Strange things are starting to happen in a peaceful little city, home to a small college. Three students – Emmanuelle, Sophie and Robert – are drawn into unusual and disturbing affairs, leaving each one to rely on their two friends for any kind of help.
Emmanuelle, one of the best students in her year, is presented with a gruesome murder, catching her in the middle of a riot that ensues. Soon enough, she finds out that this is just one in a row. There has been an increasing number of violent crimes recently, all involving either dead or missing people. On top of that, one of her professors is rumoured to be conducing a social experiment on her and her friends – she does not want to believe that, but some other people are deeply convinced so.
Among those people is her best friend Sophie, a gothic girl with an attitude. She is an avid nature lover, and has an uncanny knack for ghost stories and conspiracy theories. It is thus no surprise that she is cast out of her mind when an old oak tree gets chopped down, despite the protest she had personally organised. She spends the next few days deeply depressed, her only comfort being her two friends, along with a good amount of beer and cigarettes. On top of that, she is well hanging on the conspiracy theory about the professor, convinced he has something to do with it all.
Apart from Emmanuelle, the other Sophie’s friend is Robert, a computer hacker. He owns three computers, and all three have been broken into a few days ago. Despite his best efforts, there is a computer virus wreaking havoc, causing him severe lack of sleep, as well as patience, let alone his ability to think reasonably. On top of that, it seems to be more than just a virus – it almost appears as if somebody wants to break into Robert’s computers, and them alone.
Will Emmanuelle find out who – or what – is behind those murders? How come they started appearing just now? Is it just a random series of mishaps, or something larger rolling behind the hill? Sophie believes there is a restless spirit of a murdered tree around – could there be a connection between those? And what happened to Robert’s computer? Is it just a simple virus, or is there someone making an organised attack, aiming straight at Robert? Will Robert finally admit being bested?
Find out in the first part of a new series by Max Thorman
