Author: kimlong

Chapter 1 The rain was coming down hard in Ohio, the kind of cold, mid-November rain that soaks right through your bones and chills the marrow. But I didn’t care. I stood on the sidewalk, the concrete glistening under the streetlights, my duffel bag heavy on my left shoulder. I was looking up at the…

Chapter 1: The Girl in the Faded Dress The park in Oakhaven was divided by an invisible line. On one side, near the pristine oak trees and the freshly painted gazebo, were the parents who drove Range Rovers and drank $8 lattes. On the other side, near the rusted swing set and the overflowing trash…

Chapter 1: The Coldest Winter I was three days away from being homeless. Actually, “car” is generous. It was a rusted-out sedan that wouldn’t pass inspection, filled with overdue medical bills and the remnants of a life that had fallen apart. The transmission slipped every time I hit twenty miles per hour, but it was…

CHAPTER 1: THE SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM The heat coming off the asphalt on Route 66 was enough to distort the air, making the horizon look like a shimmering pool of water that never got any closer. I’d been riding my Harley for six hours straight, the vibration of the engine settling into my bones…

Chapter 1: The Silence in the Car I knew something was wrong the moment Leo walked out of the school building. He didn’t look like a fourteen-year-old boy. He looked like a ghost. His shoulders were hunched so high they almost touched his ears, his backpack straps gripped tight in white-knuckled fists. He didn’t walk;…

Chapter 3: The Ghost Returns The silence in the room wasn’t just quiet; it was a vacuum. It sucked the air out of everyone’s lungs. Thirty pairs of eyes were glued to me. The parents—the dads in their crisp suits and the moms in their designer activewear—stared with a mixture of fear and confusion. I…

CHAPTER 1: The Sound of Fear The sound of a human body hitting brick is distinctive. It’s a dull, hollow thud that vibrates in your teeth if you’re close enough. I was close enough. I had just walked out of the convenience store, holding two lukewarm sodas and a bag of chips. The fluorescent hum…

Chapter 1: The Long Shadow Detroit doesn’t forgive weakness. It eats it. I learned that on the streets, and I learned it in the precinct. My name is Jack Miller. To the city, I’m a Detective with the Major Crimes Unit. To the scumbags dealing fentanyl in the suburbs, I’m a ghost. But to Ethan,…

Part 2: The Silent Alarm Chapter 3: The Interrogation The sound of fourteen dogs howling in unison inside an enclosed terminal is a sound you never forget. It vibrates in your teeth. It rattles your bones. For a solid ten seconds, nobody moved. The lead dog, the massive Shepherd that had pinned Sophie, was standing…

Chapter 1: The Invisible Man I was standing in the back of the store, trying to stay invisible. That’s my thing these days. When you have the kind of bank account that looks like a phone number, you learn that invisibility is the most expensive luxury of all. I was wearing a faded, oversized grey…