Jenna’s road trip with her baby son takes a chilling detour when they discover a town where every roof is painted green and modern technology is forbidden. As she navigates the eerie streets and confronts the unsettling locals, Jenna uncovers secrets that make her desperate to escape.
I should have known better than to trust the GPS, but there I was, a 29-year-old single mom on a road trip with my 1-year-old son, Noah. After my divorce, I decided to take a spontaneous road trip to clear my mind and bond with my little boy.
It was supposed to be an adventure: just the two of us exploring new places and finding solace in the open road. Noah had been a trooper, babbling happily in his car seat as we sang along to nursery rhymes.
But after three hours on the highway, the GPS instructed me to take a turn onto an old, bumpy road. I hesitated, glancing at the map. It didn’t look like the main route, but sometimes the scenic route could be more fun, right? Oh, how wrong I was.
After an hour of driving on this desolate road, it became clear that I was lost. Noah started getting fussy, his little cries growing louder by the minute. Desperate to find a place to pull over and feed him, I continued driving until I stumbled upon a town.
It was the strangest place I’d ever seen. There was no welcome sign, no indication of its name, and every single roof was painted a vibrant green. It looked odd but harmless enough. Little did I know, the oddity was just beginning.
I drove slowly through the quiet streets, searching for a familiar fast-food joint or a gas station. Nothing. Just rows of one-story houses with those unnerving green roofs.
Finally, I spotted an old, shady diner. Noah’s cries were becoming more frantic, so I pulled into the empty lot and parked. The diner looked like it hadn’t seen a customer in years, but I had no other option.
As I walked in, clutching Noah to my chest, three pairs of eyes turned to stare at me.
Two men were sitting at a table, and an elderly lady stood behind the counter. Their stares were intense as if I had intruded on something private.
“Um… Are you guys open? I wanted to order lunch for my son. To go,” I said, trying to sound confident.
Admitting that I was lost felt like a bad idea. The old lady gave me a once-over, but it was one of the men who spoke up.
“Leave your phone in the car, and then your son can eat here.”
My heart skipped a beat. The place was eerily quiet: no radio, no TV, not even a cash register. Just a suffocating silence.
“Okay,” I said cautiously and headed back to the car. Instead of leaving my phone, I turned it off and slipped it into my pocket. No signal out here anyway.
When I reentered the diner, the air felt heavier. I sat down and glanced at the menu, trying to ignore the way the two men were watching me. Finally, they approached my table and sat down without asking.
Up close, they didn’t look as menacing. One was overweight with a kind face, and the other seemed like a nerdy guy who might have been bullied in school. Still, they were strangers in this strange town.
“We’ll let the baby eat, but in return, you will never come back here. Got it?” the overweight man said, his voice calm but firm.
I nodded, my heart pounding. “Got it. I just need some oatmeal and fruit for him.”
The elderly lady disappeared into the back, and the two men stayed at my table. “What’s your name?” the nerdy guy asked.
“Jenna,” I replied, bouncing Noah gently to calm him. “And this is Noah.”
“I’m Bill, and this is Frank,” the nerdy guy said, pointing to the overweight man. “You must be wondering about the town.”
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