One Way: One Way, #1

By Royal Banks

How deep into the perpetual night would you go to bring back the one you love?

Jabari Brooks falls into a spiraling depression fueled by anguish and regret after his daughter Eden mysteriously disappears without a trace in the woods behind their home.

Something calls him to go into the forest to find his daughter's whereabouts. Once within, Jabari realizes his fate is tied to something much more sinister. 

A father's worst nightmare. An unforgiving forest plagued by perpetual night. A connection unbroken.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royal Banks
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393064145

Royal Banks

Hello! I’m Royal Banks, an independent author hailing from Stone Mountain, GA. I’m a 2013 graduate of a Tuskegee University, where I majored in English. I’ve been in the military for seven years. In my downtime, I love to listen to audiobooks and podcasts as well as work on my trilogy, One Way. I host a weekly podcast called Soul of a Writer where I interview black independent fiction writers and creatives. I got into writing when my stepfather literally sat me down in front of a computer in 1997 and encouraged me to use my imagination to type up a story. He would also take me to Toastmasters meetings in the Atlanta area, fueling my love for speaking. Little did he know that he would spark a fire in me, and I’ve been writing and speaking ever since. You can find me on Twitter at @royalskegee and the podcast on Instagram @soulofawriterpod

Book preview

1

Last night, I dreamt I saw her again.

It wasn’t an ordinary dream. There were no faint memories upon waking up. This dream, no, this nightmare, felt so real that I thought I’d see her standing in front of me when I opened my eyes. Sweat drenched my already stained t-shirt, seeping into my sheets and pillowcase. I kept my eyes closed for what felt like eons, desperately hoping that when I opened them, she’d be standing there. Every night I’d come to the realization that I would never see her again. My eyes slowly opened, taking in the amber light from the streetlamp outside my bedroom window.

I sighed heavily, reached over to my nightstand, and fumbled for my phone. The light temporarily blinded me. It was 3:28 am. I cleared 19 unread texts and 15 missed calls from people I couldn’t bear to speak to or even see in person. I kept my phone, and my life, on do not disturb mode. I had been fired from my job. My unemployment was going to end soon and I didn’t know how I was going to pay my mortgage. Bills were stacking up. I knew it was wrong, but what little money I had left from cashing out my 401K went to alcohol, pills, and keeping the lights on. My life was on the verge of collapse.

"Jabari, it’s your mother. Pls call me back. I haven’t heard from you in so long. Love u."

"JB, whaddup. Just checkin’ in on you. I know you’re dealing with a lot. Just at least let me know you’re alive. Love you bruh."

I haven’t spoken to anyone since Eden’s disappearance. The police marked me as the number one suspect, which made sense, but the accusation didn’t stick. There was no motive, no murder weapon, and no body. Still, I was constantly questioned by the police, harassed by the local media, and alienated by everyone except those who loved me the most. I pushed them out of my life and became a husk of the man I once was. This was the most hopeless I had ever been. I cried out to the God I once believed in hundreds of times, pleading with Him why He took the one person in my life that gave me a semblance of purpose. No answer.

Sleep was my solace.

Whether by pills, alcohol, or from the anchor within my mind that made me lethargic, sleep gave me the feeling of what I could pretend was peace. It was a brief respite from the terror of my reality. Sleep was the cousin of death, the closest I could get to leaving this miserable place and simply existing in a separate world. I still had the good sense to lock my shotgun away in my attic in order to keep myself from making an irreversible decision. Days became nights, nights