Chapter 1 - The Midnight Road
The cold autumn air bit through the fabric of the ten-year-old girl’s black hoodie as she trudged along the desolate, gravel-strewn shoulder of Route 9. Stars flickered indifferently above a blanket of thick fog rolling in from the distant pine forests. Every few minutes, the blinding glare of distant car headlights cut through the gloom, casting long, jittery shadows that danced among the roadside weeds. She kept her head down, her scuffed sneakers crunching rhythmically against the loose stones, a solitary ghost moving through the dark. Suddenly, the low, guttural roar of a heavy engine shattered the quiet night. Before she could process the sound, a massive motorcycle materialized out of the mist, its single bright headlight bearing down on her like a predatory eye. Panic seized her chest; a sharp gasp escaped her lips, and without a second thought, she bolted off the road, her legs churning in blind terror. The bike slowed abruptly. A towering, heavily tattooed man swung his leg over the saddle. He didn't chase her. Instead, he dropped heavily onto the gravel, sitting down with a weary slump. As she paused, heart pounding against her ribs, she looked back and saw him reach into his leather vest, pulling out a sleek smartphone. He placed it carefully on the ground beside his booted foot, sliding it a few inches toward her before resting his tattooed hands on his knees. She stared at the glowing screen cutting through the dark, wondering what secret destiny had just been handed to her, when a pair of high beams suddenly swept around the bend, illuminating a figure stepping out of the brush behind them.
