Audiobook link:

https://youtu.be/o93UY-wo7MQ

My phone slipped out of my hands and crashed into the wooden floor of the porch. Maya. Maya! He's out there, right now! I sprang to my feet and ran toward his cries. The trees buzzed past me as the light of the day faded into absolute darkness. Once I had traversed about fifty feet, I turned around and glanced at the Ranger cabin.

Columns of trees were between me and the only refuge I had. Now, as I stood still, the air felt thin, crisp, and the scent of pine claimed my attention. He screamed then, from far in the distance, and once again, I sprinted toward it.

Farther from the Ranger cabin, I ran. My thighs began to burn as my calves tightened. Breaths, becoming harder to take, now seemed impossible. I leaned against the rough and jagged bark of a red spruce tree as my teeth began to chatter.

A thin sheet of sweat had pooled in the middle of my back as my heart raced. Even though the world felt as though it were shrinking, and my voice was strained, I hollered for Maya.

I begged, pleaded, and demanded he come back at once until my voice became little more than a scratchy whisper. Silence washed over me, and for a moment, even the gales ceased in their movement. I listened, I waited.

Suddenly, his voice: terrified and deafening, bellowed through the trees. The leaves swayed with Maya's words as I felt my shirt jostle against my skin. I remained frozen, unsure of what I saw.

Maya screamed, "dad! Dad! Help! They're taking me!" I could hardly understand him, because his voice sounded distorted, as though it was carried by and made from the wind. Raspy, yet clear, faded, yet distinct, his voice receded into the depths of the forest—from the city which manifested.

I closed my eyes, if only to reassure myself that what I witnessed was real. A cobblestoned road cut through the forest about a hundred feet ahead of me, and it led to a small entrance gate. A sign rested at the top of this gate, made of cast iron, and it read 'Dreadhollow'.

Never, not once in all of my patrols, have I ever seen a city in this park called Dreadhollow, or any city for that matter. I gawked at the sign, but my focus was soon broken by the steady trot of two horses and a carriage.

I slunk low to the ground and concealed myself in a bush. I watched as a black carriage, faintly illuminated by a glowing orange lantern, was led into Dreadhollow by two black steeds. Both of the horses had an ebony shine to their coat and seemed to possess a faint aurora about them—something dark, perhaps sinister. Their eyes, though it is night outside, if I am not mistaken, emitted a faint fog which dripped down their cheeks. Their tails were long and wispy, and as they fluttered about, that same fog dripped from each strand of the horses' tails.

They were ghostly by nature, but that did not deter me, I know I heard my son in this town. I glanced up and drew my gaze to the driver of the carriage. He was a pale man with black pits circling his gray eyes.

A short mustache stretched from one cheek to the other, and his hair was combed back—slick and oiled. The man wore black slacks, a silk undershirt, and a black blazer. This struck me, because he dressed very nice, but did not wear any shoes.

His feet were pale white, and his toenails were black. They reminded me of someone who had suffered from frostbite, but despite this, he rode onward into the town, unaware of my presence, and unperturbed by the world in which he lived. I wondered; does he know that he's inside of a national park? Who is this man, and what does he know?

As the carriage rode past me and once its back end was in clear view, I saw a small window with black iron bars. This is a prisoner's carriage, but what caught my attention was the arm reaching between the bars. I heard it then, a sudden whisper.

"Dad!" I am not mistaken. I know that voice, I know that is my son in that carriage. I sprinted toward the prisoner's wagon, but it seemed to move farther away from me. Even though the horses remained at a steady trot, it moved ahead of me faster than I could run.

I glanced down and noticed something—something that—how to describe this? For each step I took, the road ahead of me multiplied in length as small buildings materialized into existence. I noticed then, that there were buildings all around me, some tall, others small and humble.

What caught my focus though was this: the buildings reminded me of structures from old movies, perhaps from the wild-wild west. I think I saw a saloon, maybe a few homes, and even a horse stable. There was a large church at the end of town, but the more I walked, the larger the city grew and more distant the carriage was.

I stopped and stood still. I turned left, then right. Looked at everything behind me and then in front of me. The city had grown in size, and now, I stood at the center of a vast valley. Homes were faintly illuminated by torch light, and they dotted the entire hillside around the valley. I searched for the Dreadhollow sign, for the exit out of this town, but found little else than these alien structures.

I smelled the air, brushed my hand against my scalp, and stood utterly confused. As I stepped back, I heard a soft voice from behind me. My son. It is him!

I turned around, there sat before me was the carriage. Parked, still, and waiting. For what? I do not know.

I said, "Maya, are—are you okay?"

From deep within the carriage, he spoke. Concealed in shadow, he hid from me. I don't know why.

Maya said, "dad, they found me. They brought me to you. Open it, release me."

My heart beat against my sternum as I stared into the black void. Maya is in there, I heard him, I know he is hiding somewhere in there. I took a step back from the carriage and studied the heavy wooden door.

There was a small padlock which kept it shut. It's locked.

I looked on each side of the carriage and saw little. The iron bars, the thick carriage door, the steel frame of the carriage itself, I studied it all.

Maya whispered, "hurry up, dad. The Mayor is coming—"

"Or! Is already here. Nice to meet you, Mr. Monroe. Your son has told me wonders about you, and it is my privilege to meet you. I must declare, we found poor Maya lost in the forest and be not worried! We have not locked the door. Look at it! See for yourself."

I stepped back, because I don't recall the carriage driver ever approaching. He smelled like cologne, an expensive kind, I am sure, but I could have sworn that the padlock on the door of this carriage was locked.

The carriage driver said, "forgive me, good sir! Allow me to prove it!" He extended is hand and pushed at the carriage door. It creaked open, and within was only darkness. I swallowed the knot in my throat as I studied the contents therein. A small barrel, blanket, but back in the corner, I saw him. My son. Maya!

I said, "to whom do I owe my gratitude?"

The man perked up as he smiled, he said, "Persius Pernel!" I glanced at him once more. Pale and veiny skin, black eyes sockets, gray iris, and no shoes. However, I did notice his fingernails were similar to his toenails. Black, black as coal, and they looked frost bitten.

I said, "thank you." Though I said the words, I did not feel it. I do not trust this man; therefore, I hesitated as I reached into the carriage.

Maya whispered, "thank you, father," his head turned toward me and immediately I saw it. His soulless black eyes, darker than any night I've ever seen. As I lurched away, the thing reached for me, groping through the air. It wrapped its skeletal fingers around my wrist and pulled me into the carriage entirely.

I screamed in horror, as Persius shut the carriage door, locked it and said, "Welcome to Dreadhollow! Maybe you can be our new Mayor!"