1986
Once in my car, I immediately drive to my studio.
I was practically getting out of my car before even parking.
I rushed inside and sat down at my desk, then began brainstorming, trying to find out the best way to have another great show.
After five long hours, I had come up with nothing.
I lean back in my chair as far as it would go.
"Ughh... think, Allen."
Then, as if a light was switched on, I had an idea.
I sit back up and open one of my desk drawers.
I pull out a bunch of newspapers and start reading through them.
"Come on, something has to be in one of these."
Each one that had no use, I threw to the side.
The papers glide through the air as they fall onto the ground.
After a few minutes, my floor was covered in newspapers.
Then I found something.
"Famous magician gone missing."
It was the number one story.
I couldn't see the year on the paper.
It was ripped off, but I could tell this was old by the condition of the paper.
I read more, my eyes locked onto the words, trying to find out anything new.
My eyes widen.
His studio wasn't too far from here.
I check the time.
6:36 PM.
I argue with myself on whether or not I should go tonight, but I only have one month left, so I have no choice but to go tonight.
I stand up, grab my keys, and head outside, newspaper in hand.
I open my car door.
A waft of air from inside hits me hard, the musty smell filling my nose.
I hadn't realized my car was like this.
Or maybe I just didn't care.
I sit down and start the car, cracking the windows first thing.
I drive out of the parking lot.
The sun was setting fast.
I pull over and reach for my map.
"Am I going the right way?"
I scratch my head and look ahead of me.
A gate locked by a chain was in front of me, and there was a sign attached to a tree.
"Private Property," it said.
I turn my car off.
"Maybe this is right?"
I step out of my car, grabbing a flashlight on the way out, then head towards the gate.
It only blocked the road.
Nothing stopped you from walking around it, so that's what I did.
"Quite the gate."
I walk down the trail.
Soon, all the light that was left was swallowed by the trees.
The forest was loud, insects buzzing out of sight along with the occasional rustling of a small animal in the bushes.
My flashlight lands on another sign.
"Construction Zone," it said.
I keep walking, now more aware.
Who knows what could be in the darkness now?
I walk into a clearing.
The night sky was visible once again, the stars illuminating big machinery.
There were a few cabins.
"A campsite?"
I shine my light.
Two cabins had been built, with the space for many more.
I keep walking past the construction site and back into the woods.
I had to be getting close.
The trees swallowed the light once again.
After a few more minutes of walking, I notice something.
The only sound I could hear was my own footsteps.
All the sounds of insects and wildlife I heard before were gone.
I stop in my tracks, debating if I should turn back or not.
The wind howls, the silence now filled with branches brushing against each other.
I have no choice but to keep going.
I scan my surroundings.
Then my light hits it.
A building.
"Is this the place?"
I thought it was.
I walk towards it.
It was big.
Not what you'd expect to find in the woods.
The door was shut with an old rusty lock.
I tug on it, but nothing.
I look around the ground and find a rock.
I bash the lock, and it breaks off instantly.
I push open the door.
A big gust of wind blew from within the building, like it was holding its breath, waiting for someone to open the door.
I step inside the building.
The heavy door closes behind me.
The inside wasn't what I expected.
It wasn't trashed.
It looked nice, but there was an eerie feel to it.
I pushed it aside, thinking maybe it was because it was abandoned.
I flip a light switch.
Nothing happened.
I scan the rest of the room.
It was fairly empty.
There were a few tables and a stage.
I walk past the tables and up onto the stage, thinking maybe I'd find something.
It didn't take much searching.
I found a crack in the wall backstage.
I put my hand against it.
A breeze of cold air was blowing out.
I slide my fingers into the crack and pull.
The wall pulled back, revealing a secret door.
"What the heck?"
The room behind it was dark.
I tried the light switch, even though I had tried before, and to my surprise, a dim light came on, lighting up a desk.
I walk over to it, pulling the chair back and sitting down.
The chair creaked under the weight of my body.
I reach for one of the drawers of the desk.
It wouldn't open.
I noticed a small keyhole.
It was locked.
I shine my light on the wall.
Four wooden boxes were hung on the wall.
They almost looked like coffins.
I then noticed the radio on the desk.
It was old but looked heavy-duty.
I pick it up.
It had no dust on it.
"That's odd," I thought.
I flip a switch to turn it on.
Static came out of the speakers, the radio vibrating slightly in my hand.
I listened for a few moments.
The static started to sound different, like there was something else behind it.
I flip the switch, turning it off.
I stand up and step over to one of the wooden boxes.
I look around for a way to open it.
There was a little latch on the side.
I pull the latch, the wood making a loud popping sound as I do.
The weight of the box causes the door to swing open.
"What the heck is that?"