Chapter Text
Turtles.
Sea turtles.
Eggs buried in the sand.
It's interesting to think that some animals are born with immediate tasks to fulfill, such as sea turtles.
When they are born, they must make their way to the sea, to the water.
You can feel it, as the shell breaks, the light floods in, the sound of the sea and the birds, you look around and see more little turtles, coming out, looking, and just like them, you make the same immediate decision.
You must go to the water.
The sand is warm, not completely wet, but not dry.
The siblings who came out before you have left a small path with their footprints through the sand.
You can see how some birds carry turtles in their beaks. You would feel sadness or pity, at the very least, but you can't. In your mind, you have only one thought.
You must go to the water. You must get there, get to safety. You feel your body screaming, terror, fear, anxiety, haste. Many feelings mix, twist, dance in an uncomfortable harmony.
But you don't care, you just know you must go on.
You see the water getting closer and closer, time is running out, you want to feel the moisture on your body, the momentary relief from the birds.
Closer and closer.
A little more.
You manage to feel the moisture on your body for a moment. Then you feel your body rise into the air.
So close but so far, higher and higher, the fear increases and you start to move like crazy, you must let go, fall into the water.
Live.
Another bird collides with the one that was holding you up, and thanks to this, you manage to break free, but as you fall, you see that you will land on the sand.
You wake up covered in sweat, a dream, it was just a dream. When you wake up, you look out the bus window, you haven't reached your destination yet, the trip has been a long one, so you've had several dreams, but that one was the most vivid of all. You decide not to go back to sleep for the rest of the trip and just look out the window.
You see a large, somewhat neglected and dirty sign that says “Welcome to Derry.” Surely the town doesn't pay much attention to it during these times outside of the holiday season.
You continue looking out for a while. The view is full of trees until you see a building, which means you have entered the town. The view is quite normal, just any town. You used to live here, so you try to see familiar places, but everything has changed a lot.
The bus stops at its main stop and you get off carrying a carry-on bag. As you get off, they hand you the suitcase that was stored in another part of the bus.
Your adoptive siblings are waiting for you at the bus stop. You were never very close to them, but you still greet each other cordially.
“You've grown a lot since I last saw you,” says the oldest, and you just smile and nod.
The three get into the younger brother's car and drive out of Derry on a different road than the one you took to get there, which you vaguely remember. Along the way, they catch up on their lives. They are thinking of leaving Derry with their mother, as they have good job offers elsewhere. The older brother is a doctor and the younger brother is going to study at a medical university.
Their mother never really liked you, and they know it, so they don't talk about her, but you deduce that she will live either with distant family or with the older brother. You have returned mainly because your father left the house and the business in Derry in your name, and although receiving such an inheritance is unusual for someone who is not biologically related, that was the agreement in his will.
Luckily, your siblings don't really care; they've always wanted to leave Derry, so they don't feel tied to this place. You come to a gate and the older one gets out to open it so the car can enter. You notice that the fence surrounding the house is very neglected; they must have abandoned the place a long time ago, you think, when the younger one speaks.
“We left this house when Dad went with you. Although he came to visit from time to time, our mother thought it best to leave that house behind... I think it reminded her of him.” The youngest has always had a melancholic tone in his voice, but you can tell that he is not sad or upset about this fact.
“I understand,” you say as the older one gets back in the car and they drive to the house. When they arrive, they help you unload your suitcase and head inside.
Although from the outside you could see that the house was a little neglected, with faded and worn paint, the situation was no better inside. Luckily, the house wasn't really damaged, but it was genuinely abandoned, full of dust and cobwebs. Cleaning would be a challenge.
The younger brother lets out an awkward laugh and leaves the suitcase by the entrance. “Mom left almost all of our things here. We only took our clothes and food with us. For some reason, she left the rest of our things behind,” he says, and you can see that's true.
There are still books on the shelves, furniture and lamps, paintings and rugs, all abandoned.
“Even though Mom told us not to do anything, we cleaned one room, at least so you have a place while you decide what to do or whether to clean the house,” says the older one as he hands you the house keys, one key for each room, plus the main one, an attic, and a basement.
“Thank you,” you say, with some sadness, although you feel that you were never close to them, it may be your imagination since they always sent you letters and were never rude. Thinking this, you give them a small smile.
Before leaving, they show you your room and explain how the utilities work, such as water and electricity. You will have to figure out how to pay for them later, but for now, you don't have to worry about that while you settle in.
They both leave the house, but the younger one stays behind for a moment while the older one gets into the car.
“Are you thinking of staying or selling the place?” he says without turning to look at you, his gaze fixed on the nearby forest.
“I think I'm thinking of staying, maybe taking over my dad's business,” you say, and you can see a slight twitch in his shoulder.
He turns to look at you slowly and says something worried but distant: “Be careful, Derry isn't what it seems.”
You feel a weight in your stomach. The tone with which he said it worries you, and without being able to respond, he walks away, waving goodbye with his hand raised. When you both leave the place, you try to sweep away the discomfort that his comment left you with, and since it is getting dark, you decide to go to sleep. Although you slept on the way, you are still tired because it was a long trip.
You wake up feeling the weight of the previous day's exhaustion and decide to sit on the edge of the bed and look out the window. The early morning is beautiful and new; mornings in Derry are better than you remember.
It's time to get up. Well, not exactly. You woke up half an hour before your alarm went off, but there's not much point in going back to sleep now. On the other hand, today is going to be an exhausting day. You haven't even started to get organized since arriving in town. You have to unpack and organize your things, then go to the small business your adoptive father left you.
With a sigh, you get up. Before getting down to work, you decide to make some breakfast. Although you'd like to cook something, the house doesn't have any supplies yet, so you eat an energy bar that you brought with you for the trip.
After eating, you want to take a shower, but you decide to organize your clothes first so that everything is ready.
The house is quite large and somewhat traditional in style. It is located on the outskirts of Derry and has a fenced-in yard around it, nothing too extravagant. It is a house left to you by your adoptive family, mainly your father. It would seem a generous act to give a house and a business to a simple adopted daughter who has only caused problems, but you know very well that this is because your adoptive father had great affection for you.
And because your adoptive mother wants nothing to do with Derry or you.
The morning passes normally. You have already managed to organize half of your things, the most basic ones for everyday life, but you make a mental note to clean some of the rooms because, although you probably won't use them, they are full of dust and you might find things to sell.
You decide to go to Derry and visit the candy store your father left behind, and even though you didn't visit the place yesterday, you know you have to be prepared to clean it up, as it will surely be just as neglected as the house. So you ride a simple bicycle with a basket that was abandoned next to the house, and even though it's rusty and dirty, it's still functional and will get you to Derry for now.
Derry has changed a lot since your childhood, and your memories of that time are very vague, but you are a little happy to arrive at the place. After traveling so far, returning to a quieter place is a relief.
You quickly pass by the butcher shop and the arcade, making mental notes of the locations, and finally arrive at your destination, a small candy store. Since your father died, it hasn't received much attention, so you can see that it's full of dust and dirt, looking abandoned.
Luckily, you came prepared with cleaning supplies and light clothing. Cleaning the place would be a little easier than the house since it was smaller, and luckily, all the candy had already been taken.
You take out a pair of somewhat old keys, and when you unlock the door, you hear a voice.
“Hello, good morning, excuse me.” When you turn around, you see a blonde woman with glasses accompanied by a black-haired boy who also wears glasses.
“Are you related to Mr. William? My son loved coming here. I wonder if the place will close down or if one of his children will take over.” The woman seems friendly, while her son appears distracted by the arcade across the street, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.
“Nice to meet you. Yes, ma'am, I'm staying here and I'm thinking of keeping the place open.” You give her your name and offer her a friendly but cautious smile.
“Oh, I'm glad to hear it. Welcome to Derry.” The woman smiles at you and says goodbye, although you can see that when she hears your name, she has a slight twitch in her eye.
As they walk away, you can see the boy looking at you and then looking up. You follow his gaze and see a red balloon floating away. 'Maybe he likes balloons,' you think to yourself and proceed to enter the store.
Upon entering, you are greeted by the smell of dust and old candy. The place was more colorful in your memories. It has a storage room, a bathroom, a cash register, and display cases for candy. After looking around the place and assessing its condition, you set out to clean it.
It takes you at least three hours to clean the entire place. You are exhausted but happy because everything looks more alive and colorful. When you checked the storage room, you found several boxes of candy. Unfortunately, half of it is no longer edible, but you have enough to open the store while you get the contacts to fill the place.
Looking through the last things your father left in the store, you find a small notebook with numbers, names, and information that are probably his contacts, so you decide to check them when you get home.
You put them away and decide to buy some supplies for the house. You look for a store and, once inside, you use a cart to go down the aisles, picking up what you'll need for a while. You decide not to buy too much, just what you need for now, since the trip back would be complicated with so many bags.
As you leave, you see several children playing in the streets of Derry, running and laughing. This gives you a little respite.
To get home, you have to leave Derry, not a very long way, but certainly enough to make you hesitate to set out on the journey. Even so, it is a very beautiful road. As you pass the houses and buildings of the town, you find yourself on a somewhat narrow road surrounded by nature. On one side of the road is a river, which you cannot see through the foliage, but you can hear the flow.
The road was quiet. You could hear the leaves rustling in the breeze, the birds and insects, but suddenly everything fell silent. At first, it seems a little strange, but you don't think much of it until you start to feel like something is watching you. You can't see anything unusual in the forest, but you have that uncomfortable feeling.
You start pedaling a little faster, and faster and faster, because you feel like something is chasing you, but you can't look back.
You continue like this for a few minutes until you reach the entrance to your house. As you leave the path surrounded by trees and forest, you feel a great sense of relief. That feeling is gone, and now you can only hear your heartbeat and realize how agitated you were.
You take a few relaxing breaths and open the gate. As you enter, you decide to walk with your bike by your side since you have to 'climb' a little to get to the house and you are tired from pedaling.
You arrive and organize things in the kitchen. The kitchen needs cleaning, so you just organize what could be damaged if left out.
You cook your lunch and eat it on the porch of the house. Inside, it is still full of dust, so you eat there, looking at the horizon. You have a view of the town.
When you're done, you decide to start cleaning the house. You begin in the attic, cleaning and removing boxes of abandoned items. Although your siblings said that their mother had made them leave with only their clothes and basic belongings, you can see that she did take the time to remove the most valuable items from the attic, along with the photos and albums.
After cleaning it thoroughly, you leave only a few empty suitcases and some spare blankets. You leave the rest of the things on the porch, probably to have a yard sale since you don't plan to keep so many things you're not going to use. You do the same with the second floor. When you finish, you see that it's gotten dark and decide to continue the next day.
The next morning, you've finished your basic routine and find yourself checking the items in the second-floor rooms: toys, clothes, posters, and children's items, clearly abandoned and that you will not use. You decide to use a notebook and some colors to make several signs announcing the yard sale. You still have to clean the first floor and basement of the house, but you are getting ahead of that work. When you finish, you put them in a messenger bag that you will use to deliver them.
You proceed to clean the first floor, which takes you three hours. You take out several books that are completely eaten by insects or reduced to dust. As for items to sell, you don't find much more than a few paintings and porcelain pieces. The furniture, shelves, and rugs will be useful, so you just clean them and put them back.
When you try to enter the basement, you notice that the keys don't work. The door is completely blocked, so there's not much you can do about it for now. You'll have to get help.
You have lunch and decide to take out your father's notebook and call the numbers listed on a landline phone previously installed in the living room of the house. It looks fairly new, which contrasts with the rest of the place. Clearly, not everyone answers, so you leave messages with family members, colleagues, and anyone else who answers the call. With those who do answer, you can agree on a delivery date for the store. You reach the last number on the list under the initials “DH.” The number is blurry, and you can't see it completely. Unlike the rest, this one only has those two letters. The rest contained a small description or product to associate it with, but this information will be one that you must keep in mind since there is no one who can tell you who that number belongs to.
You decide to call it a day and head to Derry. The moment you pass through the gates of the fence onto the road, you can feel how the warm atmosphere of the day changes. Now you feel a strange cold. After the previous incident on your way home, you are on your guard, but unlike last time, the only thing that is different is that the atmosphere remains the same throughout the journey. You arrive in the village, but this does not change. Even so, you don't see anyone paying attention to it; everyone continues with their lives as normal.
You head to the park and see some children playing. You decide to give them one of the papers you marked for sale, so you approach them. “Hello, how are you?” you say, waving with one hand, and the children give you an uncomfortable look, stopping their game. You feel awkward about the situation, but you try to brush off the discomfort by handing a paper to the one closest to you.
“Thanks, but I doubt anyone from town will go,” says one of the girls. She has straight black hair and a tired, serious look for her age. One of the boys shushes her with a “Shh, rude,” and she responds by chasing after him. Both children run away while you stand there watching them go.
The boy clears his throat. “Well... it's true, people from Derry don't like to leave town. You'll have better luck taking those things to the antique shop on...” The boy gives you the address and says goodbye. You can see him using the paper you gave him to make a paper airplane.
You sigh, “Well, I guess I'd better do that.” You put the notebook and papers in your messenger bag and cycle to the address given by the boy.
You leave your bike at the entrance and see that the shop has a large display case with items on display. You see a typewriter and a lamp in particular, as they catch your eye with their red color.
When you enter the store, a bell rings, but you don't see anyone at the counter. As you walk over to talk about bringing your things in, you look at the items in the store. You can see objects from different eras, some very well cared for, but others completely useless, mere antiques for collectors.
You reach the counter and lean on the table while you wait for someone to come out to help you. You ring a bell on the counter and wait while looking at a magazine called “Teen,” which has a girl on the cover wearing really colorful and eye-catching clothes.
“Hello, how can I help you?” You see a man with long, straight black hair come out, with a few gray hairs on the right side of his head, which are tangled in a braid that rests on his right shoulder. Although his gaze is not friendly, you don't detect any hostility on his part either. Even so, he hasn't really looked at you yet, as he has his eyes fixed on some papers while drinking a cup of coffee.
“I was told that I can sell some things here. I just moved and I would like to sell them to make more space, mainly. I don't think I have anything of much value,” you say. When you mentioned your move, you saw how the hand holding the coffee had a slight twitch.
“Sure, you can sell them here, but if what you say about their value is true, we probably won't give you much for them,” he says, finally turning to look at you. His gaze is strange, as if he has just understood something. You feel as if you are being examined with caution as tension begins to build between the two of you.
You decide to break the tension. “Yes, never mind. I'd like to know if you can help me bring my things, since I live quite far from town and that bike is going to leave me stranded on the street at any moment,” you say with an awkward laugh at the end, trying to lighten the mood.
But he just stares at you.
You take a step back thanks to the intensity of his gaze when you notice him sigh and then put his index finger to his forehead, with an exhausted expression as if he were getting a headache.
After another long sigh, “I'm sorry, of course, if you like, we can go in a few hours. Come back here then,” he gives you a small smile and you imitate the gesture, relieved by the interaction.
You see him take a landline phone from under the table and start dialing a number somewhat anxiously, but you decide it's none of your business, so you leave the store.
You still have about two hours to kill, so you decide to take a walk around the area and see what's new in Derry.
Time flies as you look at the different shops and houses, and when the time comes, you return to the antique shop where the man is waiting for you at the entrance.
“Sorry, I didn't ask your name earlier,” you say cordially, noticing that the gloomy atmosphere has lifted from his gaze. You feel that the phone call he took earlier gave him good news or at least helped him relax.
“Koda,” he says with a smile. “My name is Koda,” he says, and with one hand he directs you to his truck, opens the door for you, and you get into the passenger seat.
Koda gets in and then start driving in the direction you mentioned when you got in.
“So... what brings you to Derry? Derry isn't a very popular place to move to. Normally, you'd choose a big city, or at least a more attractive town,” he says as he turns a corner.
“Hmm...” You think for a moment about what to say. “Well, actually... my father left his house and a store in my name, and outside of Derry, I don't really have anything... I was for a while... hmm, without anything, so to speak, so I thought I'd stay since I have a place to crash.”
“Crash...” Koda says, thoughtfully.
A moment passes, the conversation has died down, but even though it ended with an awkward comment, the atmosphere isn't actually uncomfortable.
You settle down to look out the window, resting your elbow on it and ‘holding’ your face.
They drive through the streets of Derry and finally turn onto the road leading to your house. The forest feels cool.
Some time passes as you continue to look out.
A deer is in the middle of the road just after a turn.
“What—” Koda says as he swerves to avoid it.
You turn around completely to see the deer back on the road.
And even if it's only for a moment.
You see it.
The second strange event on the road.
Just for a moment, you can quickly see the deer standing on its hind legs.
Its front legs remain bent against its chest, and you can see its face finally contort into a smile as it tilts its head to one side.
You immediately stop watching it thanks to a turn in the road, so you sit back down properly.
“Did you see that?” you say.
“Yeah, we almost hit it, God,” says Koda, still surprised and alert.
“Yeah, but...” you say, wondering if you should tell him what you saw.
“What?” Koda says as he takes a nicotine gum out of the glove compartment.
“No, nothing, I was surprised to see one here,” you say. You don't know if what you saw was real, so you decide not to say anything.
“Yeah, it's rare to see them around here at this time of year,” he says as he chews.
A few minutes pass and they arrive. You get out to let him in and show him where to park.
“I see you're right, that's a lot of stuff to carry on that rickety bike,” he says jokingly as he opens the back of his truck and unloads your bike.
You laugh a little. Since you arrived in Derry, human interactions have been somewhat limited.
You both get to work and load everything into the truck. Since there is so much stuff, you also fill the passenger seats with boxes, books, toys, and more.
“That's all,” you say, wiping some sweat from your forehead, and you see Koda take out his wallet.
“I'm glad to hear it because my truck couldn't take any more... and neither could my wallet,” he says and offers you a wad of bills, apparently having come prepared to pay all at once. “I saw some interesting things in there, they might sell quickly.”
You nod, and just as you're about to take the money, he grabs your wrist with his other hand. His grip is strong, and he pulls you a little closer.
He's a little taller than you, and with him so close, you have to look up at him. The situation is intimidating, and you try to pull away, but you see his gaze intensify, and you stop struggling.
You look at each other for a moment.
“Who are you?” he says. You can sense genuine curiosity and caution in his tone, but you don't know how to respond. Rather than asking who you are in terms of your name, family, or history, it feels even more personal than that.
“Um...” you say, or rather, you mumble.
He looks at you the same way for a moment longer, until he blinks repeatedly for a moment and rests his gaze on his grip on your hand. “Sorry,” he says and lets go.
You pull your hand back, holding the money, and massage the area with your other hand. It didn't really hurt or leave a mark, but you do it more out of instinct.
“Sorry, this may sound strange... but,” she adjusts her shirt collar, “I can see things, and there's something about you that feels strange,” she says the latter in a lower tone.
“What?” you say, surprised and almost offended. You've barely arrived in Derry and already they're treating you like a weirdo?
Koda apologizes, speaking quickly as he walks back to his truck. If it weren't for his appearance, you'd think he was a tougher or more serious man, but he expresses himself very differently.
In the end, thanks to his reaction, you don't feel so angry about the comment.
You watch as he gets in his truck, apologizing, and turns to leave as he passes by you, talking to you through the window.
“I'm sorry for my hostility,” he says apologetically, but his face quickly turns to concern.
“Regardless of what I said and what I see in you, I don't see any hostility, so let me tell you something,” Koda says and takes a breath.
“Derry isn't what he seems, be careful and don't be afraid,” he says and waits a moment.
But you don't know how to respond and just nod, watching as he leaves your property. When you can no longer see him, you go inside your house.
You go inside and don't make yourself anything for dinner. You just want to sleep.
You leave your backpack on one of the couches you've decided to keep in the house and go up to the master bedroom, which is the one you've decided to use. You take off your clothes and throw yourself on the bed. You're exhausted, and sleep doesn't take long to come. You fall asleep in a few minutes.
Everything is dark and cold. You walk through a tunnel and with each step you can hear the echo of your footsteps.
The cold gets worse and you start to feel afraid. You feel like something is following you, even though you can't hear anything.
You start running, feeling that something is getting closer and closer, fear and physical exertion leaving you breathless.
You crash into a wall and, driven by fear, you try to climb it, scratch it, and escape, but nothing works.
You can no longer breathe, you can't, and your body is paralyzed. You can only move your neck to look behind you, searching for what is chasing you.
“What. Are. you?” You hear, but all you see are two bright, golden eyes.
You wake up gasping for air, agitated, sitting on the edge of the bed with one hand over your right eye. You can feel how wet you are with sweat.
You look out the window and take a few more breaths to calm yourself. You can see the forest and the town. The sun hasn't risen yet, but you can see that there is already much more light. It's as if the world were frozen in time.
You decide to lie back down. Perhaps all the moving and returning to Derry has tired your mind, and that's why you're seeing things: the return, the deer, and now the eyes.
As sleep returns to your body and you lie on your side looking at the window, you see one more thing.
A red balloon.