January 13, 1939

Shortly after the conclusion of the First World War, the three Barron brothers – Alpheus, Gunther, and Friedrich – sold their home in Cross. With the proceeds of their sale, the brothers purchased horses, saddles, weapons, ammunition, and all the requirements for an extended stay in some lawless place.

Yet the brothers only went so far as the Blood Farm, where they were greeted by Duncan Blood. On January 2^nd, 1919, the three brothers disappeared into the forest.

The Barron brothers, being unwed and unengaged, were talked about, but soon forgotten in the grand scheme of a small town’s social memory. Occasionally, mention would be made, but more as a comment on the peculiarities of people than as any sort of concern for their well-being.

As the years passed, gunfire could be heard from Blood Farm during the small hours of the night.

This too, however, was hardly remarked upon.

The Blood family was strange, and that was an accepted fact.

On September 11^th, 1938, a horrific thunderstorm shook Cross. Bolts of lightning ripped through the streets and streams were flooded.

After the storm, no more gunfire was heard from Blood Farm. Duncan still appeared in town on a regular basis, and he was still his normal, peculiar self.

On the morning of January 13^th, 1939, three men were brought into town by Duncan, and they were deposited outside of what Mrs. Matheson’s boarding house.

The men registered as Alpheus, Gunther, and Friedrich Barron respectively. They were clad in cast-off clothing, and happy to take a room together in the basement. While Alpheus walked with a serious limp, both Gunther and Friedrich had horrific scars on their necks and could no longer speak.

Alpheus alone could speak, and when asked where they had been, he replied, “Fighting the damned.”

#CrossMassachusetts #horror #scary #death #flashfiction #shortshort #writerofinstagram #unsolvedmystery #secrets