CHAPTER ONE: The Road That Forgot People
The northern edge of Cascara County wasn’t a place people drove for fun.
The Blackridge foothills swallowed sound.
The fog swallowed headlights.
And the road had a reputation for swallowing people.
Deputy Mark Halden had been in uniform long enough to stop believing danger came with a warning label.
Fourteen years on the job teaches you one thing fast:
Most threats look ordinary until they’re not.
His partner tonight was Officer Lena Crowe, fresh out of the academy.
Sharp. Alert. Still carrying that tight posture of someone determined to prove she belongs.
In the back, separated by reinforced mesh, paced K9 Rook.
German Shepherd. Tactical bred. Precision trained.
The kind of dog the department bragged about because he didn’t do “emotion.”
That’s why Mark noticed it instantly when Rook started whining.
Not excited.
Not aggressive.
Low… almost mournful.
Rook stared straight into the fog like he’d seen something the humans hadn’t.
“You hear that?” Lena asked, her hand drifting toward her holster.
“Yeah,” Mark said, easing off the accelerator. “And I don’t like it.”
Then Lena leaned forward, voice sharp.
“There,” she said. “Someone’s in the road.”
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