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The power has been out for days now. The other rangers are missing.

Even Jonathan the landscaper hasn’t been seen in days. We are dwindling here in Eden, but still I’ve been trying to keep in good spirits.

“Someone will come for us,” I tried to tell everyone still assembled in the central station. I’ve been saying that for a while now. So long that I believed it even for a while.

Now though… even I’m not so sure.

“When Troy? We’ve been sitting here for days,” Daphne muttered as she checked her glass. It was empty, the last bit of grog gone down her throat some time ago.

“You told us that we would be rescued Friday. And the sun wouldn’t rise until we were out of here!” Summer growled. “Well guess what buddy! I saw the sun rise yesterday and still ain’t nobody coming!” she added as she tossed her own glass toward me in frustration.

“Settle down everyone!” I insisted. Then I heard a rumbling near the door and I smiled. “See? I told you that you just need to have-“

Before I got the words out the door burst open and Karen stormed in, looking even more furious than the foursome.

“Hey,” I said moving to greet her. I was happy to see her, but I could tell the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“Hey yourself jackass. You’ve had my girls sitting here working overtime for nothing. No pay!” Karen said shoving me aside and gesturing toward them.

“Get out of here. All of you. Before the others arrive,” Karen ordered and then squeezed the shoulder of the pink haired British girl.

“Find Bison,” she whispered. A moment later we were alone.

“What’s this about Karen? Surely you didn’t come to just crash the party?” I snapped. I was doing my best not to be angry with her. She had been the one to guide me this far. How dare she come here and accuse me of slipping up?

“We were deceived Troy. All of us. This place was never our salvation! It was a trap. Simon has the proof,” Karen told me. She crossed her arms and looked at me like I was pathetic little puppy.

“Like, you should never have even come here,” she told me.

The others still assembled were looking to me for guidance. I had brought them this far, trusting my judgment. But even I didn’t know where this was going anymore.

“A trap set by whom?” I asked.

Outside we heard the ground rumble. The storm clouds that had been circling the central station were now closing in.

“They are here,” Karen leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “Come with me Troy. Before they kill you.”

“What’s gotten into you? You sound like you are scared of a ghost! Don’t you know the stories aren’t real?” I asked.

Her lips were quivering. Both of us reflecting on a memory we shared when we arrived here in Eden.

“What is it Karen?” I asked.

“You…. you knew,” she said clenching her fists. “That damn story… the one you told that first night. You knew this would happen!” she screamed.

“What? What are you talking about? I was high as fuck!” I objected. She smashed a champagne glass and pointed the fractured weapon toward me.

“Tell it again Troy. Tell all of these people how they are going to die!” she snapped.

I raised my hands defensively, realizing she had flipped her wig.

“Okay… okay sure. Just settle down,” I told her.

One of the remaining campers grabbed a log and tossed it into the makeshift fire we had going. It was just a bunch of discarded trash at this point.

“This place is magical,” I said trying to recall the ghost story verbatim.

“They don’t call it Eden for no reason. It’s the original garden, the one from the Bible. Ok sure a lot of people thought it was in Iran. But those fuckers were wrong,” I looked toward Karen. Just like that first night when we were under the stars. She was mesmerized by my words. I realized I loved her then. And we had made love under the night sky.

A pounding at the door alerted me to the present.

“Hurry up and finish,” she urged.

“Eden is the place where the world is born. And it’s also where it dies, that’s what the story was. I was trying to scare the campers into submission. To make them happy to enjoy their lives while they still could! Enjoy these moments while they last. I swear to you Karen I had no idea any of this would happen… he promised it wouldn’t!” I told her.

“Who…?” she whispered. Before I got a chance to tell her, the doors ripped apart and four figures rode in.

And by that I mean literally. Somehow they had found one of the handlers stables and stolen a quartet of horses. I recognized all of them instantly from my brief stay in Vermont. But none of them looked remotely human anymore.

“Finish the story Mister Harte, it has a happy ending,” Warren Price said as he took out a long sniper rifle and aimed it at Karen’s head. “Finish it now.”

I felt my hands tremble as I looked toward the others. They were circling the campers, making sure no one could leave.

“The… the reason Eden is magical is because of the massive tree in the center. Some say it’s the original, the one made from heaven and hell. The world Tree, Yggdrasil. It’s roots spread to all life…” I paused as I looked at Douglas’ skeletal visage. “And death… across the entire world.”

“What a lovely tale. It’s making me hungry,” Sabrina Long said as she stepped behind Elise. In one quick motion she ripped the poor woman’s head off and started to snack on it like it was an apple.

“How does it end? Peggy would like to know,” Stenson purred as she coughed toward another camper, poor Mickey dropped like a fly the instant her bad breath hit him.

“According to the legend… the tree gains its power from primordial beings.. cosmic demons that are so powerful they were locked away before the dawn of time,” I said. Doug inched closer to my face. I knew he wasn’t a man anymore though. He was nothing short of the persona of Death. And one move could end us all.

“We’ve tried so hard to be free for so long Troy. And you’ve denied us that. Every single time. We had to lie and cheat to get here,” Warren said. Karen was sweating, her body rigid.

“Kill then all,” Peggy said dismissively.

“No. Wait I know what you need to get out,” I told them. “Troy… don’t. They’ll kill you anyways,” Karen said stiffly. Sabrina took another bite out of Elise’s spine.

“She ain’t lying. I’m so hungry I could eat a whole buffet,” the nutritionist said.

“Let her go,” I said gesturing toward the janitor that had taught me everything. “Let her leave and I will tell you all you need to know,” I insisted.

The foursome shared a solemn glance toward one another. Doug gave a nod and Warren raised his gun up. “We will at least give her a running start,” the redhead decided. Karen looked toward me, surprised by my choice to save her.

But she didn’t hesitate to leave.

As she dashed out the door Peggy scooted herself closer. Her skin was peeling and maggots drilled themselves out of her face and onto my legs.

“Now that we are alone. Tell Peggy everything Troy... finish your ghost story,” she insisted.

“There was a detail I left out. I never mentioned where the story originated. Ghost stories are always passed down. This one was something an old friend told me,``I said. I was doing my best to be brave. It was hard with the slugs on my skin and Warren’s sniper rifle now aimed at my own skull.

“Who would that be?” Sabrina asked. She was taking her nails along my back, grabbing bits of my skin and tossing it into her mangled mouth.

“Lyle… the one that freed you. He told me that story. He was supposed to rescue us and… now; now I can see he was the one that lied all along. He is the one that tricked you. Let you out of one prison only to be caged in another,” I told them.

Douglas looked shocked by the accusation. He signed something to Sabrina and Peggy muttered. “He isn’t lying… Peggy can tell. Peggy can always tell.”

“And how do we leave?” Warren asked pushing the rifle into the back of my head further.

“Lyle has an operative. Maddox Delaney. He accessed the codes to get the shield back up… but I know how to turn them off. I can do it. But you must promise to free all these people,” I urged them.

Warren sighed but the foursome agreed to the demand. Then they took me over to one of the still functioning networks.

“There. It’s done,” I said.

“What a good boy you are,” Sabrina cooed. “It’s time you got your reward.”

The doors behind the four opened and the last two people I expected to see walked in.

“You have been ever so helpful, Mister Harte,” Lyle said as he squeezed Warren’s shoulder.

“You mean… you knew all along?” I asked in shock. Maddox nodded and looked toward the rays of sunshine that were trickling into the station.

“It’s alright Troy. Lyle is at his full strength. We don't need to worry about it anymore. You can stop pretending now. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

“I’m a man of my word, Mister Harte. You will get exactly what you deserve,” Lyle told me. He snapped his fingers. Suddenly the foursome moved as though under his command.

Doug inhaled a breath. It caused the group of campers to fall dead at my feet. Then they got back on their mighty steeds.

“And what is it that I deserve…” I asked, glaring at the man that had fooled me for so long.

Lyle smirked, his body seemingly regenerating at a rapid pace.

“To see the beginning of a new world first hand of course,” he said. Maddox took his hand and they watched as the four left.

And then I was alone. Not even the ghosts were there to comfort me anymore.

So if you are reading this, and you are wondering what is to come next. Listen to one final ghost story from a man that is about to become one: end your days now. Before the end comes upon everyone and everything you ever care about. My ex Regina and others like her had the right idea back in July.

Life isn’t worth living if it only means more pain.

This is Troy Harte. Signing off.