The whole gang from South Park—Cartman, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and the rest—lined up outside the school, their parents buzzing with excitement and confusion as they chattered about the field trip. The bus, bright yellow but looking oddly normal, pulled up with a rumble, and the teachers herded everyone on board while the parents followed, trying to make sure no one got lost. Laughter, teasing, and the usual chaos filled the aisle as the engine started. As the bus rolled down familiar streets, a thick, unnatural fog crept over the town, smothering everything in gray. Mr. Mackey squinted at the windshield, muttering, “Mmkay, that’s… not supposed to happen.” The GPS went haywire, spinning like it had lost its mind, and landmarks the kids recognized warped and shimmered in the distance. The air felt heavy, almost alive, and the kids noticed a chill creeping up their spines. Then the bus hit a strange, flickering patch of road. Time seemed to stretch for a second; the fog pulsed like it was breathing. When it lifted, the bus was no longer on familiar South Park streets. The buildings looked wrong—tall and twisted, shadows longer than they should be—and a single red balloon floated eerily past the windshield. The parents whispered nervously to each other. The teachers exchanged uneasy glances. Cartman squinted, muttering, “What the hell… where are we?” Kenny, as usual, muffled something that sounded like “This isn’t… Colorado…” and the others shivered. They weren’t in South Park anymore. Somehow, the town of Derry had pulled them in—a quiet, empty town where the streets were too still, the air too thick
