CRYPTID

Chapter 28

Beyond the bridge, Liam pulled off onto yet another road. It was paved but rough, pocked with potholes after the years of seasonal ground shifting. Liam slowed, careful to avoid the biggest holes in the pavement. This new road also ran somewhat parallel to the river, until they climbed a hill and the river beside them dropped out of sight.

The forest thinned a little, pushing back to make way for the well-spaced, open lawns of family homes. Penelope pressed her face closer to the glass. As Liam had said, the area looked well populated. But despite all the houses, there was something odd about it all that Penelope couldn't quite put her finger on. Once again she turned back to Liam. She didn't bother to attempt a question, she just raised her eyebrows.

Liam looked smug, smirking away in the driver's seat.

"Oh, just spit it out already!" she snapped.

He just shook his head with a chuckle. "Just a liiiittle longer," he said, really drawing out the word. He was enjoying this.

With a huff, Penelope crossed her arms and leaned back. He really wasn't going to tell her anything until he was good and ready.

Then something caught her eye. A stack of signs was affixed to a metal post and planted in the corner of one of the driveways.

PRIVATE PROPERTY

NO TRESPASSING

VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED

Penelope frowned. Those serious signs seemed unnecessary in a place this quiet. She figured that maybe it was just one weird neighbour, but then she spotted the same signs again, at the foot of the next driveway. And the next...

There was something odd about this place.

Liam slowed to a stop, then pulled into one of the driveways, right next to the stack of angry signs. He put the SUV into park and then reclined into the driver's seat, his hands behind his head. It seemed Liam was finally ready to share what he learned.

"So?" Penelope pressed when Liam took too long to savour his moment. "Who lives out here?" She leaned forward to look at the house that sat at the end of the driveway. It was a simple rancher, sided in blue and white. It didn't look especially sinister, or even notable.

"That's the thing," Liam said, still smirking away. "No one lives out here."

Penelope whipped around to look at him. "What?" She turned back to the house. She realized now what was so weird about this place, these houses. It was too quiet. There were no people, no cars, no sign of life...

"How?"

"The houses and the land were all bought up," Liam explained, "years ago, by the local government. Apparently the plan was for some logging company to build some kind of lumber processing plant out here, so they bought the people out and everyone moved away."

Penelope's eyes widened. She turned back to the house. Looking at it with new eyes, she could now see the signs of decades of wear. The missing shingles. The peeled paint. The cracks in the windows.

"But then the plan fell through when the mill closed, but the government kept the land," Liam continued, "so no one ever moved back. They keep promising something would be built here but it never is, so now the houses sit like this."

"That seems like a waste," Penelope said, inspecting the house. Despite the wear, the flaws were small and the house looked shockingly well preserved.

"I guess," Liam said. "Too late now. They've been sitting here for too long. Plus, they're probably full of asbestos, so the cost of fixing them up is more than they're worth. Want to go exploring?"