THE VILLAGE THAT NEVER LET ANYONE LEAVE
Chapter 1
The first sign that something was wrong was the silence.
Ethan Carter noticed it before Maya did.
The highway had disappeared nearly an hour ago, replaced by a narrow road winding between enormous walls of pine trees. Their rental SUV bounced over potholes while the last traces of daylight disappeared behind the mountains.
Maya stared at the navigation screen.
“It says we’re still twenty-three miles from the highway.”
Ethan glanced at the screen.
“That can’t be right.”
The blue line had been moving in circles for the past thirty minutes.
Maya sighed.
“You said this road was a shortcut.”
“I said the map suggested it was a shortcut.”
“That is not the same thing.”
Ethan smiled.
“Still technically not my fault.”
Maya gave him a look.
Then the GPS suddenly went black.
No warning.
No loading screen.
Just darkness.
A few seconds later, Ethan’s phone lost its signal.
Maya checked hers.
Nothing.
“Great.”
They continued driving.
Twenty minutes later, they saw the first light.
Then another.
And another.
A wooden sign appeared beside the road.
BLACK HOLLOW — POPULATION 214
Below it, someone had painted another message in faded red.
WELCOME.
Maya leaned forward.
“Have you heard of this place?”
“No.”
The road descended into a small valley.
Houses appeared between the trees.
An old gas station.
A diner.
A church steeple.
A general store.
It looked like a forgotten American town that time had simply abandoned.
Ethan slowed the vehicle.
People stood outside their houses watching them.
Nobody waved.
Nobody smiled.
They simply stared.
Maya lowered her voice.
“Why is everyone looking at us?”
Ethan didn’t answer.
Then an elderly man stepped into the middle of the road.
Ethan slammed on the brakes.
The man didn’t move.
He simply stared through the windshield.
After several seconds, he smiled.
“Travelers?”
Ethan rolled down the window.
“Yeah. We’re looking for Route 17.”
The man’s smile disappeared.
“You won’t find it tonight.”
“Why?”
The man glanced toward the dark mountains.
“Because you’re already here.”
