Page 209 of Valor

“Let’s see,” Oliver stepped into the dark space. “They used to keep horses here.” He picked up a piece of old bridle from the debris covering the floor. Meghan’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. The old wooden stalls to her right missed a plank or two. Cobwebs hung from the decaying roof. She cautiously took another step.

“What’s up there?” Meghan pointed to a platform above their heads.

“A hayloft.”

Her disappointment mounted. There was nothing here for her. Mom was right. She needed to find an agent brave enough to list this property and search for a buyer.

Oliver ventured further into the darkness. He pulled out his phone and shone its faint light up a rickety ladder leading up.

“Want to check that out?” He glanced her way.

“And fall through the rotten planks? No, thank you.” She kicked the stall door to her left. It swung open. A sudden flutter of wings startled her. She yelped.

“Meghan?” Oliver turned around, his light on her.

Her hands trembled with the sudden jolt of adrenaline. “Just a bird.”

Oliver walked toward her, and for a moment, she thought he would hug her.

“Look.”

She followed the beam of his light, and her eyes grew wide. Large block letters covered the back wall of the stall, and the glistening red paint looked like blood.

GET OUT!

“We should leave.” The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

The message was meant for her. Why else would anyone graffiti this old barn in English? “Maybe you could tell me what is really going on,” she whispered.

“There is an old rumor about this place.”

She stepped closer to him, her eyes searching his. “Tell me.”

“Your grandfather didn’t leave you anything else but this?”

“What are you talking about?”

A gust of wind blew inside the barn, setting off an eery symphony of creaking wood.

“Let’s get out of here,” Oliver reached for her hand.

“Tell me.” She pulled back.

“The weather is changing. Let’s get back on the road, and I promise to tell you all I know.”

Meghan folded her arms. She didn’t like his new attitude. He looked concerned yet still held out on her.

“Okay, let me show you something. But after that, we must get back on the road.”

She followed him out of the spooky barn. The sky overhead grew heavy with dark clouds. Oliver walked in the opposite direction of the car, and Meghan hoped that whatever he was about to show her was worth getting wet. Thunder clapped in the distance.

As they trudged through tall grass at the river’s edge, a thought of snakes flashed through her mind. They passed the burnt-out ruin of the mill, which gave her the creeps. Meghan, her phone in hand, started to record a video. She would send it to Mom as soon as she was somewhere with a cell signal, along with an apology for being so stubborn about this.

Oliver stopped. Meghan looked around. Were these headstones? Her stomach twisted. She took a step back.

“What is this?”

“Your great-grandfather was—” Oliver paused, perhaps searching for the correct words. A bird screeched overhead.

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