Chapter 188

Ava

The car rattled along the road, the only sound that of the wheels churning against the gravel. Chris, sitting beside me, gripped my hand tightly.

“You okay?”

I startled a bit at his touch, but nodded stiffly. Surrounding the car on all sides was a thick, oppressive fog that had rolled in not long ago out of nowhere; and with the cover of nightfall, it was hardly possible to see more than a few feet in front of the car.

“I can barely see the road,” the driver called back to us. “I’m not sure if it’s safe to continue like this. I’ve never seen fog this thick before.”

Chris leaned forward, squinting as he peered through the windshield. The fog was so dense it looked almost solid, like a wall of white just beyond the reach of our headlights.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “Maybe we should find somewhere to stop for the night. It’s too risky to keep going.”

I nodded, a shiver running down my spine despite the warmth of the car. There was something eerie about the sudden change in weather. “Better safe than sorry,” I said. “Plus, it’s getting late anyway. We could all use some rest.”

We drove on slowly for another few tense minutes, all of us straining our eyes for any sign of shelter. Suddenly, a sign loomed out of the fog; the words were barely visible, but it seemed like a motel.

“Thank goodness,” I sighed, my shoulders relaxing a bit. “Let’s stop here. It doesn’t look like the fog is going to lift anytime soon.”

With a nod, the driver carefully maneuvered the car into the motel’s parking lot, and the other two cars in our caravan followed. The motel was a small, dated-looking place, with peeling paint and flickering neon signs, but at this point, any shelter was welcome.

Chris and I got out of the car, stretching our legs after the long drive.

“We’ll go book some rooms,” Chris told our security team, who were climbing out of the other vehicles. “We’ll meet for breakfast in the morning and reassess the situation.”

We walked into the small office, a bell tinkling cheerfully against the door as we entered. The interior was dimly lit and smelled of musty carpet, but it was surprisingly warm and cozy.

An elderly woman sat behind the counter, peering at us over her thick-rimmed glasses. Her white hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she wore a cardigan that looked almost as old as she was.

“Oh! Visitors,” she said, shooting up from her seat. “Looking for a room?”

Chris nodded, pulling out his wallet as he approached the counter. “Three rooms, actually. Just for the night. We got caught in this fog and can’t drive any further.”

The woman huffed as she started filling out a form. “Tell me about it. We don’t get many visitors these days, so it’s nice to see some new faces.”

“Oh?” I said, my curiosity piqued. I glanced around the office, noticing the layer of dust on most of the surfaces. “Why is that? Surely you must get a lot of travelers passing through.”

The woman glanced up, her watery blue eyes suddenly serious. “Well, this fog hasn’t let up in some time now. But there’s also the matter of the demon.”

Chris and I exchanged skeptical looks. “I’m sorry, did you say demon?” Chris asked, sounding almost amused.

The woman nodded solemnly, lowering her voice as if not to be overheard even though there was no one else around. “It’s been plaguing our town for months now. Strange noises in the night, objects moving on their own, people seeing things that aren’t there. Scares away most folks. Some say it came from Moonshine Manor.”

“Moonshine Manor?” I repeated. “Where Alpha Fabian lives?”

“Yes,” she replied. “It’s a big old place with lots of history. They say it was built on an ancient burial ground. Perfect for a demon to set up shop, if you ask me.”

Chris cleared his throat, although he didn’t look particularly amused. “Well, thanks for the warning,” he said. “But we’ll take our chances with those rooms. It’s been a long day on the road.”

The woman handed over a bundle of keys. “Sweet dreams... if you can get any. And don’t say I didn't warn you about the demon.”

We thanked her and left quickly, and the whole time I was trying not to laugh until we were out of earshot. As soon as the office door closed behind us, I couldn’t help but burst into giggles.

“A demon?” I said between laughs. “That’s a new one.”

Chris shook his head and fished out our room key. “Hey, you never know…”

“You’re not seriously buying into this, are you?” I asked.

“Demons? No,” Chris replied.

After handing off the remaining two keys to the security detail, we settled into our own room, which was basic but clean, with faded floral wallpaper and a slightly sagging bed. We freshened up and changed out of our travel clothes, then headed to the small dining room attached to the motel for some dinner. Our security team was already there, tucking into plates of what looked like decent, if not simple, food.

As we sat down with our own meals—meatloaf for Chris, chicken pot pie for me—one of our younger officers, Mike, leaned in from the next table. His eyes were wide. “Did you guys hear about the demon?”

I raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Chris. “Don’t tell me you believe that, Mike. It’s just a story to attract tourists.”

Mike shrugged. “I don’t know, Luna Ava. I’ve seen some weird stuff in my time. You can’t always explain everything with logic.”

“Like what?” Chris asked, shooting Mike an intrigued look that left me a bit taken aback.

Mike’s expression grew more serious, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “Well, I grew up in a haunted house. No joke.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I took a bite of my pot pie. “Come on, Mike. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“No, really,” he insisted, leaning closer. “Things would move on their own, and we would hear voices at night. Sometimes we would see shadowy figures in the hallways. It got so bad that my parents had to get a medium to cleanse the place.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. But surprisingly, Chris just leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “And that worked? The medium actually got rid of whatever was haunting your house?”

Mike nodded emphatically. “Like a charm. Place was peaceful after that. No more weird noises, no more objects moving. It was like night and day.”

I shared a look with Chris. I was trying not to smile, although my smirk fell when I saw how serious he looked. I didn’t expect Chris to be the type to buy into this stuff; maybe he was just being nice.

“Well, that’s... interesting,” I said diplomatically. “But I think we’ll be fine here for one night. Demon or no demon.”

We finished our meal, chatting about less supernatural topics—our plans for Moonshine, the potential alliance with Fabian, strategies for dealing with the blight. As we headed back to our room, Chris whispered, “Do you believe in all this stuff?”

I laughed, playfully shoving his shoulder. “No. Absolutely not.”

Chris shot me a wary glance as he unlocked the door. “Suit yourself…”

“You’re just trying to scare me,” I said with a wave of my hand. Chris merely shrugged and plopped down on the bed.

We got ready for bed, both of us too exhausted from the long day of travel to talk about ghosts or demons.

As I drifted off to sleep later, though, I couldn’t help but think about the old woman’s words about Moonshine Manor. Surely it was just a local legend, a story concocted to drum up interest in a dying town... right?

…

I woke with a start, unsure of what had disturbed my sleep. The room was dark and quiet, Chris’s steady breathing beside me the only sound, and the clock read 3:00 AM. I frowned, cursing my inner clock for waking me up so early.

But then I heard it—a faint banging noise coming from the bathroom. It was rhythmic, almost like something was… knocking.

In my half asleep state, my heart rate picked up and the old woman’s words flickered through my mind. It was probably just an animal that got in somehow, I told myself. Or maybe a loose pipe. Still, I couldn’t ignore it.

Carefully, so as not to wake Chris, I slipped out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. The banging grew louder as I approached, becoming more insistent.

Taking a deep breath, I flicked on the light switch. The fluorescent bulb flickered to life, casting a harsh glow over the small bathroom. It was empty, but the noise continued. I traced it to the small cupboard under the sink.

As I watched, the cupboard door slowly opened... and then slammed shut with a bang. My breath caught. It opened again, then shut, over and over, with no visible cause.

I stared at the phenomenon for a few moments, scratching my head. “...The fuck?” I whispered.

But then, as if my voice had flipped some kind of switch, it just… stopped.

“Ava?” Chris’s sleepy voice called from the bedroom, startling me a bit. “Everything okay?”

I made my way back to the bedroom, shutting the bathroom door behind me. Chris was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes, his hair mussed from sleep.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, more alert now as he took in my pale face and wide eyes.

I hesitated, not sure how to explain what I had just seen. Part of me still figured that I was asleep and dreaming, although I couldn’t deny the fact that I was a bit freaked out. That damn woman’s story must have really gotten to me after all.

“Nothing,” I said finally, climbing back into bed and pulling the covers up to my chin. “It was just the wind.”