Moonrock

The way the town of Moonrock works, is that the people never question the things that happen there. Some say the place is haunted, some say that aliens have invaded it, and some others think it is plain corrupt. No resident has yet been able to explain this place, and this is probably for the best. It's because none of them are able to look at it from the outside. You must be confused, so let me share with you some of the weird occurrences of this town by explaining a typical day.

In the morning, the children go to school, and the parents head to their daily jobs. The pets are left home alone to wander around the house and guard the premises. Instead of doing that, you can hear their howls and screams from the other side of the town. No one ever returns home to check on what might be going wrong. The children walk into their classes, which are plain white rooms with no furniture or props, but a dusty book that sits on the edge of the only window in the room. Except the glass is black, and no one can see outside. The children stand in three single-file lines while an old, withered-away lady reads the book aloud. On their rare, short breaks the children snack on the food that is served in the cafeteria. They can only eat one thing, since every living animal and plant in the town seems to be infected. Or rather they can only drink one thing. Once they finish sipping on their chemically engineered drink, they head back to class again.

The adults head to their offices where they spend the majority of the day. Thankfully, they have chairs in front of their unstable, wooden desks. They spend all day writing down the words that the voices in their heads scream. Judging by their mortified features, they are probably writing everything it is that they cannot say. Furiously scribbling is what they do for 8 hours a day, as they don't get a break like the kids do. Occasionally, they lift up their heads and glance at each other. Their eyes always have a shine to them, as if they are wet with tears. But their faces, they are always emotionless. They want to open their mouths, but they never seem to manage to form any words. At the end of their work day, they stack all the paperwork they have created in front of them for one final look over them. And every day, they are all equally surprised to find them blank.

Between those that are in education and those that belong in the workforce, are what they call the Deserters. They roam around the empty town, with no obvious purpose. They are free to look around at all the abandoned shops and seemingly empty houses. Sometimes you can see fear in their faces, as they are struggling to comprehend what is around them. They avoid everything they are afraid of, but each other. They cannot touch or communicate with one another. But if you look closely, you might say that they can hear each others' thoughts. If you look even closer, you would be sure to see that they are utterly and unmistakeably terrified.

At 4.30pm everyone who has a home, returns to it. The pets finally stop howling, and the town goes eerily quiet. The lack of absolutely any noise lasts for 14 minutes. What follows that, is piercing winds and enough rain to drown the whole place. The tree branches are pushed and pulled by the invisible power, even though the leaves have left them a long time ago. The rain hits the ground so violently that sometimes it feels like it could cut the earth in two. This does not seem to affect the people in the houses, as the moment they enter the space, all doors and windows simply disappear into thin air. As the case is with the whole town, there is no way out.

The families barely acknowledge each other. They all drink the same single engineered drink, while they sit on the floor facing each other. There is a pet bowl on the side for the animal to drink the identical chemical drink as everyone else. As they finish, they always sit and stare as the family sits motionless. It is obvious that they too, wish that they could speak. Speak about all the horrific things they witness every day. All the things that happen in the very spot they are all standing right now. How they just wish that one day someone will come home early and see everything they do. Maybe things would change. Or maybe they will be dead before anything gets better. That's what they've been thinking for the past 76 years. So they will continue to yell.

There are no lights in the houses. Light appears and disappears on its own accord. This is what dictates the stages of the day. The light is dimmed, which means it is time for the kids to be put to bed. The young ones lie down on the plain mattress where they sleep. There are no covers as they are not needed; the temperature never changes in Moonrock. The mother always holds the same book in her hands and intends to read it until her child is asleep. She can never actually get the words out, but eventually the subject fades into their scheduled sleep. This is the one situation where we know, there definitely are monsters under the bed. Their eyes will gleam the moment the lights are completely gone. Their breath will be the only sound in the whole room. Their nails will be digging into the lustrous floor. The one wish the kids have is that they would be able to move. Yet, the only thing they can do is pray that the light comes along quickly so they can go back to their empty classroom.

The parents then will head into their own room where the lights have gone almost extinct. They will also lie down on their plain beds, staring at the ceiling. Their hands are almost touching, but not quite. Even though the temperature is neutral, they wish that they could lean on each other for warmth. But they get no better sleep than their children. They sit there unmoving, minds wandering. They hope they could stay with their kids, maybe because they want to protect them.. Or maybe because they want to be protected. As their thoughts race, the room goes completely dark. And that is when the nightmares begin. Only they know what horrors they witness in the pitch black chamber. Their hearts race so fast, they almost pray they give out. Most importantly, there is one more strange thing about those dreams. They couldn't be nightmares. Because their eyes are wide open.

No one really knows what happens to the Deserters during the night hours. No one really knows what happens outside their walls. For all they know, there could be light and there could be sunshine. But the rain and the silence feel so real. For as real as they feel, the next morning there is no sign of wetness or moisture anywhere. No sign of the howling winds or the rattling thunders. But as per usual, no one is able to speak up about it. And by the time everyone is almost out of the house again, they have mostly forgotten what nearly scares them to death every night. It seems like the gods do show some mercy after all. The day is overtaken by a different fear. The one that makes them think that they might not remember their own families by the end of the day, just like they have forgotten everything else. That they will never be able to express their thoughts again, just like they haven't for decades. That their pets won't stop screeching even when they return home.

What happens in a doomed town like this of Moonrock, stays secret. Visitors cannot see the same things that the residents can. Not that there are many who are willing to enter Moonrock anymore. It is humans' natural tendency to avoid what they can't understand. Now maybe it's time to tell you who I am. My name is Xenya and I am a resident of the town Moonrock. More specifically I am a Deserter and I think I am the only one that knows what really happened to Moonrock 76 years ago. In case you are wondering how I know, it is quite simple. I came home early. Before the pets ceased to speak. And I saw everything. But I haven't been able to return home since. Instead, I walk around with the other ones that are like me. I know exactly how to stop this. I know how to prevent the town from re-living the same day over and over again. I know how to move on. I know I'm the only one who can help them; who can help us. But I just can't part my lips and say it. I can't stray off the course of my walk. I can only stand by and watch those who can, while they do nothing. And that..that is why I am terrified.