Anamnesis (Five Nights at Freddy's Fanfic)

Somewhere tucked in the southwest corner of Utah, within miles and miles of desert stretching as far as the eye could see, was a humble place nestled between cliffs and mountains of red stone and granite.

Hurricane, the city where she was born. Her hometown, where she had spent her childhood days before everything changed.

And now she was coming back to it, after all these years.

Wendy couldn’t really recall the finer details of those days in her memories, even if she tried her best to. A lot of what she did remember were mostly vague flashes of parties, balloons, and running through a picturesque neighborhood wearing no footwear, all the while being chased by other children in a game of Tag. She’d see her mom, along with the blurry faces of her relatives, watching as she played and had the time of her little life.

She’d recall other things, but they all felt rather fragmented and confusing to even make any semblance of sense.

In any case, she was here now. And she hoped in the process, she could start to piece together what she wanted to do in her life. Well, as much as she can while figuring out her next move, that is.

The house was still there, right where they’d left it. Despite having lived years without ever seeing it again, Mom decidedly never sold it off to anyone, and mostly paid for its upkeep and property taxes. As a child, Wendy never understood why that was the case, but as she stood in front of it now, she had a feeling that Mom had always known she would come back here.

That or she was just really sentimental and didn’t want to give it up.

Fishing the key from her hoodie pocket, she made a quick work of unlocking the front door. It creaked softly as she pushed open, and quietly made her way inside to take everything in.

It was all the same. Every nook and cranny, every furniture, every placement. Exactly there, just as she remembered. The only difference now was that the whole place was empty, and nobody walked in and out of the rooms as they went along with their day. Nobody home except her now.

She explored for a bit, trying to compare the house from her memories with the house as it was today. The kitchen and dining room were a little empty of appliances, and the bathrooms from the top and ground floors were still surprisingly in good condition. Her parents’ master bedroom was devoid of all notable items (Mom had brought them all with her during the move), but the king-sized mattress remained there along with its bedside cabinet. It didn’t have bed sheets or blankets, though.

As expected, the house didn’t have much of the past left. But there was one more room she had yet to see, and one she decided to save for last.

Her childhood bedroom had little to no change throughout the years she was away from it. What she recalled of it were warm, bright colors, and a feeling of safety. Like it was her tiny sanctuary away from everything else outside the door.

Looking at it now, she was definitely feeling the same thing. That and a wave of nostalgia hitting her square in the face.

It was colorful, sure, but age washed it out a little bit, especially the wallpaper. There were oodles of posters and drawings splattered all over the walls, the majority conglomerating into one huge pile near the single bed. In the middle of the room was a painted wooden rocking horse and a large playhouse set designed similarly like a suburban family home. Off to the side near the bed was a toy chest that looked like a pirate chest, stickers of old cartoon characters decorating its surface.

Speaking of cartoon characters…

When Wendy opened the chest, she found an ample pile of toys and plushies inside. A few were from franchises that became popular when she was a child, while the rest were the spitting image of her stickers, except they were tangible and the main focus of her younger self’s fascination.

These were from a restaurant, weren’t they? The name was lost to her at the moment, but she could remember how happy it had made her. She could even hear Mom’s exasperated sigh as she’d begged for the 100th time to come back there the next day.

Out of everything in the house, which felt too big and empty, her childhood bedroom was perhaps the only thing that still held pieces of her past. And it felt just as comforting as it used to be, even if it’s also accompanied by encroaching sadness and nostalgia now that she’d grown up.

Her eyes raked themselves over from the toy pile before looking at the posters and drawings on the walls. She felt herself smiling as she recognized the childish stick figures and animals she’d drawn using colored crayons. The posters on the other hand were from movies she’d watched obsessively with her parents. E.T., Castle in the Sky, Back to the Future, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. She could only vaguely remember what those were about, but maybe she could try watching them again at some point in the future? Just to see what her younger self was so stoked about.

After what seemed like a whole hour of taking everything in, Wendy decided to get on with moving all the things she’d brought with her. While she didn’t have much when she made the choice to return to Hurricane, it was still somewhat of a handful enough to be put into boxes. Clothes, personal items, the works. She’d even brought her trading card and marble collections, though she hadn’t thought of where to put them just yet.

Her old bedroom was too small to accommodate a clearly adult person(legally, anyways), so she left it be for now and stocked her current belongings in the master’s instead. After all, she wasn’t one to turn down a clearly spacious and blank-slate of a room. Already she could imagine decorating it enough that would resemble the chaos and personality of her old one.

Yeah, that put a smile on her face for sure.

With her moving in complete for the day, she felt it was time to get her bearings and explore the house some more. While she was confident nothing changed that much for the past thirteen years, it was still crucial to locate the fuse box and water valve. That and maybe prioritize repairs and change the locks. It’s never too safe to do so, even in a quaint little neighborhood like this.

So she did just that, and came out a few hours later feeling reassured that most of the house was in order. The only damages she found were minimal and as for the locks, she would have to look into that tomorrow morning.

Naturally, because she’d been ignoring food for the entire day, the pangs of hunger were now starting to feel glaringly obvious and she forced herself to back off and scrounge her duffle bag for anything edible she’d brought with her on the road. Fortunately, she had a couple of Granola bars left, along with a bag of half-eaten jerky and string cheese. Once she settled herself in the living room and switched open the TV, she proceeded to dig in.

To her luck, one of her favorite afternoon shows were currently airing, so she spent the rest of the day watching those and unwinding from everything else that occurred. It was during commercial break when there was an abrupt change of her situation.

Someone was knocking on the front door. It was almost drowned out by the Chuck E. Cheese commercial blaring from the TV, but Wendy heard it. She hadn’t been expecting any visitors during her sort-of first day, but it would be kinda rude to ignore it either and pretend she wasn’t home. And it wasn’t like she could pretend anyways, given that the TV was most likely heard by whomever it was outside.

And so with a soft sigh to herself, she got up from the couch and made her way to open the door. Absent-mindedly, she thought of investing in a peephole so she could see people beforehand. Still within that line of thinking, she proceeded to turn the knob and swing the door open, bracing herself as she did so.

Standing under the lazy haze of the midday sun, to her surprise, was an unfamiliar woman. She looked to be around Wendy’s age, and had been tapping the floorboard with an anxious foot. When the door opened, her head perked up and her face shifted into a light and hearty expression.

“Hello, hello,” the woman greeted with a subdued but welcoming smile. “You must be the new neighbor. We heard you were coming in today, so they sent me to make your acquaintance.”

Wendy paused for a moment, taken back by her jaunty demeanor. This also gave her ample time to take in her appearance. The other woman looked finely built, with straight auburn hair falling past her shoulders. She was dressed in generously conservative clothing, and wore a pair of rimless framed glasses. When she smiled, Wendy saw that she had buck teeth, though it distinctively suited her.

Even with how friendly she looked, it was hard to say anything in response.

“Uh, hi.” Wendy only managed a small wave in her direction, not entirely sure what else to do. “I…wasn’t expecting anyone this soon.”

The woman laughed easily. “Well then! You and I both. I figured that you needed some time to get settled in, but Mom was pretty adamant I give you Hurricane’s hospitality. Mind you, she and a couple of others are planning on a welcome wagon tomorrow, so just a heads up.” She extended her hand towards her. “Name’s Zoey Talbot, by the way. Or Lopez, depending on what’s more convenient for the resume. Nice to meet you.”

Wendy took it and shook hands.

“Nice meeting you too, Zoey,” she replied simply. “I’m Wendy Marshall. I don’t think I have a second surname, but I’ll be sure to tell you if anything comes up.”

Zoey snorted good-naturedly at that. It was a nice sound.

She then gave her a slight once-over, causing Wendy to feel somewhat self-conscious of her current appearance—she didn’t quite have the time to doll up and dress the way she wanted, unfortunately—before letting out a small noise of content.

“You’re looking pretty settled there,” she said with a nod. “If you don’t mind too much, I’d be delighted to show you around the neighborhood. Maybe even take a good look at some places. It’ll be my treat.”

Oh! Um.

Wendy pursed her lips and thought about it. While that idea didn’t seem too bad, she also wasn’t a very social person. On the other hand, however…here was a neighbor extending a warm welcome, and Zoey Talbot seemed to be very genuine in easing her into her new home.

She shrugged, deciding to go for it. “Sure. When do you want to head out? I don’t quite have much to do right now, but I will be busy for a couple of days with a few things.”

“Neat!” The other woman grinned. “We can walk around the area for awhile. And if that turns out well, we can even continue this whenever you’re up for it. Your choice. I’m good with whatever you pick.”

So it was settled. They would venture around the neighborhood for today. Wendy decided to dress into something more fitting before joining her out there, turning off the television as she did so. She also made sure to pocket the house keys and grab her wallet and satchel, feeling somewhat certain that that’s all she needed for now.

And with that, they set off.

It was a weird experience. She didn’t really get out a lot when she was younger, and when she did, it was most often because she was part of a group project with several other people and it required that they headed to somebody’s house to finish the whole thing together. And even then, her mother’s eyes watched her like a hawk, waiting in case she tripped or faltered in her steps. Ready to whisk her away at a moment’s notice.

To venture out in a world without those eyes on her shoulders felt weird. Like there was no longer any sort of pressure, but at the same time, there was a gnawing emptiness that couldn’t exactly be filled. Like..like a long and wide hallway stretching beyond one’s initial vision.

She wasn’t sure she liked this feeling. It made her feel as if she were walking blindly in the dark. Staying afloat a deep ocean.

As promised, Zoey showed her around the general area where they both lived. While the quaintness and peacefulness was exactly as she remembered it as a child, the main difference now was how many small shops and businesses had opened since her absence. Downtown was a couple of roads away, but it was still somehow able to seep in through cars and public transport.

There were places she did recognize from her childhood, and they both decided to stop by in a few of those. They didn’t really talk a lot during all this, and Wendy figured it was fine. She couldn’t begin to know what to say anyways.

She did, however, have a feeling that Zoey was pretty curious with her. It was a bit subtle, but the way she would glance at Wendy from time to time whenever they were standing in front of a store she’d get nostalgic over was a definitive indicator of what was possibly running in her mind.

By the time they returned to the house, it was already twilight. The street lamps were already lit, giving off dim spotlights on the sidewalk underneath them.

“That was fun,” Zoey said as she watched Wendy open the front door. “It’s been a long time since I had to show someone around and go out for something other than worship and work. You had a good time?”

“Yeah, sure,” Wendy replied, sending her a small smile. “I don’t go outside often. It’s a different experience.”

“Oh? Well, I sure do hope you’re ready for our next tour of Hurricane. I’ll be picking some interesting places to show you around. How does Saturday sound?”

“It’s good. A weekend of exploring the city isn’t a bad idea.”

“Great!” Zoey flashed her a barely contained grin. “See you, then. Well, technically I’ll see you tomorrow because of the welcome wagon. But yeah, see you!”

And that left Wendy to her devices for the rest of the evening. She didn’t have much else to do other than listing down anything of importance for her to work on throughout the week, like the locks and damage repairs, so she mostly spent the next few hours watching a few more shows before making a quick wash and heading to bed.

As she lay there in bed, she still found it difficult to process that she was here. In her old home, the very same one that she was forced to leave because of something tragic. Something terrible. Something even she couldn’t remember no matter what. And though the idea irked her to no end and tickled her curiosity, she was in no rush to grab at answers that have yet to manifest in plain sight.

Her mother showed little resistance at the idea of her coming to live here. That in of itself confused her, but there was little to clue in on why that was. For now, she could only do what she planned to do.

Start a new life. Somehow.

But as she soon succumbed to the lulling thoughts swimming in her mind, she knew deep inside that what she planned was completely different from what she wanted.

Zoey wasn’t kidding when she said the welcome wagon was coming the next day.

Wendy had just been getting a feel of the kitchen to see what she could potentially do there when there was an eager knock at the front door. When she answered it, she was met with a group of five people, all with a very wide and welcoming smile on their faces. Leading them was an older woman who could only be Zoey’s mother.

“You must be Wendy!” she gushed, shaking her hand with gusto. “Hello, hello! My daughter told me about meeting you yesterday. I’m Annabella Lopez. Annie for short.

“These four are my good friends. Marge, Jill, Stacy, and Owen. Say hi, everyone!”

The conversation, outside of her control, quickly moved to the living room where the TV had been turned on to broadcast today’s morning show. Wendy had been listening to it while figuring the kitchen out for breakfast, but now that she had guests, she opted to set it to mute so she would pay attention to them completely. To her utter surprise, Annie and her group had brought in over food to share with her, in the form of mac and cheese casserole and possum pie. They even brought in lemonade, which was relieving as Wendy thought all this cheesiness and sweetness would make her quite parched.

Annie was a very good conversationalist. She mostly did all of the talking and prodding while the other four would occasionally interject to ask about something they were curious about. Almost immediately, she asked about Wendy’s story on why she moved here in the first place.

“It’s my childhood home,” she answered honestly, holding her glass of lemonade in a gingerly manner. “I used to live here with my parents thirteen years ago. I decided to come back since I’m capable of living on my own now.”

“Goodness!” Annie exclaimed. “Well, that would explain why nobody had tried to live here before. We’d only heard stories about an old family that used to live here in the late 80s, but we didn’t think about it too much. And the fact that it’s being kept in such good condition after all this time! Well, color me impressed right there.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Owen said. “But it was your family, right?”

“Yes,” Wendy admitted. “Yes it was.”

“Oh, that explains a lot too!” Jill chirped. “See, all four of us used to be newcomers ourselves in the neighborhood, so we don’t really know a lot about the history of the place.”

“We were all from different parts of the state,” Stacy added. “Annie here was the latest arrival before you, and that was like five years ago.”

“It’s incredible that we’ve actually met a former native of Hurricane,” Marge jumped in. “How’s it like back then?”

“A lot different than it is now,” Wendy replied with a small smile. She couldn’t help but think of the many new shops and businesses she’d seen yesterday. It made her feel somewhat strange. “I was only a child then, so I can’t really say I remembered much of it, though.”

“That’s alright,” Annie said reassuringly. “We were just curious.”

More questions kept coming, and if it was any other situation, Wendy would have become increasingly uncomfortable and made it obvious. But Annie’s smile was sweet and welcoming, so she had no choice but to power through her current mood and answer as efficiently as she could.

There was only a slight break when another knock came at the door, the second time this morning. Annie perked up immediately.

“That’s definitely Zoey,” she said. “Hold on, I’ll let her in.”

Wendy and the others watched as the older woman got up from the sofa and disappeared into the hallway. She then heard footsteps and a door opening, followed by two voices responding to each other. During this entire time, she sipped on her lemonade quietly as she waited. The four guests also did the same, with Jill helping herself to some mac and cheese.

Moments later, Annie came back to the living room, with the familiar figure of Zoey in tow behind her. The other girl had a tentative smile on her face, though it visibly softened when her eyes landed on Wendy.

“Hey,” she said.

Wendy waved.

“Hey yourself,” she said in return.

Annie had been looking at their short interaction and seemed to look pleased by it, because she clapped her hands in a cheery manner.

“Oh, you two look acquainted already!” the older woman exclaimed, as if she hadn’t supposedly sent her over yesterday in the first place. “That’s so nice! Here, let’s all get seated and continue our little conversation while we eat.”

Her daughter sat down on a spot next to Wendy’s on the couch while Annie moved back to her previous one. Small talks floated around afterwards, mostly with whatever topic Annie and her friends would bring up at the moment, although it was to ask Wendy in some way or another.

“So Wendy, dear,” Annie said after getting a second helping of food. “Now that you’re back here in Hurricane, what exactly do you plan to do? I’m sure you didn’t come back just for the nostalgia factor alone.”

“Hmm, no. I didn’t,” Wendy replied, though it was a slightly hesitant response. From her periphery, she could see Zoey leaning slightly closer as she drank lemonade, all while pretending that she wasn’t as interested as she let on. “I guess…I haven’t really thought about it. The plan was to get here as soon as possible, and other than that I’m drawing a blank.”

“You thinking of getting into college?” Marge asked. “From the looks of it, you’re probably out of high school, right? It wouldn’t be far-fetched for someone your age to be signing up for a class or two.”

“Or a job, if you’re more inclined to that,” Owen added. “Kids seem to be rather interested in setting out on their own, so they usually go downtown to work over at some store or business that’s willing to take them on.”

Wendy could only shrug at either suggestion.

In truth, she hadn’t thought that far in what she would do once she got to Hurricane. She’d been so focused on making sure her mother wouldn’t make a fuss with her decision that she completely skimped on planning for her next move when she did cross over that metaphorical bridge.

At the moment, she was pretty stumped and without an answer to give.

“Oh, lay off her a bit, guys,” Jill said with a laugh. “We’ve got all the time in the world for her to figure it out.”

“I’m sure she’ll have something thought out by then,” Zoey agreed, sending Wendy a reassuring smile.

The conversation took a different direction from there, which only intensified when someone brought up the neighborhood community and the events surrounding it. Stacy eagerly talked about the holidays where most, if not everyone, were active participants all year round. For Annie, it was the constant contributions of their local church for things like charity.

“It’s really quite lovely,” she was saying. “The Latter Day Saints people would often plan many events for every person attending to enjoy their time there. In fact, our Zoey’s an esteemed member and she helps organize the programs by keeping things in check. Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Yeah,” Zoey agreed, a small but proud smile on her face. “I have fun doing it. And everyone’s so friendly, so it was easy to get into the spirit of celebration. Ah, speaking of—” She looked over at Wendy. “—I was wondering something. What’s your religion, Wendy? I never quite got it when we were out walking yesterday.”

“Are you Latter Day Saints too?” Jill asked. “I mean, your family did come from around here, so I would assume they brought you up like everyone else was.”

“Oh, no. I’m not,” Wendy replied simply. She was about to add more, but then she saw the expressions slowly changing in their faces; from casual and welcoming to outright consternation and disinclination.

“Ah…” was all Annie said, a strained smile on her face. “I see. Hmm…”

For a split second, Wendy felt like she was being studied under a magnifying glass. Her seat suddenly lost all its comfiness and there was a sense of claustrophobia creeping down her spine. When her eyes flitted to everybody else, they all looked like they’d been told a rather cruel joke.

Even Zoey looked taken back, and she was completely avoiding eye contact all of the sudden.

“Well…” It was Owen who decided to break the ice. His expression wasn’t as strangely uncomfortable as the others, but he did look a bit hesitant to do anything. “If not Latter Day Saints, then whatareyou?”

Wendy bit her bottom lip, but didn’t stop to reply in the exact polite tone her mother always told her to do.

“I’m Jewish,” she replied, bracing for another reaction.

“So, Latter Day Saints?” Stacy asked in confusion.

“No, I’m actually Jewish. As in, I practice Jewish traditions passed down in my family through generations.” It only occurred to her that this probably was either too much or too little of an explanation, so she opted for a simple addition, “My dad’s a member of the synagogue…?”

“..Oh!” A warm smile returned to Annie’s face. “You’re a Gentile!”

“U-Um, no. I’m Jewish—”

“Yes, yes. That’s wonderful!” The older woman was back to chatting enthusiastically, the atmosphere of the room suddenly becoming lighter. “Your folks are most welcome here! Our community has a wide appreciation for your efforts and we sympathize with your struggle. Really, it’s a pleasure to be of service!”

“We’ve got interreligious congregations held every Sunday after service,” Jill said delicately. “Feel free to drop by whenever you feel like it. I bet it’d be a refreshing take to hear what a fellow child of Israel has to say.”

Wendy was taken back by this abrupt turn of events. She could only stare numbly at her five visitors as she struggled to find a proper response to what she’d just heard. It was a very unexpected response. She wasn’t sure if she’d experienced that sort of thing the last time she told someone she wasn’t part of any group. Come to think of it, her only exposure to religion was Dad and his associates. The way her guests suddenly stopped everything to watch her closely still made her knees weak and her shoulders heavy, and she didn’t know why.

The air became a bit much easier to breathe again once the conversation pivoted away from the topic of her religion and more on to the current state of affairs within Hurricane, which she was incredibly grateful for as it let her recover from…whatever just happened back there. She even excused herself to retreat to the kitchen for a couple of minutes.

Finally, within two hours Annie and her friends decided to leave under the statement of them being needed elsewhere. They enthused once again about meeting Wendy face-to-face and hoped to see her around some time, even going as far as to invite her over lunch on Sunday. She merely smiled at them and waved goodbye, unable to process anything at the moment. Zoey flashed her an apologetic and sheepish grin before slipping in a small “sorry about that” to her as she left with the group.

The rest of the week after that was less pressing and mostly had her spent focusing on finalizing her move to the house. Items were set up, necessary repairs were made; she even managed to get the peephole installed on the front door, which eased her already antsy mind from wandering into unpleasant thoughts.

Little by little, it felt slightly more homey and less empty. Although the only things to check off the list now were groceries and the lock changes to the house, which she hoped to accomplish by the end of the week if possible. She wouldn’t be able to live off of string cheese and granola bars forever.

Thankfully, she had enough in her budget to buy a cartful of ingredients from the supermarket to stock her pantry for a month or two. Courtesy of her inherited bank account from when she was younger, which her parents planned to hand over to her when she graduated high school. Now that she was taking off from the nest, this was a good opportunity for her to put to use.

Days sailed rather smoothly, until it was finally Saturday.

And as promised, Zoey dropped by to continue the tour around Hurricane. To Wendy’s surprise, she even brought a car this time.

“I borrowed it from my sister Maddie,” she said with a grin. “She’s okay with us toting it around, just as long as I bring it back in one piece. Plus where we’re going, it’s going to require us to drive instead of walk.”

With that, they set off.

They went past Downtown and made way for less populated places, such as nearby national parks and resorts. Throughout the journey, they listened to the AM radio station hosting some sort of talk show discussing different sorts of things like the weather and current affairs. It was more or less a calming drive.

At around eleven, they stopped by a Mexican food place for lunch and spent the entire time conversing about the next places Zoey intended to show her around to. She even paid for both of their orders, and she insisted on doing so too. It was unexpected, but Wendy didn’t think too hard about the implications.

When they arrived to take a look at the Hurricane Valley Heritage Park Museum, it was early in the afternoon and it was rather hot out. They decided not to stay too long under the sun, which they were both happy in their choice, with Zoey easily getting sunburnt and Wendy not really wanting to become parched.

On the way, they came across a small building that looked as if it were a restaurant of sorts. Which was odd considering they hadn’t encountered any food place for awhile during the drive now. The parking lot was empty, but it still inspired a lot of questions for Wendy.

“What’s that over there?” she asked her companion as she pointed out from the window.

“Hmm? That?” Zoey glanced at the direction, her lips pursed in a tight line. “Oh. That’s some kind of diner that used to run in the 80s. The name escapes me, mostly because I don’t really keep up with stuff like this, but I heard it was a popular place for kids back in the day. It’s closed down now, so whatever’s there is probably gone.”

She was right. The building did really look abandoned from first glance alone. The walls were cracked and grayed with age, and some parts were covered in vines. The sign was faded and missing a ton of lettering, to the point where Wendy couldn’t even read it if she tried.

But something was strange, because when she looked at this clearly rundown place, images of her cartoon stickers and plushies floated into her mind, and she didn’t know why. This was familiar, but as far as she could recall, she had never been here before.

“Any word you picked up for why it possibly closed down?” she asked Zoey.

“Just the one. Some people I know from service say it closed due to an accident with a child. It was all hush-hush, and the diner closed by year’s end due to the safety hazard.”

“And the child?”

“Hospitalized. I don’t know what happened from there, but I assume they recovered and the family was given compensation for their troubles.”

It was now Wendy’s turn to purse her lips. She became quiet after that, simply watching the abandoned diner disappear from the distance as they went past it.

They drove on, their path leading to schools and mobile homes. As they passed, Wendy could vaguely remember the exact same school she went to during elementary, though she wasn’t too eager to take a closer look at it. She knew her childhood was fairly normal and she didn’t exactly have a terrible experience during her time at first grade, but she figured there was nothing noteworthy to recall about it.

Continuing down the route, they went to a section where most of the religious buildings were stationed. Zoey only briefly showed her all the churches and properties owned by the Latter Day Saints before moving on. Strangely, they were the only sects Wendy saw during the drive, aside from a nondescript building that belonged to the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Further beyond, they also stopped by a local animal rescue center. Again, it was only for a brief moment as they individually promised to themselves that they might come back at a later date. Mostly Zoey, as she wanted to get a companion to dote on.

They circled back up from where they’d gone, with Zoey insisting there was more to see nearby the Virgin River and La Verkin. True enough, there was a trailhead perfect for hiking, a plant nursery, and a store that sold interesting rocks and trinkets. Both Zoey and Wendy ended up buying for themselves; Zoey bought a dream catcher while Wendy bought a set of three carved skulls that were posed like wise monkeys.

All in all, it was a purchase.

“What an odd little shop,” Zoey remarked once they were on the road again. “If Mom saw this, she would lose eight more years of life. And that’s if she noticed all the pentagrams and items she’d call ‘witchcraft’. Not to mention the skulls you just bought.”

“I think they’re neat,” Wendy replied with a shrug. “I might set these up for Halloween or something.”

“That’s a good point. Let’s just not tell her what we bought during the drive. I’m already imagining her getting on my case for buying this dream catcher and claiming it’s a Satanic symbol or something.” There was a pause for a moment. “But we don’t celebrate Halloween?”

She answered with a shrug. There really wasn’t anything else to say.

With the tour of Hurricane now considered a complete success, they decided to head back to the area close to their neighborhood and topped off the day by doing Wendy’s groceries at the supermarket downtown. They even found a shop that specialized in changing locks to houses, to which Wendy immediately discussed plans to change hers; the locksmith agreed to be there by next week to start working on rekeying and replacing all the locks to all the doors to the house.

By the time the car parked by the sidewalk, the sun was setting, painting the sky with an orange blood-red glow. A few people were still around at this hour, but a lot of them were most likely inside by now.

Zoey accompanied Wendy up to the porch, talking jauntily about their little adventure today. She was sporting an easy smile on her face, and was noticeably much more open with her compared to their first meeting. In a way, Wendy found it comforting.

“I really had a good time together,” she was saying as Wendy unlocked the door and opened it. “It was fun just driving around the city and doing stuff with nothing particular in mind. I don’t think I’ve done anything like that for a long time.”

“I had fun too,” Wendy said, offering her a small smile. “I…don’t go out a lot, like I mentioned before. So it’s nice doing something different for once. I didn’t think Hurricane could be so big.”

The other woman laughed breezily. “Yeah well, first time for everything, huh? I’m glad you had fun with me.”

She paused, before leaning in close to her abruptly.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” she whispered. “About my mom and her friends. I didn’t mean to put you in a hot seat like that. I could tell you were uncomfortable, and I really feel bad about it.”

Wendy blinked in surprise. Before she could reply though, Zoey waved her off with an awkward “see you tomorrow, Wendy” and left with the car. She could only watch silently as the other sped off down the street and disappeared from view.

It was quiet for a moment, but only for a moment. Then she snapped out her initial surprise and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

All she spent for the rest of the night was sinking into her thoughts, wondering. Thinking.

She only realized by the time she got to bed that she had her own car, even though Zoey had taken her for a ride using someone else’s.