Author: kimlong

Chapter 1: The Call The rain was hammering against the windshield of my beat-up Ford F-150, but it couldn’t drown out the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white, the leather creaking under the strain. “Theft.” That was the word the school secretary…

Chapter 1: Heritage Day The metal felt cold and jagged against the center of my palm. It smelled metallic, like old pennies, but with an underlying scent of something else—something burned. Acrid. Carbonized. “Heritage Day.” That’s what Mr. Henderson, our History teacher, called it. It was supposed to be a chance for us to bring…

Chapter 1: The Void on the Page The rain in Northern Virginia has a way of making everything feel gray. It was one of those relentless, soaking Tuesdays where the clouds press down on the roof of Oak Creek Elementary like a heavy wool blanket. The kind of day that makes fourth-graders restless and teachers…

Chapter 1: The Man in the Grey Hoodie If you saw me walking down 5th Avenue today, you wouldn’t look twice. You’d see the dark circles under my eyes, the three-day stubble, and the grey hoodie that’s seen better days—specifically, the days before my wife, Sarah, died. You’d see the sweatpants with the small bleach…

Chapter 1: The Hawk The Chicago wind doesn’t just blow; it hunts. It prowls the streets of the South Side like a starving predator, seeking out the rips in your collar, the cracks in your boots, and the fractures in your soul. Locals call it “The Hawk.” And tonight, The Hawk was out for blood….

CHAPTER 1: The New Student in 1B It was supposed to be a normal Tuesday at Oak Creek Elementary. I’m just a teacher. My biggest worry is usually getting twenty six-year-olds to sit still for “Rug Time” or breaking up fights over who gets to be the line leader. I wipe noses, I tie shoes,…

CHAPTER 1: THE INVISIBLE WAR I’ve spent fifteen years working Narcotics in Detroit. That’s five thousand, four hundred and seventy-five days of seeing the absolute worst humanity has to offer. I’ve seen what desperation does to a person’s eyes. I’ve seen what greed does to a man’s soul. I’ve kicked down reinforced doors in neighborhoods…

Chapter 1: The Pinky Swear and The White Flash The last thing I remember was the heat. Not the dry, suffocating heat of the desert sun we’d been baking in for six months. This was different. This was a flash of white-hot violence that tore the Humvee apart like it was made of wet cardboard….

Chapter 1: The Target The hallway at Northwood High smelled of floor wax and teenage arrogance. It was a smell that always made my stomach knot. I walked with a rhythm that was impossible to hide. Clank. Whir. Step. My left leg was a heavy, industrial piece of machinery. It wasn’t one of those sleek,…

Chapter 1: The Armor of Ghosts The jacket smelled like old soap, gun oil, and the back of a closet that hadn’t been opened in years. It was a complex scent—a mix of metallic sharpness and dusty comfort that hit the back of my nose every time I buried my face in the collar. To…