~ Josh ~

The billboard stands over the road, faded and peeling under the hot sun: WELCOME TO CLIFTON TOWN

I ease my foot off the gas, my gaze tracking the faded letters. It’s an old habit of mine.

Whenever I’m driving into unfamiliar territory—places I’ve either never seen or only visited once in a blur—I read every signpost like it’s a warning.

Cliffton Town definitely feels like a warning.

I’ve only been here once before, which was the day Elder Jonathan Monroe summoned me to the local clinic to rewrite his will.

The email detailing his passing arrived just a week ago, stating that his funeral and cremation would...