***Purely fictional***
The rain began as a light drizzle, but soon, the sky opened up, and a torrential downpour drenched the group of hikers. They had been on a narrow, forested trail when the storm hit, and now they were hopelessly lost. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead, and lightning flashed, illuminating the dense trees around them.
“We need to find shelter,” Sarah shouted over the roar of the storm, wiping water from her eyes.
“We can’t stay out here,” Mark agreed. “It’s too dangerous with the lightning. We’re sitting ducks under these trees.”
Just as panic began to set in, Jess pointed into the distance. “Look! I think there’s a house over there.”
Through the sheets of rain, they could just make out the shape of a small cottage nestled between the trees. The group exchanged uncertain glances.
“Are you sure?” Mark asked, frowning. “I was here three months ago with some friends. There wasn’t a cottage anywhere on this trail.”
“Well, it’s there now,” Sarah said, shivering from the cold. “We don’t have much of a choice. We’ll get soaked if we stay out here.”
Reluctantly, the group made their way toward the cottage, their boots squelching in the mud. The house was old-fashioned but well-kept, with a welcoming glow emanating from the windows. It seemed almost too perfect, a small refuge amidst the chaos of the storm.
They knocked on the door, and it was quickly answered by a young couple. The husband was tall, with sharp features and a warm smile, while the wife had an ethereal beauty, her eyes a striking shade of green.
“Please, come in!” the husband said, ushering them inside. “You must be soaked to the bone. My name’s Ethan, and this is my wife, Lily.”
“Thank you so much,” Sarah said, as they stepped into the cozy warmth of the house. The interior was charming, with wooden floors, a crackling fire, and the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air.
“Make yourselves at home,” Lily said with a kind smile. “I’ll bring you some tea and food to warm you up.”
As Lily disappeared into the kitchen, Ethan began to show them around the house, explaining with pride that he had built it himself. The group was impressed; everything looked meticulously crafted.
While Ethan was engrossed in showing the others a peculiar set of carvings on the wall, Jess’s curiosity got the better of her. She wandered off slightly from the group and opened a small cupboard in the hallway. Inside, she found strange tools—gadgets that looked like a cross between surgical instruments and miniature machines. They were unlike anything she had ever seen before.
“We’re scientists,” Lily had mentioned earlier. Jess remembered this now, her fingers grazing over the odd devices, but something about them felt off. She quickly shut the cupboard when she heard the others returning.
By the time the tour ended, Lily had laid out a spread of food and hot tea. The group sat down, grateful for the warmth and sustenance. As they began to eat, Mark excused himself to use the bathroom.
While washing his hands, he heard a faint, unsettling conversation between Lily and Ethan. Their voices, no longer warm and inviting, had taken on a strange, guttural tone, speaking in a language he couldn’t comprehend. His heart pounded as he realized they were talking about the group—discussing them like prey.
Panicked, Mark rushed back to the hallway, only to find his friends slumped in their chairs, their eyes glassy and unfocused as if they had been drugged. He shook Sarah, trying to wake her, but she remained limp.
Desperate, he tore open cupboards, searching for something to defend himself. His hand closed around a small remote, and when he pulled it out, he noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere. Ethan and Lily appeared in the doorway, their faces twisted in alarm as they saw the remote in his hands.
“You shouldn’t have found that,” Ethan said, his voice cold and alien.
They raised a small, futuristic-looking gun—sleek, silver, and utterly unlike any weapon Mark had ever seen. It emitted a low hum, and Mark knew it wasn’t just for show.
Without thinking, he pressed the largest button on the remote. Instantly, the cottage around them began to shimmer and distort. The walls flickered, revealing a cold, metallic chamber beneath the illusion of a warm, wooden house. The couple’s human forms wavered, then dissolved, revealing their true selves—tall, slender beings with pallid skin, elongated limbs, and dark, empty eyes.
Jess and the others began to stir, the haze lifting as the reality around them unraveled.
“What… what’s happening?” Sarah muttered, her voice groggy.
“Get up! We have to get out of here!” Mark yelled, dragging them to their feet.
The aliens—no longer Ethan and Lily—moved toward them with swift, jerky motions. Mark pressed another button on the remote, and the chamber vibrated, the machinery within it coming to life. The aliens froze, their dark eyes widening in alarm.
“This way!” Mark shouted, leading the group toward the door.
As they stumbled outside into the storm, the chamber—no longer a cottage—began to dissolve, collapsing in on itself. The aliens, realizing they were outmatched, turned and fled through a hidden door in the chamber's wall. In seconds, they were gone, vanishing into the dark woods, leaving behind nothing but the faint hum of their retreating ship.
The group stood in the rain, staring at the spot where the cottage had once stood. The only trace of its existence was the disturbed earth and a faint, glowing residue that quickly dissipated into the air.
Mark dropped the remote in the mud, its purpose now a mystery they would never solve.
“Let’s get out of here,” he muttered, and the group, too shaken to argue, followed him back into the forest.
As they made their way through the trees, the storm began to ease, but the darkness that clung to them felt heavier, more sinister. They knew they had encountered something beyond their understanding, something that would haunt their dreams for years to come.
And as they finally emerged from the woods, exhausted and soaked, one thought lingered in their minds: they had survived, but at what cost? For not all doors can be closed once opened, and not all who flee are left behind.
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This ending leaves a lingering sense of unease and mystery, suggesting that the aliens are still out there, watching and waiting.
