Chapter 6 - 5: The old Lancaster house
Chapter 5: The Old Lancaster House
Kael woke up to the sound of a garbage truck.
Kael pulled the sheet off him. It was soaked with his sweat. The air conditioner in his room must have malfunctioned for some reason.
He was so tired that he had fallen asleep. It was a deep sleep. It felt like he had only opened and closed his eyes.
He sat up, rubbing his face. The envelope and the key were on the nightstand.
Kael remembered the events of the night. His grandfather had said that he trusted him and would give him his most precious thing. But it was still unbelievable to Kael—because as far as he knew, his grandfather, Theodore Lancaster, had never trusted anyone. Not even those close to him who had spent decades by his side. On the other hand, Kael had only known him for about two years.
Kael took the key. He didn’t have much money—just a debit card with $237.12 on it—and a determination. A determination that wouldn’t let him back down. He decided to go to the address his grandfather had given him. He still doubted whether Theodore had actually left him anything valuable, but at this point, he had nothing to lose. He was hopeless about his future. He still couldn’t pay his debts, and he didn’t have a job that would make him any real money. So this was his last hope. He was just praying that he would get something valuable from the address his grandfather had given him—something that could secure his future.
Kael packed his things and got ready to leave. He left the hotel and went to the bus stand. There was no train to the place he was heading toward. In fact, there wasn’t even a railway line that ran in that direction.
Kael lifted his duffel bag over his shoulder, clutching the key in his pocket with his other hand—as if it would melt if he let go. The address on the paper was leading him to an unfamiliar town—Blackwater Hollow.
The sleepy clerk at the ticket counter spoke.
"One way?" the clerk asked, already typing in the number.