Twelve
Now that you have a name, and a rough idea of the dates you're looking at, you hit the internet. From your searches online, you think you've narrowed down the possible places that Annabelle Schultz could have lived. It takes you a couple of days to hunt down the appropriate city boundaries and historical movements of the settlers of Emert's Cove that would one day include Pittman's Center.
Sometimes, Luke fades in while you research. When you can get his attention, he seems softspoken, and often talks about how cute his little sister is. But any time you press for more clues about him, he retreats into the air and you're left alone again. So, on day three, with a notebook full of notes and a heart full of determination, you set out to find Annabelle.
You drive into the town's library, to make use of their historical documents. One of the kind librarians assists you with old newspaper printings, but very few from the appropriate era have survived. After hours of poring through old documents and snippets of information, you think you've found where she went to when she was grown up.
There's a small valley about two hours from your cabin called Cade's Cove. It's mostly just a scenic tour for tourists now, but there is an old Baptist church with a graveyard that might have Annabelle buried in it. With the sun setting at your back, you head back to the cabin, exhausted but exhilarated at the possibility of finding some answers for Luke.
You pull into the driveway, and your stomach grumbles hungrily at you. Gathering your bags up, you step out and up to the cabin, closing the door behind you. After a hard-earned meal, and a hot shower, you head to bed with hope in your heart. But just as you settle onto the bed, there's a solid knocking on the door of your cabin.
You start, surprised at the noise, and peek down the stairway to the door. The knock comes again, loud but not insistent. Wrapping your robe around you, you head down the stairs and reach out to the door.
As you reach for the door handle, Luke appears on the in front of you. His eyes are white and wildly darting from side to side. He reaches for you. "Run!" He opens his mouth, like he's screaming, but his voice is the barest of whispers in your mind.
And then he's gone.
[If you run, go to chapter: Forty]
[If you hide in the house, go to chapter: Thirty Five]
[If you open the door, go to chapter: Twenty Eight]
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