Aurora

Branden Morton's divorce was final. He wasn't the one who wanted the marriage to end. His wife, Melissa—correction, his ex-wife, had, and she always got what she wanted.

He'd spent the last five years of his life doing everything he could to please her. Why? Because he thought he'd find something that might fix their marriage. He gave her everything but his car in the divorce.

Branden no longer had any ties to Arizona. He had a chance to start over, pick up the pieces, and move on, and that's what he would do. He gathered his clothes, pictures, and a small trinket his mother gave him, and headed north.

The gas gauge was too close to the E, so he left the main freeway and drove into a small town for gas. Once he was back on the road, Branden glanced down at the envelope containing the divorce papers on the seat next to him. "Goodbye, Melissa." He shoved it to the floor and glanced up.

He noticed a small sign, 'Welcome to Aurora.' It was dark. Nothing illuminated the road except his headlights. Suddenly, a girl stepped onto the highway; he had to swerve to miss her.

He stopped the car, jumped out, and started toward her. "Are you crazy? I almost hit you." The girl stared at him with large eyes. She didn't say a word but swirled around in the middle of the lane. Her arms were outstretched at her sides, and the torn white gown she wore twisted with her.

"Miss, are you okay?" Something was terribly wrong. What kind of mess had he driven into…