WICKET

AUGUST 2019

Martin Hoff was wondering through the desert, the blazing sun scorching him as his feet began to blister from walking for so long, his throat very dry and his eyes struggling to stay awake. Martin was dressed in black pants, with a white shirt and black boots. Martin wasn’t entirely sure where he was or where he was heading, but he walked for so long in a single direction and it was too late to turn back. The only thing Martin had on him that gave him any indication was his watch, that read ’9:15’. After wondering for hours, Martin saw a town in the distance. Martin began picking up his speed, ignoring the pain in his feet as he began sprinting towards the town.

As Martin got closer and closer, he was able to make out the town. In stark contrast, this town was easily the most colorful thing that stood out against the yellow and orange sand. Martin arrived at the entrance and looked at the sign outside it. The only thing on the sign was an image of a sun. A single circle surrounded by triangles. On the outside of the town were white picket fences that were extremely tall. Martin walked into town and took in the sight. There was a single road that went straight ahead, with houses on opposite sides directly facing each other. The houses were all single story, in a lot of different colors ranging from red, blue, green, yellow, pink, purple and orange. Each of the houses had a front lawn with bright green grass, perfectly cut. A small white fence separated the houses that were next to each other. The mailboxes and cars in the driveway were the same color as the house.

Martin went to the first house on his right which was bright red and walked up to the door before knocking 3 times very quickly. As Martin waited for someone to respond, he began looking around. The house next to the red house was blue and had a water sprinkler watering the lawn. The house opposite the red house was green and had some bicycles in the driveway leaning against the fence and the house next to that one was purple and had 2 cars in the driveway.

After a few minutes, Martin knocked again harder and waited, but still received no response. He tested the handle and discovered the door was unlocked. He figured he would enter and explain himself later.

“Sorry for barging in, I tried knocking but no one responded” Martin said as he slowly went inside, closing the door behind him. Once inside the red house, Martin began to look around. First up was the living room, which had a red couch, a red coffee table and a red TV unit. The walls had frames on them, but they were only pictures of the houses. On the coffee table was a newspaper and an ashtray. Martin walked past the living room and into the kitchen. The kitchen had a checkered tiled floor, with a white fridge and a small bench with a sink. Martin went to the sink and turned it on, but no water came out.

“Is anyone here?” Martin called out again but got no response.

Martin opened the fridge and inside it was completely empty. Martin closed the fridge and began opening the cupboards, which were also empty. There were no kitchen utensils or appliances. Martin closed the cupboards and began exploring the rest of the house. Down the hall were 2 rooms opposite each other. Martin entered the left room which appeared to be a bedroom. Inside the room was a queen-sized bed with red sheets and 2 wooden nightstands with books on them. Inside the closet were a few pieces of clothing: a red shirt and pants. On the opposite side of the room was a desk that was empty. Martin left and went to the other room, which had 2 twin beds in the corner and a single desk. On the desk were a couple of books with no writing or images on them. Martin left the house and went to the blue house, hoping to find someone.

Martin knocked loudly and waited but received no response. Martin quickly looked around and opened the door. As he walked in, the layout was the exact same. A living room with a blue couch, a blue coffee table and a blue TV unit. The kitchen was the exact same and even the bedrooms. The frames on the wall had images of the house only. On the coffee table was a small clock that read ’11:50’.

Martin left the house and began walking down the street, hoping to find anyone to talk to.

“HELLO?!” Martin shouted out, but all he got was his own echo. It finally dawned on Martin just how eerily quiet this town was. No sounds at all, not even ambient noise. No cars, or people talking, not even any animals. Martin suddenly began to get more and more worried, wondering what was happening Martin began speed walking down the road before reaching a court. On one half of the court the houses continued but stopped at the middle before continuing on the other side. In between the houses at the center of the court was a giant metal tower with a clock on top of it. The clock displayed the time ’11:52’, which was the exact same as Martin’s watch.

Martin ran over to the green house near the clocktower and began knocking on the door.

“Is anyone there?!” he shouted out before barging in. Like before, he received no response and when he went in, the house had the exact same layout. This time, there was a phone near the window and Martin ran for it. Martin picked up the phone and punched in some numbers but he realized the phone was dead when he got no feedback. Martin slammed the phone back down. Martin turned to the TV and tried turning it on, but nothing happened. Martin continued exploring the rest of the house. The kitchen was completely bare of anything, as were the bedrooms. Martin picked up one of the books from the desk and began going through it but all pages had scrambled text filling each page. Page after page of scrambled text.

Martin threw the book away in frustration and ran out of the house, growing increasingly scared at how empty this town was. Martin went to the yellow house next door and barged in without knocking. Once again the house was the same as the rest, with only a newspaper on the coffee table. Martin opened it and got scrambled text again. Martin looked through it and noticed all the parts where pictures are were just the house he was in.

“What the fuck is happening?” Martin asked himself

Martin put the newspaper back down and sat down on the couch, wondering what was happening. It finally occurred to Martin that he had no idea of how or why he was here. He doesn’t remember anything other than he was walking in the desert and he doesn’t know where he was going. Martin’s silence was interrupted by a loud siren that began blaring. The siren was echoing throughout the town. Martin quickly got up and left the house. The giant clock now read ’11:59’ and the sirens seemed to get louder and louder. Martin rapidly looked around, but still saw nothing. Martin looked back up and saw the clock change from 11:59 to 12:00. A giant thud was heard and Martin immediately turned to face the noise. He saw a giant mushroom cloud forming in the distance, followed by a giant shockwave. The fences and grass caught on fire, the cars and clocktowers began melting rapidly as the houses were also burning. Martin was blinded by a very bright flash, his skin catching on fire and beginning to melt. Martin didn’t have time to scream as his body began to rapidly evaporate, the entire town slowly being erased and reduced to ash and rubble. In an instant, Martin was gone.

Martin was wondering through the desert, the blazing sun scorching him as his feet began to blister from walking for so long, his throat very dry and his eyes struggling to stay awake. After wondering for what felt like hours, Martin saw a town in the distance.