They Took the Wrong Road in America — By Morning, the Entire Village Wanted Them Dead
Chapter 4
They left Bellweather at sunrise.
At least they tried.
Ethan drove toward the highway.
After twenty minutes, Maya pointed ahead.
“That’s the church.”
He frowned.
“I know.”
“We passed it already.”
“No.”
They continued.
Five minutes later, the church appeared again.
Same building.
Same broken bell.
Same cemetery.
Ethan stopped the car.
He checked the GPS.
The device showed them driving in a straight line.
Maya looked behind them.
The road was empty.
“Turn around.”
Ethan did.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the church again.
This time, someone was waiting outside.
Sheriff Daniel Mercer.
He approached slowly.
“Having trouble finding the highway?”
Ethan stepped out.
“Your roads are confusing.”
Mercer smiled.
“Easy mistake.”
Maya stared at him.
“You knew we’d come back.”
“I know these roads.”
“Can you take us out?”
The sheriff looked toward the mountains.
“Not until tonight.”
“Why?”
“Storm coming.”
Ethan looked at the clear sky.
“There isn’t a cloud.”
Mercer smiled.
“Weather changes quickly here.”
Then he walked away.
Maya whispered:
“He’s lying.”
“I know.”
They returned to the motel.
That afternoon, Maya found Evelyn.
The old woman lived in a small house at the edge of town.
She opened the door before Maya knocked.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“I need answers.”
Evelyn looked at her.
“You think you’re the first?”
Maya froze.
“First what?”
“First person to discover the truth.”
Evelyn stepped aside.
On the wall hung dozens of photographs.
Tourists.
Families.
Couples.
Hikers.
Every photograph had a date.
Some were forty years old.
Some were recent.
Maya recognized one face.
The woman in the red dress.
“Who is she?”
Evelyn’s voice trembled.
“Her name was Sarah Bell.”
“Was?”
“She disappeared in 1989.”
Maya stared.
“Then why is she in photographs from 2017?”
Evelyn looked directly at her.
“Because someone wanted people to believe she never disappeared.”
“Who?”
Evelyn closed the curtains.
“The people who run this town.”
