CHAPTER ONE

Amanda Moss clutched the red amulet dangling around her neck as the Welcome to Alabama sign ushered her and her boyfriend, Jake, into the Heart of Dixie state. Notwithstanding the South’s humid reputation, an icy chill shot down her spine.

She shut her eyes tight. Breathed deep. This eerie, cold feeling had happened before. Fate never changed despite her wishes. Our family has always been different, dear. Why do you insist on hiding who you are? Her aunt’s age-old words echoed in her mind, taunted her with the truth.

“You okay?” Jake asked.

Amanda opened her eyes. No need to let Jake see her odd behavior. Not again.

“I’m fine. How much further?”

They’d left Athens, Georgia, at 8:00 a.m. and had taken back roads to enter Alabama on Interstate 10 near the Gulf Coast. Now the clock said 3:00 p.m. Her calves twitched and cramped from being in the car so long. If only she could snap her fingers and they’d magically be transported to Abandon, Alabama, in the blink of an eye.

Sadly, that desirable talent had been gifted to her aunt Anzhela, even though Amanda would gladly trade in an instant. Her own gift—if anyone could call seeing and hearing the dead a gift—kept her up nights, haunted her dreams, prevented a normal life.

Jake, the ultimate engineer, scanned every gauge on his Honda Civic dash with an analytical eye. “About an hour. Do you need to stop? There may not be much at the park.”

“We aren’t going to the inn first?”

She coughed, trying to swallow the growing knot at the back of her throat. Of course he wanted to see Zephyr Land first. The man wasn’t the type to waste daylight.

The old amusement park—now abandoned—had some kind of roller coaster enigma that he needed to research for his upcoming publication, one that would push him ahead of his colleagues for a department promotion at the University of Georgia. While he studied the coaster, she planned to log and photograph the wear and tear of the Victorian carousel for her apprenticeship entry. The ideal trip for both of them to get to know each other better while furthering their careers. She longed for a career that allowed her artistic development, an outlet for the vivid colors her mind painted. Carousels told stories…she could help restore their designs and preserve their tales.

Jack adjusted the air-conditioning vents. “The park is the turnoff before the Abandon Inn. Seems a logical choice to go there first.”

“Right.”

Logical. Of course.

“Do you need anything?” he asked. “We’ll be near Mobile soon. I can stop.”

“Something cold to drink would be great. I doubt the park will have a vending machine.”

He arched his eyebrows. “Even if they did, you don’t want to get something out of a machine that’s been rotting for years.”

“Good point.”

Reaching for her hand, he lifted her palm and kissed it. Dimples formed on his tanned cheeks as his blue eyes lit up.

“Look in the backseat,” he said, offering a charming wink. “I got us a couple of bottled waters at the last stop.”

The man thought of everything. A nice trait after her previous relationships. His ability to plan ahead could definitely outweigh his logical engineer side. Jake was ahead of the curve on so many things. He listened—really listened—to her thoughts and feelings. They could talk for hours about every subject under the sun—except the supernatural. Most of her ex-boyfriends ignored her while feigning love. Same as her parents had.

She grabbed a bottle and drank. “You’re the best.” The cold water sent a wave of relief down her parched throat.

“You’re welcome.” He scratched his chin, where the stubby light-brown hair began to show. “You have everything you need for your project?”

“Yep.”

“What are you logging again?”

She offered a tolerant smile. He tended to forget things that didn’t revolve around equations, facts, and figures. Anything artistic wasn’t in his skillset, but like the old saying went—opposites attract.

“The carousel’s condition. The weatherworn paint, any metal breaks or chips in the horses or other pieces. And my suggestions for the best methods to restore them.”

“If they like your report the best, you’ll get the apprenticeship?”

Her stomach fluttered at the mere mention of a new career. “Yes. I have my best camera lenses and a log book to document my findings.”

Keeping his gaze on the road, Jake said, “You’re a great photographer. I’m sure that skill will come in handy.”

She couldn’t help but smile wide. Given his practical nature, his compliments were always sincere. He might not offer flowery speeches, but he meant what he said. After years spent deciphering her parents’ verbal motives, what was said because it was expected versus what they had truly meant, she appreciated Jake’s sincerity more every day.

“Thanks.” She took another sip of water. “I’m glad we have this chance to get away. And thanks to your project, no one else will have the opportunity to access this particular carousel, since the park is locked.”

He gave her a wink. “I’ve got connections. Besides, I’ve been looking forward to us taking a road trip.”

“Me too.”

Though admittedly, she had hints of nervousness. They’d only dated a month and hadn’t spent the night together yet. This getaway would test how well they managed together twenty-four seven, and sharing a room.

In Mobile, they stopped briefly at the attorney’s office to get the access key for the abandoned theme park. Then, as they headed south along Mobile Bay, the scenery changed. Tall pine trees lining the interstate faded away into a thick fog. Scraggly live oaks draped in Spanish moss and knobby-kneed cypress trees flanked the road for miles, interrupted only by the occasional patch of saw grass.

Jack turned off the highway onto an old state road when he saw the navigation sign Town of Abandon, Five Miles.

Amanda shifted her sitting position, hoping to ease her tight muscles. The serpentine path in front of them left behind any semblance of civilization. With every curve, they seemed to travel deeper into an unknown world—one long ago forgotten. On the right, a decrepit brown sign with chipped white paint said Welcome to Zephyr Land.

“You weren’t kidding,” she said.

“About what?” Jake kept a steady grip on the wheel, navigating slowly in the dense fog. They drove under a wrought-iron archway entrance, pulled into an empty lot, and parked.

“The town and the park. This place looks haunted, like something out of an old movie.”

His eyes gleamed with mischief, and he cackled in a loud voice. “Bwaa ha-ha. Welcome to the haunted amusements.”

Giving him a playful slug in the arm, she said, “Don’t start with the scary stuff. This place is creepy enough already.”

As jovial as she felt when he did something fun, she couldn’t ignore that tingly feeling on the nape of her neck. No. Forget about all things ghostlike. Stretch your legs and relax.

Jake turned off the ignition and stepped out of the crimson Honda Civic. He opened her door, extending a hand to help her up. A warm feeling bubbled inside her. Despite his engi-nerd personality, he’d always been the ultimate Southern gentleman.

“Thanks.” Her knees wobbled as she walked around the car. Eight hours was too long for one day, even with meal breaks. On the trip back, maybe they could stop in Pensacola to enjoy the beach, if time allowed.

Amanda arched her arms above her head. “Feels great to get out of the car.”

“I hear ya.” He twisted his back left and right and cracked his neck a few times. “Walking around will help.”

“Okay, but remember, we need to check into the inn before dark—”

“There’s the roller coaster,” Jake said, the admiration evident in his voice. Right now he wasn’t thinking of getting settled in, relaxing. Like an ecstatic kid in a toy store, he wanted to explore everything.

All the larger rides—the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, the big swings—looked to be in the rear of the park, providing a skyline effect in the wispy fog. Haunting.

They approached the entry gate, where he searched for the key they’d obtained from the lawyer’s office.

She watched him with a grin. “I know you don’t need a key to open that lock, but let’s not access your superpower on this old gate. Okay?”

He shot her a wink. “Aw c’mon. Just this once?”

The man loved figuring out how locks and bolts worked. There wasn’t a lock he couldn’t finesse to his wishes. And he’d been known to perform a magic trick or two.

“Use the real key. Otherwise, we’re trespassing.”

“Oh, all right.” With a playful pout, he unlocked the gate using the key.

They strolled through the entryway and along the boardwalk. Rotted pine boards and debris lined the only walkable path through Zephyr Land. Nature had taken back what she wanted.

Halfway to the rides, a decaying ticket booth barely remained vertical. Amanda stopped short at the sight. The kudzu’s ropelike vines coiled around the structure like a boa constrictor squeezing its prey. But that wasn’t the creepiest part. The main insignia Ticket to Ride had been crossed out. In red graffiti, the scrawled words Ticket to Die made her skin crawl.

“Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to examine the park,” she said.

Jake turned, his eyes narrowing. “Why?”

“It’s…creepy.”

He sighed. “What you’re feeling is in your head. Your imagination. We’re alone in an abandoned place, so it seems haunted.”

“Seems? What if it is? Isn’t the reason you’re here to investigate the roller coaster derailment that killed all those people?”

Jake’s lips pressed into a thin line while impatience flickered in his eyes. “Yes, but I have permission to be here as an engineer. It’s going to help my work.”

She ignored the rising guilt inside her. The last thing she wanted was to interfere with his career.

“I know. It’s just that—”

“Don’t be fooled by superstition.” He stepped closer and kissed her forehead. “The supernatural isn’t real. It’s a means for charlatans to rob foolish people blind.”

Amanda swallowed hard. She knew damn well the supernatural was much more than that, but she wasn’t about to debate her knowledge in the middle of an eerie park. The paranormal was the one taboo subject between them.

“Come on,” Jake said. “Let’s go take a peek, just for a few minutes. Then we’ll go to the inn.”

Amanda glanced up at the Ferris wheel. Unkempt weeds and bushy vines had gobbled up every passenger seat. In this misty fog, clumps of overrun greenery disappeared halfway to the top, giving the impression those souls on the ride had disappeared into another world.

“Only for a few minutes,” Amanda said. “We’ve had a long drive. I need to relax at the inn.”

“Fair enough.”

Jake’s feet practically sprinted to the roller coaster. She stayed close by his side, not wanting to get lost in a place like this. The fog prevented the option to take photos. That task could wait until tomorrow.

The roller coaster towered overhead with a corkscrew design that pushed its way through the mist. To the left stood one of those giant swing rides where people were suspended midair at forty-five degrees. The tarnished chains swayed in the wind, sending another wave of goose bumps down her arms. The breeze wasn’t strong, but the swings moved as if invisible children continued to ride them, even now.

To the right, she saw a red-and-white tent with a carousel sign. She half expected to hear calliope music emerging from the tent, but silence loomed.

“See?” Jake said. “Isn’t this place fantastic? This park will help both our careers.”

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm the adrenaline surging through her every pore. He had a good point. Focusing on her apprenticeship entry would keep her mind off everything else. Like the cold prickly feel from the hairs on the back of her neck, which grew more intense with every step. Or how she knew without a doubt that she and Jake were not alone in Zephyr Land. Based on a lifetime of unwanted experiences, she sensed the presence of other beings—beings she could never let on that she could see or hear.

Not if she wanted a normal life.