The boys often played in these woods; today they went further.
They had planned for it. Today they took the overgrown path out towards the old buildings that people said were haunted. They both agreed that it was just a cover story for something else. Probably a drug lab, thought one, or maybe an illegal arms cache, supposed the other. Whatever it was, it was all very hush-hush once the place had been closed down by the authorities. They had never ventured that far until now. Today they had time on their hands. One of the boys, older by a year, had checked it out with Google maps and reckoned it would take them just over an hour to get there.
The route they had chosen proved to be a lot harder to negotiate than they thought, but neither was willing to give up on their quest. At long last, now growing dark, and after more than two hours of struggling through dense vegetation, they arrived at what would have been the front of the main building.
“Great!” said the younger one, “at least we made it.”
“Yes,” agreed the other, “but look at the time. It’ll take even longer to get back in the dark.”
“Maybe we could sleep in the building and go back in the morning.”
The other nodded. “It would be an adventure, wouldn’t it? We’re in trouble anyway.” He looked around, “I don’t know what this place was, when it got closed down. I only know there was a hell of a stink about it,” he whispered.
There was a sign on the ground, obviously fallen and covered with leaves. The older boy crept forward. It was then that they heard a soft buzzing sound coming from the building. He brushed at it until they could make it out.
It read:
‘Body Parts Inc.
This week’s special.
Three arms for the price of two!’
They decided to go home.