The small town of Honeydew Falls sits snuggled in the mountains of Tennessee. The town square is bustling as everyone gets ready for a fall festival. The sky’s bright blue shines vibrant in the early morning sun.
The birds sing, the dogs bark, and the town square is all a buzz.
A group of cabins sit on the outskirts of the town, close to a lake and several hiking trails. Honeydew Falls boasts of having some of the best hiking trails. Year round the cabins is full, even in the cold winter when there is snow on the ground. The more adventurous hikers visit then.
The fall festival is one of the biggest to dos while staying in town on vacation in November. Fall leaves slowly trickle down on the town and hiking paths.
Sally sits up, stretching and turning her alarm off on her phone. Her phone reads 6:30 am. She hops out of bed and heads into the restroom to use it. In no time at all, she is in the kitchen, making breakfast for a small group.
Doors open and soon she and five other girls are sitting around the roomy kitchen table, chatting excitedly. They stuff their faces, clean up, fill their waters, and head for their car.
The wind pushes at them as soon as they walked onto their first trail. They planned to walk on at least three before they would go into town for lunch and the festival. The trail is a little over 3 miles and they were ready.
Sally leads the group, enjoying the breeze since the sun is slowly inching over the horizon. Her friends chat behind her, laughing and taking pictures. Sally hops into the pictures from time to time. She points out flowers, birds, and butterflies.
Off in the distance, there is a low rumble. The girls stop and look at each other. There wasn’t supposed to be any storm that day. Shrugging it off, they finish the trail with no issues. But halfway through the second trail, which was almost 5 miles, Sally becomes worried.
The wind is blowing stronger, and the cheery blue sky is slowly being consumed by clouds. Not wanting to worry her friends, Sally keeps quiet. They keep taking pictures and finish the trail.
Sally drives her friends to town, no longer worried about the weather. She finds a spot and they pile out, seeing people already roaming around the town square. It is just after 1:15 in the afternoon, and the festival is in full swing.
Deciding to eat after, the group of friends’ hurry to the festival to take a look. They guy a few things here and there, buying gifts for each other, for themselves, and other family members.
Sally picks up a painting of a dead tree with lightning behind it. She jumps when the rumbling she had heard earlier sounds closer. She looks up to see there is no longer any blue in the sky. The lady behind the table she is shopping at asks if she wants to buy the painting or not.
Sally shakes her head, thanks the lady, and hurries to find her friends. Tourists and townspeople a like hurry for shelter as the rain starts. It hits the ground with a sizzle. Sally stops and stares at where the drop of rain hit the ground. It seems there is a little steam rising from the spot.
She writes it off as the ground being hot and the rain being cold, so that is why there is steam.
The screams start once the rain falls harder. Sally jumps when the rain hits her arm and begins to eat away at her flesh. She bats at the water, pushing it off and runs. She feels hands grab her and pull her out of the rain.