The Barclays Never Left Odyssey
Hello all! I’ve enjoyed writing this so much ah! Okay first of all, lets assume the Barclays never contacted anyone after they left. This story was originally written as Corbin named Krow, but as I was editing I felt like it didn’t fit, so I changed it! Enjoy my new character, Corbin! I hope you love this new story by me, Key! <3
Part one: the woods
The summer was over, and in came the chilly weather, spooky movies, scented candles, and pumpkin recipes. There were vibrant leaves scattered across the ground. Corbin parked his truck in the parking lot of the Odyssey Hotel, and after gathering a few things, he quickly sat up to book a room.
Corbin was a detective heading to find a job in L.A. as an LAPD detective. On his way he had to make multiple stops; one was here, Odyssey, a small town in America. He was very excited to begin his new career.
After checking in, he explored the town, he found Mr. Whittaker, and after getting coffee at a quaint little quiet establishment with him, they both decided to take a walk through the woods in the back half of town. With the swirling amount of conversation around them, they hardly noticed the bitter cold or where they were even walking. They were fascinated with each other, past and present. Corbin would mutter, “Can you tell me about why you live here now?” And the conversation went on for hours. Whit responded, “It’s my home, I don’t think I’ll ever move away.”
As the day went on, Corbin didn’t want to leave; he extended his trip. Something about this town fascinated him. The history of the buildings, the tales of a mind control company that apparently resided here not even that long ago.
Immediately the following day, Corbin kept the conversation going with his new friend. They did it again and ventured deeper into the woods. This time, they laughed and shared secrets, unaware of how far they had strayed. The trees grew thicker, shadows danced, and an uneasy silence enveloped them. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a weathered house, its windows dark and inviting. Corbin glanced at his friend, a mixture of excitement and fear flickering in his eyes. “Should we check it out?” he asked, the ultimate decision weighing heavily between them.
They stepped forward, curiosity piqued, as the door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior filled with dust and echoes of the past. What awaited them inside could change everything the citizens of Odyssey knew about a family that resided here not long ago.
Part two: the house
“It is very dark in here, and not much furniture either,” Corbin said to his friend. His friend whispered something back “I think I hear voices from below these floorboards.” As they moved farther into the house, it was evident that people definitely resided below the home.
Looking through this home, they were unable to find anything to let them travel under the first floor. It was obvious that they would have to start searching for something hidden to let them through.
“Lets look outside.” Whit said to Corbin.
Outside they found an entrance to something that looked like it could have been a basement. They looked at each other and walked in to the narrow doorway. The air was stale, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something metallic. Corbin’s heart raced with anticipation and a hint of dread. “Are you sure about this?” Corbin asked, glancing back at Whit. His friend nodded, a determined glint in his eyes.
As they reached the bottom, a faint light flickered from a far corner, illuminating the dust motes swirling in the air. The basement was cluttered with old furniture, boxes stacked haphazardly, and strange apparatuses that looked like they belonged in a science lab rather than a home. “Look at this,” Whit said, pointing to a strange device resembling a large, rusted machine with wires snaking around it. It had a faded label: “MindLink, Experiment 201.” Whit’s face dropped in horror and whispered, “I can’t believe this.” Below the label read “Novacom Testing.”
Then a crash sounded, their heads jerked to the side of the room where the crash came from. A metal door was closing off a room on the other side. They looked at each other, a little frightened of the dead silence that followed the crash. Whit picked up a notepad lying on a table in the center of the room and started reading off what seemed to be a description of “MindLink.”
“MindLink is software designed to exert unyielding control over groups of individuals. Once you enter the MindLink Program, the very essence of your humanity is altered—your body will cease to age, locked in an eternal stasis while your mind remains vulnerable to manipulation. This is not mere mind control; it’s a sophisticated evolution of it, offering an insidious grasp on thoughts and desires. While under the influence of MindLink, you become a pawn in a greater game, your autonomy slipping away like sand through your fingers. Caution is paramount when interacting with those ensnared by the MindLink. Their smiles may seem genuine, but behind their eyes lies an unsettling void, a hollow reflection of their former selves.”
Corbin said, “This is unbelievable.”
“Whit, what is behind that door?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not sure I want to find out.”
“Can we please leave?”
“Yes, we better get out of here, we need to report this as soon as possible!”
Part three: the notebook
They started full force running to get out of the woods, they were utterly terrified. Once they got back to Whit’s car, they headed over to the police office to file a report immediately.
The very next day, early in the morning, they went out into the woods with the police force to help them locate the house they saw the night before. But as the day wore on, it was starting to become clear that they were having trouble locating this house again.
“Whit, this is all very, very odd. I’m starting to feel unsettled, I think I’ll leave Odyssey first thing tomorrow.” Corbin said to Whit.
“I understand; none of this is making sense to me either right about now.” Whit responded.
Unable to find the house from the night before, the police concluded their reports and left the woods.
Corbin left Odyssey fascinated at the events that happened and ready to make his start as a detective in California. He would never return to the quiet town.
Whit, on the other hand, needed to know what happened. It was necessary.
Weeks passed since Corbin left Odyssey, yet Whit found himself haunted by the remnants of that fateful night. Determined to unravel the mystery, Whit returned to the woods alone one crisp evening, this time was different than with the police. It seemed as if almost immediately he found the house. Whit was baffled.
Whit immediately ran up to the door on the side of the house like before and pulled it open and walked inside. A SLAM echoed in the eerily quiet room, Whit yelped and bounced back to the door to pull it back open, but it stayed locked in place. There was only one other place to go.
Whit walked over to the other side of the room and examined the large metal door; it was a very heavy, durable door. It was almost as if it were protecting something. Instead of immediately opening the door, he walked over to the table like last time and picked up the notebook again; this time he flipped a few pages over.
A tear trickled down his face.
The page read, “George Barclay, Test Subject #1.”
The rest of the page listed each Barclay family member. Whit gasped and screamed, “The Barclays never left Odyssey!”
Whit ran over to the metal door and opened it. Inside George (looking exactly the same as the last time he had seen him) was standing right in front of Whit with a big smile.
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