All Are Welcome Here – Chapter 3
The Second Bell in the Forest
The second bell sounded deeper than the first.
Lower.
Slower.
The metallic echo rolled through the mountains surrounding Valemere like something ancient calling from beneath the trees themselves.
Elias Ward stood alone near the empty town square while fog drifted silently across the road around his feet.
The moment the bell finished ringing—
every remaining light inside Valemere shut off.
Simultaneously.
The bakery windows went dark.
The bookstore.
The restaurant near the square.
Even the streetlamps died together until only pale moonlight remained beneath the fog.
Elias physically stopped moving.
No town blackout happened that perfectly.
Not naturally.
Then he noticed something worse.
Curtains throughout nearby houses shifted slightly.
People watching him from inside.
Dozens of hidden faces peering through darkened windows without speaking.
The feeling crawled beneath his skin instantly.
He reached for his phone.
Still no signal.
Battery: 28%.
Great.
A cold breeze moved through the empty street carrying the faint smell of wet pine and smoke from somewhere deeper in town.
Then footsteps approached quietly behind him.
Elias turned sharply.
A woman stood several feet away beneath the fog-covered streetlamp.
Mid-thirties maybe.
Dark coat.
Lantern in one hand.
Unlike the others earlier, she wasn’t smiling.
That alone immediately made him trust her more.
“You shouldn’t still be outside,” she said quietly.
Her voice sounded tense.
Like someone afraid of being overheard.
Elias took a cautious step toward her.
“Do you know what’s happening here?”
The woman glanced briefly toward the surrounding houses first before answering.
“My name’s Mara.”
Mara Bellamy lowered the lantern slightly while studying him carefully.
“You’re Emily’s brother.”
Not a question.
Elias nodded immediately.
“You know my sister too?”
Mara hesitated.
Then softly:
“Yes.”
Something about the answer tightened his chest instantly.
“Where is she?”
Before Mara could respond—
the church bells rang again.
Third time.
Louder now.
Closer.
The sound rolled violently through the fog-covered streets while every hidden curtain inside nearby houses immediately snapped shut all at once.
Mara’s face changed instantly.
Fear.
Real fear.
“We need to move.”
She grabbed Elias’s wrist hard enough to surprise him and hurried him away from the square toward a narrow side street lined with old wooden houses.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
Mara kept walking quickly.
“They’ll start soon.”
“Who?”
She looked back toward the dark forest surrounding the town.
“The walkers.”
The word hit strangely.
Not because of how she said it.
Because somewhere deep down—
Elias already knew he didn’t want clarification.
The narrow street opened toward the edge of town moments later. Smaller homes stood farther apart here beneath towering pine trees while fog drifted thicker between them.
Mara finally stopped beside a dark green house near the forest line.
“You can stay here tonight.”
Elias frowned immediately.
“What about my sister?”
Mara looked exhausted suddenly.
“She came asking questions too.”
Cold uneasiness settled inside him.
“What happened to her?”
Mara stared toward the woods behind the house silently for several long seconds before answering.
“She heard the bells.”
The distant forest creaked softly behind them.
Branches moving somewhere beyond the fog.
Then Elias noticed lantern lights.
Far between the trees.
Moving slowly through the darkness.
His pulse quickened immediately.
People.
At least ten or twelve of them walking silently within the forest carrying old lanterns between the pines.
All moving in the same direction deeper into the woods.
No voices.
No conversation.
Only slow synchronized walking beneath the trees.
Elias whispered carefully:
“Who are they?”
Mara’s expression tightened.
“Don’t let them see you watching.”
Too late.
One of the lantern carriers stopped moving.
Then slowly—
very slowly—
turned toward the house.
Even from this distance, Elias could see the figure smiling.