Chapter 1

The city of Willem opened up before him and he thought how beautiful the scene was. Thomas drove his rented car on a long windy road moving through cities he had never heard before leaving behind his home faraway in the city of Los Angeles, his small apartment that he cannot afford and his girlfriend, now an ex-girlfriend, who left him after he lost his job. His rented car jugged along the two lane paved street moving with the other automobiles thousand of dollars more than his old jalopy. He had checked on the internet about the city of Willem; it was a placed filled with rich, affluent people who could work from home and had their own business. It was a place like Aspen or Marin county were the rich like to own their large mansions away from the riffraff like himself.
From this height, the city looked gorgeous with rows of streets and large mansions estates but he had been on edge since the nightmares starting happening a few months ago and the constant feeling of something was wrong and not quite right prey upon him. The street edged closer to the valley below and a shadow fell over him and Thomas felt goosebumps over his skin start to prickle and itch. He glanced upwards and saw on a far cliff a large edifice of a house; it look more like a castle than a mansion and he knew this was his destination.
He heard his stomach grumble and Thomas realized he haven't eaten since he started this journey several hours ago. But his excitement of going to this billionaire city to meet his Grandfather his mom had told him about and how godless and ruthless he was and how domineering he was. The only memories he had of his Grandfather was a larger than life man who looked at you as if you were nothing.
Thomas was looking for any diner or fast food joint along the street but all he saw was tall pine trees lining the road and a scatter of homes which look small compared to the mansions he saw from the top of the hill. A sign appeared. It read "Welcome to the City of Willem." The sign was ornate and gold. Somehow it look terrifying to him as if the sign marked the beginning of a dead city but he wondered why he thought that for his reoccurring nightmares have been destroying his sleep making him more of a man who only got several hours of sleep making his daylight nocturnes seem like living dreams.
Yet, he lived here until he was about twelve. Thomas couldn't remember the exact time he lived there bet he did remember his mom packing his things at the midnight hour and scooping him up from his bed to be rushed into his dads pickup truck. He did recall that his nightmares always centered on him leaving or falling.
In the leather case next to him was the cash, the lawyer gave him. It was ten thousand in one hundred dollar bills and the lawyer told him there would be more if he visited his Grandfather for the weekend but Thomas thought it was all a hoax and didn't take the money at first.
"What's the catch?" Thomas said
The lawyer stood on his doorway holding a leather bag. He didn't come inside or ask to come inside. "There is no catch, Mr. Quinones. Just a visit for the weekend. Your Grandfather wants to meet you. You will be compensated for your time and to show our good will. Here is some cash for your travels."
Thomas held the business card the lawyer gave him when he first opened the door. It looked genuine.
Thomas said, "Your name is Mr. Fox?"
"Yes, Derek Fox. I can assure you this is all legitimate. If you want to call my office, they'll tell you who I am."
Thomas noticed the lawyer had dark silk gloves on and didn't offer him his hand to greet him. He didn't like this man on his doorstep and wanted this tall thin man to leave. He also smelt something odd emanating from the lawyer suit. It smelt like deep earth coming from a grave and Thomas was afraid to let this man in his apartment.
He grabbed the leather bag and held it in front of him like a protection against zombie creatures. The lawyer smiled a lions grin. "I'm glad you accepted."
"I'm not sure."
The lawyer turned on his heel and left him. The scent of the graveyard left with him.

***

Thomas stopped his rented car at an intersection because of a red light and he watched as the cars on the other street passed him. He saw a BMW and then a Mercedes. At his former job as a cars salesman, he could have been a better salesman if he sold those cars not the shitty used car he had on his lot. His boss told him before he was fired that he was the best salesman he ever hired but (there was the always the famous but), we have to let you go.
A car honk at him and he awoke from his thoughts. It was a green light and he was sitting in traffic not moving. He punched the gas and he sped through the street. He had reached the bottom of the valley and the area became more commercial with grocery stores, a Gelson's, and a long strip of stores.
There was a restaurant at the very end of the parking lot. It was called, Grandma's Diner, and it didn't have the gloss and shine of the other stores surrounding it. The diner seemed like it was there longer than the other business. He drove into the parking lot and transverse the stalls. He parked his car next to a Black Tesla.
Walking up to the entrance, Thomas always thought himself as rich man but living a middle class man's life and being in this city with its fancy homes and colonnade business made him think that he was never going to have the money and prestige he deserve. He felt small like an ant on a large beautiful tree trunk.
He walked inside the restaurant and he was relieved to find the interior was quaint with a small town Americana feel. The chairs and booths were red leather seats with a long white table at the far right. It looked like a fifties diner. Behind the counter was a waitress dressed in a white dress and red and white checkered apron. She smiled at him.
"Take your pick, honey," she said.
The lady was neither too young or old. He smiled at her back.
"Thank you."
Thomas sat at one of the chairs at the table.
"Coffee?"
"Yes," He said. The waitress gave him a menu. It had the emblem of a grandmothers diner in the front. He scanned the prices and it wasn't bad. It was affordable. He was about to order when when somebody said his name.
"Thomas, is that you?"
He turned on his chair and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever saw. She was almost as tall as him and she had long black raven hair. She wore a brown long sleeve shirt and dark pants. Her large belt had a gun in its holster. Thomas didn't recognize her at first.
Then a name came to him. "Alison, is that you?"
"Yes, I'm the sheriff of the town."
The last time he saw Alison was in highschool in the freshman year when he left with his mom and dad at night.
"I can see that."
Thomas stood and placed his hand out in greeting. She did something that startled him. Alison hugged him fiercely.
She said, "It has been years. I have been meaning to look for you."
Thomas was good friends with Alison when he lived here. They grew up a few blocks from each other. He remember another person he used to be friends with.
Thomas said, "Do you still talk to Davis?"
"Will yes, I was about to see him on a police matter. Have you eaten? I'm starved."
They both sat on the counter.