text: Metal scorpions fall on Stephen from above. He claws against the steel walls of the room, but they hold steady. The scorpions crawl on him; his skin shivers at their touch. The walls close in around him as the amount of steel scorpions increase. Stephen is now swimming in a pile of them. He struggles to keep his head above the rising tide, but the scorpions are pulling him under. He closes his mouth and eyes and descends into the pile. A few of the scorpions start burrowing under his skin. His limbs start to flail under their control. Stephen wakes up on the floor next to the bed. The sheet is tangled underneath him, and the pillow is several feet away. Stephen struggles to untangle the bed sheets and stand up. His head is throbbing, and he moves to the bathroom to splash water into his face. When he looks into the mirror, the oddness of the situation sets in. How did he get into this room in the first place? He lies on the bed to try to remember the day. The town could not have been real. It was a relic from an earlier time with its streets filled with cars and sidewalks filled with people. Yet Stephen and his friends, Tim and Velma, were driving through it with their mouths agape. Stephen felt self-conscious for how grimy his attire and body is. In spite of their depilated nature, the people did not stare at them. They went about their day as if this was a regular occurrence. When they drove by the city hall in the center of the town, they got their first reaction from a cop pulling them over. Stephen looks over at the brochure on the table, and he walks over and picks it up. The front page is a sunrise over a forested hill with a river at the base. In the foreground of the river, an idyllic town sits bathed in the sun’s rays. The cover could’ve been considered trite and cliche in another time, but Stephen cannot help but smile over what it represents now. Stephen opens the brochure, and a business card falls out. It reads Phillip Clark, Bass Creek Comptroller along with a phone number.. The cop didn’t kick them out of town. Instead, he escorted them within the city hall where they were placed in an office, and they were greeted by a man wearing a three piece suit and with a gray combover. He introduced himself as Phillip Clark, and he gave each of them a brochure with his business card in it. He said that they always love having visitors and new residents. Especially now, because they recently lost several people to a boating accident. Tim jumped at the opportunity to become a full time resident. Stephen responded by stating that he would never join. The two of them started fighting within Phillip’s office. Stephen starts to cry as he thinks about that fight. There has always been tension between Tim and Stephen. Stephen cannot help but see Tim as an idiot who would trust anyone after two minutes. Stephen is pretty sure he said that during the fight. Tim’s view of Stephen is that Stephen is pretentious, distrusting, and enjoys making others suffer. Stephen is sure that Tim said that during the fight. Stephen wishes that he could make amends with his friends. During the fight, Velma stood up and walked out of the office without saying a word. Tim followed, flipping Stephen the bird on the way out. Stephen slammed his fist on the comptroller’s desk and quickly apologized to Phillip for his behavior. Phillip chuckled and said that it was a common reaction for newcomers to be skeptical of the location, and Phillip encouraged Stephen to give the town a chance. Phillip made a call to the local motel and got Stephen a room there. He ensured Stephen that Velma and Tim would be given the same accommodations. Phillip even offered to drive Stephen to the motel himself. In an effort to prove Tim wrong, Stephen accepted the offer. Phillip had a nice van that had toys in the back for Phillip’s kids. Phillip told Stephen about his family and his life. He offered to take Stephen home for dinner, but Stephen refused. Stephen asked how the town survived the devastation. Phillip said that the town was noted for its grit. He dropped Stephen off at the motel after their conversation. When Stephen entered the motel, he was greeted by a clerk named Cameron. Cameron was extremely polite, and he said that he was new in town a few years ago. He couldn’t believe it was real either. He handed Stephen his key and told Stephen that he hoped Stephen would stay. The hotel room was larger than any room Stephen had been in his life to say nothing of the fact that it was cleaner. There was a set of clothes on the bed with a card that read courtesy on it. Stephen showered with hot water to match the cleanliness of the town and went to sleep in his bed. After recollecting his day, Stephen looks at the time on the bedside clock. It’s 3:00 AM. The sun will not come up for another few hours, and Stephen is not sure he can fall asleep. He wonders if he could get a home in this town that is nicer. He hopes that he could reconcile with Velma and Tim either way. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a blinking light in his window. It is far away, but Stephen is determined to investigate. He puts on his clothes and moves out of the hotel. He starts running towards the light. He runs for a half-hour, years of running have given him endurance. When gets close, he sees two people standing in front of a car with a small antenna on the hood. He ducks down to watch closer. The two people turn around and point guns at him. “Hands up, come down slowly,” a man’s voice says. Stephen obeys. When he comes down, he sees a man and a woman in nice clothes like the town. “Are you the guards of Bass Creek? I am a guest. You can contact Phillip Clark to confirm,” he says. The woman puts her gun and whispers to the man. The man puts his gun down as well. “We are not with Bass Creek, but maybe you could help us?” the woman says. “Help you how?” Stephen asks. “It is a long story, but we are going to have to run some tests on you first,” the man pulls out a separate gun and fires at Stephen. Stephen passes out on the spot.