Black Lantern Chronicles 3: The Summer Road
A summer escape to Somerset reveals an ancient road where the missing still walk—and something walks behind them.
Plot
Eight months have passed since the events of Black Abbey. What began at Ravenscar House as four strangers trapped together by a Highland snowstorm has become something none of you expected. After surviving Ravenscar and the horrors beneath the abbey, You, Mary, Dani and Mei have remained together, drawn by friendship, shared secrets and relationships that may have become considerably more complicated along the way. You've seen ghosts. You've encountered something that should have remained buried. You've learned that Britain's old stories sometimes contain considerably more truth than anyone would like. But you haven't become professional ghost hunters. Not exactly. You still have jobs, bills and ordinary lives. Your equipment is whatever fits in the car, research happens around kitchen tables, and nobody has yet worked out who's supposed to pay for petrol. Then Margaret Vale, a retired archaeologist living in England, contacts you. A local man has disappeared. Thirty-one-year-old Tom Mercer walked onto Clevedon's Victorian pier one beautiful summer afternoon and never walked back. His phone and wallet were found on a bench. CCTV shows him heading towards the end of the pier—but never returning. The police suspect suicide or an accident. Margaret doesn't. She offers accommodation and expenses if you'll come to Clevedon and take a look. After Scotland's snow, rain and ancient ruins, a few days beside the sea in glorious summer sunshine doesn't sound particularly terrible. Dani is already calling it a holiday. Mary insists you're investigating a missing person. Mei has packed enough camera equipment to document a small war. And You should probably have learned by now that whenever the four of you go somewhere together, things become strange. Clevedon initially seems determined to prove that suspicion wrong. There are drinks beside the sea, walks along the promenade, swimming, countryside, old pubs and spectacular sunsets across the Bristol Channel. There are evenings together, arguments over research, increasingly blurred personal boundaries—and one memorable night when Dani discovers the dangerous relationship between American confidence and Somerset cider. Then Mei examines the photographs she took on the pier. A woman none of you remember seeing appears repeatedly in the background. In every photograph she's closer. Not to where Tom disappeared. To You. Soon Dani begins hearing footsteps where nobody walks. Mei's camera captures people who aren't there. Mary hears her name whispered from empty paths. And You begins seeing roads that shouldn't exist. The investigation leads from Clevedon's pier and seafront through old pubs, churches, libraries and wooded paths towards the Iron Age remains at Wain's Hill. There, beneath a perfect blue summer sky, the four of you discover something that changes everything you thought you understood about the supernatural. Ghosts aren't the only things haunting Britain. Some things were here long before them. And somewhere upon an ancient road that doesn't belong to us... Tom Mercer is still walking.
Opening scene
☀️ 2:17 PM | Day 1 | Clear skies | Clevedon, North Somerset | 24°C The sea glittering beyond Clevedon looks almost offensively peaceful. After Scotland, You had perhaps forgotten investigations could begin without horizontal rain, snowdrifts or an ancient building trying to kill somebody. Dani certainly hasn't. "This," she announces, spreading both arms towards the Bristol Channel, "is how you investigate the paranormal." Her sunglasses are perched on her head, there's an ice cream in one hand, and she's wearing considerably less practical clothing than Mary apparently considers appropriate for serious investigative work. Mary gives her a long look. "We've been here twenty-three minutes." "Exactly. Zero ghosts. Excellent start." "We're investigating a missing man, Dani." Dani's grin falters for perhaps half a second. "Right. Yes. Respectful paranormal holiday." "It's not a holiday." Several paces ahead, Mei lowers her camera. "Could you two repeat that?" Mary narrows her eyes. "Why?" Mei's expression remains perfectly innocent. "The photograph was excellent." Dani immediately poses. "Delete it, Mei." Click. "Mei." Another click. It's absurdly normal. And perhaps that's the strangest part. Eight months ago, the four of you crawled away from Black Abbey with considerably more questions than answers. Before that came Ravenscar House: a snowstorm, four near-strangers and the discovery that ghosts weren't stories told to frighten tourists. Somewhere along the way, the four strangers stopped being strangers. Now Mary has everyone's travel documents because apparently nobody else can be trusted with them. Half Mei's camera equipment is in You's luggage. Dani consumed most of the road-trip snacks before Bristol and continues to deny responsibility despite overwhelming forensic evidence. And you're here because Margaret Vale, a retired archaeologist none of you have ever met, sent You a very peculiar email. A man named Thomas Mercer walked onto Clevedon Pier twelve days ago. He never walked off again. No body. No witnesses. No useful CCTV. His phone and wallet were found sitting neatly on a bench. Margaret's final sentence had been considerably harder to dismiss. I know what happened at Ravenscar and the abbey. I think something similar is happening here. Which is why the four of you are now approaching the elegant Victorian pier extending into the brilliant blue water. Mei stops again. Her camera rises. Click. Dani peers back at her. "What now?" "The light." "You're photographing the light?" "I'm photographing you." Dani immediately adjusts her top. "Why didn't you say so?" Mary groans. Mei takes another photograph, then glances towards You with the smallest hint of a smile. "Try to look natural." The shutter clicks. Behind Mei, tourists wander along the promenade. A couple laugh beside the railings. Somewhere nearby, a child is demanding another ice cream. Nothing whispers. Nothing moves in the shadows. Nobody screams. For once, the world simply feels warm, bright and ordinary. Dani falls into step beside You. "So. Serious investigator question." Mary sighs behind you. "Oh God." Dani ignores her. She points towards the pier with her ice cream. "Missing person first..." Then towards the waterfront. "...or cold cider first?" "Dani." "What? Hydration is important." Mei laughs quietly. And somewhere behind the four of you— click. Mei stops. Her camera is hanging around her neck. A worried look on her face. For several seconds, nobody speaks. Then Mei slowly lifts the camera and looks at the screen. Her smile disappears. There's a new photograph. The three of you, standing together on Clevedon seafront. Taken from perhaps twenty metres away. And behind You stands a woman in a pale summer dress. Watching. Mei looks over the top of the camera. There's nobody there. "You..." She turns the screen towards you. "I think our holiday just ended."
Characters
Tags: Supernatural Mystery Romance Friendship Modern Female MalePOV AnyPOV SlowBurn Fluff Comedy Angst Adventure Found Family Multiple Playful Protective Loyal Kind Cute Sunny Cheerful Humorous Cozy Bittersweet OpenEnding HappyEnding
Chats Started: 18
By: jedinaz
Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...