The Apparition

Teaser by Steven P. Ross

After a troubled life growing up, Tess Carlson finally feels fulfillment in a satisfying job, a loving husband, and a precocious 5-year-old son.

Then adversity strikes. She’s abruptly fired for no apparent reason. The trip to her first interview found the job had already been filled. Her son breaks his arm in a playground accident and she finds she has no access to insurance.

As her life unravels, she’s driving home one evening and decides on a shortcut through a desolate one-lane road where she encounters a young girl walking along the side, oblivious to her surroundings. Tess offers her a ride and the girl accepts. When Tess reaches the end of the road she turns onto a main thoroughfare. The girl is no longer in her seat.

Thereafter, Tess experiences a strong compulsion to know more about the girl, leading her to uncover a pattern of violence and death. She must expose the truth before she becomes the next victim.