeping their distance. They paused as they approached, scanning the ground for a path or entrance. They found none. 

Iris shrugged and reached forward to push a branch out of the way. She gasped and jumped back as an electric shock traveled up her arm and down her back. 

"What?” Lorie screamed. 

“It shocked me!” Iris glared at the trees while panic rose in her chest. 

Lorie threw her hands up. “So we’re just stuck here?” 

Iris looked around. “Yeah. For now.” She studied the trees; they looked completely normal. She looked up to the sky and narrowed her eyes. The clouds were a little too perfect, too uniform. “If we can find whoever is doing the radio broadcasts, we can figure this out.” 

Lorie breathed out, crossing her arms. “You think so?” 

“Maybe,” Iris responded, lips pressed into a thin line. “But we have to find something before it gets dark again.” She looked back at Lorie. “I think we should start by finding the church.” 

Lorie nodded and followed her back toward the houses, arms crossed. 

They both stopped short when they reached the street. 

“Whoa…” Lorie’s mouth hung open as they stared at the roof of Iris’s house, which had turned purple. 

Iris’s hands curled into fists and she swallowed hard. 

“Wha… how— why is it… did your house change?” Lorie stuttered. 

Iris couldn’t look away. “Yeah. My favourite colour is purple.” 

“Hello! How are you?” 

They both jumped as a voice called to them. Directly across the street from Iris’s house, a woman stood on the front porch of a house with a green roof. Her mouth was open in a wide, toothy smile and she held her arm up, bent at the elbow, as if she froze mid-wave. 

Iris and Lorie exchanged a wide-eyed glance. Iris took one step forward. “Can you help us? We’re not sure where we are.” She called back, trying to make eye contact with the woman, but her eyes didn’t move. 

"I’m fine, thank you!” She spoke again, but her mouth went up and down with choppy movements while her forearm waved a single time. 

“Nice weather we’re having today!” A man’s voice this time. 

Iris snapped her head to the right; a man stood on the porch of the house next to hers, his arm held up in the same way, eyes unmoving and not quite meeting her gaze. 

Lorie grabbed Iris’s arm. “Who are they?” she asked, voice barely more than a whisper. 

Iris met her eyes. “I think you mean what are they,” Iris whispered back as she looked across the street again. The woman still stared straight ahead, arm held up in that frozen wave.

They looked back and forth between the two figures a few times. When neither moved, Iris spoke, “We need to go find the church, now.”

Lorie nodded. Iris looked longingly at her car still motionless on the street, before taking off down the long, narrow road with Lorie close behind her. 

“I drove down this road so many times and I don’t remember seeing a church. Or anywhere to turn, for that matter.” Lorie mumbled. 

“Somehow, I don’t think that’ll stop this place,” Iris responded, picking up speed and pointing ahead. “See, look at this.” 

She broke into a jog until she reached a smattering of overgrown bushes and shrubs. 

“Whoa” Lorie breathed as Iris moved small, sharp branches out of the way to reveal a splintery, faded wooden sign that read “St. Agnes” with a small arrow. They followed the narrow dirt path and a small building with a sharp, pointed roof appeared through the dissipating morning fog.

They approached to find the small door slightly ajar. Iris slowly pulled it all the way open and stepped inside the dank, dusty, one-room church. They squinted as their eyes adjusted to the dark, and Iris soon noticed a thin, yellowed string hanging from a bare bulb. She pulled it and a harsh, white light spilled across the room, illuminating the center but keeping the corners in darkness. 

Cobwebs stretched across every pew and dust stirred with every step they took toward the front. 

“Is that…” Lorie asked as they approached the altar. 

“I think so,” Iris breathed, hand reaching out to brush off the nameplate on the sleek black coffin in front of them. 

Stefan Sorano 

Iris choked and stumbled back several steps. 

Lorie leaned in and furrowed her brow. “Who’s that?” 

Iris shook her head, a dry thickness now settled in her throat. “My fiancé,” she finally choked out. 

Lorie kept her eyes on the coffin as she carefully walked behind it to find a table with a crisp, clean open book. 

“Look, this is so weird, it’s the only thing in here not covered in dust.” She held the book out to Iris who took it and wordlessly flipped through a few pages before stopping at one. 

She cleared her throat and pointed, “I think-” paused and cleared her throat again. “I think this is a list of residents?” 

Lorie looked over her shoulder. “Does that say pending?” She pointed to the top of the page. “There’s a lot of names under there.” She took the book back and held it close to her face before she gasped suddenly. 

“What?” Iris demanded, her heart picking up speed.

Lorie jammed her finger at a line near the top. “Simon Caster, that’s my son! Why does it say my son is pending?” 

Before Iris could respond, something rumbled outside and the ground shook underneath them. She grabbed Lorie’s arm. “Come on, we have to get inside, quick!” 

"What? Why?” She asked as Iris dragged her toward the door. 

“It’s what I heard last night after it told me to go inside!” The ground shook again. Iris flung the door of the church open and froze; the sky had gone completely dark. 

“Is it nighttime already? How long were we in the church?” Lorie asked as Iris dragged her down the street. 

“I don’t think time works properly here,” Iris said as dots of light appeared in the black sky, one by one, all exactly the same size and evenly spaced. 

Lorie pulled out her phone as they ran. She held the screen out for Iris, “It says it’s 9:30pm!” 

Iris ran faster.

“What’s that?” Lorie breathed, stopping as they got close to their houses. A small figure sat on Lorie’s porch. 

Iris narrowed her eyes. “It… it looks like a kid?” 

The figure unfolded itself, a small head of messy brown hair emerging. “Mom?” 

Lorie’s mouth twitched as her eyes softened. She squeezed her hands into fists and stretched them out again before taking a sharp breath in. 

“Simon!” she finally shrieked, sprinting up the stairs to pull the boy into her arms. 

He returned the hug and lifted his head to lock eyes with Iris. They looked just as empty as the man and woman from earlier, but they focused easily. 

Iris gasped as her chest filled with ice. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and tried again, not breaking eye contact with the strange boy. “Lorie!” She finally squeaked. “Something isn’t right!” 

Lorie broke away from the hug and held the boy at arm’s length, a wide smile spreading across her face. “How was your day? Let’s get you some dinner, mister,” she said happily, as if she hadn’t heard Iris at all. 

“Honey! Come on inside, it’s getting late!” Iris spun around as she heard Lorie’s door close behind her. On her own porch stood a man with Stefan’s face. He smiled stiffly, reaching a hand out to her. His lifeless eyes looked at her, but focused behind her, as if he couldn’t quite figure out where she stood. 

“I made us some dinner,” Stefan began, eyes still staring over her shoulder. “Penne with mushrooms. Your favourite.” 

Her heart hammered in her chest, blood pumping in her ears. Behind Stefan, the front door swung open with a creak, as soft music crackled over a radio from inside the house. 

After a few seconds, she heard the familiar, cheery voice: “As our community continues to grow, don’t forget to welcome the new residents each day! And remember, folks, there's nothing more important than family. If yours hasn't arrived yet, don't worry. We'll make sure you have one!"