The Alternate

By Rob J. LaBelle

Luke Billings loved his life. He just married his longtime girlfriend, Sara, and recently returned from their honeymoon. Unfortunately, their time as husband and wife would be short-lived.

A few hours after returning home, Luke was standing out in his driveway talking to his best friend, Rob, when they thought they heard an unusual noise come from within the surrounding forest. Luke was then pulled into the woods by some unknown force, causing Rob to run in after him. To Rob's horror, however, Luke was nowhere to be found.

Once he came to, Luke opened his eyes and returned home, only to find his world completely flipped upside down. A strange couple was now living in his house, while Rob and Sara, along with his personal belongings and car, were all gone.

After getting arrested for trespassing, Luke became fast friends with the arresting officer, Steven. With him, Luke also enlisted the help of a woman named Olivia to uncover the truth about what happened to him. But the more Luke dug for clues about his disappearance, the farther down the rabbit hole he went. Unbeknownst to him, however, the "truth" would eventually lead him to make the hardest decision of his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886540901

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The Alternate

Rob J. LaBelle

Copyright © 2023 Rob J. LaBelle

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88654-089-5 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-88654-090-1 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement

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

Epilogue

About the Author

This book is dedicated to all the thinkers, dreamers, and everyone else with a powerful imagination!

Acknowledgement

First, I wish to thank my wife, Melissa, for listening to my nerd babble and putting up with all the dorkiness that comes with it. Also, she supports me 200 percent in everything I do.

Second, I'd like to thank one of my best friends, Eric Davidson, for being someone I can bounce my ideas off. He also provides me with valuable reader's feedback regarding what works in the story and what doesn't.

Third, I'd like to thank my artist, Ethan, for doing yet another kick-ass job on the cover. If you like it and would like to see more of what he does, feel free to contact or follow him on Instagram, @Roxniie, to see more of his stunning artwork.

Lastly, I'd like to give a special thanks to the folks over at Page Publishing for believing in my writing and giving me the opportunity to publish my book.

Prologue

2…

Do you, Luke, take Sara to be your lawfully wedded wife? a priest asked the dark-haired man standing to his left.

Luke Billings stood six feet tall with short, brown hair, neatly parted on one side, brown eyes, and a somewhat athletically built frame. He wore a standard black tuxedo, complete with a long white tie and a white vest.

I do, Luke happily responded with a smile.

The priest then turned his attention toward the blond-haired woman on his right.

Do you, Sara, take Luke to be your lawfully wedded husband? the priest asked her.

Sara Milner was just a few inches shorter than Luke and had blond hair, currently styled in a princess bun, and blue eyes. Her very expensive white wedding dress hugged every curve of her frame, while her veil seemed to go on for miles.

I do, Sara responded, cracking a smile of her own.

As they stood there holding each other's hands, Luke couldn't help but gaze drunkenly into Sara's eyes. The goofy grin on his face said it all as he thought about how lucky he was to be marrying her. Sara stared back at Luke with the exact same look.

Then by the powers vested in me, and by the great state of New Hampshire, I now pronounce you husband and wife, the priest told them before looking back at Luke and smiling. You may now kiss your bride.

Luke wasted no time wrapping his arms around Sara and kissing her. The couple hundred people or so who were seated in the church pews immediately stood up and started clapping.

After they finished their kiss, Luke and Sara looked at each other once more and smiled before facing the crowd.

I now present to you, for the very first time, the priest said, his arms stretched outright, Mr. and Mrs. Luke Billings!

Luke and Sara each let out a massive sigh of relief as they looked out over the sea of smiling faces.

Once the sound of the Wedding March started playing, they walked down three stairs and then the aisle, smiling and nodding at everyone as they hastily made their way to the front of the church. Two ushers, who stood in front of the massive wooden doors, pulled them open, allowing the sunlight to pour in.

Outside the church, Luke and Sara were the first ones down the front stairs. They made their way toward the edge of the sidewalk, where a limo awaited them. The short, pudgy driver, who was decked out in a standard limo service uniform, complete with a black driving hat, opened the rear door. Luke and Sara immediately climbed inside just as everyone else came out of the church.

No sooner did the limo door close, Luke wasted no time rolling down the window where he was then greeted by his best man (who just also happened to be his best friend).

Rob Stevens was the same age as Luke and had short, dirty-blond hair, brown eyes, stood five feet, eleven inches tall, and was a little on the chunky side. Unlike Luke's white tuxedo vest and tie, Rob's had a deep-lavender color.

When you guys get back, I am throwing you the most badass wedding party ever! Rob said.

I can't wait, Luke replied.

I just can't believe my best friend is a married man, Rob said, looking almost disappointed.

Why do you say it like that?

But before Rob could answer, Sara leaned over to chime in.

I think what he meant to say was that he's a little jealous, she told him. After all, I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him.

I thought I was? Rob jokingly asked.

Sorry, amigo. But she's right, Luke said, thumbing toward Sara.

Shocked, Rob put his hand over his heart and dropped his jaw, jokingly, of course.

Luke shrugged. Sorry, buddy.

Trust me, with a woman like her, you have nothing to be sorry for, Rob said.

Don't suck up, Sara told him.

Hearing her remark, they all enjoyed a quick laugh.

Anyway, Rob said, enjoy the honeymoon. And uh…try not to have too much fun without me.

You don't have to worry about that, Luke told him. Hell, we probably won't even leave the hotel room.

We'll see about that, Sara added with a smile.

Rob laughed. Have fun, amigo. And remember… He rested his left arm on top of the limo, leaned down, and pointed to Luke. The most badass wedding party ever!

It'll be one to remember, Luke said.

Luke and Rob bumped fists before Rob stepped back onto the sidewalk to stand with everyone else. Then as the limo took off, Luke and Sara both stuck their arms out to give the crowd one last wave before disappearing out of view.

Chapter 1

2…

After a long and exciting week in the Bahamas, Luke and Sara returned home from their honeymoon. Completely exhausted, they walked up to their front door and stood on the porch, which spanned the entire length of their two-story, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. The driveway was dirt and gravel and was about as long as a football field. The house itself was entirely encompassed by twenty acres of woods, giving them complete and utter privacy.

As Luke pulled out the keys for the front door, they dropped their luggage down. Then after he got it open, he turned toward Sara and smiled before grabbing her and scooping her up in his arms.

Welcome home, Mrs. Billings, he said.

It's good to be home, Mr. Billings, she replied.

They then shared a quick kiss before Luke carried her over the threshold, directly into their living room.

After putting her down gently, Luke closed the door. He looked over at Sara, and she looked back at him, both of them taking a deep breath, relieved to finally be home.

Sara slowly waltzed over to the couch and plopped down on it, with Luke following closely behind. Once they were both seated, Sara decided to sprawl out, resting her head in Luke's lap. Luke immediately began stroking her hair and massaging her head, which caused her to let out tiny breaths of pleasure.

It feels so good to be home, she said.

It sure does, Luke replied.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I loved being in paradise. But nothing beats being home.

I completely agree.

There was a brief pause in the conversation.

You wanna know something else our home has that paradise doesn't? Sara asked.

Luke thought about it for a moment before answering. Cold weather?

Sara shook her head and snickered. Our bed.

Luke nodded. Oh yeah, I knew that.

He then paused to look down at her with an eager expression on his face.

She narrowed her eyes. Why are you looking at me like that? she curiously asked.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Luke asked while sporting a goofy grin.

Of course, it didn't take Sara all that long to figure out what he was getting at.

Definitely not, she said.

I was kidding, he told her. Sara, of course, gave him a look of disbelief. Besides, I don't think I have any more left in me.

Sara smirked at him. After the week we had, I don't doubt it. Actually, I was thinking about going upstairs and taking a nap.

You know what? That's probably a good idea. I mean, it's not like we did a whole hell of a lot of sleeping this past week.

Sara shook her head and laughed at this.

You are a very lucky man, Luke Billings, she said.

The luckiest, he replied with a smile before leaning down and kissing her. You know what? Why don't you head upstairs and take a nap. I'll stay down here and deal with the luggage.

Are you sure? What about you?

I'll be fine. Besides, I wanna give Rob a quick call to let him know we're back.

You know, Sara said, sitting up, if it weren't for me, you two would probably wind up marrying each other.

Well, I guess it's a good thing I met you then. Otherwise, that'd be pretty weird.

Sara chuckled. I love you.

I love you too.

She then gave him a quick peck on the lips before getting up off the couch and making her way over to the stairs.

Beginning her ascent, she looked over at Luke and noticed him staring back at her. Of course, she couldn't help herself and decided to tease him a little bit. About halfway up the stairs, she stopped to slip her shirt off and up over her head. Then she reached behind her back to undo the clasp on her black bra. But she didn't take it off right away. Instead, she continued up the stairs at a much slower pace. And right where the railing met the ceiling, she slid her bra completely off, giving Luke a very brief glimpse of her exposed breasts. Luke's eyes bolted open, and his jaw went slack. The smirk on Sara's face, before disappearing out of view, said it all.

With Luke now left to his own devices, he took a moment to reflect on the past two weeks. He thought about their wedding, honeymoon, and how much fun they had both in and out of their hotel room. It wasn't until he focused on the activities inside the room that his smile grew tenfold.

A few hours later, after all the luggage and travel items were taken out of the car and brought into the house, Luke sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to unwind.

Finally, he said, letting out a breath of relief.

To pass the time until Sara awoke from her nap, Luke quietly sat there, watching old music videos on MTV Classic. However, a couple of minutes into the long-awaited '80s rock block, there was a knock on the front door.

Always when the good shit comes on, he said, slightly annoyed.

So he immediately got up and made his way over there. The moment the door swung open, he saw Rob standing there on his porch with a monster smile on his face. Excited to see his best friend, Luke immediately smiled and then leaned in to give him a hug.

What's up, amigo! Rob said. Welcome back!

Thanks, bro, Luke replied. It's good to be back. Come on in.

Luke and Rob were always like two peas in a pod. They were brothers in arms and had basically been best friends ever since they met back in kindergarten. And it wasn't until about halfway through their school year that Luke got invited to Rob's birthday party.

While there, Luke discovered that Rob lived just a couple of houses down from him. They hit it off almost immediately and became best friends. Both of them could've easily written a book about all the misadventures they had over the years. Fortunately for them, they decided never to tell a soul about any of it. Even Sara didn't know some of the stuff they did. And Luke told her everything.

You want something to drink? Luke asked Rob.

Nah, I'm good, Rob replied.

How about some food? You hungry?

No, thanks. Rob gave the room a quick perusal. Where's Sara?

She's upstairs taking a nap.

Rob raised a curious eyebrow. A nap, huh? Let me guess, you wore her out, didn't you?

That is none of your damn business.

But you're gonna tell me anyway, aren't you?

Luke huffed. Of course. But to be honest, Luke quietly began before looking around to make sure Sara wasn't secretly listening in on their conversation, "it was her that wore me out."

Rob smirked. That's what I'm talkin' about.

Just don't tell her I told you.

Hey, I'm your best friend. You can trust me. Luke gave him a look of disbelief. To a point. Rob cracked a smile. I'm just messin' with ya, he said. "It is seriously good to have you back home. He paused, and Luke nodded. Anyway, so how was the honeymoon? And don't leave out any details."

Luke opened his mouth to say something but then suddenly stopped. He immediately turned and looked toward the top of the stairs before turning back to Rob.

You know what? Why don't we take this outside? he suggested. I'd rather not wake up Sara.

You and me both, Rob muttered.

And with that, Luke grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Then he and Rob quietly walked through the front door and out of the house.

They stepped down off the front porch and walked over to where the cars were parked. Rob took a moment to quickly peruse the eerie surroundings, only to notice that the light they had (aside from the single porch light and the moon) was shining out through the living room windows.

Dude, it's pretty fuckin' dark out here, Rob quietly remarked.

It's awesome, isn't it? Luke said. No city lights, no car lights, no noise. Just us and the woods.

And the bears.

"Not once since we moved here have I ever seen a bear."

There's always a first time for everything.

Maybe it'll happen tonight. And the bear will grab you instead of me, Luke joked.

Rob pointed at him, a serious expression on his face. That is not funny.

I'm only kidding. Hey, you know what? Luke said, wagging his right index finger at him. You and Jenny should move out here.

Are you kidding me? She'd never move out here. She loves the city way too much. Plus, it's convenient for what we do.

Luke smiled. I bet I could change her mind?

Yeah, okay, Rob replied, doubtful. If you can change her mind about moving out to the middle of nowhere, then I'll swim butt-ass naked in a stream during the dead of winter.

Is that an official bet?

Without hesitating, Rob reached his right hand out toward Luke. Luke wasted no time grabbing it and shaking it.

You're on, Rob said, thinking Luke would lose. But I'm telling you, there's no way in hell she'd—

Rob's thought process suddenly came to a halt as his attention quickly shifted to his right and over toward the woods next to them.

Did you hear that? Rob quietly asked.

Hear what? Luke replied.

I heard a noise.

It's probably just an animal. After all, we are in the woods.

After a couple more seconds of silence, Rob replied, Yeah, you're probably right.

Or maybe it's the boogeyman, Luke said, doing his best impersonation of Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant.

It's not the fucking boogeyman! Rob replied before nervously perusing the area once more.

Luke knew that Rob was being paranoid over nothing. And because of it, he couldn't help but laugh his ass off.

There it is again! Rob said, pointing to the exact same spot he heard the noise just a few moments ago.

Luke sighed. Shit. You're not gonna let this go, are you? Rob shook his head. Fine. Do you want me to go look?

Would you? Rob asked.

Luke shook his head, disgusted. Man, you are such a pussy.

I am what I eat.

Then stay here, ya big pussy. Let a real man handle this.

As Luke started to make his way toward the edge of the woods, Rob, of course, had to chime in with a smart-ass remark.

I would, but you already got this, he said.

Even though he heard what Rob said, Luke didn't turn around. Instead, he proceeded to the edge of his driveway, where his property met the surrounding forest.

Standing just off the driveway, Luke silently peered into the dark woods, hoping he'd be able to see or hear something. He carefully looked straight ahead before looking to his left and then to his right. However, with it being night and them being out in the middle of nowhere, the only thing he could make out were the shadows of the trees being cast under the bright moonlight.

After a few moments of carefully surveying his surroundings, Luke didn't find a single thing and just shrugged his shoulders before turning back around to face Rob.

See? There's nothing here, Luke told him. It was probably just an animal. Either that or your stupid imagination is on the fritz again.

Now thinking that his friend was even more nuts than he already was (figuratively speaking), Luke began walking away from the woods and back over toward Rob.

You never seemed to have a problem with my stupid imagination before, Rob said.

That's because we were kids, Luke replied. All we had was our stupid imaginations. Besides, that doesn't really apply— Luke couldn't finish his thought as his advances were quickly halted. What the fuck? he said, a worried expression now on his face.

Of course, Rob saw the whole charade and thought that Luke was simply toying with him.

Knock it off, Luke, Rob said. Quit messin' around.

Rob, I can't move, Luke nervously responded.

Bullshit. If you can't move, then I'm the tooth fairy.

This isn't bullshit, Rob. I—

But before Luke could even eke out an explanation, a mysterious, unknown force suddenly yanked him from the ground where he stood and straight back into the woods. Rob's eyes widened in horror at the sight of his friend hurtling backward into the woods.

Luke! Rob shouted.

In a flash, Rob quickly ran over to the edge of the woods and stopped to take a listen.

Luke! he shouted again.

After a few seconds, he heard nothing and tried again. Answer me, Luke!

Thankfully, his shouting didn't go completely unnoticed as he could suddenly hear Luke screaming somewhere off in the distance.

Fuck me, Rob quietly said to himself. He then shouted, Hang on, Luke! before bolting into the woods like a bat out of hell.

As Rob ran, he could faintly hear Luke's screams coming from somewhere in front of him. But because it was so dark out, he could barely see where he was going. Tree branches, leaves, bushes, and other miscellaneous pieces of plant life battered him all over his body as he practically ran blind through the dark woods. However, once he got far enough in, he noticed that Luke was no longer screaming. And that was when he decided to stop and listen.

While he was hunched over, huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath from all the running, Rob thought he could hear a faint scream off in the distance.

Rob, help me! Luke faintly screamed.

Immediately hearing which direction it was coming from, Rob stood up.

Fuck me, again, he said to himself, still huffing and puffing. He then took a deep breath. Hang on, Luke! I'm coming! he shouted before taking off in the direction of Luke's screams.

Because Rob was severely out of shape, to him, it felt like he'd been running forever. In all actuality, however, he only ran about fifty yards before finally spotting Luke, who was seemingly pinned to a tree.

Luke! Rob said, once again hunched over while trying to catch his breath. Are you okay?

I don't know, Luke replied.

Well, you're safe now. Don't worry.

Rob (who was still huffing and puffing) started to make his way over toward his friend but only managed to take a couple of short steps before Luke stopped him dead in his tracks.

Stop! Don't move! Luke said.

What? Why? Rob confusingly asked.

Hearing Rob's questions, Luke immediately looked down toward his midsection. Curious about what Luke what looking at, Rob also looked down at Luke's midsection.

What the fuck are you looking at? Rob asked, not seeing a damn thing.

I don't know, Luke replied. But I've got this strange feeling that if you move, I'm dead.

You're…what? Rob shook his head, confused. You're not making any sense.

I know. Just trust me on this, will ya?

Rob flashed his palms. Luke, you're not gonna die.

Do me a favor, will ya? Tell Sara that I love her.

Now you're just being stupid. You can tell her yourself when we get back.

Fine, Luke said before pausing. We'll go on three.

A confused expression hit Rob's face. What do you mean we'll—

One, Luke began.

Luke, what the—

Two.

Wait! I don't even—

Three!

Rob let out an angry huff. Son of a bitch! he said.

He then turned around and ran out of there like his feet were on fire. But Luke didn't move.

What Rob didn't know (and what Luke didn't tell him) was that before Rob arrived at his location, Luke had already tried to free himself from the tree. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky.

Get back to the house! Luke shouted. I'm right behind—

Having heard Luke abruptly stop talking mid-sentence, Rob stopped dead in his tracks before turning around and running back to him. When he arrived at the very same tree that Luke was pinned up against just a few moments ago, he noticed something different. Something was missing. And that something was Luke.

Rob's eyes widened in disbelief. Luke! he called out.

But the only sound Rob could hear was the sound of chirping crickets.

Luke! he called out again, fearing the worst.

Again, he heard nothing. With Luke nowhere to be seen or heard, panic and nervousness quickly took over.

Oh, shit. No, this can't be, Rob said, shaking his head.

There was a part of Rob that thought Luke was playing a trick on him. After all, he couldn't even begin to count how many times they pranked each other over the years.

Come on, Luke, this isn't funny! he shouted.

Rob continued to listen, hoping that Luke would jump out from behind a tree and scare the shit out of him while laughing ridiculously loud. However, after a brief moment, the other part of him (probably the smallest part) started to think that Luke might not actually be playing a trick on him at all.

Rob screamed out one final time, Luke! again, hoping that Luke would finally stop playing this twisted little game of his.

But after a few more seconds of intense listening, he heard nothing. The woods were dead silent, and he was all alone.

Still unsure of what the hell just happened, Rob folded his hands on the top of his head and slowly spun his body around in a circle. Not just panic this time, but fear started to set in, as his friend was nowhere to be found. Luke had seemingly vanished without a trace.

With the moon at its highest peak, Rob had apparently gone back to the house and given up his search for Luke. Not for lack of trying, though. He spent nearly two hours out there, searching for him, hoping he would find some kind of clue as to where Luke went. It wasn't until he heard Sara's voice that he left the woods and abandoned his search altogether.

Thankfully, all was not lost.

Miraculously unharmed and breathing normally, Luke opened his eyes. After giving the area a quick perusal, he noticed that he was lying on the ground at the base of a massive oak tree. He then looked up to see the bright light of the moon shining down directly on him.

What the hell happened? he asked.

After realizing he was alive, he slowly stood up. With his head feeling like it was clouded in fog, he had to put his arm against the tree to keep himself from falling over. Once he could stand, he looked down to check himself over. Finding no visible scratches, broken bones, bumps, or bruises, Luke decided to look around, hoping he would recognize where he was.

Rob, I'm over here! he shouted, not realizing his friend had given up searching for him hours ago.

Rob? Hello? he called out a second time.

Again, he heard nothing but silence.

And that was when Luke remembered telling Rob to run back to the house. So thinking that was where he would've gone, Luke decided that the best course of action for himself would be to follow his own advice.

Still a little disoriented, Luke slowly started to make his way back to his house. After reaching his front porch, he stumbled up there before taking a few quick, deep breaths to try to combat his lack of oxygen. And once his lungs were full, he grabbed hold of the door handle to try to open the door.

Damn, he said, realizing it was locked.

He then reached into his right pocket to fish out his keys. When he didn't feel them in there, he tried his left pocket, yielding the same result.

Shit, he muttered.

Having left his keys inside the house, Luke stuck out his finger to ring the doorbell. But before