The wind howled through the skeletal remains of the lighthouse, its iron ribs groaning like a wounded beast. Clara Mercer tightened her coat against the cold, her boots crunching over shattered glass as she stepped into the tower’s shadow. The…
The town of Hollowbrook clung to its secrets like a moth to a flickering bulb. Clara Voss returned not for nostalgia but for the file she’d left behind—a USB drive buried in her mother’s desk, its contents a cipher she’d…
Mara’s fingers flew over the keyboard, each keystroke a hammer against the silence of her cramped office. The screen glowed blue, casting shadows across the stacks of coffee cups and half-read industry journals. She stared at the analytics dashboard, her…
Mara stared at the flickering neon sign above her café, its once-vibrant letters now dimmed by years of neglect. The scent of burnt coffee beans lingered in the air, mingling with the faint tang of mildew from the cracked window.…
The wind whispered through the pines, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant woodsmoke. Clara Hartman stepped off the rusted bus, her boots crunching over gravel as she stared at the town she’d sworn never to return to. Pine…
The rain tapped the windshield like a desperate code, each drop a fleeting error message. Mara adjusted the rearview mirror, catching the flicker of a neon sign ahead—”Maple Street Inn” in peeling cursive. The town hadn’t changed since her last…
Maya’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, the glow of her monitor casting blue shadows across the cluttered desk. The office hummed with the low murmur of keyboards and the occasional click of a mouse. She inhaled the stale scent of…