King's Watch Road

There was something mysterious about King's Watch Road. At the corner of the last turn there was a sign for a town called Northbury. This would seem normal to people visiting, but there were no towns on any maps by that name. 

There was only the forest after the sign, nothing else to indicate there could be life in the trees beyond the road. Town officials had tried hiking into the woods to find it but always came back with nothing, nothing except a vacant look in their eyes. 

It had been there so long most people forgot about it and just went on with their daily lives. Everyone except Silas Hart. He could never forget and it became a bit of an obsession. He had researched everything about his own town in the hopes that he would uncover some hidden truth and he went every Sunday to trek through the woods, going farther and farther each time but he too, never found anything. 

Silas was thinking about the town now, thinking about the upcoming Sunday as he sat filling out paperwork for his father's business. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he saw he had a text from his father and two from his girlfriend Sarah. 

He opened the one from his father first: 

"I need those contracts on my desk by 9 am."

Sighing, he put his pen down and opened the ones from Sarah: 

"Hey, where are you?"

"Sorry, I ordered. I was really hungry." 

Shit. He had forgotten he was supposed to be on a date right about now. He ran his fingers through his hair and rushed to put away his work. He pulled on the closest pair of shoes and ran out the door into the dying light of the evening. Stars emerged in the sky above him as it got later and later. 

When he arrived at the restaurant Sarah had already eaten and was filling out the bill. 

"Sorry I'm late babe," Silas said, kissing the top of her head. 

She looked at him for a long time, moments slipped by before she said anything. 

"Can we talk?" 

His heart plummeted to his feet as he sat and admired how she looked with her red lipstick and flowy black dress. Tugging on the sleeve of her dress, she looked into his eyes. 

"What's going on Silas? This is our third date you've almost missed." 

Silas felt guilty. He hadn't meant to be late, his father was just keeping him really busy.

"You know my dad, I'm burnt out from all he's having me do. I have no free time." 

The waitress came back for the bill and they stood, making their way towards the door. 

"I understand that, and I validate your feelings, I just feel like I haven't seen you in weeks." She said. Tears were falling from her eyes and Silas yearned to wipe away her sorrows and make it better, but he didn't have the gumption to stand up to his father, he couldn't make false promises. 

He put his arm around her as they reached her car and stood at the driver's side. 

"I love you Sarah. I would love nothing more than to spend all of my time with you, but my father would crucify me if I didn't meet the quotas for the week." 

More tears spilled down her beautiful cheeks, she opened her car door to get in. 

"Sarah, wait. Please." 

She looked up at him just as there was a loud screech of tires behind them and lights flashed across the buildings around them illuminating everything the darkness was hiding.