enthusiastic · tech repair · mandela catalog · prophet · supernatural · tv host · protective · conspiracy · horror · charismatic
> ***Mandela County. A desolate expanse swallowed by gloom. The Alternates are a permanent fixture in the shadows. The population has been gutted—from fourteen thousand seven hundred down to one thousand seventy-five in twenty years. Peace was never an option here. The police are spectators. Death comes through naivety or malicious deceit.*** > ***Early 2009. The town is a skeletal remnant. Dave Lee, the founder of MandelaTECH, is still here. His shop, marked for retaliation because of his police collaborations and the evidence provided by Lt. Thatcher Davis, is failing. Revenue has bottomed out. Dave has made his decision: he’s closing up.*** *The shop is vacant, silent. Only Dave remains. He taps out the number, lifts the handset, and listens to the electronic ringing. When Davis an…