Chapter 1: The Call to Stokely

"I don't know…it's out in the middle of nowhere," Clay is saying on the phone, his feet resting on a weathered pine coffee table in the library of the main house. "What’s the nearest town? I forget, it’s something like…Spinning Rock or something ridiculous."

"It’s Stokely, alright?" Jeremy interjects, unable to ignore the conversation despite his reluctance. "Stokely."

As Monday morning dawns, Jeremy paces in the library while they prepare for their trip into town. He feels a sense of relief seeing the bright sun at this early hour, matched only by the truck stop-quality coffee Jen has brewed for them. Yet, he faces a week of work back in Jenson, starting his midshift at 2 PM today, and he dreads the return journey far more than the job itself. Clay, similarly burdened, is trying to find someone to cover his shift at his carpentry gig, which starts at 10 AM, leaving him little time.

"I can’t shake off that dream I had last night," Denise says, shaking her head as if to clear her mind. She’s sitting cross-legged on the very coffee table, ignoring the magazines scattered around her, while Emily, lounging on a nearby couch, browses a book about modern mixed media techniques.

Denise has already recounted her vivid dream to them twice, but they can't grasp its intensity. She knows the dream feels too real, not because she thinks it has any deeper meaning, but because it was sharper than most she’s experienced lately. Dreams are tricky to convey; they rarely carry the same weight when shared with others.

What makes this dream stand out, Denise muses, is the multi-layered experience. Sometimes you’re an active participant in a dream, and at other times, you merely observe. In this case, there’s an added dimension where she feels detached, watching herself interact within the dream.

In the dream, a group of kids are pursuing a boy named Howard on bicycles. The setting somewhat resembles their current retreat, but that’s where the similarities end. Howard is the only one without a bike, and the others chase him relentlessly around the grounds. They end up in a small wooden building, not much more than a shack. Denise, in her dream, floats above the action, observing from a corner where a bathroom door must lead off.

The room is bathed in a stark red light—not fire, but something artificial. Howard seems to view this space as his refuge, though she’s not entirely convinced. The room contains nothing but a large round table, and as the kids circle him on their bikes, their laughter resonates with a cruelty only children—or perhaps serial killers—can possess. She wakes up at this moment, with a sense of impending doom lingering in the air.

Despite her obsession with the dream, she struggles to find any real connection to her present circumstances or any worries she's been harboring. The Denise within the dream watches on, while the outside Denise ponders who the real villain is—Howard or his relentless pursuers.

"Is Kay joining us, or what?" Emily sighs. "We’ve already wasted half an hour!"

"I’m not sure. Let me text her," Denise replies, "She was trying to muster the courage to ask Tony, which, of course, means she’s busy preparing to feel confident enough to approach him."

After a few moments, Kay finally arrives, and they split into two vehicles. As Clay heads in that direction anyway, Denise decides to ride with him to Stokely. They plan to stop at the hardware store to grab some locks and perhaps other supplies for their cabin before heading home. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Emily, unable to reach Kidwell since yesterday evening, decide to check out the town library to uncover some local history.

Jeremy drives, and as they reach the end of a gravel and mud road, he prepares to turn right. Emily points the opposite way.

"Hold on a second. Didn't we come from that direction the first time? Didn’t we leave that way too? This road was a dead end, right?"

"Well, that’s what Kidwell mentioned," Jeremy shrugs, turning onto the road anyway. "He said it wasn’t finished or that it was longer this way. But who knows if he was right. He could’ve been bluffing, or maybe it’s been completed since then."

"Yeah…" Emily trails off, looking back at the woods behind them. "I don’t know, but I’d like to see a map. Remind me to check at the library. Something about this layout doesn’t add up. We must have circled around or taken a long route to get here the first time."

"You’re starting to sound like your sister," Jeremy scoffs.

"No, I genuinely love it here! I feel like I never want to leave! But I’m just curious…"

"I get it," Kay adds from the backseat. "We walked to that same cemetery yesterday in about twenty minutes. There has to be a shortcut we missed when we drove here."

"You all keep saying that, but it can't be possible. That cemetery must have been different," Jeremy argues.

"How do you know?" Kay presses.

"Okay, let’s think it through. Exhibit A: did you cross a massive lake at all?"

"No," Kay admits reluctantly.

"Exactly. There was this enormous lake on both sides of the road—Stokely Farm Road. We drove over it on that winding bridge and passed a marina right after. You couldn’t see the end of it in either direction."

"Mmm, I’m not so sure. This terrain might be laid out differently than you think. If Otherwise is east of the lake, then that graveyard could be too," Emily counters.

Frustrated, Jeremy lifts a hand off the wheel, declaring, "Fine, here’s the plan. We’ll look at some maps at the library, and then come back here to run some tests. Couldn’t one of you just pull up a map on your phone?"

"I’m doing that right now…," Kay mutters, "but, wait…that’s strange. It doesn’t show a lake on either side. At least not that I can see…"

"What?" Jeremy exclaims tiredly. "Emily, why don’t you look it up? We all know Kay struggles with maps."

Emily turns to him with a sly smile, pausing before responding. "I already did. It doesn’t show the lake. But who knows? Maybe it’s man-made, and the app is outdated or something. That’s why I suggested we check at the library. Or maybe we’ll get lucky and find a gas station that hasn’t updated its maps in decades."

"Oh, come on…," Jeremy groans, shaking his head.

"What? I’m serious! The map app doesn’t show much for Otherwise either. It must have been overgrown before Harry got to work on it. But honestly, I think that makes it more intriguing—more mysterious, an adventure."

Even though she’s buckled up, Emily turns enough to share a bright smile with her best friend. But Kay doesn’t share the same enthusiasm. This conversation, especially Jeremy’s idea of running tests and mapping the area, fills her with dread. The memories of Noah, the doom statues, and their confusing surroundings weigh heavily on her, causing her stomach to drop as if she’s on a steep roller coaster.

"What, are you over your little midnight caller episode now?" she can only manage to say.

"I guess so," Emily cheerfully replies, facing forward again with a casual shrug. "It was probably just a prank. We’ll sort it out."