Journey of Bones: contos, #1

By Ricardo Almeida

Embark on a chilling and captivating journey through the desolate Siberian wilderness in "Road of Bones: Tales from the M56 Highway." Join Nikolai, a seasoned truck driver, as he unveils the haunting secrets of the M56, a road constructed by Stalin's ruthless regime with the bones of condemned souls. Experience the bone-chilling perils of this treacherous route, where ghostly apparitions and the remnants of the Gulag prisoners blend seamlessly into the unforgiving landscape.

Feel the crunch of stones beneath the tires as Nikolai navigates the unpaved M56, transporting tons of beer through Siberia's unforgiving terrain. Witness the eerie encounters that unfold when Yackov, a mysterious Siberian seer, steps into Nikolai's path, offering a foreboding prophecy that could alter the course of his perilous journey.

As the road winds into the heart of Siberia, the narrative weaves a tapestry of suspense, dust storms, and ghostly apparitions. Uncover the bone-chilling truth behind the Coloma Highway, where the remains of Gulag prisoners lie entwined with the very fabric of the road. Explore the unpredictable nature of the M56, where danger lurks in the form of collapsed roads, dust storms, and the specter of death.

Experience the tension as Yackov, with his enigmatic insights, becomes an unexpected companion on Nikolai's journey to Megadon, the ominous end of the Road of Bones. Will Nikolai survive the true nature of this haunted highway, or will he become just another haunting memory etched into the bones of the M56?

"Road of Bones: Tales from the M56 Highway" is a gripping narrative that transports readers into a world where the echoes of Stalinism and the spirits of the past converge on a road paved with bones. Brace yourself for a journey like no other, filled with suspense, mystery, and the unrelenting chill of Siberia's desolation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ricardo Almeida
• Release date: Nov 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223903949

Book preview

Table of Contents

Journey of Bones (contos, #1)

I immigrated to the United States from Russia 10 years ago, but before that I was a truck driver.

I often drove the route with the seemingly innocuous name of the M56, a road that Stalin

had built with the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

They were people the state had, in effect, condemned to death, and the state didn't want

them back.

About half of them died.

They froze to death, starved and collapsed from exhaustion.

And to this day, many drivers swear they see ghosts on the M56.

And traveling up on the M56, I would come to the Coloma Highway, which translated means

the road of bones.

It isn't a metaphor.

When the Gulag prisoners died constructing these roads, they wouldn't bury their bodies

due to the permafrost making the ground too hard.

So the prisoners' bones were mixed in with the road and covered over.

The road itself literally has the bones of many tens of thousands of people mixed in.

To call the M56 or the road of bones of roads gives the wrong impression.

At least on the last time that I drove the road back in 2010.

It isn't a paved road, but covered in stones laid biggly over these Siberian dirt that

turns into quicksand when it rains.

The M56 runs straight north into Siberia, and there are still countless deaths on this

road.

It often washes out and portions of the road would just collapse.

Some of the dust storms sweep across it, causing collisions and dust as trucks and cars swerved

into trees or passed into the other side of the road.

And my cargo was entirely uninsured.

I drove with tons of beer and glass bottles in the back, some of which ended up shattering

from the endless vibrations of driving over the sharp rocks all over the road, which also

ended up slicing up my tires.

I would go through over 15 tires a month, sometimes 25.

Take a truck loaded with between 15 to 18 tons of beer and blow out a tire, and you could

be sitting on an instantaneous fatal crash waiting to happen.

All down the M56 you would see thousands and thousands of discarded tires on these sides

of the road.

As for the beer the people living in northern Siberia loved beer.

I think they drank it more than water here.

And beer is more popular there than vodka, despite the fact that it's Russia.

Maybe beer is cheaper than bottled water, in some places it is.

The story of my encounter on the M56 started before I had stopped at the warehouse dock

to load up 15 tons of beer in my aging second hand Japanese truck.

It started when I saw a man standing outside just staring at me.

He had very dark eyes and a round Siberian face with ruddy cheeks.

He wore a fur jacket, but I couldn't tell which animal that it had come from.

He looked bundled up with sweaters and multiple