The old factory sat on top of the large hill like a crown, its rusty spikes piercing the ground like knives. Most of the outside walls had faded to dust from age, causing the foundation and innards to be completely bare to the naked eye. Many of the metal poles had started to rot a copper rust and flake away with the wild winds.

On the same hill was an abandoned orchard, left to grow wild. Its once pleasantly trimmed apple trees now grew in barbaric twists, the trunks crooked and dark. They had long since destroyed the wooden fence that had kept them from the factory sight. Now some trees even grew within the factory walls, others bit into the foundation or had branches that crawled up to the roof. However, within the branches were plump red fruit that gave off a honey fragrance, perfuming the hill with sweetness.

It was an extremely humid day; the sun's rays seemed to seep liquid fire onto the weary town below. The air was thick with the heat, causing even the horse flies to sweat. I sat on the factory's second floor windowsill, lazily overlooking the weary town below. Though my numb skin could not feel any heat, I could still sense that the day was one best spent inside.

Thick black flies buzzed around my head. I glanced up at them, wondering for the hundredth time if they could see me- or if they just needed to get out of the sun's way. The factory was my home, but that did not stop animals and flies from coming in and making a nest for themselves. I did not think of them as pests, but merely my guests- since I never got many of those...
Though maybe that's for the best.

My thought disturbed me. I shook my head, hoping to warm the sudden chill that had taken over my body. I glanced at the orchard that was now my backyard. The plump fruit had doubled in size, so fat the branches sagged from their burden. Dew slowly ran down the fruits' scarlet sides, dripping off the bottom in a refreshing beat. I imagined what my nose would smell if I hadn't lost that ability- probably the tender taste of a crunchy honey sweetened berry, filled with sugary juice that would trickle down your chin as you took a huge bite. The idea was making me salivate (well, making me feel as though I was salivating).

It was about that time when I heard the voices. At the bottom of the hill was a red bricked school. The kids were emptying out of the building like ants from a flooded anthill. Three of them, however, were walking up my lone hill, something that never happened...
SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN!

I leaned over the sill, watching the three girls walk towards the deserted factory. Two of them had mousy brown hair and matching nap sacks which they slouched over one shoulder. The other had red hair and carried a book. Peering further, I spotted another little girl running up behind them. Her hair was messily tied into a black knot at the back of her head. She was a bit overweight, nothing like the other three who were slender and well groomed. Still, I could tell that the chubby girl was beautiful even from this distance. Her face had a natural pink tinge at the cheeks, and her tanned skin shone in the sun.

The four girls climbed the steep hill. I figured they were just going to sit at the fence which offered some shade. I was wrong. A barbed wire fence guarded the orchard and factory with a vengeance. It was the only thing that was remotely new, having a big CAUTION sign at the front gate, followed by a NO TRESPASSING in bright yellow below. The girls ignored the signs; they walked along the fence, trying to find a small hole that they could creep through.

One of the twins clapped her hands in delight, spotting a gap where a tree root had recently pierced a hole through the metal fence. One at a time they crept through the gap, shaking bits of dirt from their uniforms.

If my heart still pulsed it would have been frantic. There was a reason for those caution signs. No one- NO ONE should stray passed that metal fence. I got up from my usual seat, walking to the broken staircase at the back of the factory. A large hole had formed on the second floor, allowing one to see the main floor below. The stairs to the left of the hole were missing a mid section, causing much difficulty for someone to get down or up. I had no problem though, my weight being as light as a feather.

Gingerly stepping onto the ground floor I carefully made sure I remained in the shadows- the sunlight wasn't a place for the likes of me. Sadly, only two walls and half of the third remained standing on the main floor. Most of the walls had crumbled, allowing not only natural light, but vegetation to grow along the battered wood floor.

I stealthily jumped from one shady spot to the other, making my way over to where the girls had entered. I stooped beside a large pole when I saw them. The twins were drinking from the sparkling stream that zigzagged through the orchard. The other two were sitting underneath a tree, chatting.

"Go away," I moaned, hoping one of them could hear my faint voice.

None of them glanced my way, making me feel defeated.
***
"We should check out the factory," Karen said suddenly, combing her silky red hair with her fingers.
"Why? They say it's haunted." Sherry hugged her knees, shivering. "I don't get why you guys wanna come here. It's so creepy!"
"So!" Mary stood up, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "That's the whole reason we're here. To prove everyone wrong."
"Look at the place SheyShey. Does it seriously look dangerous to you?" Mary's twin sister Mona asked, placing her hands above her like Jesus, spinning around.

Goldfinches and some doves sang their sweet songs in the trees, their voices echoing above the soft trickle of the water and the rustle of the leaves. It did seem rather peaceful, Sherry had to admit, but underneath the cherry sunshine was a darkness that eroded from this place, crawling up from the ground and slowly sucking the life out of her. She wanted to leave, wanted very badly to go, but then Karen and the others would laugh at her- and they were the only friends she had.

"It's nice... I guess," she said softly, playing with the dirt.

"I wanna explore the old factory. Anyone know what it was used for?" Mary asked, twirling on her heel.

"No idea," her twin shrugged, taking a few more gulps from the stream.

"I heard it was a place where they made some type of pesticide for farmers. It got shut down since the chemicals were proven to cause cancer," Karen muttered.

Sherry's eyes grew wide. "Is it safe to still be here then?"

"Stop being a wuss Sherry," Mary mocked, balancing on her tippy toes. "I'm going inside the factory. Wanna come Care Bear?"

"Shut up Mary." Karen gave a playful swing at Mary's behind. Mary ducked, racing to the open factory floor. Sherry got up, following Mona when a chill ran through her body.
Go away...

Sherry froze. The voice was faint and yet it shattered all her thoughts. She stared up at the factory. A presence was there, she could feel eyes on her, watching her every move.
Leave this place

The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end.

"Guys maybe we should go," she called, taking a few steps closer to the factory. Her friends were standing in the centre of the factory floor. Mary was testing out the steps. She had managed to get to the third one when she broke right through. She gave a piercing scream, jumping back in alarm.

"Man this place is old," Karen muttered, staring up at the hole in the ceiling.

Sherry hesitantly walked into the factory. She immediately got the feeling that someone else was in the room. Turning her head this way and that, she noticed a glimmer of sunlight catch on something at the corner of her eye- but it was hard to tell if it was just her imagination.

"Lets go you guys. There's nothing to do here," She begged; tears stung the back of her eyes.

"Don't cry a wussy, were going," Mona giggled, walking passed Sherry. She stepped onto the soft grass, twirling around. "This place smells so wonderful."

Sherry sniffed the air. The fruits were giving off a sweet milky smell, but hidden beneath was a pungent stench of rot. It was a sickly sweet stench- almost like a carcass baking in the sun. Bile built at the back of Sherry's throat. She wanted to run, run far away but all she could do was stay rooted to her spot.

"I bet these fruits taste nice," Mona muttered, picking one from a low branch.

"Yeah. I've never seen apples so big." Mary ran over, picking the biggest she could find. Karen took one as well, rubbing it on her blouse.

Mary looked up at Sherry, " are you going to have one?"
Sherry shook her head.

Shrugging Mary took a bite.
***
"NOOOOoooo!" I screamed as loud as I could, but still, they could not here me. Only the fat girl turned my way, here eyes still unseeing.

But she knows I'm here at least. I tried to reach out and touch her when she was in the factory, but she was surrounded by sunlight... and in the light...

But it was too late now. Her friends were biting into the forbidden fruit, the same fruit that had ended my own life- if you could call my life ended.

***

Sherry took a step back. In the light she saw that the fruit her friends were holding were all rotten. Worms oozed from the bite, wiggling up their hands.

" What the-" Mary said, but Sherry couldn't hear her. Her friend's lips had moved but no sound came out. Suddenly, Sherry watched in horror as her friends began to fade. At first it was hardly noticeable, but then Sherry noticed how the sunlight was beginning to seep through them. All of a sudden, Mary's bottom half was completely gone, her face so translucent you could have missed her.

"They should come out of the sunlight." The voice was soft, merely a whisper. Sherry yelped, turning to face... nothing behind her.

Sherry's heart pulsed fiercely. She knew someone had spoken to her.
"If they stay in the sun too long, they'll turn into a tree," a girl's voice whispered.

Sherry wanted to scream but instead she stood petrified. Something cold but soft touched her arm. She looked down but couldn't really see anything... Except...

Something reflected, ever so faintly. She could see the outline of a hand as the sun warmed it.

" Whah?" Sherry mouthed with disbelief.

"Your friends have become phantoms, just like me. However if they stay in the sun, they'll turn into a tree. I saw someone turn into one. See, the fruits are cursed or poisoned, depending on whether you believe a witch lived in the old farmhouse or the chemicals in the factory did more than give cancer. You better have them come into the shade or they'll be rooted to the spot. See."

Sherry turned. Tree roots were sticking up from the ground, wrapping around the now invisible leg of Mary's before diving back into the ground. Sherry's stomach twisted into knots.

"Follow me," the phantom said softly in Sherry's ear. She touched Sherry's neck, sending chills down Sherry's spine. Sherry felt the phantom pull her towards the factory. As she walked away she glanced back at her fading friends. Their mouth's were moving, but by then no sound was coming out. With a deep agony Sherry walked into the factory. From the missing walls she watched her friends slowly disappear, and in their place, small tree saplings grew.

"This is the grave of the greedy as I like to call it. All those trees there are cursed people that have eaten the forbidden fruit." The phantom informed Sherry. " Weirdly enough, when someone becomes a phantom, their shoes never disappear."

Sherry noticed the three pairs of sneakers resting side-by-side. She also noticed another pair, though it was weather damaged and moldy with age. Giving one last pitiful look, Sherry noticed that each pair of shoes cast a shadow- the shadows resembling four little girls.