Lost Souls

Chapter 1

Esmeralda knew nothing but pain. It was the entirety of her existence.

Until it suddenly wasn't.

She awoke, standing on the side of an empty road. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. Everything in her mind was fuzzy, still ringing from the pain. It took her a moment to find clarity as the pain faded.

She remembered her life before. She remembered high school. She remembered her friends Madison and Mackenzie, the twins. She's remembered her friend Chris, and the fight they had that night.

That night?

The night of the fire.

The night she died.

Esmeralda was dead. A ghost.

Coming to this realization again was an unbearable rush of despair.

The thought of her parents mourning her immediately penetrated her thoughts. She couldn't stand the thought of her mother crying. She knew if one of them had died she'd completely fall apart, she couldn't fathom how much they'd be hurting. She felt an intense pain where her heart would beat.

There was something after she died. But she couldn't remember what had happened. She could remember her life and her death but then there was just a gap in her memory between that night and the pain.

Now that pain was gone and she had no idea how to know what to do next when she didn't even know what had come before.

Aside from the stretch of road in front of her, she was surrounded by a dense forest of trees. She started to walk but she didn't know where she was walking to.

"Just follow the road," she told herself. "But which direction?"

She decided to go left, where the road slightly went in a downward slope. It felt like the direction she needed to go. Hopefully, answers would be found there. Although, she'd settle for anything besides road and trees.

Shortly after she started her journey, the roar of a car could be heard from behind her. A large green truck was forcing its way down the road. It slowed as it got next to her. The window rolled down. A man stuck his head out.

He had pale weathered skin with yellow blotches on his large forehead. He wore a backwards baseball cap. A large patch of furry grey hair rested below his nose.

He licked his lips. "Ho-lah senorita. You need a ride."

"I don't know," She said. "I'm not even sure where I'm going."

"Awe you poor thing," he said with a smile. "Ya lost?"

"I think so," she said.

"Where's home?"

"Green Haven, Maine," she told him.

"Never heard of Green Haven, but I know you're a long way from Maine," he said, scratching his brow. "There's a town just a few miles down the road. I can take you there. It's not much but you can definitely find a phone."

"Sure," Esmeralda said. She didn't have many options and she figured she'd need to rely on the kindness of strangers if she were ever going to find her way through unfamiliar territory. "Thank you." She climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and he began to drive with a quick start.

"So, what's your name?" He asked her.

"Esmeralda," she answered.

"Exotic," he moaned, staring at the road as he drove. "I'm Joshua."

"Thank you for your help," Esmeralda said, watching the trees outside the car window. The man smelled like shit and tobacco. It would have made her sick if she were physically able to vomit.

"No problem. Happy to help," he said. "So what brings you here from... what did you call it? Green Haven?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed. "It's all a blur."

"Ahhh, a Party girl," he sighed. "I like that."

Esmeralda didn't entertain the comment with a response.

"I'm sure things will come back to ya eventually," he said, filling the silence.

The car drove by a large road sign that read "Welcome to Silver Hollow, ghost capital of the United States."

"Ironic," Esmeralda sighed. "So where are we exactly?" Esmeralda asked.

"Silver Hollow, New Mexico," he scoffed.

"New Mexico?" Esmeralda asked, shocked. "That's all the way across the country!" How did she end up on the other side of the entire United States? This made no sense to her. How could she be lost so far away from home? Why?

"Yes," He said, pulling over to the side of the road. "Just how lost are you?"

"I don't even know anymore," she said. The shapes of buildings could be seen in the distance. "Hopefully someone in this Silver Hollow place can help me get home."

She had no idea how to get the help she needed. How could someone help get a dead girl home?

"I hope so. The less time you gotta spend there, the better!" He exclaimed. "Creepy old town. I don't stop there anymore. Lots of Latinos... The bad kind. Not like you. You seem like a grade A Latina." He reached towards her and placed a sweaty palm on her thigh.

"Don't touch me!" Esmeralda screamed at the assault of her personal space. She pushed his hand away and reached for the door handle. He pressed a button on his door, causing the locks to click, stalling her escape.

"Hey!" He yelled with anger. "Come on now, don't be a bitch." He leaned into her with force.

She raised her fist and punched him before his lips could touch her. As soon as her fist made contact with his nose, the dashboard of his car sparked with a bright flash.

The car's hood flipped open, releasing black smoke into the air. Blood poured from the man's nose. He held his face and groaned as Esmeralda managed to get her door opened.

She jumped out of the truck and slammed the door. Small flames grew from the engine.

She began to walk away from the car and towards the town. This seemed to be the place she was supposed to be. She felt it. There was an anchoring in her body. A weight pulling her chest to the earth.

"What did you do to my car?" She heard Joshua yell from behind her. He chased after her. "Don't you walk away from me you little skank!" He reached for her wrist but his hand slipped right through her this time.

She turned around to give him her best death glare. When her eyes fell on his stunned face, a strong gust of wind brushed past her, picking him up and throwing him backward.

"Creep," she spat.

She left him lying on the ground in front of his smoking car and walked into Silver Hollow.