Is That Mom

Part 3 of Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Shadows of the Past

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Part 3:

A New Clue

The town they arrived in was barely a blip on the map, its streets empty, lined with crumbling buildings that looked like they had been abandoned for years. There was no sign of life, no bustling shops or busy streets—just a desolate quiet that hung heavy in the air. Even the wind seemed to move cautiously, whispering through the broken windows and boarded-up doors, as if it, too, was hesitant to disturb whatever lingering secrets the town held.

Ethan couldn’t shake the unease that settled over him as they walked down the cracked sidewalk toward the old library. He had thought the last town had been bleak, but this one felt like a place where hope came to die. The buildings loomed over them, shadows stretching long in the fading afternoon light, casting the street in an eerie twilight. It felt like they had stepped out of time, into a place forgotten by the world.

Sarah walked a few paces ahead, her face set in that same determined mask she had worn since their conversation in the diner. She hadn’t said much since then, and Ethan didn’t push. The distance between them, once only figurative, now felt all too literal.

The library appeared in the distance, a squat, dilapidated structure with missing shingles and windows clouded with grime. Its once-grand entrance was marked by crumbling stone steps, and the rusted sign above the door barely hinted at the word "Library." It was the kind of place that seemed to hold more dust than books, a relic of a forgotten age.

When they pushed through the heavy wooden door, it groaned loudly, as if it hadn’t been opened in years. Inside, the air was musty, thick with the scent of aged paper and neglect. Shelves that had once been neatly organized now sagged under the weight of forgotten volumes, their contents yellowed and brittle with time. A single light flickered overhead, casting long shadows that danced across the uneven floor.

“This is the place?” Ethan asked, his voice hushed, though he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if anyone was there to hear them. The building seemed as empty as the streets outside.

Sarah gave a curt nod, not bothering to answer. She moved toward the back of the library, her footsteps barely making a sound on the creaky floorboards. Ethan followed, glancing around at the rows of books, their titles obscured by dust. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, though logic told him it was just the oppressive atmosphere getting to him.

They reached a small, cluttered office at the back of the building. The door was slightly ajar, and inside, old newspapers were piled high on a sagging desk, while cabinets stood haphazardly open, their contents spilling out in chaotic disarray. This was what they had come for—the archives.

Sarah wasted no time, rifling through the stacks with practiced efficiency. She pulled out a few yellowed pages, glancing at them briefly before tossing them aside. Ethan, on the other hand, stood frozen in the doorway, feeling a weight settle in his chest. He had spent so long searching for answers, hoping to find a trail that would lead him to the truth about his mother. Now, standing on the brink of that truth, he wasn’t sure he was ready to face it.

Reluctantly, he stepped inside and began sifting through the dusty papers. His fingers trembled slightly as he flipped through old articles, faded photographs, and cryptic reports. Most of it was gibberish, small-town scandals, and long-forgotten events that had no bearing on his search.

Until he saw it.

A faded headline, buried under a stack of old receipts and torn notebooks. It wasn’t bold or flashy—just a quiet column in the back of an old newspaper—but it was enough to make his breath catch in his throat.

“Group of Locals Reported Missing Under Mysterious Circumstances.”

His hands shook as he pulled the article free, his heart hammering in his chest as he scanned the text. The names listed beneath the headline meant nothing to him, at first—just random people from a small town—but then he saw it.

Margaret Pierce.

His mother’s name.

His vision blurred as he reread the article, disbelief crashing over him in waves. The group had disappeared over a decade ago, vanishing without a trace. According to the report, they had been involved in some kind of research—a project that was never fully explained in the article but was described as “experimental” in nature.

Ethan sank into the chair behind the desk, the article clutched tightly in his hand. His mother wasn’t just a victim. She had been involved in something far bigger than he had ever imagined. She had been part of a group—one that had vanished without a trace, just like her.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. All this time, he had thought she had been taken, that she had been a helpless victim in some dark conspiracy. But now, the pieces were starting to fall into place. His mother had known what she was involved in. She had been part of it.

“Ethan?” Sarah’s voice pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts. She was standing across from him, her brow furrowed in concern—or was it something else? She glanced at the article in his hand, her eyes flickering briefly with an emotion he couldn’t quite place.

“You knew,” Ethan said, his voice hollow. “You knew about this.”

Sarah didn’t answer right away. She looked away, her gaze falling on the old newspapers scattered across the floor. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, almost apologetic. “I didn’t know the details. Not everything. But I knew your mother was involved in something—something dangerous.”

Ethan’s grip tightened on the paper, the edges crumpling in his fist. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it wouldn’t have changed anything,” Sarah said, meeting his gaze now, her eyes steady but guarded. “You would’ve still come looking for answers. And knowing what your mother was involved in—it doesn’t make this any less dangerous.”

Ethan stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. The anger that had been simmering beneath the surface since the diner conversation flared up again, burning through his confusion and shock.

“You’ve been lying to me this whole time,” he snapped, his voice harsh and accusing. “You’ve known more than you’re letting on, and you’ve been keeping me in the dark. How am I supposed to trust you when you keep hiding things from me?”

Sarah didn’t flinch at his words. She simply stared back at him, her face unreadable. “I haven’t lied to you, Ethan. I’ve told you what I could. But there are things—things you don’t know yet. Things that I’m still trying to figure out myself.”

The tension between them crackled like electricity, filling the small office with an oppressive weight. Ethan could feel it pressing down on him, suffocating him. He didn’t know what to believe anymore—about his mother, about Sarah, about anything.

“I can’t keep doing this,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside him. “I can’t keep chasing these ghosts, not knowing what’s real and what isn’t.”

Sarah watched him for a moment, her expression softening just a fraction. “Ethan, I know this is hard. I know you feel like you’re in the dark. But we’re close. We’re closer than we’ve ever been to finding the truth.”

Ethan looked down at the article in his hand, the words blurring together as his mind raced. Close. He wasn’t sure if that was a comfort or a curse. His mother’s name stared back at him, a reminder of how far he’d come—and how much further he still had to go.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. “We’re close.”

But for the first time, Ethan wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answers when they finally found them.