Dead by Midnight

ONE

   As soon as Kit arrived to town, he recognized from the stares of everyone that he wasn't exactly welcomed here.

It's not like the looks they gave him were outright rude, but he could tell with the way they tried to avoid him and go around him that they were just wary. Incredibly so. No one wanted to go up to him and say hello.

Kit looks around the town, fixing his glasses. He let out a small shiver from the crisp air.

This town was quiet. It's one of the first things he's noticed. Barely anyone spoke, and if they did, it was always in hushed whispers.

But the people didn't grab his attention all that much. It was the town itself.

Coming from the city to here took a plane trip and another three hours before he finally reached his destination, the town of Deadwood.

The town was as eerie as its name. Considering that it was already fall and the trees had started to lose its leave, and with the colder temperatures and everyone wearing thicker coats, the name really helped with the ambiance with how "dead" this place seemed.

The town wasn't that big either. With how it's located in the middle of a large forest, it's practically swallowed up on the map.

It's a great contrast from the city.

Still, there's something about the drive when entering through the forest that made Kit a little on edge. It was probably nothing more than nerves from being away from home.

"Christian."

He looks away from the trees and returns his attention to the house in front of him. There was a man standing in front of his doorsteps, his features cold and stiff. Kit walks up the doorsteps to greet him, noticing the graying hairs and the wrinkles of age around the man's gray eyes.

"I've been expecting you for a while. Come on in, we've got matters to discuss."

"Mayor," Kit says kindly.

Declan Morison was this town's mayor. He's never met the man before, but his parents said his late grandmother had been friends with him. Dad vaguely remembered him from his childhood, but mom never knew him.

Now that he thinks about it, Kit's dad hardly even talked about his childhood and the town of Deadwood. His late grandmother stayed in this place while her ex-husband took Kit's dad away to the city.

That was all Kit knew.

When he stepped inside the house, Kit was greeted by a warm fireplace and some snacks already laid out. No one else was around, so it was just him and Mr. Morison.

The mayor gestured for Kit to sit on the sofa before closing the door.

"I'm very sorry for the loss of your grandmother. Everyone in town knew her, so all of us miss her. I do as well. I had expected you to be at her funeral a few years ago, but your parents said you were too busy with school to come."

Adeline Brooks. His late grandmother who he has never met before, yet she's one of the reasons as to why he's here.

"I haven't met her before to be honest, but I'm here now," Kit says. "I wish I could've been there at the funeral."

"Yes... I heard from Josef about the will. It said you inherited most of Adeline's belongings. Even her property. You've come take over?"

"I did."

"Adjusting here might be a little difficult at first since you came from the city. You're okay with it? You're only twenty-four. Fresh out of college. Surely, you'd want to go back to the city and get a more stable job. There's not a whole lot of business here," Mr. Morison comments.