Twisted Wonderland

Snowflakes fell from the sky, dusting my hair and jacket as I marveled at the sight before me. It seemed that nowhere was untouched by the beautiful white snow. Rooftops, fences, alleyways, porches; all covered in it.  

Overnight, my little town had been transformed into a true winter wonderland. Laughing, I ran through the streets. My laughter died quickly, though, as I realized that no one else was outside. 

Stopping, I turned in a slow circle, searching for signs of other people, but not finding anything. There were no shoeprints in the snow, no tire tracks, no shoveled sidewalks...nothing. Confused, I wandered through town, but it was deserted.  

There was nothing here. Overnight, my town had become a winter wonderland...but it had also become a ghost town. Aside from the snow-covered building, there was no sign that anyone—or anything for that matter—had ever lived here. Even my own shoeprints had been completely erased... 

This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be right. Sure, it was a small town, but there were still lots of people. How could three hundred people just...vanish?  

Running to the next house, I knocked on my best friend, Kimberly’s door. No answer. Panicking. I proceeded to knock on the door of every house on the block. No one was home. All of a sudden, I felt dizzy. Staggering, I fell to my knees while my head swam. Finally, my vision cleared. 

A scent filled my nostrils, metallic and sharp. I looked around for its source, and felt my heart begin to race. The snow falling from the sky was no longer white, but the crimson color of fresh blood. A scream filled my ears, and I distantly realized it was my own.