Chapter 2 New Raven Town

Eliana walked into the diner, the bell above the door jingled as she entered. Scents of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the air, arousing hunger. A few eyes glanced over with interest as she walked toward the counter.

Eliana sensed their eyes on her, sizing up the unfamiliar face. They watched her with a mix of worry and curiosity, not used to strangers in their town, especially a journalist.

Approaching the counter, Eliana met a middle-aged woman diligently cleaning the spotless surface. The woman "Harriett" was short and stout, her black hair pulled tightly back in a neat bun.

"Welcome to New Raven. What can I get for you?" Harriett inquired, her tone conveying fatigue.

"Just coffee, please black," Eliana replied, politely.

Eliana took a seat and pulled out her notebook, hoping a few quiet moments would help her relax before getting into her inquiry mood.

Elena looked at the interior of the coffee shop as she enjoyed her drink. The temperature in the room could not be compared to one being in a sauna, it felt more like trying to breathe underwater. It appeared as if the entire city was calm, too calm for comfort, waiting on the verge of an event, probably any event.

"You shouldn't be there," Harriett said, attracting her attention.

"Why," Eliana replied.

"Some things are better left untold."

"Do you know Lia?" Eliana asked her, deliberately sounding as casual as possible.

"Sure," Harriett replied, leaning on the counter.

"This is a small town, so everyone knows everyone. Her family has lived in this town for ages. They are nice people."

Eliana shrugged. "And how long have you been living in this place, if I may ask?"

"This is my home. I have lived here longer than you will ever imagine. I was raised in New Raven."

"Then you know this town too well. Care to share your knowledge with me."

Harriet gave her a long stare, then leaned to whisper. "More people go missing here without any cause of death than should be normal. The police can't tell us anything."

"There have been other missing persons reported before Lia?" Eliana inquired as she jotted down some notes.

"Yes. Mind you, they disappear at different times and this makes us anxious. The point is none of them have ever returned, none has been located."

Eliana felt a chill run down her.

"What then do the police do about this?"

"They choose to ignore it."

"I see"

Eliana sat in silence for a while, as she wondered what would make people go missing and why the local police chose to do nothing about it. She drank her coffee while tapping on her little notebook with the few notes written in it.

"I have to get to the bottom of this situation."

The rest of the day, Eliana walked the streets of the town in search of the answers that she needed. She walked into the local bakery that was filled with the enticing aroma of oven-baked bread and pastries. She engaged the owner, John, in a casual conversation.

"Good evening, how much for the bread roll?"

"Fifty cents."

"I'm sorry; I haven't seen you around here before. New?"

"Yes." Eliana replied. "How long have you worked as a baker in this town?" As she decided to change the direction of the conversation.

"Six Year. What brings you here?"

"I am a journalist."

"Oh! You are a journalist, the one everybody has been talking about." John's expression lost joy, and he said wistfully, "It is not safe here."

Before Eliana could respond, the door leading to the bakery shop flung open, and Sheriff Mac stepped inside. He had heavy boots which thudded on the ground as he walked towards Eliana. He was a short, stocky man with no more than forty years, and with a face embedded with stress.

"Eliana, right?" He asked in a hoarse comradely voice.

Eliana nodded her head.

"Sheriff Mac". As he stretched his hands towards Eliana for a handshake, "I hear that you have been walking around my town making inquiries about Lia."

"Yes, sheriff, is it possible for you to give me some information?"

The sheriff looked at Eliana, running his hand across his face. "Listen, Miss Scott, I get why you're worried, but we've been through this already. We looked all over the woods and questioned folks in town. There's nothing more to find."

Eliana didn't back down. "Lia isn't the first person to vanish, right? Others have gone missing before, and nobody seems to know where they are. Right?"

The sheriff frowned. "I don't think those cases have anything to do with Lia disappearing. Don't come to our town and try to do our job for us. It would be better if you leave."

"Well, I'm staying until I figure out what's going on."

"You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. This town deals with things in its own way."

"People vanishing without a trace? That's not 'dealing with things,' Sheriff. That's a big problem."

Sheriff Mac stared at her, unhappy with how the talk was going.

"I suggest you back off."

What are you hiding, Sheriff? Eliana's instincts snapped

The sheriff's face turned black, "Leave." The sheriff walked away mad.

As Eliana leaves the bakery shop, she felt more and more determined to uncover what the sheriff was so desperate to hide.

She looked around, as she saw a figure watching her from across the street, a man. His eyes burned across the distance. His gaze was a warning, a silent alarm that shouted danger.

Then, like a ghost, he disappeared.

She was scared for a moment, but she wasn't one to back down that easily.

Eliana wanted to know who the man was. She turned left to the street that led to the inn. The cool air hit her face as she called her editor.

"Hello Paul"

"Eliana, what's the update? Found anything?", Paul's voice crackled through the line.

"More questions than answers. This town is weirder than we thought," Eliana replied.

"Talked to any of the residents yet?"

"None of them would talk, and even the sheriff seems to be hiding something."

"Keep digging, but be careful. We can't afford to lose you."

"I'll get to the bottom of this." Eliana determined.

Eliana hung up and walked faster. The moon was casting ghostly shadows on the trees and the street, and she was the only one on it and as she walked, she hummed to herself to calm her wandering mind.

The streetlights flickered and went out. Darkness fell. Eliana's heart skipped.

As she looked around in the dark, she saw a figure. The same figure that was watching her while she had stood outside the bakers.

"Who are you?" she called out, trying to sound calm.

No response. The figure didn't move or speak.

"Who are you?" Eliana said again, her voice trembling.

No answer.

Eliana panicked and turned to run, but her feet felt rooted to the ground.

The figure didn't move, yet Eliana could feel it watching her, its eyes on her. Again, the figure disappeared into the darkness as the streetlight flickered back on.

Eliana took to her heels. She ran without turning back.