The Ones Who Stay

Jack and Daniel arrived at the house of Mr. Danvers quickly. When they got out of the car and walked to the side of the home, they found something interesting.

It was graffiti that said 'The bell chimes. Don't forget its ring.' It was written in a child's scrawl in black paint.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked Daniel.

"Hell if I know," Daniel responded. "But it rubs me the wrong way."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "It feels… wrong."

"Hey, folks!" Mr. Danvers walked appeared from the backyard. "What brings you all here?"

"Hello, Mr. Danvers!" Daniel said in a cheery voice. "We're investigating the graffiti."

This made Mr. Danvers look at the wall. His whole body stiffened, as if he'd been electrocuted.

"Don't worry about it!" his smile seemed wooden. "It's just some kid messing around."

"Probably," Jack said. "But we want to make sure. Eddie doesn't need the disturbance."

"That he doesn't, kid!" Mr. Danvers laughed heartily.

"We'll just take some photos and be on our way, Mr. Danvers." Daniel reassured him.

He proceeded to take photos with his bulky camera. They'd slimmed down over the years, but they were still quite cumbersome.

While he did that, Jack remained stuck on the graffiti. What did it mean?

The bell rings. But what bell?

His thoughts went to the typewriters in the office. Those were the bells he heard most often. There were also bells at the church of the Shepards Light. They rang whenever a believer had a birthday because it meant they followed the path.

Jack wasn't to certain about the specifics of it all. He wasn't a religious man.

"Alright!" Daniel exclaimed, knocking Jack out of his revelry. "Time to head back!"

"Have a good time, kids!" Mr. Danvers waved goodbye. "I'll get to cleaning up!"

They waved back until the house was out of sight. When they got to the office, they immediately began writing.

By the time they finished the article, the sun was going down.

"Goodbye, Daniel!" Jack waved. "Sky and Dane are probably waiting for me. We're having meatloaf!"

"Sounds great, I'll see you tomorrow." Daniel told him, packing up.

Jack began his walk back home. It had been a good day, though a little confusing. He felt something tug in his mind, as if he forgot something vitally important.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember. It must not be too important, in that case.

"Welcome back!" Dane greeted Jack as he walked through the door.

"How was work?" Jack asked him, curious about his day.

"As it always is," Dane replied. "It's a hassle, but there's nothing like hearing an engine roar."

"Hey Sky!" Jack called out to Sky, who was watching them from the dining room. "Want some meatloaf? It's my mother's recipe!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Annie?" Sky asked.

"Who?" Jack didn't know of Annie.

"Annie? Our team- friend," they finished, choking mid-way through.

"Is that you're girlfriend?" Dane said, excited. "We'd love to have her over for dinner!"

"No, she's not!" Sky looked panicked now. "She's our friend! Why can't you remember?"

Jack had an image pop into his head. It showed a slip of a girl. She was dressed in a skirt-suit holding an unopened umbrella. She was screaming, begging for help.

"I- I can't…" Jacks head was pounding. It felt like he was going to explode.

"Find… my journal." He ground out with effort. He could feel the moment of clarity leaving him.

Sky ran off before coming back a few seconds later, journal in hand. Dane looked on, confused at what was happening.

He quickly opened it. His eyes swept past the circle and the broadcast. He saw more writing he never did, but he ignored that too.

He took the red pen in his pocket and began to write, which was difficult in his pain-addled state.

Remember Annie. You do not live here. This town is a lie.

His headache subsided slightly. He could think better, clearer.

"So, who's hungry for meatloaf?" he asked cheerfully.

Sky just stared at him, their eyes full of intense emotion. Perhaps… despair? But what could they be upset about? Life is perfect.

"Oh, I am!" Dane said. He looked excited.

Jack began preparing the ingredients for the meatloaf. He diced the onions to perfection, prepping the rest of the ingredients afterwards. The cooking went smoothly and in 30 minutes, they had a picturesque meatloaf.

"Enjoy!" Jack said with a smile on his face. He and Dane began to dig in, eating with abandon. He finished up his first helping before he noticed that Sky wasn't eating.

"You want some?" he asked them, holding up a plate. They just looked straight through it.

"No, I'm fine," they sounded tired. "I'm going to go to the store in a little."

"You're missing out," Dane said between bites. "The meatloaf's great!"

"I just want something small. I'm not that hungry." Their stomach growled.

"Alright," Jack shrugged. That just meant there was more for him.

They ate in silence after that. Sky eventually got up and left, leaving just Dane and him in the house.

"Want to listen to some music?" Dane asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure," Jack said, shrugging indifferently. He wasn't a big music fan, but he didn't have much else to do.

They easily found a station that played modern hits. In fact, almost every station played modern hits.

They just sat in comfortable silence and listened to the soft music.

Then the music began to change.

It was subtle at first. Just some occasional static, or maybe the pitch sounded off.

Then, the music stopped entirely and a voice began to speak.

Though they may be gone, they live in our minds. They live in our hearts. And when the bell strikes on the seventh turn, they'll live forever.

Jack looked at Dane in a panic. He didn't seem to notice, still moving his head to a non-existent tune.

This whole thing is strange. Jack suddenly felt the urge to write it down. Maybe he and Daniel could investigate it come morning.

Jack didn't know what the voice meant, but it sounded ominous.

Ever since he got back from his trip, weird things have been happening. He'd have to investigate it.

The radio soon went back to normal, and the rest of the day passed without fanfare.

Sky arrived back home about an hour after, carrying a large collection of canned food.

"It's the only stuff that stays good for long periods of time," Sky defended themselves when Jack asked them.

"If you don't like my cooking, you can just tell me," Jack joked. "You don't need to resort to borderline cat food."

Sky ignored him, trudging up the stairs into their room.

Jack figured it was time for him to turn in for the night as well. He needed to be bright-eyed and ready come morning.

He had a mystery to solve.

"Is that you, Annie?" he asked the silhouette in front of him.

"Help me!" the shadow screamed, struggling against its chains.

"I'll get you out of there! I promise," he told the shadow, running up to it.

He tried everything he could to free it. He tried smashing the chains, pulling them off the floor, and even snapping them. Nothing he did seemed to work.

"Help me!" the shadow repeated. It was as if it didn't know Jack was there. It sounded like a broken record, just hoping someone would hear its pleas.

"I'll stop the town! I'll bring you back!" Jack said, hoping to get the shadows attention. But the shadow did not respond.

A light appeared above them, illuminating the shadow. It revealed Annie, her face drenched in sweat. Blood was streaming from her ears.

Her eyes were stitched shut. It was a horrifying scene.

"So you've noticed," a voice behind him said. His voice.

He turned around to see a copy of himself, just like last night.

"Let us go!" he yelled. He didn't know why it was doing this.

"But why should I?" the other Jack said. "You are all so happy."

"But none of this is true! It's a town built on lies and suffering. Annie is hurting and you expect me to, what… turn a blind eye?"

"Of course I do. The happiness of many far outweighs the suffering of few. And you will stay here, in this town."

The other Jack stepped closer till it was inches from his face.

"Soon I will lose my grasp on you, Halden. But by then you will be desperate for the illusion. You will beg me to let you stay."

It smiled that hollow smile.

"You will choose to feed The Father."