Kadie woke with the sun shining in her face. A glance out the window showed a beautiful clear day.
Fighting down a surge of guilt for spending the night in a house that wasn't hers, she went into the bathroom to take a shower.
With the water sluicing over her head and shoulders, her thoughts turned to the strange man she had met last night. Who was he, really? He had seemed ordinary enough, and yet there had been something strange about him. She recalled the odd red glow in his eyes, then shook her head. It had to have been a trick of the light. Nobody's eyes turned red.
After drying off, she pulled on a pair of skinny jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and her favorite high-heeled, black boots. Glancing around to make sure she had everything, she shoved her dirty clothes inside her suitcase, grabbed it and her handbag, and left the house.
The houses she passed were all older homes, circa the thirties and forties, but they were all in good repair, the yards well tended. Now and then she saw people staring out their windows at her.
Mostly women. Mostly young and pretty.
They all seemed surprised to see her.
She passed a handsome young man mowing his yard.
An older woman rocking on her front porch.
A pretty young woman pulling weeds along the edge of the driveway.
They all watched her, their eyes filled with curiosity. No one smiled. No one spoke to her, not even when she offered a tentative hello.
Not a very friendly town, Kadie thought, wondering at their reticence.
When she reached the edge of town, she glanced left and right. The streets were deserted. No sign of people hurrying to work, no children walking to school. No cars on the road. Of course not, she thought glumly. There was no gas to be had. How was that even possible in this day and age?
Her SUV was where she had left it. Unlocking the car, she stowed her suitcase and her purse inside, locked the door, and shoved her keys into the pocket of her jeans.
The tavern Darrick had taken her to last night was closed.
Was nothing in this town open? And where was everyone?
"Hi, honey, you look lost. Can I help you?"
Kadie turned to find a woman walking toward her. She had short, curly, gray hair, brown eyes, and a friendly smile.
"What are you doing here?" the woman asked, frowning.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry, but we don't get many new people in town. I mean, we're not even on the map anymore. How did you get here?"
Kadie gestured at her car, parked a few yards away. "I ran out of gas."
"That's unfortunate," the woman said, sighing. "We haven't had any deliveries in ages. Where are my manners?" she exclaimed. "I'm Donna Stout."
"Kadie Andrews. What do you do for transportation if there's no gas?"
"We walk," Donna said with a shrug. "Where are you staying?"
"Well, I'm not sure. Last night I . . ." Kadie broke off, wondering if she should admit to where she'd spent the night. She had a feeling Donna Stout was the town gossip. But she was leaving, so what did it matter? "I stayed at a friend's house," she said, stretching the truth a bit.
"You look like you could use a good hot cup of coffee. The restaurant should be open now if you'd like some breakfast."
"Sounds great."
Inside the restaurant, Kadie followed Donna to a table near the front window.
After ordering coffee and a short stack of pancakes, Kadie folded her hands on the table. "Is the town always this quiet?" she asked, noting that the streets were still deserted. "I mean, where is everybody?"
Donna looked at her, cleared her throat, then glanced away. "We . . . that is . . . you see, it's like this. Morgan Creek isn't an ordinary town. We're kind of . . . um, unique."
"Unique?"
"People move in from time to time but . . ." She looked over her shoulder, her expression troubled. "As long as I've been here, no one has ever moved out."
Kadie stared at the woman. What was she trying to say? Or not say? "I don't understand."
"Of course you don't." She patted Kadie's hand. "I wish I could explain it, but I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I can't."
Kadie pondered Donna Stout's words while she ate. What was the woman hiding? It was almost as if she was afraid to tell Kadie what was going on. Was Morgan Creek the home of some kind of cult? Like Jonestown?
The waitress returned a few minutes later. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked.
"No," Kadie said. "Just the check."
The waitress looked at Donna, one brow raised.
"Kadie is new here," Donna said as if that explained everything.
With a nod, the waitress moved away.
"What was that all about?" Kadie asked.
"Nothing," Donna said brightly. "Don't worry about the check. I'll take care of it later."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask."
"Well, thank you." Kadie pushed away from the table. "It was nice meeting you."
"Where are you going?" Donna asked, following her out of the restaurant.
"I don't know." Kadie chewed on the inside of her cheek. There were no other towns nearby. Unless she could find a ride or some gas, she wasn't going anywhere. "Do you know a man named Darrick?" she asked, thinking maybe he could help her.
"You met Darrick?"
"Only in passing. I met him last night," Kadie said, wondering at the woman's shocked expression. "Do you know where he is?"
Donna shook her head, her curls bouncing. "No. No. I mean . . . no. It was nice to meet you, Kadie," she said, and hurried down the street without looking back.
Kadie stared after her. What was that all about?
And what was she going to do now?
She would go for a walk, Kadie decided. Maybe it would help to clear her head. Returning to her car, she put on a pair of sturdy walking shoes, stashed her suitcase and handbag in the backseat of the Durango, locked the car, and tucked her keys into the pocket of her jeans. Standing on the curb, she played eeny-meeny-miney-mo, which way should I go, and struck off toward the west to keep the sun out of her eyes.
Maybe she was dreaming, she thought as she walked briskly down the sidewalk.
Maybe she had stumbled onto a movie set.
Maybe she had landed in an alternate universe when she'd crossed the bridge last night.
She walked for several blocks, passing a movie theater, a number of department stores, a drugstore, a barbershop, and a beauty salon. All were empty. A swimming pool was set in the middle of a large park edged with tall trees.
Kadie was about to turn back toward town when she saw the house. Located on a hill behind a tall, wrought-iron fence, it was three stories high. An old-fashioned veranda spanned the front of the house. There was a balcony on the third floor. The paint had faded to a weathered gray; there were iron bars on the windows, a wrought-iron security screen on the front entrance. There was no sign of life, yet the yard looked freshly mowed, the bushes recently trimmed.
She stared at it for a long time, wondering who lived there. A sudden chill had her wrapping her arms around her waist, and with the chill came the uneasy feeling that she was being watched.
Spooked, she turned on her heel and hurried back the way she'd come.
She hadn't been able to get any cell reception in the town. Maybe if she crossed to the other side of the bridge, she could get a signal near the road.
The thought quickened her steps until she was practically running. The bridge. She had to get out of here. She had to get across the bridge.
Her steps slowed as she approached it. The uneasy feeling she had experienced earlier returned, sending a shiver down her spine.
Fighting a wave of panic, she ran across the wooden expanse, a startled cry erupting from her throat when she reached the other end and suddenly couldn't go any farther. It was like trying to penetrate an invisible shield. Try as she might, she couldn't get past the end of the bridge to the road beyond. Her feet moved, but it was as if she were on a treadmill, going nowhere.
She glanced around, only then noticing that the entire town was surrounded by mountains. There had to be another way out. A road, a deer trail, another bridge. There just had to be.
She spent the rest of the day looking for an exit, but if there was another way out, it remained elusive.
This had to be a dream, she thought. A nightmare. Soon, she would awaken in her own bed.
"Please," she whispered as she turned and walked wearily back to town. "Please let it be a dream."
Darrick woke with the setting of the sun. His first stop was the tavern, where he eased his thirst. From there, he headed to the house he'd given Kadie, curious to see how Morgan Creek's newest resident was getting along.
She answered the door at his knock, a wary expression on her face.
"Good evening, Kadie."
"What's good about it?" She stood in the doorway, blocking his entrance.
"Mind if I come in?"
A shadow of doubt passed behind her eyes before she stepped back to allow him entrance.
"Something wrong?" he asked as he crossed the threshold.
"Everything." Obviously distressed, she went into the living room and sat on the sofa.
"Want to tell me about it?" He sat in the rocker across from the couch. "Maybe I can help."
"I tried to leave here today."
"It's a long walk to the next town."
"I wouldn't know," she said, her voice tight. "I couldn't get past the end of the bridge."
Damn. He hadn't expected her to try to walk out. "Why couldn't I leave?"
Unless he could come up with a plausible lie, he was going to have to tell her the truth, he thought. Although that really wasn't a good idea.
"Answer me!" she demanded, her agitation growing. "Why can't I leave? What's going on here?"
He blew out a sigh. "It's a little hard to explain."
"Yeah? Well, give it your best shot."
"I guess you could say Morgan Creek is like a gated community without the gates."
"That doesn't even make sense." She frowned at him. "That's why everyone looks so unhappy, isn't it? Because they can't leave."
"Unhappy? Hmm, I never really thought about it."
Kadie leaned forward, her hands gripping her knees. "Why can't I leave town?"
"I really can't tell you that."
She stared at him, shock and fear chasing themselves across her face. "Who are you?"
"I guess you could say I'm the sheriff of Morgan Creek. I uphold the law."
She swallowed hard, then cleared her throat. "That doesn't explain why I can't cross the bridge."
"In a way, it does."
"I didn't have any trouble coming into town."
"That's right. We welcome everyone."
"And everyone who comes here has to stay. Is that it?"
He nodded, his gaze lingering on the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. "In one way or another."
And with that cryptic remark, he took his leave.
