3. Ghost Ash town
1984 Words
Chapter Three
Sloane's pov
The divorce papers arrived three days later via courier. I stared at them on my kitchen table like they were a snake that might bite. My marriage was over….Just like that. Five years reduced to nothing.
Cade was home with me now with no school to go to. Just the two of us rattling around this house that suddenly felt too big and too small at the same time.
At work, conversations were even worse. Marla had pulled me aside during my shift with her face creased with worry.
"Sloane, I need to ask you something." She'd glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "What's going on with Cade? People are saying bad things and children should stay away from him."
My stomach had dropped in dread. "What kind of things?"
"They're calling him dangerous and calling him a monster." She'd lowered her voice even more. "Some of the parents from the school have been coming in, spreading stories about what happened. They're scared, Sloane.
They're saying he's not right in the head. That he needs to be locked up somewhere before he hurts someone else."
The coffee pot I'd been holding had slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor. Hot coffee everywhere. Shards of glass glittering under the fluorescent lights.
"That's not nice," I'd whispered. "He's not a monster.”
But Marla's face had said she didn't quite believe me.
“Just don't let him out for a while, I'm afraid they might really want to lock him up.”
I'd walked out in the middle of my shift and hadn't gone back. My phone buzzed the moment I reached him and it was Declan. I answered immediately.
"How are you holding up?" His voice was tight with concern.
"I don't know." It was the most honest answer I had. "Everything's falling apart, Dec. The divorce and gossip is getting worse. I can't even go to the store without people staring at us like we're contagious and my baby is not safe here anymore."
"That's it. You're leaving." His voice went hard, brooking no argument. "My sister Riley is coming to get you. She'll be there by evening."
"Dec, I can't just run away—"
"Yes, you can and you will. This should never have gotten this far in the first place. You and Cade need to get out of there before something worse happens. The Holloways are dangerous, Sloane. You saw what they tried to do to Cade. What do you think they'll try next?"
"Where would we even go?"
"Somewhere safe where Cade can just be a kid." His voice softened. "Please, Sloane. Trust me and let Riley take care of you."
I nodded as if he was there because what else could I do?
Riley showed up at six that evening in a dusty pickup truck with out-of-state plates. When I opened the door, she pulled me into a fierce hug that smelled like road dust and mint gum.
"Look at you! You totally disappeared on me, girl."
I hugged her back, feeling tears prick my eyes. "No, you're the one who's always busy with work and traveling all over the place."
"Fair point." She pulled back and looked around. "Where's my favorite little man?"
"Cade! Aunt Riley's here!"
He came running from the living room where he'd been watching cartoons, his face lighting up in a way it hadn't in days. He crashed into Riley's legs, and she scooped him up, spinning him around.
"Hey, buddy! You've gotten so big!" She kissed his cheek. "I've missed you so much."
"Missed you too, Aunt Riley." He hugged her neck tight.
"So, I was thinking. How would you like to go on a big adventure with me and your mom? A long trip to somewhere really cool?"
His eyes went wide with excitement. "Really? Can we?"
"Absolutely, If your mom says it's okay."
He turned those big hazel eyes on me, hopeful and bright, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, baby. We're going on an adventure."
"Yes!" He pumped his little fist in the air. "I wanted to go somewhere anyway. So Mommy will stop crying."
The room went silent and it made Riley and I exchange glances.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" I asked carefully.
"You cry at night when you think I'm sleeping. And your heart hurts really bad. I can feel it. It's painful mummy." He said it so matter-of-factly, like he was commenting on the weather which made sweat break out of my skin. "How can you feel it?"
He shrugged. "I just can.."
Riley's eyebrows had shot up, but she recovered quickly. "Well then, we definitely need to go on this trip so your mom feels better. What do you say when we start packing?"
The next hour was a blur of throwing clothes into suitcases and boxes into the truck. I packed everything essential and left behind everything that reminded me of the life I'd tried to build here.
I made sandwiches for the road and filled a bag with snacks for Cade. Juice boxes and crackers and those chocolate chip cookies he loved. Riley loaded the last box into the truck and turned to me.
"Ready?"
I looked back at the house one more time. "Yeah... Let's go."
On the drive to the airport, I finally asked the question that had been burning in my mind.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Riley's lips quivered into a half-smile. "A place called the GhostAsh Town. Ever heard of it?"
I shook my head.
"Most people haven't because It's kind of a ghost town."
"A ghost town?" I twisted in my seat to look at her. "You're taking us to a ghost town?"
"It's not really a ghost town. It's just called that because of what happened there about fifteen years ago. There was this war that happened and a lot of people got hurt, almost everyone evacuated and left the whole place empty."
"And you want us to live there?"
"It's not empty anymore. People are starting to come back. There are companies trying to lay some ground, rebuild the infrastructure. It's still pretty quiet, but that's what makes it perfect for you and Cade." She glanced at me.
"You can start fresh there. Open a bakery. Bake cakes for all the kids at the school and make a real life for yourself."
"Are we going to see ghosts?" Cade piped up from the back seat, his mouth full of crackers.
Riley laughed and shook her head. "No, buddy. No ghosts but just regular people. And lots of kids your age. You'll make tons of new friends. And Uncle Declan will come visit as soon as he's back from his trip."
"Okay!" He seemed satisfied with that answer.
I wasn't quite as convinced, but I didn't have better options. "Whose house are we staying in?"
"Actually, it's kind of funny. You remember my dad, right? Before he died, he owned some property out in Ghost Ash. Had this beautiful house he was going to retire in. But then the whole evacuation happened, and he ended up selling it just to get rid of it." She smiled.
"Well, Declan tracked down the buyer and bought it back. Got it for a steal since no one wants property in a ghost town. It's yours now. Yours and Cade's."
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. "Riley, I can't accept—"
"You're family, Sloane. This is what family does. Besides, Dec would kill me if I didn't take care of you. You know how he feels about you."
"Thank you," I whispered.
The flight was short, just an hour, but it felt like traveling to another world. We landed at a tiny airport that was barely more than a runway and a building. A cab was waiting for us, and Riley directed the driver while I stared out the window.
"Almost there," Riley said.
It was beautiful in a lonely sort of way. The town is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and forest. I spotted a diner, a general store, what looked like a bar. But there were so few people. Maybe a dozen visible on the whole street.
"It looks so abandoned," I murmured.
"It's not abandoned, just quiet. There are more people than it looks like. A lot of them work during the day. And the ones who run things prefer to keep a low profile." Riley directed the cab down a side street. "The people who control this place now are called the Ghost Riders."
"Ghost Riders?"
"Yeah…..They're a motorcycle club. They basically own Ashwood now. They're the ones who've been rebuilding to keep the peace. They control all the affairs of the place."
I nodded, wondering if it's a biker gang controlling the place and the cab pulled up in front of a two-story house with a wraparound porch and a yard full of wildflowers. It was painted pale yellow with white trim, and it looked like something out of a dream.
"This is it," Riley announced. "Welcome home."
We climbed out, and I just stood there staring. The house was perfect. Not too big and not too small. Riley unlocked the door, and when we stepped inside, I almost cried.
The interior was exactly what I would have chosen if someone had asked me to design my dream home.
I turned to Riley, tears streaming down my face. "I don't know how to thank you."
"You don't have to. Just be happy here and build a life. I'll visit all the time. There's even a little shop space on Main Street that would be perfect for a bakery." She squeezed my hand. "This is your fresh start, babe. Make the most of it."
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of unpacking and settling in. I made dinner while Riley entertained Cade, and we ate together at the kitchen table like a real family. For a few hours, I almost forgot about everything we'd left behind.
But too soon, Riley was checking her watch and sighing. "I've got to head out. My flight leaves in an hour, and it's the last one tonight."
"Can't you stay?" I asked, even knowing the answer. "Just one night? Please?"
"I wish I could, especially with this little guy." She hugged Cade tight. "But I have to be back at work tomorrow morning. If I miss this flight, I'm stuck here overnight, and I can't afford that."
"But you'll come visit?"
"Of course, as soon as I can get away." She stood and grabbed her bag. "Everything's set up for you. The school is just down the road and you can enroll Cade tomorrow."
She hugged us both one more time, and then she was gone. The house felt bigger and emptier without her.
Tomorrow I'd figure out the school and the bakery and this new life. Tonight I just needed to sleep.
I changed into my pajamas and walked to the window to close the curtains but I saw something glowing bright red in the darkness at the edge of the trees.
Staring directly at me.
It was an animal, a big midnight wolf that growled. I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could make a sound, the creature moved and leapt forward with impossible speed, clearing the distance between the trees and my house in seconds. I slammed the window shut and stumbled backward, my hand clutching my chest.
My heart was trying to beat its way out of my ribcage. My breath came in short, panicked gasps.
"It's just a dream," I whispered to myself, backing toward my bed. "It's not real. Just stress. Just my imagination. There's no such thing as giant wolves in this century.”
I gasped but I know it's a lie.
- Writer
