Colebrook

By Dawn Gray

Welcome to the Berkshires of Massachusetts
After a series of murders shook the community, the elders of the town found a better way to make things safe. Under the watchful eye of the police chief and the protection of the town council, life remains the same as it has for almost fifty years. The town protects its citizens, and its secrets. You are now entering Colebrook.

When a resident leaves to find her family, her actions upset the Colebrook way of Life, and the chief sets out on a mission to find her and bring her back.

After her sudden death, her only living relative comes to Colebrook to settle her affairs only to find things in this small town aren’t as they seem. Ryan Harris, a photojournalist for a world-renowned magazine sets out to uncover the secrets of this small Berkshire community. However, Colebrook feels that some secrets are worth killing for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawn Gray
• Release date: May 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310515088

Dawn Gray

I grew up in Vermont and for years have been occupied with my own worlds and creating my own characters. The entire seven book Vampire Legacy series is published and available here, based largely in New London/Waterford, CT these books follow a clan of vampires through their history with mortals. S.P.I.R.I.T has evolved to a three book series so far, and Raven and Before the Moon Rise are also stand-alone novels.The Arcane follows the adventure of a traveler on a road trip from hell and The Pack trilogy is just the beginning of a wild new ride for the Summerford children, members of the largest Pack in Massachusetts.

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Colebrook

DAWN GRAY

KEVIN WENZEL

Colebrook

Novel by Dawn Gray and Kevin Wenzel

Based on the screenplay Colebrook by Kevin Wenzel

Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Gray, Kevin Wenzel

Smashwords edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Come visit Colebrook on Facebook:

www.Facebook.com/WelcometoColebrook

Thank you to all who have helped this book become reality. It was my pleasure to work with Kevin on this and bring his screenplay to life. To Kathy and Danielle, thank you for your hard work on edits, especially on such short notice and to all the beta readers who offered to pick this up and give it a chance.

We’ll see you in the movies.

Dawn

Introduction

The Wakhan Corridor is a region in northeast Afghanistan that forms a long, slender panhandle between Afghanistan and China. It is currently patrolled by a specialized unit on the hunt for Al-Qaeda terrorist cell members believed to be operating in the region. They are joined by Ryan Harris, a photojournalist on assignment for Time magazine and on his own hunt for a Pulitzer through his work.

The rugged, brown-haired young man snapped away at the scenic yet poor living condition of native Nomadic Kyrgyz herders while on patrol in a small hillside village. He stopped for a moment as a small earthquake shook the ground beneath his feet. He glanced around expecting to see a tank peak over the hill behind him or an F-16 fighter plane rumble overhead. When the first small aftershock passed, Ryan looked to members of the patrol, and shrugged his shoulders in a questioning manner, looking for any reassurance on the normality of these little quakes. When a mimicked gesture was all he received, he shook his head in disbelief.

One of the men began to explain the tectonic structure of the area, but the geology lesson was put on hold as gunshots erupted. Every member of the unit reacted just the way they were trained to, taking cover and returning suppression fire. Names, coordinates and positions of the unit were hollered across the debris field, identifying targets, locations, weapons and descriptions in between bursts of gunfire.

Ryan lay almost motionless on the ground just behind a small mound of dirt trying to snap pictures of the scene that unfolded in front of him. Unable to capture the scene from his position, he took his chances and began to crawl out to the dirt road, into the open, his brown eyes taking in all that was around him. As he started snapping photos once more, his sat-phone began to ring, drawing the attention of Al-Qaeda at a very inconvenient time and location. He watched, with knowledge that this may be his last breath, the shift in their focus from the hidden targets, to a target that was now in the open.

He could hear the men around him yelling out words that Ryan clearly understood but hadn’t given much thought to. Something like AK’s towards the north, handgun at eleven o’clock, these were terms that drew his eyes through the lens of his camera, but the warnings the men around him blurted out to one another seemed to go over his head. He didn’t care about much but the shot, and a gunfight was perfect magazine material.

Bullets hit the ground mere inches from Ryan’s head as he focused on the position of the shooters with his telephoto lens through the spray of dirt and debris. The lieutenant yelled at the top of his lungs, barking orders to the civilian, repeatedly calling for Ryan to take cover. Three more snaps of the lens and Ryan rolled back to safety, taking the satellite phone from his pocket.

This is Ryan Harris. he speaks into the phone while plugging his other ear with his finger, listening for a response while trying to block out the sounds of gunfire in the near distance.

"Ryan, it’s Tara Langley from Time. How is the assignment going, and what is all that noise?"

I’m kind of in the middle of a situation here, what’s going on? Ryan responded.

As if the world went silent around him, he was able to clearly hear Tara say: "Your old ‘sweetheart’ called looking for you."

Oh yeah, Ryan grinned, which one, and what for?

"I’m serious, she said it was important. Apparently you have an aunt in Connecticut; she’s asking to see you."

I don’t have an aunt. He paused, Are you sure you got the message right?

"Millie Parker, maiden name Carter? She left a number for you."

Ryan slips out of the gunfight and approaches a laundry line that is unattended by a hut in the back end of the village. On the line hung region friendly clothing, waving like a flag in the wind, and an idea, an absolutely insane idea popped into his head.

For a moment the scenario of dressing like one of the nomads and hiking his way out of the region was foremost on his mind. It was the only thing he could think of to get back to where he needed to be, until Tara’s voice came through on the sat-phone once more, rattling off a number. Ryan repeated it back, making sure he had it correct and sighed.

I’ll talk to you later Tara! He hung up the phone and dialed as he whispered the series of numbers aloud. He listened to it ring twice before the line connected and spoke quickly as he heard it pick up. Hello Terry! It’s Ryan!

"Ryan, how are you?"

A bit annoyed with the pleasantries, Ryan huffed at her. Terry, I’m in the middle of something big here, what’s going on?

He could hear the tone change in her voice as she skipped any other normal questions and answered him. "Your Aunt showed up here earlier tonight, she came looking for your mom."

How? What happened to her? Where has she been all these years?

"Ryan, I think you need to come home. I don’t think this can wait."

I’ll need a few days, I can probably get home by the weekend.

Ryan plugged his ear as gunfire erupted for a short spurt and then died down to sporadic again. "I spoke with your boss. She knows what’s going on. She’s making arrangements to get you on your way home tonight!"

All right, then I will see you soon. He hung up and closed his eyes for a moment, catching his bearings as he took in all the new information.

As shocked as he was, Ryan still contemplated the idea of reaching out and grabbing the clothes, but rapid gunfire exploded in the background. Just as he turned to see what was going on, a hand was on his arm.

Harris! Just what the hell do you think you are doing? A stern voice yelled over the gunfire.

Ryan’s mind flashed with visions of the drill sergeant from ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and a warped feeling of shrinking under his glare rushed through him, but he straightened, trying to shake it off, glaring back at the man.

I have a family emergency; I have to get stateside, ASAP. Ryan’s voice cracked as he spoke.

I don’t care what has happened in the outside world, Harris! This is my world and you are my responsibility, do you understand? Lieutenant Walker barked.

Yes, I understand, but…

Do not interrupt me Harris! You will stay by my side until you are no longer in my charge! Am I clear?

Yes sir, I understand!

I got my orders and it is my job to get you out. A chopper is coming to pick you up. You will stay by my side.

Ryan took a deep breath, holding in the natural urge to be his own sarcastic self while trying to process what he was just told, and nodded, but he found it hard to shake the dazed feeling.

Mr. Harris, we’re leaving now. Lieutenant Walker spoke clearly, staring into those dilated eyes. Do you understand? We have to leave NOW.

Ryan nodded, as there wasn’t much else to do. It was a fog of confusion from that point until they reached the rendezvous point with the helicopter. His time in Afghanistan was done. Family, a word he was still shocked to even think about, was now top priority on his list.

From the military base to the airport, through civilian channels, he boarded a military flight from Afghanistan. This began a route that would take him back to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut where a rental car would be waiting for him.

The world around him faded slightly as he focused on the white walls of the plane. Turbulence wasn’t his friend, even with as much traveling as he had done. However, at that moment it was keeping him grounded, as he thought back on that day, seventy-two long hours ago when the shocking news of family had come to him.

Ryan had believed that he was the last surviving member of his family, having lost both of his parents. His mother died in a car accident fifteen years earlier. His father, unable to cope with the loss of his mother, had committed suicide about a year later.

He remembered hearing stories about his aunt when he was a boy, but she disappeared before Ryan was born and his mother always believed she was dead. This little bit of information made his heart flutter in wonder as to the mystery behind this strange appearance.

Once he had landed, the plan seemed simple enough. He needed to get to Terry’s house, have her explain exactly how his aunt came to be in her living room, and then track down her whereabouts for the last several decades.

Even the simplest plans can go in a direction no one sees coming.

Chapter 1

The crisp September air blew quietly through the turning trees that surrounded the Eastbrook Cemetery. Headstones lined the green grounds, the newer ones towards a stone wall. This wall separated the serene resting places of Colebrook’s ancestors from the hustle and bustle of its everyday life.

The sleepy little town, nestled in the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts, was everything anyone could want in a place. Family was special here, the school system was one of the best in the state, there was no crime, and no troubles. That was how it had been for nearly half a century. For one person though, it was a lonely and sad place to remain.

Millie Parker was just a girl when she met her husband, and was swept away and settled in the small scenic world. That was all she knew until that fateful night when it all changed, when he moved on from this world to the next. She was saying her goodbyes in the peaceful setting of the cemetery when she heard the car approach.

With a sigh, and some trouble moving her brittle bones, the older woman rose from her late husband’s stone. She turned to look upon the younger man who was coming ever closer. His uniform was sparse, just an old button up shirt, and a coat with a shiny new badge pinned above his heart, but Bruce Mitchell had been the chief of the Colebrook Police Department for as long as she could remember. He smiled slyly and nodded.

It’s good to see you out and about, Millie, how have you been? His usual small talk had never impressed her. It was something he did with everyone and just like everyone else, she went along.

It’s been hard this past year, she glanced back down once more at the marker before turning to the Chief, he was my life.

I’ve been meaning to come by and check on you, make sure you’re okay. Millie took a step towards her car with her fragile legs and Chief Mitchell reached out to hold her elbow, but the feisty, white haired woman pulled away.

How kind, but I’m perfectly fine, Chief. She faked a smile, quickly thinking of how to change the subject. How long has it been for you? How long has Grace been gone now?

Three years to the day. None of us are getting any younger, Millie. He grinned in a drab attempt at humor, pulled his coat tighter around him to block out the wind that had begun to pick up and looked up at the sky smugly. Only a matter of time before I join her.

Well, Chief, I’ve been meaning to speak with you about a certain matter. I was thinking about going to Connecticut to see my sister. Millie stopped and stared him down. Now that Harold is gone, I’m all alone and I’d like to see my family before it’s my time.

Chief shook his head. I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You know you can’t leave Colebrook, and you know we can’t discuss it.

He watched the defiance sweep across