Stigma

Chapter 9

Jungkook was greatly looking forward to today, he had the whole day off and he planned to use it to explore his new home some more.

He'd walked around the town briefly on several occasions, but there were many sites and buildings he had yet to visit.

On this particular day the sky was a full grey, but no rain had dared to fall yet. Though it was cloudy, Jungkook was thankful for the chill in the air. He loved autumn.

He chose to walk rather than ride his motorcycle in order to maximize his sightseeing. The town was undeniably cute, with it's kitschy signs, cobblestones, and faded storefronts.

One in particular caught his eye, the large building loomed over most of the smaller businesses on either side of it, and a white sign creaked as it swung reading, Westhollow Public Library.

Jungkook had never had a particular interest in books but for some reason, he found his feet walking towards the entrance. The door was silent as it swung open, and he was surprised at how large the space was.

There was a front desk, manned by an old woman who looked as if she'd walked the earth with the dinosaurs. The different sections were labeled with peeling red signs, and he slowly made his way through the aisles. While passing through the history section, a particular cover caught his eye.

Unlike some other books on the shelves, this volume looked as if it had never been touched. It stood out from the ratty colors around it, almost as if it's dark red cover was calling out to him specifically. He pulled it from the shelf.

"A supernatural history of westhollow, hm." He looked around, searching for any sort of reading area. His eyes fell on a small alcove near the back of the library with faded yellow arm chairs. Situating himself next to a window, he noticed that a few raindrops had begun to streak down the glass.

Thinking this a good time to be inside for a bit, he committed to starting this mysterious red book. He was perplexed by the inside cover, as the publication date was nearly fifty years ago. How did the cover look so new?

He shook it off, quickly forgetting about the discrepancy when he began the first page. The first couple of chapters were interesting local lore, mostly ghost stories and legends akin to big foot. But things got interesting around chapter four titled, "disappearances and missing travelers".

Deep into the book now, Jungkook sunk into the chair, the now constant onslaught of raindrops on the window keeping him company. According to this book, Westhollow had a history of mysterious disappearances, mainly people passing through town. A serial killer? He wondered.

He flipped the page, and his heart stopped for a mere moment. There was an old photograph dated 1936, depicting a large colonial style building that look awfully familiar. It's tall columns were out of place even then, standing out from the landscape like a mountain raised up from a prairie.

Reading further, a feeling of unease washed over him. Most of the disappearances had been traced back to this building, once a bed and breakfast for travelers. But no legal evidence had ever been brought against the owner, none of the investigators survived long enough to bring their case forward. And locals were smart enough to steer clear.

Surely though this was written half a century ago, the photo taken even before that. Whoever owned and operated the bed and breakfast, they were long gone. Despite this reassurance, a feeling of foreboding hung over him like the rain clouds just outside the window. An inkling he couldn't shake.

Suddenly the library didn't feel so safe and cozy anymore. He looked around, not having noticed a single soul enter in the time it had taken him to read. He put the book back on the shelf where he had found it, unsure whether he regretted reading it or not.