Into The Fog

Book summary

In "Into The Fog," Heidi Crawford's routine drive takes a chilling turn when a dense ice fog engulfs her surroundings, leaving her in a scorching desert town far from her daughter. With fifteen strangers, she must unravel the mysteries of Ghost Town, where disappearances haunt their every step.

Excerpt from Into The Fog

Thirteen years later

Heidi hummed along to an upbeat country song on the radio as she parked along the curb in front of Dickens Middle School. She turned to face her whole world, her sweet twelve-year-old daughter. “Have a good day, Emma. See you after school.”

Rather than open the door, Emma lingered with furrowed brows. “Do I really have to go to school today, Mom?”

Heidi sighed and turned down the volume. The first two and a half months of school had passed without incident, giving her hope Emma would make it through the seventh grade without being bullied. Her daughter made good grades and was kind to others, but her lack of self-esteem made her an easy target.

The temptation to cave and let Emma stay home gnawed at her, but she couldn’t let Emma hide from her problems. “What happened, sweetie?”

“Candace and Tiff are at it again. Making fun of my clothes, poking me during class with their pens, knocking books off my desk. You know, the usual.”

“I thought things had gotten better since last year.”

“There’s this new girl, Sadie Myers. She just moved to town in August. So obviously they went after her first. Fresh blood and all, right?”

“Of course. That’s what bullies do. Let me guess. You’ve made friends with Sadie, so now they’re picking on both of you.”

“How’d you know?”

“You’re a sweet, kindhearted girl. It’s what you always do. I’m proud of you, Emma. I know it’s hard, but you can’t let those girls get to you. Ignore them. Pretend they don’t exist. If they don’t get a rise out of you, they’ll give up.”

Emma picked at a loose string on her mitten. “Easy for you to say.”

“Do you want me to talk to the principal or your teacher? Talking to those girls’ parents over the summer clearly didn’t help.”

Emma straightened and her eyes widened. “Omigod! You talked to their parents? Please, don’t talk to the teacher. You’ll only make it worse.”

Emailing Emma’s teacher to find a discreet way to deal with the situation moved to the top of Heidi’s to-do list. “Okay, but staying home isn’t the answer either. What will Sadie do without you?”

Emma gazed down at her UGG booties, her auburn, unruly curls falling around her face. “I know.”

Heidi reached across the seat, looped a curly lock around her daughter’s ear, and touched her cheek. “Tell you what. We’ll go on a shopping trip to the city this weekend and get you some new clothes.”

Emma perked up. “Really? Can we afford it?”

“I just got my royalty payment from my publisher. Besides, money is for me to juggle. You just worry about keeping up your good grades.”

“Thanks, Mom. Can Sadie and her mom come?”

“Sure, invite them. I’d love to meet your new friend and her mother.”

Emma opened the door, and a blast of cold air blew inside the Jeep. With one foot outside, she glanced over her shoulder. “You’re the best. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too.”

Heidi’s heart clenched as her little girl walked into school looking down at her feet the whole way, making her slight frame appear even smaller.

What is it going to take to get my baby to keep her head up?

A horn blasted behind her. Heidi jumped and banged her head on the roof of the Jeep.

Ouch.

She glanced in the rearview mirror at the car behind her and rolled her eyes. Of course, the horn honker would be Candace’s father, Vaughn Crowley, the former star captain of the high school hockey team. He still seemed to think of himself as the king of their small town.

She grasped the door handle and debated getting out and giving him a piece of her mind, but it would only make things worse for Emma. Shaking her head, she clutched the steering wheel, and resisted the urge to flip him the bird as she drove off.

Heidi had planned to grab a few things at the general store on Main Street, but that could wait. Home, hot coffee, and her computer beckoned so she could send that email to Emma’s teacher. When problems arose, she preferred to face them head-on. Having known Emma’s teacher, Sarah Stoddart, since they were in kindergarten together, Heidi sensed a strong nudge would be needed to effect change. Sarah avoided confrontation and would turn a blind eye to the things Emma described.

A layer of ice fog that had been building on the way to school had grown much thicker during the time she’d spent talking to Emma. The town of Dickens rested in a valley of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, trapping moisture in dangerous icy pockets of air.

Heidi could no longer make out the snow-capped mountains looming on either side of her, nor the tall coniferous trees covering them. With the Jeep’s fog lights barely piercing the mist, she leaned forward, trying to make out the center line on the range road. A dangerous sheen sparkled on the pavement, but her four-wheel drive was engaged, and the winter tires were on.

Only five more kilometers to go.

Heidi knew this road and all its hills, having lived in Dickens her whole life in the same log home she now occupied with Emma. The largest of the hills on her route lay ahead. The Jeep crested to the top, then began its descent. Heidi held her foot on the brake to maintain her speed. On the side of the road ahead of her, a large four-legged shape moved through the mist.

Heidi slammed the brake pedal to the floor. The Jeep slowed, skidding as her tires scrambled for purchase on the ice. As she skidded, the fog thickened, until all she could see was white. She pumped the brakes but continued to slide. Her heart raced and her hands shook as she clenched the steering wheel.

Please, please stop.

Ramming into a moose or a bighorn sheep, even at a slow speed, could be fatal.

Finally, her momentum slowed, and the Jeep ground to a halt.

The fog swirled, then thinned, lifting from the ground inch by inch until the sky swallowed it up. But instead of revealing the few kilometers of mountainous forest leading to her homestead, Heidi found herself in the middle of a road that dead-ended in both directions. Unfamiliar brown brick buildings lined either side.

Even more bizarre, the sun shone in a cloudless sky and a snowless, brown desert stretched for miles. Cacti as tall as trees surrounded her instead of spruce. She turned off the ignition.

This can’t be real. She squeezed her eyes shut.

The air inside the Jeep grew warmer by the second. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and her palms moistened in her gloves.

An unfamiliar man around her age stared at her through the driver’s window, then tapped on the glass beside her head. A black apron hung from his neck, over a white tee and jeans.

She rolled down the window. A warm breeze ruffled the loose strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun. Maybe he would know where the heck she’d ended up and the way home.

He leaned on the Jeep and lowered his head to face her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks. A bit lost though, I’m afraid. What is this place?”

He pointed to the building behind him. “Ghost Town. Come into the diner. I’ll explain.” His tone was even and nonchalant, as if strangers wandered into this middle-of-nowhere town on a regular basis.

She shifted her head to gaze around his shoulder as she peeled off her sweaty gloves. A faded wooden sign reading Ghost Diner hung over the door. “Wish I could, but I need to be getting home. If you could just point me in the right direction.”

“Like I said, come inside, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Okay. Give me a minute.” Google maps, I’m counting on you.

“Meet me in there. I’ll make a pitcher of iced tea and rustle up some food.”

Heidi switched on the air conditioning, then pulled over to the curb. She dug her iPhone out of her purse and touched the maps icon. The screen flashed “no connection”.

Oh, come on!

She looked at the upper left corner. No bars. Maybe if she walked farther up the road, she’d get reception. The minute she shut off the engine, the air inside the Jeep heated to the point of being unbearable. Heidi climbed out and spun in a circle, trying to get her bearings. The sun beat down on her head.

My God, it’s hot. How could I have ended up somewhere so summery near my house in late fall?

She didn’t remember taking an unexpected turn, but with the fog being so thick, maybe she had. There had to be a logical explanation.

Her temples throbbed. She dug around in her purse for her sunglasses and slid them on her face. No longer able to bear the suffocating warmth, she slipped out of her black parka and threw it inside the Jeep. Her pale skin, which Emma had inherited, tended to burn easily, making her reluctant to take off her cardigan. At least it was cotton and not wool. The soles of her feet burned already, but she couldn’t shed her winter boots either.