The Gatekeeper (Twin Crossing Series, Book One)

By E.L. Drayton

In the small town of Twin Crossing stands a House on a line between reality and insanity. It’s sustained by the souls it has spent centuries Splitting. Otto von Kraus in the middle of World War II hid inside the House, not realizing his decision would change his life forever. He became the Gatekeeper, forced to live as both child and man, occupying the same body and space but not at the same time, effectively losing his sense of freedom. Elder and Younger Otto live within its walls, charged with protecting a Cane - their life source - and preventing anyone from passing through the House and into the Parallel, the place where the other half of the Split souls live.

Both Ottos and the House rely on each other for survival, until one day Elder Otto witnesses what a Splitting looks like for the first time. Disturbed by the painful event, he decides to make amends by reuniting the separated souls, even if it means killing himself in the process.

With the help of Olive, a precocious child, and Archibald, his long-time friend from the Parallel, they take on the dangerous task of uniting souls the House spent centuries Splitting. When not every union turns out the way they expect, they are left to question if what they’re doing is causing more harm than good.

Who will win the war between good and evil - and how many innocent souls will be lost in the process?

• Language: English
• Publisher: E.L. Drayton
• Release date: May 31, 2017

E.L. Drayton

E.L. Drayton was born and raised in the Bronx. The daughter of a former high school English Teacher, her single mother taught her how to read and write before she even started a formal education. She quickly picked up reading and understanding books well beyond her age so it's no surprise her passion has always been writing. She went on to college and studied Psychology instead of taking the expected route of Literature or Creative Writing, for fear she would lose her desire to one day become a famous author. Not taking any formal writing courses, however, never deterred her from her goal. In fact, it made her want it more. She spent countless hours building up a library of books from all genres to learn from those she considers to be the best. All throughout her years of writing she never lost her thirst for knowledge from reading others' works of fiction. Deciding to become a self-published author is something she's most excited about. This will give her the opportunity to live out her dreams on her own terms and in her own time. She's currently working on an adult Illustrated Novel Series, Twin Crossing, due out in quarterly E-Book installments with a Print Book coming soon. Her other projects include The Book of Snow Series, for YA fans of The Hunger Games or Divergent Series. Also, a free Web Series, Unnatural Things, a name which she hopes to start writing all her works under. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Book preview

Table of Contents

PART ONE 5

Chapter One

6

Chapter Two

16

Chapter Three 26

Chapter Four 1

Bonus Chapter

8

PART TWO 13

Chapter One

14

Chapter Two 22

Chapter Three

28

Chapter Four

32

Bonus Chapter

41

Connect Online 43

About the Author

45

The Gatekeeper

E.L. Drayton / Roberto Dell’Accio

Copyright © 2017 by Unnatural Things. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events or locales is purely coincidental. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

To our friends & loved ones.

Also, Twitch, for making it possible for us to work together.

PART ONE

Chapter One

A dense fog crept along a nearly deserted road going nowhere, but the driver of an Oldsmobile wasn’t interested in its destination. He wanted only one thing and this path—as the fog began to lift—would give it to him. As the car shook under the pressure of his foot pressed on the accelerator, he took a swig from a bottle nestled within a stained brown bag. He peered through the rearview, glancing at the emptiness. It was brief, but that was all it took for the memories of what he left behind to come flooding back.

When he first hit the road, he was sober and angry. Now, many hours later and four bottles in, he was drunk and upset with guilt weighing heavily on his soul. He checked the rearview again, this time unable to avoid his bloodshot eyes. The taste of bile and abandonment filled his mouth. He rolled down the driver side window and spit, but it was no use, the feeling of abandonment remained.

The wind rushing into his open window came across like laughter. His little girl’s laughter. He remembered like it was yesterday. He had a happy family once. But all of that was over. He rolled back up the window to shut out the wind and the laughter for good.

Overwhelmed by his own misery, he had another drink, completely draining the bottle of its contents. With an all too familiar motion, he removed the bottle from the bag and threw it onto the passenger seat where several others danced around. On the floor of the passenger side was a case containing more of the same.

He unwittingly veered into the opposing lane while attempting to procure another bottle. Fortunately, the empty road saved him from what could have been a fatal collision—though he secretly wished for a crowded highway. He used his leg to steer down a long stretch of road as he slid the bottle inside the bag.

His eyes fell on a photograph tucked away in the visor while going for his first sip. His daughter smiled down at him; the sight of her burning just as much as the beer he drank. She was too young to know what she smelled on his breath every night was poison killing him and the family he wanted to save. She would be too young to know it was the reason he drove with haste looking for Death to free him.

He gripped the steering wheel as his foot pressed on the gas. The force made the car shake uncontrollably. It was an old car and not built for this kind of punishment.

With the fog now cleared, he searched for something to slam into, but the forest surrounding him was made up of dying trees. Neither of them appeared to withstand the impact of the evening breeze let alone his car. It was the middle of Spring, a time when flowers should be in bloom and trees flourishing. As this thought crossed his mind, the road suddenly made a right turn he did not expect.

His high beams fell upon a boy who looked the same age as his little girl though he was dressed like something out of Oliver Twist. He honked his horn and swerved, turning his head towards his driver side window to see if the boy was okay. Not only was he fine, but he didn’t flinch when the Oldsmobile sped past, and he found himself on the receiving end of a smirk and a wink. Unable to crane his neck farther to see the boy, he opted to look straight ahead moments before slamming into a tree.

The tall Sycamore tree stopped his car as his seatbelt became taut. His body flew forward, and his head banged sharply against the steering wheel. The bottle dropped from his hand and emptied onto the smiling faces of his daughter and wife.

Hours later, the smell of gasoline mixed with alcohol caused the Stranger to cough himself awake. His bleeding forehead stung when his fingertips touched it. Groggily, he removed his seatbelt and rammed his shoulder against the car door, wincing in pain as he forced it open. He spotted a photograph soaked through and nearly unrecognizable, yet he placed it in his pocket, before stumbling out the car.

The gravel beneath his feet made a sound so painful to his ears his body stiffened. Flashes of the accident temporarily blinded his vision, and he dropped to one knee.

Where are you? the Stranger asked, using the nearby Sycamore—almost responsible for his death—to pull himself to his feet. Just then, a blurred apparition of the same boy appeared in the middle of the road again. What do you want? he pleaded