Page 1 of Wild Reckoning

Chapter One

Dr. Stewart Hudson’s heart skipped a beat when his car made a strange sound and jerked a few times.

He was on his way to the house he had rented in Midnight Falls, and was scheduled to start at the local hospital in two weeks. Breaking down was not what he needed right now, stranded on some back road in the small town.

Glancing at his three-year-old nephew in the rearview mirror, Stewart forced a smile, unsure who he was trying to comfort more, him or the toddler. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’m sure the car is just coughing.” Up a lung.

Even before they’d driven hundreds of miles, Stewart had known the car needed an oil change. This was what procrastination led to, if an overdue oil change was the cause of their current problem.

Since he wasn’t a mechanic, lord only knew what was wrong with it. His only knowledge of cars was pumping gas and taking it to an actual mechanic for maintenance.

“Mother fu—dge.” Stewart caught himself before he’d let the word fly, remembering his impressionable young nephew in the backseat. He didn’t want to set a bad example.

“No!” The car pulled hard to the right, and the engine made a few knocking sounds, almost like it was tapping on the hood to tell him there was an issue.

No shit. I kinda figured that out already.

Getting smart had been the wrong thing to do. The car sputtered and died, then started coasting along, causing Stewart to struggle hard to maneuver the sedan. His arms felt like noodles when he finally managed to come to a stop on the side of the road.

“You didn’t have to have a temper tantrum!” He smacked the steering wheel then sat there for a moment, taking deep breaths and trying to calm his racing heart. “Come on! You could have had a snit after we got to the house.”

Swear to god, the damn thing was giving him the middle finger. Smoke began to hiss from under the hood, adding another layer of chaos to their already disastrous situation.

“This is not my life right now. It just can’t be,” he muttered to himself, feeling utterly defeated, but was smart enough not to yell at the sedan again or the tires just might “accidently” fall off.

“Godda poddy!” Ethan declared cheerfully from his car seat, kicking his little legs playfully.

Of course he had to go at this very moment. It wouldn’t be a complete disaster without a toddler needing to use the bathroom at the most inconvenient time.

With a deep sigh, Stewart replied, “Hang on, tater tot. Uncle will find you a bathroom.”

In the middle of nowhere, with a dense forest on one side and an open field on the other. So many options...

Stewart reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed his cell phone, only to groan in frustration when he saw there was no signal. He thumped his head against the steering wheel, causing it to honk loudly.

“Need poddy, Stewalulu.”

However the kiddo wanted to say his name was fine. At least he was making an attempt.

“I’m going to try for a signal outside the car.” He turned to look at his nephew. Guilt weighed heavily on his heart considering the circumstances for why they’d fled Pennsylvania and ended up on this road trip. “Just don’t try to drive while I’m hopping on one foot and spinning in a circle to get a signal.”

Just to be on the safe side—since the car was being temperamental—he engaged the parking brake. The last thing he needed was for the car to suddenly start rolling with the toddler strapped inside.

After getting out, Stewart took a deep breath, trying to keep it together, although a large part of him wanted to break down and cry. With the way things were going right now, he might scare the local wildlife in the area, maybe forcing him to run from a raccoon or something bigger.

He held up his arm and slowly turned, but he still couldn’t get a signal. All he’d accomplished was looking like an idiot trying to capture a panoramic shot of the blinding sun. Waving his arm in different directions didn’t help either.

Fuck. How had his life turned upside down so quickly? In just one month, he went from having a semi-fulfilling life to becoming a guardian for his young nephew and fleeing from an abusive partner.

Now he found himself stranded, desperate to get a signal while dealing with a wiggly toddler in the backseat.

Ethan! Crap. If he didn’t let his nephew use the bathroom soon, the kid would end up soiling himself and his car seat, which would stink up the car.

Even if the sedan was nothing more than a useless hunk of metal at the moment.

With an irritated grunt from lack of phone service, Stewart shoved the useless device in his pocket, then pulled Ethan out of the car, hoping no one drove past them. Well, they needed someone to come by and help them, but only after Ethan had used the bathroom.

“Okay, buddy, go pee.” Stewart placed his hands on his hips, waiting for Ethan to handle his business.

---