Where The Sidewalk Ends Audiobook Novels & Stories

People looked at shop windows all the time in this city. I finished the transaction, took the box, and stepped back onto the sidewalk. I turned immediately toward the spot where I had left Ryder and the space was empty. The sidewalk held other people walking past but he was gone. My stomach dropped hard and fast. I looked left, then right and still found no sign of him.

There was no immediate response on the other end—just muffled, indistinguishable sounds. Assuming it was a bad connection, Joanna turned up the volume, accidentally routing the call through her car's Bluetooth system. Suddenly, the strange sounds amplified, filling the car with unmistakable noises—frantic gasps, the rhythmic thud of bodies colliding, and a woman's moans of ecstasy. Then Addison's voice followed, sultry and demanding."Henley, honey... tell me I'm the one you love the most! If you don't, I won't let you finish!"

But he also knew exactly who I was. I slipped my hand into my coat pocket and waited. No need to repeat myself. “South end,” he finally said quietly. “Near the docks. Not somewhere you’d want to be seen.” South end. I could already picture it: the rotting smell of saltwater, graffiti-covered streets, old engines screaming through the night. Not a place for a Blackwood. Or a Vance. But Damon Wolfe wasn’t one of us. He was still half-feral. And maybe he liked staring at the ruins of his past.

That was probably for the best, really. I sighed and turned around, heading back in the direction of the hardware store. Maybe I’d just grab something quick from the grocery store. A snack of some kind. I should eat more than that, but if I wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t going to force it. I stopped dead in my tracks, though, when I saw who was there on the sidewalk in front of me. “Audrey?” I asked dumbly. “Hey, stranger,” she said, smiling at me.

Just pressure and warmth gripping my thighs and slowly pushing them apart. "Get the fuck off me!" I kick and swing at the empty air and my fist connects with nothing and the hands don't move. They hold my thighs open with a strength that makes my struggling pointless. A voice fills the room. Not from a direction. From everywhere. It’s low and the accent is acient. It’s deep and hot, the kind of voice that voices out erotica audiobooks for me. "I've been waiting two hundred years for someone to stay past midnight. Don't make me wait any longer."

He put a hand on Sid’s shoulder, and the two of them exchanged words I couldn’t hear. It was dark outside. Quite dark. Just minutes ago, the gravel lot had been awash in light from all the cars, but now that people were leaving, it was growing darker and darker by the second. If I looked out the passenger window, I couldn’t see farther than maybe thirty feet or so. Then it all faded into nothing. Behind us, down the street, was the pale glow of streetlights. But soon, it would be full dark here, and I wanted to get out of this place before that happened.

Mia asked, looking at me with concern. I didn't answer. I started to run toward the fence, my boots sliding on the debris. "Daniel!" I screamed. The sedan didn't wait. The tires chirped against the asphalt as it pulled away from the curb, moving with a silent, predatory speed. I reached the fence, clutching the wire mesh, my eyes burning as I watched the car disappear around the corner of a brick factory. By the time I scrambled through the gap and onto the sidewalk, the street was empty. There was no sound but the wind whistling through the ruins and the distant wail of a siren.

The sidewalk is a slick crust, and my boots crack it with each step, echoing just loud enough to make me wish I’d worn something softer. I keep my eyes up. Not in the way of a lost girl hoping someone will notice, but like a fox who’s learned you can’t trust the forest even when you’re part of it. There’s a patch of darkness between the hardware store and the market where the bulbs have been dead since last fall. I cross to the other side without breaking stride, passing under the busted “OPEN 24 HOURS” sign that never glows past 8 PM. The only witness is a snowman slumped against the Dumpster, its face caved in, carrot nose snapped off and lying in the gutter.

"Yes, if we wait for the rain to stop, it'll be night. Everyone's already leaving." I sighed deeply and nodded. "Alright." We went to the parking lot for our bikes. I started to feel like I was being watched. We started pedaling quickly to go home. At the turnoff, Maia said goodbye, and I continued. It was too cold, and the mud was getting stuck in my bike's tires. When will they pave this street? I cursed silently and got off to continue walking. I'm covered in mud. In the distance, I saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. I approached cautiously; he was wearing a hood with his hands in his jacket pockets.

*** Late that night, Mom went home. She sat alone in the living room for a long time. Then she went to Sadie's room and quietly opened the door. Sadie was asleep. Mom stood by the bed, staring at her. She pulled up Sadie's blanket and smoothed her hair. Then she crossed to the desk and started going through Sadie's backpack. That's when she found it. A pink behind-the-ear hearing aid, with a tiny 'VV' engraved on the side. Vienna's hearing aid.