This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Nobleblade2019 on 2024-11-19 01:09:59+00:00.

It started out like a scene from some dreamy romantic movie. I was in the cereal aisle, reaching for the last box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and her hand brushed mine as she reached for it too. I looked up to find myself staring into the warmest brown eyes I’d ever seen. She laughed, the sound soft and musical, and said, “Guess we’ve got the same taste.” She had this easygoing confidence, like she wasn’t a stranger but someone I’d known forever.

Her name was Kate. She was beautiful in that effortless way, with a quick smile and this energy that seemed to light up the air around her. Over coffee, I learned she was smart, funny, with a way of looking right at you like you were the only person in the room. That day led to a second date, and a third, until days turned into weeks, and I was hooked.

She had a mysterious edge, though, something she didn’t fully reveal. It was in the way she talked about her family, this tight-knit group of women who lived on a “homestead” tucked deep in the woods. “It’s like a haven,” she said. “No noise, no distractions. Just peace.” She smiled, but her eyes had this far-off look, like she was seeing something I couldn’t. Then, one night, she asked me to visit the homestead with her. She wanted me to “see her world,” as she put it. I didn’t hesitate—I would’ve followed her anywhere.

The drive was longer than I expected, and the forest seemed to close in tighter around us the further we went. We finally turned down a dirt road that snaked through dense trees, branches scraping against the car windows. It was almost dark when we reached the homestead, a cluster of cabins that seemed to appear out of nowhere, nestled deep in the shadows of the trees.

I’d expected some idyllic little village, but this place felt wrong, oppressive, like the air was thick with something unseen. Women stood in front of their cabins, watching as we pulled in, their expressions unreadable. Kate led me inside one of the larger cabins, handed me a cup of tea. I took a sip, but it tasted strange, metallic and bitter. The room spun, my vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Kate’s face, her smile melting into a cold, unfeeling stare.

When I woke, I was lying on a cold, damp stone floor. My wrists were bound behind my back, my head pounding as I tried to focus. The room was dark, the air thick with the smell of mold and something metallic… something like blood. I struggled, called out, but my voice echoed back, hollow and empty. Then I heard a low, rattling breath from somewhere nearby.

“Quiet. Don’t draw attention to yourself,” came a voice, barely more than a whisper.

I twisted, straining to see, and finally spotted him—a man slumped in the corner, his face battered and bruised, his eyes hollow with terror. He looked at me, his gaze a mixture of despair and something else… recognition.

“They got you too,” he rasped, his eyes locking onto mine, then shifting, almost fearfully, toward the door.

“What… what is this place?” I managed, panic clawing up my throat.

He shook his head, voice trembling. “She told you her name was Kate, didn’t she?” He laughed bitterly, his voice like sandpaper. “Yeah, that’s what she told me too. Kate, Ashley, Mary… she’s used them all. It’s not her real name. None of them are real.”

A chill crept up my spine. I tried to argue, to defend her, but his eyes held a look that crushed every word before it formed.

“She and the others bring men here,” he continued, his voice hollow. “They lure us, charm us, bring us here like lambs to the slaughter. I’ve been here for days, maybe weeks… watching them kill.”

I barely had time to process his words before the door creaked open. Kate walked in, but she wasn’t the woman I’d fallen for. She was cold, her eyes as dark as the shadows pressing in around us. Two other women followed her, their faces as blank and hollow as hers. They grabbed the man, dragging him out of the room. His screams started almost immediately, desperate and raw, growing fainter until there was only silence.

When they brought him back, he was nothing more than a lifeless shell, his face twisted in horror. I felt bile rise in my throat as I looked away, fighting down the panic, trying to keep control.

Hours passed, maybe days. I barely ate, barely slept, every sound from above making me flinch, my mind unraveling as I waited for them to come back for me. I thought about my family, my friends, anyone who might notice I was gone. But the days kept dragging on, and my hope was slipping away.

Then, one night, a new prisoner arrived, a man no older than me, his eyes darting around like a trapped animal. I watched him, hoping he had a plan, but he was as lost as I was. And then, one night, he snapped. I watched as he managed to loosen his bindings and dashed for the door, his footsteps frantic as he bolted down the hall. I heard him shout as he made it to the clearing outside… followed by a single, echoing gunshot. His body hit the ground with a dull, final thud.

And then there was silence.

I’d given up. There was no hope, no escape. I was weak, broken, waiting for the inevitable. But then, in a desperate flash, I remembered my smartwatch. I must have triggered the emergency alert when I’d thrashed against my restraints. It was a long shot, but it was all I had.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, time slipping through my fingers. And then, faintly, I heard the sound of sirens in the distance. My heart hammered as red and blue lights flashed through the cabin windows, the harsh beams cutting through the darkness. Shouts erupted outside, doors splintered open, footsteps thundered above me. And then, hands were on me, lifting me, carrying me out.

As I stumbled out of the cabin, I looked back, and there she was—Kate, or whatever her name was. She stood in the shadows just beyond the reach of the lights, her expression as empty as the forest around her, her eyes meeting mine with a look that chilled me to the bone. She watched me as they led me away, and then she vanished into the trees.

The police found nothing but the empty cabins when they returned; Kate and the others had vanished without a trace.

I’m back in the city now, safe, but I still can’t shake the feeling that it’s not over. Late at night, I catch glimpses of her in crowds, feel her eyes on me from across a crowded street, see her smile in strangers’ faces. And I know, one day, I’ll turn around, and she’ll be there—waiting, ready to lure her next victim into the darkness.