Good Hope Road Novels & Stories

Some of them had broken windows and graffiti on the walls. Amanda walked faster as we got closer. I could tell she was nervous. "She lives in a shelter." Amanda said quietly. "It's not much. But it's better than the streets." I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. We turned onto a small street lined with old brick buildings. At the end of the street was a grey building with a faded sign that read "Hope House." The paint was peeling. The front steps were cracked. Amanda stopped at the bottom of the steps and took a deep breath.

There were fewer individuals on the road, and the traffic wasn't too horrible because the majority of people were already at their workplaces. Even though there was still a hold up, Buh Atlanta will always be Atlanta, at least somewhat. The driver executed a quick turn to the right and came to a stop in front of a huge structure with the words "HOPE TEACHING HOSPITAL" clearly visible. The hospital was really large and lovely, with lovely flowers blooming outside the structure. Additionally, I could observe gardeners pruning and maintaining the blooms in excellent condition. I paid attention to the weather. As we got closer to the hospital, the weather turned from sunny to moderate.

The idea was a dangerous one, a spark of hope that could easily be crushed by the harsh reality of my existence. Today, after another day of school and another terse exchange with Mrs. Wyatt about something Zane had falsely accused me of doing, I walked the familiar path back to the quarter. The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in fiery hues, a stark contrast to the quiet ache in my chest. I was ten, and I was Cole Junior, the invisible boy of the Wyatt household. But somewhere, deep down, a tiny flame of defiance flickered. I might not know the truth now, but one day, I would. One day, I would find out why. And then, maybe then, I wouldn't be invisible anymore.

Because right now it feels like my own wolf put me in time-out. June stays quiet. Not defensive. Just steady. The trees thin enough a little later that I finally catch sight of something unnatural through the branches. A straight line. Too straight to be forest. "Road," I breathe. Aiden follows my gaze. "Maybe." Hope is dangerous out here. We don't celebrate yet. We just keep moving. Because wilderness doesn't care if you survive. The road turns out to be little more than a narrow strip of gravel cutting through endless trees. Not paved.

“Trucking corridor.” “Yeah,” Roger said. “Warehouses. Distribution nodes. Drop lots. Places where a trailer can sit overnight without anyone asking questions.” I stared at the wall board behind him—my sticky notes suddenly needing an update. “Okay,” I said, voice level. “Show me.” Roger slid a printed map across the desk toward me. It had highlighted routes, circles, and dates. “You’re going to love this,” he said. “Kline had three consistent paths in and out of the county. The one that matters—Route 19 to County Line—runs right along the edge of Mercer’s development sites.”

I nodded then looked in the rear mirror for the tenth time trying to make sure we're not being followed. They seemed settled in the coffee shop not in the mood for a chase, That's what I hoped anyway. How did they get so close? was it a coincidence or are they good trackers? We need to get faraway as soon as possible. It took us two hours to reach the highway and to finally breath, no words were exchanged during all that time.

F DPOV Song: Hush by Magic City Hippies It only took a couple of days for us to receive word that our mission was a success. We still couldn't get ravens past the scattered barriers the humans had built up without them being shot down, but one of the men from Galloway stealthily made it back to deliver us a message in person. Janine was already getting word out to our allied lords and was formulating plans to come to our aid.

They were in full control here, and the way the energy had shifted when we entered told me that they wanted to ensure we knew it. The SUV came to a stop and we all got out and followed the driver through the maze of tombs that surrounded us. My father kept my mom close to him as we made our way through, trusting me to protect her as well as I walked closely behind them. One wrong move as we followed, and we would be lost in the maze that is the city of the dead. We finally came to a stop in what I assumed was the middle of the cemetery in front of a large tomb with steps that led to a flat cement platform. A large white marble altar sat on the platform, 10 feet infront of the door to the tom

I tell her urgently, “And finding him is going to be a direct result of what you’re doing right now! So try not to worry. Just do what you do, and we’ll get him home safe.” Hope nods, and focuses on combining the materials. She mutters an incantation, and the liquid in the bowl turns light purple. She motions for me to look inside, and a map appears with a red dot at an intersection. It’s the warehouse district, and I recognize the building. It was a florist, but has been abandoned for about a year now. “There he is,” she exclaims in triumph, “We’ve found him! Call Levi and tell him the location, and that we’ll meet him there.”

“I want to get out of here. Ryan is going to be so angry, I know it. I want to just head south and start over. Go back home, see how my grandfather's bar is doing. Maybe get that up and running again. Avoid dying of plague.” “Then you need to see Arlen. He knows where the snowmobile keys are kept. Pack a bag. Reject Ryan and just go for it. It will take a couple of days, but you’ll hit south, then you’ll be on foot?” “I'm sure I was the confident one before all this,” Hope half joked. I wanted to ask what happened to her art? Conquering the world and making her mother proud? My mother always warned me that not everyone could come out unscathed the Freeze. Hope was the tragic proof.