The Wrong Person Was Transported to the Horrific Lost Village

The creature in Mitch's view was such a nightmarish sight he wondered if he was asleep. It had almost skeletal gray skin--that skin that seemed like it could tear at any moment--stretched tightly over its bones. Its silver eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, and a mantle of dried reeds billowed out behind it as it advanced, seeming almost alive with the way it moved in the air. It chased after the wagon, a wood spear tipped with crude metal in one hand, and reigns made of vines in the other.

"That's no 'guy' Mitch," Rigs said, scoring a hit on one of the strange hounds that had gotten too close. He turned to Lorio looking like he was mere moments from bashing someone in the head. "Hey! Lorio, what gives?! Why is the rider here already!?"

"Rider?! No, we haven't been here long enough. Are you sure--"

"Lorio, crap, turn your goddamn head around!"

Lorio looked over his shoulder, and his eyes went wide. "Holy crap--"

"I told you, you goddamn bastard! What's going on here?!"

"I don't know!"

Lorio faced forward again and whipped the reigns. "Everyone, faster! Faster! Get your horses moving faster!"

The "Rider" let out a shrill screech like a war call. Hoots and sinister, otherworldly murmurs echoed through the forest. Everyone that heard those unusual sounds felt as though there was something standing next to them, whispering the cursed words directly into their ears. Dread settled into their souls this way, carried by the strange words. 

"Run away," their minds screamed. 

And then Lorio's roar snapped every unaccustomed person out of the pool of fear they were falling into.

"Don't stop! The Rider's coming! Just go! We're not losing anyone else!" Lorio glared at Rigs. "Hey--"

"I know! We'll handle it!" Rigs gripped Mitch's shoulder and shook him violently as Pitter shot at another hound. "Mitch, the Rider is going to jab at us with that spear. If you make eye contact with it, you've got to shoot quickly. You might think that it's too far away, but the Rider's arm can stretch slightly. You understand? Take the shot as soon as you can; otherwise, he will take your eyeball!"

"R-right!" Mitch said, breathing heavily, eyes wide with terror.

The Rider was one problem, but the hounds were still at play and getting closer and closer with every wave. One of the hounds got close enough that its eyes shifted colors. Mitch panicked and took the shot, hitting the hound in the chest. He knocked it out of the chase.

Mitch let out a sigh of relief and started reloading--

"Rider's going faster!" Pitter yelled. "Mitch! Shoot him before he gets closer! You have the range!"

"Gah!" Mitch cried as he dropped his magazine. "Shit, shit!"

Pitter's heart raced. He looked away for a moment but regretted it immediately. One of the eight hounds pursuing had shifted their eyes, Pitter having missed it. 

Rigs shot another and yelled, "Pitter!"

The hound leaped at the back of the wagon, displaying a power in no way suited to its malnourished body. It leaped so far into the air that it was poised to attack Pitter from above. Pitter turned and looked up at the hound, his heart racing with fear. He raised his arm. It was a quick decision--sacrifice the arm to shoot the beast.

"Fuck off!"

But not today. Pitter would not lose his arm on this day. 

Another muscular arm flew over his head and collided with the hound, punching it away with nothing but human strength. Pitter looked back at his savior, Ryza.

"I've got guns, too," she said with a smirk.

Pitter stifled a laugh provoked by the corny joke. He definitely wasn't going to say anything after that display, however.

"Look ahead!" Ryza said as she licked her lips and put up her arms. Her eyes were trained on the Rider's spear.

"Here it comes!" Rigs yelled.

Pitter took aim. "I'm ready!"

"I'm almost reloaded!" Mitch followed.

Rigs shot at another hound as Pitter shot at the rider. Rigs's shot hit, but Pitter's attempt provoked gasps.

"Hey!" Rigs yelled. "Where are you going?!"

"It dodged? Mitch, it's on your side!" Pitter yelled, fearing for the young man's eyeball.

The Rider that was in hot pursuit had suddenly swerved out from behind the wagon and ran forward.

"Almost--eek!"

The rider didn't attack Mitch. No, it had just crossed him. Mitch had looked at it in that short moment, but the Rider's eyes--

It's not looking at me?

--were not on Mitch. Its eyes were trained ahead of them.

Mitch's fear for his life dissipated and was replaced with fear for everyone else. It fueled his urgency. "The Rider's going for something else!"

Lorio glared to the side as the Rider zoomed by. "Holy shit--"

Paulie's fear hit an all-time high. His eyes darted toward Mei. "Is the fucker going after her again!?" Paulie got up between the girls and the rider and held out his arms. "Leave them alone, man! We've got enough shit today--huh?"

The Rider didn't even look at Paulie as it rode past. It didn't look at Paulie, but Paulie's activated mind burned the image of the creature into his mind, noting the details.

Long ears? And its hair looked like silk.

Long, pointy ears, and fine gray-trimmed hair were not the only elements Paulie recorded. He saw it clearly--that dreadful sight. Dozens of human bones dangling from the mantle, with some acting as a frame that kept the reeds together. Paulie's eyes locked onto the skull at the center of the creature's mantle, its empty eye sockets filled with red flowers. He felt a surge of terror unlike any he had ever experienced before. 

His heart pounding and his breathing erratic, Paulie shouted, "It's still going!"

He could do nothing but watch as it gained on the first wagon.

There, Mister Tolk's eyes went wide as the Rider approached. "A-Amazing," he said, unable to take his eyes off it. Unlike all the others, the fear in his eyes was being replaced by wonder. Then, for the first time, the Rider's eyes began to shift.

"SECOND WAGON! GET DOWN!"

It was Mitch who screamed out. Paulie saw the man and quickly ducked, pulling Kia's head down with him as she screamed.

Over in the first wagon, Gran pulled Mister Tolk back and out of the way. Tolk, meanwhile, reached out toward the creature. "Ahh, my life's--"

A loud bang echoed through the air as a projectile flew straight into the back of the creature's head. The force propelled the Rider forward and threw it to the ground. The Rider tumbled and was trampled by their own mount as it crashed to the ground after it. 

The wagons sped past, all of the passengers astounded as they caught sight of the fallen rider. 

"Holy!" Mitch yelled, falling backward onto his back, panting. "That was close! The shot of a lifetime!"

Rigs grabbed the man and shook him. "Good job, Mitch, you blasted bastard!"

Mitch smiled in response and lifted himself up to see the results of the shot of a lifetime. His happiness disappeared within a second.

"That's not fair."

The Rider was getting onto its knees. It looked at the wagons, anger in its eyes.

Rigs rested a hand on Mitch's shoulder. "This world isn't fair."

The wagons finally crossed the forest's boundaries and entered the valley clearing the village sat in. Cheers erupted from the drivers, with even Lorio letting out celebratory yells. The passengers caught on to the mood of triumph and slowly started cheering as well.

The light atmosphere continued for a few moments until Lorio noticed the color of the sky. "Hey!" he called, his voice not as urgent as before. "Todd, Trevor! Forget putting the horses away! Cut them loose as soon as we get to the clinic! Heard?"

""Heard!"" the other drivers and villagers riding along said.

"Listen, everyone," Lorio continued, referring to his passengers. "The moment the wagons stop, you all scramble into the clinic. No loitering!" Lorio glanced at the edges of the valley and noted the creeping mists. "We were unable to clear the forest before twilight, but we'll definitely get into the clinic before the light disappears from the sky."

Everyone nodded. They were all too tired to question anything. Everything happened quickly after that command. The group reached the village center.

"Quick, quick, cut the horses loose! We'll find them in the morning!"

And the passengers all ran into the old wood-framed clinic the moment its doors opened. 

"Come in, come in," said an older woman wearing a headscarf and loose, rustic clothing. Anabelle was right beside her, helping the injured in. After the passengers were all inside, Lorio and Pitter ran in, while Rigs and the other villagers ran toward their homes.

Lorio shut the door behind him right as Anabelle realized the truth.

"Lorio, where is Mari?!"

Lorio shook his head. "We don't know. She ran into the woods to try and save two of the girls."

Anabelle's knees gave out, and she sank toward the floor. "No... It wasn't even a day..."

Pitter dropped to a knee and consoled the young woman. "Don't lose hope, Anabelle. Maybe they're okay. Maybe they found somewhere they could hide."

"Pitter, that's cruel," Lorio said, disapproving of what Pitter suggested.

"Hope... Hope is good for the soul, Lorio."

"Not when it's so likely to be dashed..."

"There's a chance--"

 "Astronomical... Make sure the Doc knows the girl got attacked by a bird."

"... Aye."

Lorio walked off toward a window, finally showing his fatigue. While the passengers got situated and the most injured began being helped by lamplight, Lorio sat and watched as the mist finally rolled into the town and the final hints of sunlight disappeared from the sky.

"That was eventful."

Lorio looked over his shoulder at the titan-like woman, Ryza, with a smirk. "Nice punch. You saved Pitter, probably."

"Probably..." she said with a shrug as she stood beside him. "So, what happens if I go outside now?"

"You get eviscerated and rammed into a wall somewhere."

The swiftness with which Lorio responded--the sheer lack of emotion in his voice... Ryza had to raise a brow, unsure of how true the answer was.

"I'm serious," he said.

"Is it those beasts and Rider that are going to do it?"

"Nope. Those guys stay in the forest unless shit's bad." He glanced to the side. "There. There's the problem."

Ryza stood closer to the window and peered into the misty streets. She narrowed her eyes at what looked like a figure carrying an oil lamp in its hands. The closer it came, the wider Ryza's eyes opened. It was a large, lumbering creature covered in a gray cloak that seemed to hang off its body. The only bit of color came from the golden glow of the lamp it held. The creature moved through the fog with slow, deliberate steps, showing no signs of deeper thought or purpose.

"Meet one of your Jailers," Lorio said with a sigh. "The things that patrol the village streets and stop any sorry souls from going outside when night falls."

Lorio glanced at the silent Ryza. His expression said that he felt bad for her. Someone like her--she must not have been used to being so sequestered.

"Don't worry," he said, hoping to alleviate her nerves. "Everything in this place follows 'Rules.' The Jailers? They won't come into the buildings. They belong to the streets at night, while we belong to these buildings." Lorio let his head rest against the chair's back. "Rules govern everything here. As long as you decipher the rules and stay within them, you'll be fine and have a nice time in our 'Happy, Peaceful, Village,'" Lorio said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"That thing..." Ryza muttered. "Do they appear in the forest?"

"Huh? No? They belong to the village. Not the woods."

Ryza looked at Lorio, her brows furrowed. "But that's the thing that appeared in front of the bus."

Lorio stared at her in disbelief. When he noticed how adamant she was, he began leaning forward, his eyes growing wider and wider. "What?"

"That thing was standing in the middle of the road. It's what we tried to avoid before the crash."

Lorio looked out toward the village, his expression troubled. "That's... That's never happened before."

"So, can we really trust these 'Rules' of yours?"

He shook the surprise off his face and pointed at the ceiling.

Lorio glared at Ryza, bothered. "Do you see these walls coming down?" He stared at the jailer as it crossed the window without even looking at them. "If what you said is true, then... it just means there are still rules to discover."