THE HOUSE THAT BREATHED
Chapter 1 — The Road That Wasn't on the Map
The road appeared after the third wrong turn.
It wasn't on the GPS. It wasn't on the paper map either. One second there was nothing but forest, and the next there was asphalt—dark, wet, and slightly pulsing, as if it had veins beneath it.
Evan slowed the car.
"Did you see that?" he asked.
No one answered. The radio crackled, then died. The trees leaned inward, their branches knitting together overhead until the sky vanished.
When the car crossed onto the road, the tires made no sound.
That was when the smell hit them—old air, like something sealed for a very long time had just been opened.