Chapter 2
My supposedly dead father had come back to life.]
And that wasn’t exactly good news for our family.[]
Because I’d gotten used to it being just Mom and me.[]
Having Dad suddenly back in the house made my skin crawl.]
Early the next morning, Mom left, saying she had important business to take care of and might be gone for several days. She transferred some money to my account and told me to take care of myself.]]
After she left, I received a message from her, still the same sentence:]
“DON’T TRUST THAT MAN. HE’S NOT YOUR FATHER!“]
My heart was in my throat.]
Just as I finished reading her text, I sensed a shadow behind me. I turned around to see Dad’s face with that hollow smile.
“Morning, Charlotte. Texting your mom? Where is she? Haven’t seen her all morning.”
“She went to work,” I lied quickly. “She’s on a business trip. Won’t be back for a few days.“||
Dad smirked and pushed his glasses up his nose, calling my bluff.]
“Your mom’s just a staff nurse. Since when do nurses go on business trips?“]]
“Of course they do,” I shot back. “Mom’s up for a head nurse position. She has to go to the state competition. Dad, you have no idea how hard she’s worked these past four years–juggling her job and taking care of me.‘
I turned the tables on him: “What about you? Where have you been for four years? Why didn’t you call even once?“]]
Dad paused. Something cold flickered behind his glasses.]
But he kept smiling.]
He started telling me about his time in Death Valley–the dangers he faced, the vastness he witnessed.[]
He spoke in detail, as if he really had spent four years there. He seemed to remember everything about Mom and me.[]
As he talked, I kept glancing at the empty grave in our backyard. I suddenly remembered Dad’s diary in that backpack–it probably contained records of what actually happened in Death Valley.[]
When the police delivered the backpack, Mom wouldn’t let me see it. She said she was afraid it would break my heart and I’d never recover from losing Dad. So she buried it in that empty grave.]
If I dug it up now and looked at it, wouldn’t I find some clues?
Chapter 2
I could compare what was written there with what this “Dad” was telling me!
I kept this plan to myself, making minimal conversation with Dad.]
Around noon, Dad offered to cook lunch.[]
Despite the mild weather, he turned the AC way up, setting the cold wind to blow directly on him.[]
In the circulating air, I caught a whiff of something… off. Something that smelled like decay.[]
I pretended not to notice and ate the food Dad prepared.]
It tasted just as awful as his cooking always had.[]
Nothing unusual there.
After lunch, Dad said he was tired and wanted to rest, Then I noticed he took another shower, went to his room, and cranked the AC again.]
Every time I walked past his door, I felt a frigid draft coming through the cracks.
Not only that, the room was completely dark–he’d pulled all the curtains shut. It was like he suddenly preferred darkness.
I observed all this but kept quiet, retreating to my own room.
Once Dad was asleep and the house fell silent, I grabbed a shovel and snuck out to the backyard to dig up that empty grave.]
It wasn’t buried deep–took me maybe fifteen minutes to reach it.
I pulled the diary from the backpack and stuffed it under my shirt. Working quickly before Dad could wake up, I filled the hole and raced back to my room.]
After locked my door and windows, I opening the diary with trembling hands.
It was definitely Dad’s handwriting. The first twenty or so entries documented everything that happened in Death Valley.
According to his journal, Dad had made it into Death Valley without any problems. Halfway through, he met another expedition team and decided to travel with them.]
They wanted to check put an unexplored section of the ghost town Rhyolite, so they changed their planned route.
For a long time after that entry, Dad hadn’t written anything. There were just blank pages.[]
When he started writing diary again, I saw something that made my blood freeze–a message written in what looked like actual blood:
“Charlotte! If you’re reading this diary, RUN! Mom isn’t YOUR Mom anymore…”
“RUN, HURRY UP!!!“]]
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