BOOK 1

THE SHADOW OF THE HAUNTER

In the darkness of the night

Waiting for the light to come

When the demons in your mind

Remind you of the damage done.

Always talking, so much to say

Like a haunting ghost from the grave

And Heaven seems so far away.

—Daughtry, Changes Are Coming

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We all know Brandon Price. We know he's a reckless trailblazer, just like we know he's charismatic, arrogant, charming, bossy, and every line of the long list of adjectives his critics and admirers from all over the world love to pin on him.

To me, he's the man who faced his worst fears and endured an excruciating pain only to help me.

Because he didn't need to come. I mean, let's be realistic: there's a hundred better locations for a season finale. Just off the top of my head? Waverly Hills, Trans Allegheny, Brushy Mountain State Pen. All of them worth a whole season, and one heck of a season finale.

But he came back to Blotter Manor. And he did it only to help me and an entity that had almost killed him.

Tell me about guts. Tell me about heart.

That's why this is, actually, the story of how I got to meet the bravest man in the world.

And how I fell in lo

Nah, strike that out. I need to stick to the prompt and do what they asked me: a hundred words for a voice over on a post-credit montage. I can leave the rest for my journal.

Jeez. How many, already? Almost 170? I'm so screwed. Let's start over.