| September 24, 2023 - 9:43 AM
The road stretched long and empty, flanked by rolling hills and patches of forest. Lin had been driving for nearly two hours, the city long behind her. No skyscrapers. No traffic. No noise.
Just open land and silence.
She checked the GPS. Sunrise Valley – 12 miles ahead.
Her fingers tightened on the wheel.
This wasn't just some weekend getaway. This was her future stronghold—the place that would either save her life or become a burial ground like every other so-called "safe zone" she had seen before.
But this time, she was preparing first.
| September 24, 2023 - 10:01 AM
She pulled off the highway, following a smaller road that cut through dense trees. A few minutes later, the trees thinned, and she saw it—
Sunrise Valley Hotel.
It was bigger than she expected.
The main building stood at the center of the property, a three-story structure with a weathered wooden exterior and a large wraparound porch. The once-grand sign at the entrance was faded, the words barely legible.
A gravel road split into two paths—one leading toward the guest cabins, the other toward an old barn and farmland.
And beyond that?
A river.
The sunlight hit the water, glinting like metal. Lin's chest tightened.
Water access. Open land. Multiple buildings.
This wasn't just a property.
This was a fortress waiting to happen.
She parked near the entrance, stepping out onto the gravel.
| September 24, 2023 - 10:03 AM
A woman in business casual, probably in her mid-forties, waved from the front steps. Amy Carter, the real estate agent.
"Miss Zhang?" Amy smiled as she approached. "You made great time."
Lin shook her hand, nodding. "I wanted to see it as soon as possible."
Amy chuckled. "Understandable. This place has been on the market for a while, and, well…" She hesitated. "I assume you read about the… incident?"
Lin kept her expression neutral. "I did."
Amy sighed, lowering her voice. "We haven't had serious buyers in months. A few curious people came to look, but no one wanted to commit. People are… superstitious."
Lin glanced at the empty windows of the main building.
She wasn't afraid of ghost stories.
She was afraid of what was coming.
And this place?
It was going to keep her alive.
She turned back to Amy. "Show me everything."
| September 24, 2023 - 10:05 AM
The tour began.
Lin took notes on everything.
Main building: Solid structure, but some parts needed repairs. Easily fortifiable. Guest cabins: Smaller, spread out—could be turned into storage or separate living spaces. Barn & farmland: Could be restored. Needed fencing, but the land was good. River: Perfect water supply. Natural barrier against threats.
By the time they circled back to the main entrance, Lin's mind was already mapping out defenses.
High fences. Barbed wire. Reinforced doors. Escape routes.
She turned to Amy. "I want it."
Amy blinked. "You… what?"
Lin smiled. "I want to put down an offer. Today."
Amy's lips parted in shock. "You're serious?"
"Completely."
Amy hesitated. "You don't even want time to think about it?"
Lin had already thought about it.
She knew what was coming.
And this?
This was the best chance she had.
She pulled out her checkbook.
"Let's talk numbers."
| September 24, 2023 - 10:32 AM
Lin sat across from Amy Carter at the hotel's abandoned front desk. The wooden counter was dusty, the once-polished brass bell now tarnished.
Amy had pulled out a folder, flipping through documents, still half in shock from Lin's sudden decision.
"You really want to buy it?" Amy asked again, as if waiting for Lin to change her mind.
Lin didn't hesitate. "Yes. But let's talk about the price."
Amy exhaled. "It's already been dropped from $750,000 to $195,000—"
"I'm offering $160,000 in cash."
Amy froze mid-sentence.
Lin leaned back in the old chair, fingers tapping idly against the armrest. "No loans, no waiting on banks. You get it off the market today."
Amy's lips pressed together. "That's a big cut."
"And this place has been sitting unsold for months." Lin's voice was calm, steady. "Every day it stays empty, the more its value drops. You know no one else is coming for this."
Amy hesitated.
Lin watched her carefully. She wasn't wrong—no one wanted this place. The land was great, but the history kept people away. The mass shooting had ruined it.
Amy sighed, flipping through her paperwork. "I'll have to call the seller. They might not agree—"
"They will." Lin's voice was firm.
Amy gave her a look but pulled out her phone anyway.
| September 24, 2023 - 10:40 AM
Amy ended the call, setting the phone down.
"They'll take $165,000, final offer."
Lin hid her smirk behind a slow sip of water.
"That works."
Amy exhaled, pulling out the necessary paperwork. "Alright. Let's get this started."
| September 24, 2023 - 10:55 AM
As Amy finalized the forms, Lin glanced around the empty hotel lobby.
The dust. The silence. The feeling of abandonment.
Who owned this place before?
She turned back to Amy. "Who was the original owner?"
Amy's hands paused over the papers.
"…Matthew Harper," she said after a second. "He ran this place with his wife. They were trying to revive it before the… tragedy."
Lin's fingers tightened slightly. "He was killed in the shooting?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah. He was one of the first victims."
"And his family?"
Amy sighed. "He had a younger brother, but the guy never stepped foot here after it happened. Didn't want anything to do with it. That's why it's been stuck on the market so long."
Lin stared at the contract in front of her.
The owner had died here.
And now, the last of his family had abandoned it completely.
She exhaled.
It didn't matter.
This wasn't about ghosts. This was about the living.
And she was going to make sure this place stayed that way.
Lin grabbed the pen.
"Let's sign."
| September 24, 2023 - 11:07 AM
The sound of pen on paper echoed through the empty hotel lobby.
Lin's signature flowed smoothly across the contract. One final stroke, and it was done.
She set the pen down, exhaling slowly.
Amy Carter flipped through the paperwork, double-checking everything before nodding in satisfaction.
"Well," Amy said, closing the folder. "Congratulations. You're the new owner of the Sunrise Valley Hotel."
Lin leaned back in her chair, absorbing the weight of those words.
She owned it now.
Seventeen acres. A main building, cabins, farmland, and—most importantly—a natural water source.
Her fortress.
Amy slid over a copy of the deed. "Since it was a cash purchase, you don't have to wait for financing approvals. The property is officially yours as of today. We'll file the ownership transfer with the county, but you can start moving in whenever you want."
Lin nodded. Perfect.
| September 24, 2023 - 11:12 AM
Amy stood, stretching her arms. "You sure you don't have any questions? I mean… it's a lot to take in."
Lin tapped the folder against the desk. "Just one."
Amy raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
"What happened to the hotel staff? The ones who survived?"
Amy hesitated.
Lin noticed the small shift in her posture—the way her fingers twitched slightly against the edge of the table.
"They left," Amy said finally. "After the shooting, no one wanted to stay. A couple of them tried to get new jobs nearby, but most moved out of town."
Lin narrowed her eyes slightly. "No one ever came back?"
Amy shook her head. "Not even to collect their last paychecks. The place was cursed in their eyes."
Lin let that sink in. Cursed.
She wasn't superstitious. She didn't care about ghosts or bad luck.
The only thing that mattered was that this place had everything she needed—and no one to fight her for it.
She stood up, tucking the deed into her bag. "I'll be back soon to start setting things up."
Amy smiled, though there was a flicker of curiosity behind her eyes. "You moving in alone?"
Lin smirked. "For now."
She walked toward the door, pushing it open. Sunlight hit her face, crisp and bright.
| September 24, 2023 - 11:15 AM
She stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air.
The land stretched out before her—empty, waiting.
It wouldn't be empty for long.
She had less than three months to turn this place into a fortress.
And she wasn't wasting a single second.