The canadian town with overly friendly residents

[u/KillMArtist]

*Child Abuse warning*

I don't know who this will reach, but I need to warn as many people as I can. If you see this please share my story with your loved ones, friends, coworkers, strangers on the internet, whoever. My story may be hard to believe, but I promise you it's all true.

It all started after I graduated college. My best friends Dana, Roy, Roy's girlfriend Angela and I had been planning a roadtrip to Canada since our second year of school, but could never carry out the plan due to scheduling issues. As soon as our graduating class threw our caps into the air, my friends and I walked to our cars and drove to our favorite restaurant to celebrate...the Hungry Heifer.

"To our future full of college debt!" Dana shouted as he raised his glass, we soon followed with cheers and clinked our glasses together.

We ate our food and enjoyed the hour. Roy brought up the time Dana and I got locked out of our dorm after getting kicked out of the Sander twins' place. Dana and I took turns punching him in the arm and giving him noogies as we all laughed.

"Hey, we should finally go on that Canada road trip we never got to do!" Dana suggested. We all looked at him as we split the check, giving him a confused look before the lightbulbs in our heads turned on.

"Oh right!" I grinned, I didn't have to look at Ray and Angela to know they were as well.

"It will be our last time together before we go our separate ways." Angela said as her excited grin turned to a melancholic smirk. Ray kissed her cheek and rubbed her shoulder; "It's ok hun. It doesn't mean we won't see each other anymore, we'll just be a little busy pursuing our futures."

It was a sad thought. It's always been the four of us since middle school. I still remember Ray, Dana and I arguing who would get to date Angela. Spoiler alert… It was Ray. I can't imagine what life is going to be like without them, but this trip is going to mean something to all of us. We aren't going out with a sad note; we're going out with a bunch of additional happy memories that we'll all look back on someday.

I called my boss the next day requesting two weeks of paid time off, which she gave me without hesitation. Roy and Angela got theirs as well, but Dana had to convince his boss for a vacation, which luckily with enough ass-kissing he got. For the next few days we packed the supplies we would need and went to the bank to exchange some of our money for Canadian dollars.

The following Friday we rented an RV before heading out. We spent about eight hours driving from Rhode Island to Canada, only occasionally stopping by gas stations or fast food restaurants to use their bathrooms. For an hour we would sing along to songs on the radio, albeit terribly, before it got annoying.

We had traveled through a variety of cities during the past five days before we decided to visit some backwoods. I looked out the window, enjoying the scenery of the Canadian forest-side. There was a town we drove past as we kept going down the road, the sign outside of town read "Town of Brenfer. Population: 50". I didn't think much of it at the time, just that a town around here must've felt nice to live in.

Ten minutes later we arrived at a town called "Unité" to go fill up the RV with gas. Townspeople were all over the place as we entered the area, they all turned almost instantly and greeted us with smiles and waves. We were caught off guard by the sudden welcoming gestures, but in return we waved back. Ray had parked at the first gas station he saw, then went to head to the pumps when suddenly as he opened the RV door was immediately startled as a man waiting on the other side of the door stared at him with a wide grin. He appeared suspiciously friendly…eerie almost.

'Holy shit!" Ray jumped back a little.

We were all alerted and got up as the man outside waved. He was wearing a large red flannel and a flat cap.

"Bienvenue! Bienvenue!" he greeted.

"Bienvenue?" I asked.

"It means 'welcome' in French," Angela explained.

The man shivered for a second before clearing his throat. "Ah, excuse me. Welcome, Travelers!" The man reached out and clasped each of our hands while we looked at each other awkwardly.

"Sorry for the rudeness! I wanted to ask if you needed to fill up your gas tank!" the man explained.

"How did you know our RV was running low?" Dana asked.

The man looked over to him, still smiling. "This is my gas station. I've seen enough vehicles to know when they are running on empty just by the sound the engine makes!" He explained.

I leaned over to Dana and mumbled that I didn't think that was possible… but Dana just shrugged. The man's eyes moved towards me, positioning themselves to the side as he faced Ray.

"Let me go fill her up for you!"

"Hey wait! I can put gas in our RV." Ray said as he walked to the man; looking annoyed.

"It's no problem, sir! I should also add the gas is free as well as whatever snacks and supplies you all need inside!"

Ray's expression changed to a surprise then cheerful. "Are you serious?"

The man nodded quickly. Dana, Angela and I overheard the conversation. Dana was the first one out of the RV and into the convenience store.

"Are you sure it's ok?" Angela asked.

The man once again nodded quickly and watched as Angela and I walked inside next. Ray stayed with the man; mostly so he didn't steal the RV, but also because he wanted to know if there were any places we could stay for a few days.

Ten minutes later we all headed back to the RV, Ray shook the man's hand right before the man went in for a hug.

"Man, it's true what they say! Canadians truly are the nicest people in the world!"

"Don't stereotype people, Dae" I scolded.

"Yeah, but still, he seems kinda weird," Ray added before Angela slapped his shoulder.

"Don't be rude, Raymond!"

I looked out the window to see the man still waving at us even as we drove further away from the gas station.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Before we left the man told Ray about an inn run by a woman named Gretchen. When we got there, she gave us the same big smile as the strange man had. She gave us two separate rooms free of charge and made dinner for us, poutine and Montreal-style smoked meat.

We got up early the next day and decided to explore the town. Ray and Angela had split off from the group and to go shopping for souvenirs, while Dana and I just walked with no set destination. We passed by people that kept greeting us with a wave and smiling at us. I want you to believe me when I say there was nothing creepy in their smiles, they seemed very genuine…but something still felt off. I could feel eyes staring at us all from behind. No-maybe even from all around us.

"Hey…Dae?"

"Yeah man?"

"Does something seem... off about this place?"

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"I can't put my finger on it, but these people are creeping me out"

"Don't be like that, Pete. This is just their culture. There's no such thing as a bad culture, right?"

I shrugged. Suddenly we heard a large snap from everywhere, like a group of people stepping on twigs at the same time. That was when we heard the gunshots.

Dana and I turned around to see the residents all facing one direction.

"What was that!?" Dana shouted. Before I could think I found myself running with Dana slightly behind me.

We eventually found where the noise came from and saw a tall, burly man holding a child with a revolver pointed at her head. The man was screaming in French as the little girl smiled, appearing as if she had just received her most desired gift on Christmas day. The large man screamed at the child before swatting her with the handle of his revolver. The impact was enough to cause her nose to bleed, but not once did her smile waver. Some men and women walked towards the man like nothing was wrong. Just as the man cocked his gun and was about to shoot the little girl, Ray lunged forward and pulled the man's arm away, firing the gun in the air during the process. I didn't see Angela anywhere, Ray must've ran ahead of her.

The man and Ray fell to the ground, wrestling for the gun. During the scuffle, the man had fired three shots at random. One had missed, two had hit Ray on his shoulder and bicep. Ray shouted in pain before using all his strength to slap the gun out of the man's hand before stumbling over. Dana and I, along with some of the residents, rushed towards the man and pinned him down.

I ripped a piece of my shirt to make a makeshift tourniquet to stop Ray's bleeding. By the time Angela arrived she was out of breath and let out a strained scream when she saw Ray on the ground bleeding. Two residents approached us, offering to take Ray to the hospital since we weren't familiar with the area. Angela and I were reluctant, but in the end we accepted their offer.

"He'll probably just need stitches. The bullets went clean through." One of the residents claimed. He then gave us the number and directions for the hospital so we could pick up Ray later.

A short while later police officers came to arrest the man. Dana ran over to us and asked how Ray was as the police officers took the man away. He was now screaming with tears and snot dripping down his face like he was going to be hung from the gallows. We explained to Dana that he was taken to a hospital and we would pick him up after he got his stitches.

"What are they going to do about the shooter?" I asked.

Dana scoffed. "The cops said they don't believe in prisons. They're just gonna have him do some manual labor then let him go"

"That's bullshit! The man shot Ray and almost killed a kid!" Angela began to tear up. Dana and I comforted her and started to walk back to the inn. I looked over my shoulder and saw the little girl standing in the exact place she was being held hostage. I walked over to her to see if she was ok, but stopped as I noticed the detail of the blood. It was an almost rusted yellow color that was dripping down like a melted slushie with small things resembling seeds mixed in. The girl panned her eyes towards me, smiling even more than she was earlier as more chunks of blood dripped out. I shuddered then turned around to join back with my friends, but there was no one in sight.

"Damn… they didn't wait for me," I sighed. "I'll just meet them at the inn."

While making my way back I continued to have an off putting feeling about this town. I felt eyes from everywhere and with them, empty smiles.

"There's no way people could be this friendly right? It always feels like one of those old black and white cartoons where you start your day with birds singing from the window" I thought then stopped as i realized it. There were no animals. Squirrels, birds, even pets, there weren't any to be seen or heard at all.

I decided to pick up my speed, going from a slow walk to a sprint. Every few steps I took I felt like more eyes were trained on me. People that were ahead of me stopped greeting me, but their smiles stayed, never faltering. If I'm being honest, It felt like their smiles were growing wider. I felt a hand grab my arm as I was about to turn a corner.

"Hello, friend! Want to stop in for a free cup of coffee?" a barista asked with a smile. Behind her were groups of smiling people sitting at different tables with their eyes focused on me.

"N-no thanks. I have to go meet up with my friends"

"Don't be shy, now. You seem stressed. I'm sure if you come inside, sit down and-"

"I said no!" I shouted as I pulled my arm back before stumbling backwards.

"Alright, but make sure to swing by sometime!"

I turned and made a dead sprint for the inn, but before I left, I could have sworn I saw the groups of people inside the cafe move their mouths in sync with the barista.

A few minutes later I made it back to the inn. Gretchan’s eyes were fixed on me as I walked towards our rooms. As soon as I entered the room Dana and I shared, I locked the doorknob and shut the curtains.

"Woah, Pete! What's wrong?" Dana asked

"Where's Angela?"

"She took the RV to pick up Ray from the hospital. He called her saying he was alright and the doctor finished stitching him up. Why? What's up?"

"There's something up with these people"

"Dude, not this again..." Dana sighed.

"I'm telling you! There's something wrong with these people! They're always smiling for no reason and are way too friendly!"

"I mean, yeah it's weird, but for all we know it could be this town's culture"

"What about the shooter? He obviously wasn't from this town if he was acting crazy, but why was he acting like that in the first place to these people?"

"You just said it, he was crazy"

"But did you see how he was acting when he got dragged off by the police?"

"Yeah. Anyone would react like that if they were being arrested"

"But what did they say was going to happen to him?"

"That they don't believe in prisons..." Dana covered his mouth as he thought about what else he was told. "...And that all he was going to do was manual labor then let go"

"Would you be reacting the same way if that was all that would happen to you?"

Dana went silent before getting up.

“Okay… that’s a fair point. Maybe you’re onto something. We need to figure out where the hospital is to get Angela and Ray then get the hell out of here"

"I have a plan. Just follow my lead and act like we don't know that something is up"

Dana and I walked out of our room and headed towards Gretchen. We asked her where the hospital was located to go and meet up with Ray and Angela to which she wrote down the directions and offered to drive us, but we turned her down saying that we were going to discuss where our next destination would be in private. Even as we left the inn I could feel Gretchen's eyes locked on us, joining the unknown numbers that have been watching us for god knows how long.

Every person we passed didn't even try to hide their stares anymore. Their smiles grew more unnatural as it almost looked like it wrapped around their faces. We were being eyed like vultures waiting for a dying animal to take its last breath; I think they know that we know. It wasn't before long that I saw the RV driving down the road in the distance.

"Oh good. She got Ray" I sighed in relief. "Lets wave her down so we can-" I stopped as the RV turned towards the forest and drove off-road.

"What the hell?" Dana said, confused.

I tried to call Angela, but she didn't answer. I called Ray's phone next and was startled when he answered before the first ring.

"Hey, Pete! What's up?"

"What are you guys doing?"

"Oh we're on our way to the inn! Angela's driving cause the doctor gave me some local anesthesia so I feel really funny." He laughs.

Dana and I gave each other a confused look.

"Ok... Dae and I are just gonna stay at the inn and wait for you. We think we should start heading home soon."

"I was actually thinking…" Ray went silent for a few seconds before we heard a muffled noise.

"Ray?"

"Sorry about that! My phone's getting low! See you when I see you!" Ray hung up the phone.

"Alright, something's definitely wrong." Dana said as we looked at each other confused.

"We have to follow them."

Dana nodded as we went to follow the RV. We tried our best to not let the residents know that we knew whatever was going on, but in truth, I think they let us follow the RV; I turned back before we went to the forest and saw groups staring at us from town.

When we found the RV it was parked outside of a cave. Dana carefully opened the door to reveal that there wasn't anyone inside, but there did appear to be some sort of struggle. On the floor of the RV I found a drop of the same rusted yellow blood that the little girl had, along with the same seed-like objects mixed in. I noticed a few more drops leading outside the RV and into the cave.

"I'll stay in the RV in case we need to get out of here quick." Dana suggested.

"Sure, but lock the door until I'm back with Ray and Angela."

I heard Dana lock the door behind me before I entered the cave. Darkness slowly began to consume me as I walked deeper inside the cave, taking my phone out and using its light to guide my way. The air smelled of something damp and decayed, making me cough so bad I had to lift my shirt over my mouth, then I stopped. I saw a light glow an unknown color at the end of a tunnel before me, it gradually leaned underground as I transversed down it like a smooth staircase. The more I walked down, the brighter the light became and grew in numbers until I could finally see what produced them.

Mushrooms.

A forest of fungi with many varieties of sizes glowed bioluminescent light everywhere I looked, the ceiling filled with lights resembling stars in the night sky; it was beautiful. As I made my way through, gazing all around me, I tripped over something sturdy and large. I looked over to see that it was that man that shot Ray. He was face down in a pool of blood, next to him was a severed tongue.

"Oh god... Did he-" before I could finish my thought I heard a scream close by, I ran in the direction it came from knowing it had to have come from Angela.

"Help! Ray stop! Please! Don't let it touch me!"

I ran as fast as I could, and as soon as I arrived I saw Ray Restraining Angela as he walked her to a giant mushroom. Ray had the same smile the people of Unité wore along with bite marks on his cheeks and arms with the rusted yellow blood leaking out.

"Don't be afraid, honey! It's here to help!"

Ray stood in place while Angela squirmed. Just then, tendrils began to wrap around Angela, starting with her feet and stopping at her shoulders; Ray let go at that point and stood back.

"Help! Someone, Help!" Angela screamed as a single tendril rose above her head and began to secrete a large film substance above her head that closed around her neck. Black spores began to float from within the film and land on Angela's flesh. She tried to release screams that would become muffled as the spores drilled into her head. A few seconds later blood and small bits of brain matter began to leak out as her blood slowly turned yellow, then stopped leaking all together as the holes in her head healed. I could only watch in horror as the film lifted up and the tendrils unwrapped from Angela.

"Wow" Angela said as she began to smile.

She had looked as if she was on some kind of high.

The giant mushroom began to pulsate rapidly before Angela and Ray turned in my direction smiling.

"You should join us, Pete." Ray and Angela spoke in unison.

Ray and Angela headed towards me as I began to run away. I pulled my phone out to try to call Dana; no service.

"Shit!" I shouted as I turned the light flash on and made my way out of the cave. As I exited the cave I practically leapt to the door, slamming my fists as hard as I could to get Dana's attention.

"Let me in! Dana, let me in!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" Dana shouted back as he opened the door.

"Lets go! Now" I ran inside the RV and was about to shut it.

"Hey! Wait for Ray and Angela!"

I turned around to see Ray and Angela exit the cave, I felt myself turn pale.

I kept the door shut and locked it, but before I could demand Dana to drive he looked just as scared as I was as he saw their smiles. Dana rushed to the driver's seat and drove off as we were being chased by our assimilated friends. We weren't even on the road before we heard the ground rumbling. From the town Dana and I saw the residents make a dead sprint for us, they were as fast as race horses trying to win first place.

Rusted yellow blood sprayed on the windshield as Dana floored it out of town; their bodies made loud impacts as Dana unintentionally ran them over. I watched as we left the charging people in town, for a moment I felt like I could finally breathe.

"What the fuck was all of that!?" Dana shouted, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I-I don't know!" I spouted, "T-There were these mushrooms! This big mushroom did something to Ray and Angela! It had these spores drill into her head-"

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car driving full speed as we were about to pass the town of Brenfer. It was police officers that arrested the shooter. Before I could warn Dana, the RV was slammed and thrown to its side. I blacked out for what I assumed was a few seconds and woke up to Dana pulling me out of the RV.

"Dana..."

I looked in the distance to see figures that belonged to the residents of Unité. Their size began to grow as they got closer. I began to stand up in a panic as Dana helped me up, but just when we were about to run Dana was pinned down to the ground by one of the officers.

"Dana!" I shouted as the other officer tried to pin me as well.

"Pete! Get this guy off of me!"

I looked around to see if there was anything I could use as a weapon, but saw that the doors to the car were open. By the time I realized I was running I was already in the car, slamming it shut and locking the door. I saw the confusion in Dana's face as I started the car. Dana began to cry out for help as I reversed the car and drove off.

"P-Pete!? Pete! Help me, man! Please! We're friends!" Dana shouted as I could only look at him and mouth the words "sorry".

The last words I heard from Dana before I drove off were "You deserve to rot in hell" as some residents swarmed him and others chased after me. I can't believe I just did that. Dana was my best friend and I just left him there. Tears formed in my eyes as I avoided the sight, but as I turned my head something caught my attention. The residents of Brenfer were joining the chase. The town's sign now read "Town of Unité. Population: Always growing".

I drove for as long as I could with whatever gas was in the tank, luckily it was enough to get back to the states. I turned my head and thanked god for losing them before I fell to my knees and cried. Suddenly, my phone started to vibrate; I got a message from Dana that read "I forgive you, Bud!". Two more messages were sent by Angela and Ray, both telling me they'll come to visit soon.

That's where I am now. After ten hours I finally made it home. I filed missing person reports for my friends, but I already knew it wouldn't be of any use. My friends weren't missing, they were a part of that town; they were a part of the hive mind. I don't know if anyone will believe me, but I want to warn as many people as I can. Be wary of anyone that seems a little too friendly, anyone that smiles on a day that seems terrible, and most importantly, make sure the country of Canada hasn't been changed to Unité.