A New Season

by: Olivia Licona

The sun did not seem to set. Rather, it was the night that had a way of crawling across the quiet college campus. The light from the sun was snuffed out, replaced by the cool, piercing pale light from the moon. It was quiet enough to hear the leaves fall as the warmth of summer slowly surrendered to the mystic shadow of the new season.

Autumn had only been in her room for one night, but something was eerily strange, and not in the way everyone’s first night at college is. As she began to unpack, she saw the fog descend as the sun was setting. Autumn had never seen that before. Was fog supposed to appear that early and stay all night? Autumn found out that the walls were very thin very quickly, considering all the whispering she heard all night. Although, she noticed none of her neighbors had name tags on their doors that everyone is given when they move in. If there was no one next to her, then who was whispering…

Autumn checked outside multiple times, but no one else moved in that day except for her, which was strange, considering it was the Friday before classes start. She decided to give it a rest and at least try to get some sleep.

Autumn didn’t toss and turn due to the old, uncomfortable twin bed. Nor was she plagued with dreams of her bedroom and her family’s dog, reminiscing about the comfort and warmth of her home.

She slept soundly, much better than she had been sleeping the nights before she left home. Still, Autumn couldn’t shake the feeling that she shouldn’t have left. Not because her bed at home was bigger, or that she’d miss the Sunday farmer’s markets, or that her mother’s relentless suggestions of studying anything but what Autumn chose had finally gotten to her.

Something was different about her college campus, something she knew somehow before she’d even set foot on it.

So other than the whispers, strange fog, and air that grew colder as the night went on, Autumn’s first night at college went great!

The rain pattered down from the sky, the only thing emerging from the thick morning fog. Enveloped by the fog’s cold grasp, everything, from buildings to lampposts, was painted in ghostly silhouettes. The sun’s early morning rays strained their way through the fog, their little light only casting tall shadows across the ground.

Autumn spent the morning as she always has: looking out her window. She was lucky to arrive at her dorm first and secure the bed by the window. Starting her days with a few minutes appreciating her view always calmed Autumn down and gave her a calm mind to use for the day. But this was different. This view was not bright, cheery, and calming, like the one from her bedroom window back home. If anything, this only added unease to Autumn’s mind.

Was it normal for fog to be so thick and scary-looking? How had the leaves already turned color? Was it really that cold? Since she could barely see anything through the fog, it would be very easy for someone to sneak up right to Autumn’s window and just…

BANG!

Autumn leapt from her bed, still wrapped in a blanket, short of breath from the sudden startle.

As her lungs and mind calmed down from the jump scare, Autumn made out three figures in the fog. Two tall, one short, each carrying a suitcase. She sighed in relief as she watched her schoolmate check in to the dorm hall across from hers.

Relax, Autumn. It was nothing.

She changed into a light sweater and dark jeans. Probably overkill, but Autumn thought the fact that the fog had not lifted an inch since last night meant the temperature was still unpleasant. She slipped on her dirty sneakers she brought for when she knew her shoes would get dirty. She really wasn’t taking any chances with this weather. So strange. It was well into the morning… most of the fog should have lifted by now…right?

Autumn was relieved to see other people in the dining hall. She enjoyed her bowl of plain yogurt and too much granola and surveyed her new classmates. The first-day nerves were omnipresent, and few students felt brave enough to converse with one another. But it wasn’t just that everyone seemed strangely quiet to Autumn. They also looked a bit strange. Her peers walked past her in shorts and sandals. Autumn was the only one in long sleeves. Strange. No one seemed to look outside either, even though the hall showcased multiple floor-to-ceiling windows. Despite the majority of occupants in the dining hall sitting by themselves, no one was getting the lay of the land of their new home of four years. Autumn noted it as strange, but made towards the exit anyway, not receiving a glance from anyone as she put away her bowl.

Outside the dining hall wasn’t much more lively. Most pathways in between buildings were empty, still wet from the fog looming over them. Autumn decided she needed a distraction. Without a clear purpose, walking was simply not enough to silence all the thoughts racing in her mind.

Had the fog let up even a little bit since last night? There were no reports of strange weather patterns in her college’s city. Is this kind of thing normal? Why are the trees all leaning one direction? What was that noise from behind the bushes? Get it together, Autumn! There’s nothing there… Wait… was it a shadow? Why did it seem human-shaped? Why is it so fast? And why does it seem to be following me…

“Remember, everyone, just follow the water bottle! If you get distracted by the overfed squirrels running around, just look for the bright pink water bottle!”

Autumn’s thought spiral was interrupted by a tour group passing by. She smiled and laughed to herself quietly. This was the most normal, college-y thing she had seen all day!

Autumn moved out of the way of the backwards-walking tour guide and smiled at the prospective students. Few cared to smile back. Most were nose-deep in brochures about the nationally ranked engineering programs or asking questions about double majoring in Business and biochemistry. None of these people were wearing long sleeves either. Everyone was in summer attire; a mom was even fanning herself with her brochure, except for one boy in the back of the group. He and Autumn locked eyes immediately.

He was in a dark sweater like Autumn, and he hung his head low until they made eye contact. There was this look on his face… realization… recognition?

Autumn didn’t stick around to find out. She quickened her pace as the tour guide’s booming voice faded towards the chemistry classes, and she pretended like she couldn’t feel that mysterious boy’s eyes on her after they left.

The day wasn’t filled with much excitement. Autumn decided to make time to find out where her classes were, which didn’t yield favorable results. Her early morning astronomy class was the farthest from her dorm, her history lecture would be in the basement, and she couldn’t escape an uphill walk anywhere she went.

Great. Just the way to start my first semester.

After those disappointing discoveries, Autumn began the long walk back to her dorm. She wasn’t paying much attention to where she was going. She was just going off of what felt familiar. After all, she had to learn her way around this campus eventually. Especially given the fact that her phone barely had service since that morning, so she couldn’t have looked up the way back if she’d tried.

Autumn spent time exploring her campus, walking around in the eerie fog that never dissipated. She’d spent so much time that the sun was now setting. Although it hadn’t felt like that much time to Autumn. Surely she couldn’t have spent an entire day just walking around campus by herself. Hadn’t she just seen the tour group an hour ago…how was the sun already setting?

Campus grew silent as the sun faded from view. The only sounds were the scraping of the leaves on the concrete and the scurry of the squirrels across the branches. The wind seemed to whistle through the trees, whipping the lecture halls as their buildings stood firm. Autumn tucked her hands into her pockets. She wished she had worn a thicker sweater. She was prepared for cold, but not this cold.

Trying to put her unease out of mind, Autumn focused on retracing her steps. She had passed the English building on her journey, which meant the History building was right next door, and that was where the path was that led to the…

SNAP!

Autumn whipped her head towards the sudden sound. Since when could tree branches be so loud?

Amidst the oncoming darkness from the setting sun, Autumn made out a path she hadn’t seen yet. It went past the English and History buildings, a corridor extending into the foggy darkness.

Despite the unsettling feeling brewing in her stomach, Autumn was intrigued by this secret path. It seemed harmless, and it was in the general direction of her dorm. Exploring her campus further couldn’t hurt… right?

Just then, a shadow scurried across the path. A black cat shook its coat of sleek fur, a color only describable as darker than the shadow it cast from the light of the lamppost looming over it. The creature looked back at Autumn, its stark, green eyes piercing into her own warm, brown ones. It sulked into the fog, only making the scene feel more ominous.

Autumn listened to her conscience in that moment. She knew better. A strange, dimly lit path coated in fog with no end in sight? Absolutely not. She turned around, adhering to her better judgment.

Her heart stopped when she saw the figure behind her. A person veiled in the mist, staring directly at her. They weren’t close enough for Autumn to make out their face, but she could have sworn that was the color of the strange boy’s sweater from the tour group…

Autumn now had two choices: Face the path in front of her or the stranger behind her. It didn’t help that he began to walk towards her. Slowly, not enough to frighten Autumn, but to dare her to take the path. There was no way out. Autumn had no choice.

The path seemed to open up for her, swallowing up the distance and beckoning for her to enter. Autumn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and hoped for no unsettling surprises beyond the curtain of fog before her. She entered, submitting herself to whatever unknowns she was bound to encounter.