Ghost Town

By Becky Bolinger

Point Bluff is the perfect place for hiking, rock climbing and cave exploring. But hidden inside one of the Montana caves is a deadly virus of unknown origins. When this virus attacks, it wipes out nearly all of Point Bluff's 10,000 townspeople, leaving almost no trace and no clues as to their disappearance.

The survivors find each other and try to flee, but they soon discover they are trapped. No one is safe, and no one immune, when even they start dying mysterious deaths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dead Key Publishing
• Release date: Feb 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310989971

Becky Bolinger

Becky Bolinger works for the Colorado Climate Center on a drought project in the Colorado River Basin while working on her Ph.D. degree in climatology. While loving weather of all kinds, and being fascinated with natural disasters, she has always had a love of horror novels. She grew up on the writings of Christopher Pike, Dean Koontz and Stephen King and wanted to follow in their footsteps by writing her own young adult horror novel. Ghost Town is her first published novel.Becky lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband and fellow horror fan, Justin.

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Ghost Town

Becky Bolinger

Published by Dead Key Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 by Becky Bolinger

License Note

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Author's Note

About Becky Bolinger

Prologue

The Point Bluff Virus, discovered near the town of Point Bluff in the past year, is now considered the most deadly virus on the earth. With a mortality rate of 99.9%, PBV has an incubation period of one day and kills its victims within eight hours.

Once the virus enters the system, through inhalation, it slowly eats away at the internal organs and veins. At the end of eight hours, all that remains of the victim is his or her hair and a pile of dust, which is thought to have been a thin layer of dead skin.

Scientists have contained a small amount of the virus, and it has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control where it resides in the level 4 biosafety area.

Unfortunately, nothing useful has been discovered about the virus. It is not related to any other family of viruses and no known chemical properties have been found in the virus. It is unknown what the virus is made up of, or how it stays alive when it can’t find a host. Many think it to be of extraterrestrial nature.

Another characteristic that sets it aside from every other virus is how it spreads. PBV is clearly an airborne virus, claiming its victims simply through inhalation. However, the virus will not leave the confines of one specific area, almost as though it chooses to stay in one place. It only travels through the air at random times, almost making this virus seem as though it has a mind of its own.

If that mind ever decided to travel throughout the world, PBV would be responsible for the deaths of nearly all six billion people that inhabit this earth.

Chapter 1

The first thing on Ashley Cox’s mind when her alarm went off on Monday morning was death. She slammed her hand down on the snooze button and rolled over, staring blankly at the curtains next to her bed. Grabbing the curtains, she pulled them open and peered out. Blinding sunlight poured into her room. Equally blinding was the thick blanket of snow that covered the ground. Ashley groaned and rolled back over the other way.

She had dreamed of her mother again. In the dream, Ashley was following her mother on that fatal walk she had taken two years ago. She watched her mother as she trotted along the footpath near the caves that overlooked the town of Point Bluff. Her mom had her usual cheerful smile upon her face and an adventurous look in her eyes. She had been wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white tank top that day. Her red hair was pulled back in a pony tail.

Ashley had started after her mother, hoping that she could stop the inevitable from happening again.

Mom! she called out.

But her mom didn’t hear her. Instead, she scrambled up a steep slope and cautiously peered into one of the caves. Apparently, she had heard something.

Mom, come back! Ashley gasped as she followed her mom up the slope.

Hello? her mom said, stepping closer to the cave. Is someone there?

No one answered her. Just like curiosity had killed the cat, curiosity had killed her mother. Why did she look into that cave?

Ashley caught up to her mother and reached for her arm. But instead of grabbing her arm, Ashley’s hand passed right through her mother’s body. Ashley couldn’t touch her mother, couldn’t save her. It was going to happen again. She just couldn’t watch.

Her mom turned around to head back down the slope, and that’s when it happened. Something, although Ashley could never see what it was in her dreams, flew out of the cave, grabbed her mother, and whipped her back into the cave. Her mom didn’t even have the chance to scream. She was just gone, forever.

Ashley had screamed for the monster to take her too, but it never did. Her mother was dead, as she had been for the past two years.

I miss you, mom, Ashley whispered as she started getting dressed for school.

What was even worse about the whole thing was that her mother had never been found. The cops didn’t know anything. After three months of looking for her, and three months of investigation, they had closed the case. She was just another missing person.

But Ashley knew. Immediately after her mom’s disappearance, she started having nightmares. Something was in those caves up there. Something had killed her mother. She never told anyone about her dreams though. First of all, they wouldn’t believe her. Second, what difference would it make? Her mom would still be dead.

Ashley yawned as she stepped out of her bedroom. Right now she couldn’t deal with these thoughts. She had to go down and deal with her father. In some ways, that was worse.

The house seemed eerily quiet to her as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Then she realized what was wrong. Her father wasn’t awake. Ashley found this fact to be very odd. Her father had pretty much been running on autopilot since the day her mother had died. Every weekday morning, he would wake up at 6:30 and make coffee (black on the bearable days, Irish on the unbearable days). He would leave for work at 7:00, always telling Ashley to have a good day in his lifeless voice. Not wanting to be at home to see Ashley after work, he would stay at the office for overtime, not coming back home till 10:00. He’d go straight to bed and start the whole process over the next morning.

The weekends were slightly different. He would wake up at 5:00 in the morning and head off to the lakes with his fishing equipment. He’d come home around 8:00 in the evening, always without any fish, and lock himself in his study. A few hours later he would come out of his study, drunk enough to drown out all of his sorrows, and immediately go to bed.

It had been this way for two years. Ashley had expected this phase to pass, but it never had. Her father just couldn’t get over his wife’s death. And because of Ashley’s striking resemblances to her late mother, her father could barely look at her, much less talk to her. It always saddened Ashley to know that she hadn’t just lost one parent that day two years ago. She was, essentially, an orphan.

But here she was in the kitchen, nearly 7:00 in the morning, and she was all alone. No coffee in the coffee maker.

Something’s not right, she thought. He was never late to work.

She headed back upstairs and stared at his bedroom door for a moment. Should she knock? Should she call out for him? It depressed her that she was nervous to enter her own dad’s bedroom. It was her dad. This shouldn’t be weird. She felt like she lived with a stranger though, and it would just be awkward to have to go in and wake him up.

After hesitating for a few more seconds, she opened the door and looked in. The bed was empty, the covers strewn aside.

I can’t believe it, she muttered. He had broken his ritual. The phase was over.

A smile spread across Ashley’s face as she sat on his bed. Perhaps soon, he would even start talking to her again. But where had he gone now? Did he take the day off and go fishing? Why wouldn’t he stick around to say good morning to her? Maybe he had just headed off to work early. That could possibly mean he would come home early, and they could have dinner together.

I haven’t had dinner with dad in nearly two years.

The smile died when she noticed his pajamas on the bed. They were lying on the bed as though the body that had inhabited them had literally disappeared out from under them. Then she noticed the hair on the pillow. Thick tufts of dark blond hair lay on the pillow.

She suddenly remembered the investigation of her mother’s supposed disappearance. All that had been found of her were her hiking clothes and some of her hair.

Ashley shook her head and backed away from the bed. Her father had broken his ritual, but this was not a good sign. All she could think of was that he just couldn’t bear it any longer. He probably set up the pajamas and some of his hair in a symbolic gesture. Her father had left her. Now Ashley really was alone.

Was it possible that he would actually do this to her?

Ashley ran out of the room and down the stairs. The main phone number to the company her father worked for was on the bulletin board next to the phone.

Ashley tried to swallow back the sobs that were bubbling up in her throat. She could almost hear the secretary’s voice now. I’m sorry. Mr. Cox hasn’t come into work yet. And Ashley was sure that he would never go in again. He was gone. Who knew where he had gone.

He left me. He left me. I can’t believe my own dad would leave me like this.

After eleven rings, Ashley hung up the phone. No one had answered. That was odd. There were people in that office building nearly 24 hours of the day. But nobody answered. The thought created butterflies in her stomach. Something was wrong. Not just with her dad—but something bigger. She could feel it.

She dashed across the kitchen and flung open the garage door. Her father’s Nissan sat silently in the cold garage.

She slammed the door. If he had left, he had not taken his car. She opened the coat closet next to the garage door. All of the jackets were in there. If he had left, he had not taken a jacket either. She ran up the stairs and back into his bedroom, looking in his closet. Every single hanger held dress shirts, t-shirts and sweatshirts, every shoe compartment contained a pair of shoes. If he had really left her, he had not taken a shirt or shoes with him either.

She slowly closed the closet and slumped down to the ground. Tears formed in her eyes. She let them roll down her cheeks. She didn’t know how to feel. He hadn’t left her—that made her so relieved. She didn’t know if she would have been able to bear that. But he had disappeared from the face of the earth…exactly the way her mother had two years ago. And now, she was really alone.

* * *

Ben Hallstrom rang the bell to his girlfriend’s house for the third time. His patience was waning. He was supposed to pick Cami up on his way to school. Sure, they had had a fight the night before. But, that was no reason for her to find another ride to school and not tell him about it.

He shook his head and walked back to his truck. If she wanted to be that way today, that was fine with him. He would just make sure to forget to take her home from school too—make her find another ride back. She deserved it for acting like this.

Ben got in his pick-up and tore away from the curb. It took him four blocks to notice there were no other cars driving on the street. Did his alarm clock somehow get set two hours ahead? That would explain the lack of cars, and would probably explain why nobody answered the door at Cami’s house. God, he would feel stupid if he had been ringing her doorbell at 5:00 a.m.

He looked at his watch. 7:15. He reached into his backpack and pulled out his cell phone. 7:15. 7:00 was when the morning rush hour began. Not that a town like Point Bluff would have a rush hour comparable to any big city in the country, but definitely more than one car. There were 10,000 people in Point Bluff. Almost all of them went to work or school at 7:30, 8:00 at the latest. Where was everyone?

Ben stopped the car at a red light. Wait a minute, he thought. Is today a holiday? He furrowed his brow as he tried to think of what holidays occurred at the end of March. Spring break wasn’t for another week, and besides, that was only for students. He was pretty sure President’s Day had already passed. Memorial Day didn’t come until May. April Fool’s Day was the closest, and the government definitely didn’t consider it a national holiday.

The light turned green, but Ben stayed where he was. Shutting his truck off, he listened for any familiar sounds of people: shovels scraping the sidewalks, kids laughing as they walked to school, snowplows clearing the streets. He heard nothing.

He picked up his cell phone and dialed Cami’s cell phone number. No answer. He dialed his home phone to see if his mom was awake yet. No answer. He dialed his father’s work number. No answer.

Frustrated at his failed attempts, he banged his phone against the dash board. He was probably getting a bad signal. Looking at the display, he saw that his phone was at maximum power and had all its bars. The signal was perfect.

Ben closed his eyes, wondering who to try calling next. He slowly pushed the buttons for 911, which should immediately connect him to the police station that was only two blocks away. He hesitated before pushing send. What would he tell the police when they answered?

I just didn’t see any cars driving around and I got scared.

My girlfriend didn’t answer the door, or her phone, I think there’s something wrong.

But what scared him most was not that the sheriff would laugh his head off at Ben’s ridiculous fears. What scared him most was…

What if no one answers?

He pushed send. Ben almost became hypnotized by the endless repetition of rings. There was no one at the police station.

He dropped his phone and got out of his truck, which sat in the middle of a deserted road.

Hello! he cried out. Is anybody there?

He got the same replies he got on the phone—none.

A thought suddenly entered his mind. His mom had not been awake when he left this morning. At first, he had figured she was just sleeping in. He had just assumed his younger brother and sister had gotten themselves on the bus and that his mom was still in bed. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

He got back in his truck and headed for home, ignoring all the traffic lights. He pulled up in front of his house, leapt out of his truck, and ran up the driveway. He opened the front door and yelled, Mom?

Not waiting for an answer he ran up the stairs, skipping every other one.

Mom? he called, barging through his parent’s bedroom door. She wasn’t in bed. And for probably the first time in the eighteen years he had known his mom, she hadn’t made the bed. Not only had she not made the bed, but she had left her nightgown on her side of the bed. Ben also noticed his father’s boxers lying on his side.

Ben frowned, walking over to the bed. Everything seemed so strange. He leaned over his mom’s pillow, finally noticing strands of his mom’s fine blonde hair resting on it.

What the hell is going on? he muttered.

He slowly descended the stairs, wondering what to do next. Should he go to school? Should he go to the police station?

He walked out of the house and stood on the porch, looking up and down the street. The eerie silence sent shivers down his spine.

Am I dreaming?

He had never had a dream like this before. And it just felt too real. But, maybe…

Turning his gaze toward the house next to him, he thought that maybe he could ask his neighbors for help.

He reached the Smith’s house, right next to his, and rang the doorbell. Looking at his watch and seeing that it was 7:31, he figured that Mr. Smith should be at work right now. But, he knew that Mrs. Smith ran a daycare from the home. Ben could remember when Mrs. Smith would take care of him after school. The woman never left her house, especially on the weekdays when she had five to ten screaming children to take care of.

Please answer, Ben said, shuffling his feet nervously.

Oh God, he thought, panic overtaking his body. He always had a sneaking suspicion that something like this would happen. Everyone on earth had died but him. He would have to live the rest of his life completely alone. Oh God!

Calm down, he ordered. You’re eighteen. You’re a man now. Stop acting like a baby!

God, if only the other guys could see him now. He had always prided his tough guy image, his slightly rebellious attitude. They would all be laughing their asses off if they could see him now.

They can’t laugh when they’re all dead!

No, it wasn’t possible. There was no way everyone could be dead. There weren’t even any bodies. That was just impossible. And, what would be the chances anyway that God would only spare Ben Hallstrom. Out of six billion people on this earth and God would spare him. It couldn’t happen.

Unless God is trying to punish me.

No, that wasn’t possible either. He may not be one of God’s favorite people, but he wasn’t one of God’s least favorite people either. He had never done anything that awful in his life. Okay, there was the whole premarital sex issue. And maybe he had stolen some stuff from Joe’s Drugstore when he was ten. He had probably lied to his parents a few times in his life. But that was it. God would not punish him like this.

That meant that there had to be other people around, somewhere. He just had to know where to find them.

He grabbed the doorknob to the Smiths’ house, found it unlocked, and swung the door open.

Mrs. Smith? he called, peering into their home. Mrs. Smith, it’s Ben Hallstrom…from next door! He slowly stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. I just wanted to check and make sure you’re okay.

He was again greeted with silence.

He looked around the house, noticing the hundreds of toys strewn across the living room. Good old Mrs. Smith. Ben remembered that she always had the coolest toys when he came over. He saw that she was just the same with the kids now. A state-of-the-art game system was hooked up to the television. Toy cell phones, action figures from recent movies, super soaker water guns, Barbies with flared jeans and platform shoes, and electronic games littered the hardwood floor.

He prayed that nothing had happened to Mrs. Smith. She was so much fun. He looked at all the toys again and suddenly felt nauseated. He prayed that nothing had happened to all those kids. That would just be terrible.

He headed for the stairs, automatically knowing which room upstairs was the master bedroom. The Smith home had the same layout as his own home.

Mrs. Smith, are you all right?

He reached the top of the stairs. The master bedroom door lay slightly ajar. Ben stepped forward, peering into the room. Like he had found in his parent’s bedroom, he found this bed empty too.

Would he find their clothing lying on the bed too? Should he even look? Stepping into the bedroom he could see that their pajamas lay on their bed. He could also see strands of Mr. Smith’s silvery hair on his pillow.

Ben quickly exited the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He really hadn’t been prepared to find the same story in their bedroom as he had seen in his parents’ bedroom. What did it mean?

They’re dead. They’re all dead.

Trying to control himself, Ben clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His breath sped up. How could this really be happening?

Ben didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally calmed down. It could have been five minutes. It could have been a week. Did it really matter?

Okay, he said out loud. Oh, talking like this feels good. Okay, keep talking. Who the hell cares that you’re talking to yourself? They’re all dead anyway. He walked back down the stairs and outside.

Where do I go? he asked himself. Where other people are. he answered. Where are other people going to be? He thought about that for a moment. Would he have to leave town? Maybe whatever had happened had only happened in Point Bluff. He had no way of knowing for sure unless he tried to reach someone out of town. Who can I call? He stopped, thinking of relatives. Uncle Harry. he answered. Uncle Harry lives in Massachusetts. He can’t live without his cell phone. So, if he doesn’t answer, then whatever’s going on is going on out there too. Ben could safely assume that if this epidemic (or whatever it was) was in Montana, and all the way over in Massachusetts, it must be a nationwide epidemic.

He ran back over to his house and went straight to the kitchen. His mom’s address book was next to the phone. Ben found his uncle’s number and quickly dialed. But the phone didn’t ring on the other end. Ben hung up and picked the phone up again. After getting a dial tone he dialed the number again. No ringing. He couldn’t even connect to anyone.

Damn it! he said, slamming the phone down.

Grabbing the address book he ran out to his truck and picked up his cell phone, which rested on the passenger seat. Double checking to make sure he had a good signal, he dialed his uncle’s number and pressed send. There was no ringing. He pressed end and tried Cami’s number again. The call was connected, and the phone rang. He let it ring six times before hanging up. Trying his uncle’s number again, he was unsuccessful again.

Ben tossed his cell phone back into the truck. So, he could connect within town limits, but couldn’t connect outside of town. What did it mean?

It means Point Bluff is the only place affected. He got back in his truck. Then I can get the hell out of here and get help. But he didn’t start his truck. He had a bad feeling. Something was keeping him from connecting to the rest of the world. Something could probably keep him from leaving, and he didn’t want to find out how it would stop him.

If I don’t leave, then what do I do? he asked, panic entering his voice. Calm down, Ben. Just find other people who are alive in Point Bluff.

Starting the truck, he wondered where he should go. Where would other people go in a situation like this? Where would other people go to find other survivors? Two places came to his mind. His high school auditorium also served as a shelter in case of emergencies. Most of the time that meant for flood or fire victims. But it was a safe place in a public building. There was a possibility that people could be there. The other place was the church across the street from the school. In times of crisis, people always flocked to churches. He would try the church and the school.

Taking one last sorrowful look at his house, he pulled away from the curb.

Chapter 2

Ashley stood at the entrance of Joe’s Drugstore, gripping a shotgun and cautiously peering through the closed doors. To her left, bright pinks and greens littered the windows with sales and special deals.

APPLES 3 for $.99!!

Free phone card with $50 orders!

The automatic doors slid open in front of her for the fifth time. Fifteen seconds later the doors closed for the fifth time. With the open doors had come the wailing from inside.