Welcome to the official free excerpt of Echoes of the Forgotten, a psychological mystery by Daniel Germain.

In this preview, you’ll discover the haunting prologue and the first two chapters of the novel—where memory fractures, secrets whisper, and nothing is ever quite what it seems.

This excerpt ends just before the story crosses into the unknown…

Echoes of the
Forgotten

Daniel Germain

PROLOGUE

WHISPERS IN THE DARK

The wind howled through the empty streets of Ash Hollow, carrying with it the scent of rain and decay. Streetlights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows on the pavement as if the town itself had begun to fade. At the edge of town, near the old forest line, the Blake house stood as it always had—weathered by time, forgotten by most. But tonight, it pulsed with a strange energy, a presence that clung to the walls like an invisible force.

Eva Blake hadn’t set foot in the house in nearly a decade, not since she left Ash Hollow behind, hoping never to return. But the letter had arrived on her doorstep a week ago—no stamp, no return address, just her brother’s handwriting, as familiar as the ache it brought. Come home. It’s happening again.

She didn’t understand the message at first. What could he have meant by again? But now, standing in front of the house, dread twisted in her gut, and she felt the pull of something far older than the fear that had once driven her away. Something was wrong. Something had always been wrong.

As she pushed open the heavy wooden door, the creak echoed through the empty halls. The air inside was cold, thick with a silence that felt alive, as if the house was holding its breath, waiting. She hesitated, the old memories clawing at her. The voices. The whispers. The things she tried so hard to forget.

“Alex?” she called, her voice trembling in the stillness. There was no answer. Only the sound of her own footsteps against the floorboards, and the faint drip of water somewhere deep within the house. She checked the kitchen, the living room, and finally climbed the stairs to his room. It was exactly as she remembered it—sparse, untouched, as if frozen in time.

She reached for the door handle, but something stopped her. A sound. A whisper.

She froze, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. It was soft, so faint she wasn’t sure if she’d heard it at all, but there it was again—a whisper, a voice she hadn’t heard in years. It wasn’t her brother. It was her own.

“Eva…”

Her heart pounded in her chest. She swallowed hard, pulling her hand away from the door. It was impossible. The voice, the way it echoed through the house—it was her, but from another time. A distant memory. A moment she thought she’d buried.

She turned, scanning the dark hallway, but saw no one. The shadows seemed to shift, watching her. Listening. The whisper came again, louder this time, more insistent.

“Eva… help me.”

It was her brother’s voice now, laced with desperation. Panic surged through her. She threw open the door to his room, but it was empty. No sign of Alex. Nothing but silence. The bed was undisturbed, his belongings untouched, as if he’d vanished into thin air.

She stumbled backward, her breath shallow. The whispering grew louder, surrounding her, the whispering grew louder, surrounding her, pressing in from every wall. She could hear fragments of conversations—half-formed sentences, ghostly voices from her past. She pressed her hands over her ears, but the sounds wouldn’t stop. They bled into her mind, pulling her back into memories she didn’t want to relive.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, the whispering stopped. The air grew still, oppressive. Eva lowered her hands and stepped forward cautiously. That’s when she saw it.

On the windowpane, faint but unmistakable, was the outline of a handprint. Small, delicate—like a child. She shivered, her eyes fixed on it, unable to look away. It couldn’t be.

It was far too small to belong to the Alex she knew now—and that terrified her more than anything.

A cold chill crept down her spine as the echoes of the past began to seep into the present.

Alex was gone.

And whatever had taken him had just begun.

Chapter One: Homecoming

BACK TO THE SHADOWS

The town of Ash Hollow appeared through the windshield like a ghost, its distant skyline swallowed by fog and trees. Eva gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles pale against the leather. She’d told herself a hundred times that she wouldn’t come back here, not after everything that had happened. But here she was, driving down the narrow, winding road that seemed to stretch forever, pulling her back to a place she’d spent years trying to forget.

The letter had been enough to break her resolve. Alex’s familiar scrawl, the few cryptic words that left no room for interpretation: Come home. It’s happening again. She didn’t know what he meant, didn’t want to, but her brother wouldn’t call her back for no reason. Not after all this time. Not without good cause.

The houses came into view first—small, sagging structures lining the streets, some abandoned, others clinging to life like relics of a forgotten era. Eva felt a heaviness in her chest as she passed the church, the school, the diner where she used to sneak out with friends. Everything looked smaller, as if the town itself had shrunk, compacted by the weight of years and neglect.

Her mind wandered back to the day she’d left, slamming the door behind her, not bothering to look back. She’d been determined to escape, to start a new life in the city, far from the suffocating grip of Ash Hollow and the memories it held. Yet, even after all this time, it felt as though the town had been waiting for her, patient and unyielding, knowing she’d have to return someday.

She pulled up in front of her childhood home, the tires crunching on the gravel driveway. The house loomed before her, a faded shell of its former self. The white paint had long since peeled away, leaving gray, weathered wood in its place. The windows were dark, the curtains drawn tight like the house had secrets it didn’t want to share.

Eva killed the engine and sat there for a moment, letting the silence of the evening wash over her. The wind rustled the trees, the leaves dancing on the road, and for a second, she almost turned the key and drove away. But Alex’s voice echoed in her head, and with a sigh, she stepped out of the car.

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, a smell she hadn’t realized she’d missed until it hit her. She stood at the edge of the driveway, staring at the house. The memories came rushing back

in waves—the laughter of her brother, the late-night whispers, the nights she’d spent staring out her bedroom window, imagining what life might be like beyond the borders of this small, forgotten town.

The front door creaked as she pushed it open, and the familiar scent of old wood and dust hit her. The house was exactly as she remembered it—cold, quiet, and heavy with a strange kind of emptiness. Her footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as she stepped inside, the shadows stretching long across the hall. She hadn’t called ahead, hadn’t warned Alex she was coming. But as she looked around, she realized the house was just as silent as it had been when she’d arrived in town.

“Alex?” she called, her voice breaking the stillness. There was no response, just the soft hum of the wind outside. She walked through the living room, her eyes grazing over the worn-out furniture, the faded photographs on the walls. Everything was still here, preserved in time, untouched by the years that had passed since she’d left.

She paused at one of the pictures—a younger version of herself standing next to Alex, both of them smiling in the summer sun. It was before things had gotten bad. Before the whispers started. Before they’d lost their parents.

Eva swallowed hard and turned away, heading for the staircase. Alex had always been the one who stayed, the one who clung to the remnants of their life here, even when things had fallen apart.

She wondered if he’d changed since she’d last seen him, if the town had twisted him the way it twisted everything else.

The stairs creaked beneath her feet as she climbed, each step bringing her closer to the memories she’d buried. She stopped in front of his bedroom door, her hand hesitating on the handle. A part of her didn’t want to open it, didn’t want to face what might be waiting for her on the other side. But she had no choice.

The door swung open with a groan, and she stepped inside. The room was empty, the bed neatly made, as if Alex hadn’t been there in days. A thin layer of dust covered the dresser, and his old baseball cap sat in the corner, forgotten. The air in the room was cold, and Eva felt a chill crawl up her spine. Something was off. She could feel it, like a heavy weight pressing down on her chest.

She crossed the room and opened the window, letting the fresh air in. As she looked out, her eyes drifted to the woods beyond the house, the thick wall of trees that seemed to stretch endlessly into the night. She remembered how Alex used to play out there for hours, disappearing into the woods without a trace, only to return just before dark, dirt-streaked and grinning. Those woods had always been his escape.

But something in the shadows tonight felt different, darker. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her, lurking just beyond the trees, waiting for her to let her guard down. She pulled the window shut and turned away, pushing the thought out of her mind.

She needed to find her brother.

As she descended the stairs, a sense of unease settled over her. The house was too quiet, too still. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, hoping for a message from Alex. But there was nothing. Just the emptiness of the screen staring back at her, reflecting her own growing anxiety.

Eva sighed and headed for the front door. She needed to check the town, see if anyone had seen him. Maybe he was at the diner, or with old friends. Maybe he was just late, caught up in something she didn’t know about. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t that simple. Nothing in Ash Hollow ever was.

As she stepped out into the cool evening air, the wind picked up, carrying with it a sound she hadn’t heard in years. It was faint, barely audible over the rustling leaves, but unmistakable.

A whisper.

It drifted through the air, curling around her like a dark, invisible hand, pulling her back into the shadows of her past.

“Eva…”

She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. The wind died down, and the whisper faded into silence, but the feeling it left behind lingered.

The echoes had returned.

And this time, they weren’t just memories.

CHAPTER 2: THE TOWN OF ECHOES

FORGOTTEN VOICES

Ash Hollow had always been quiet, almost too quiet. The kind of town where time seemed to move slower, where the days bled into one another without distinction. But as Eva walked down Main Street, she could feel it—the subtle shift in the air, like a ripple passing through still water. The streets were emptier than she remembered, and there was a tension that hung over everything, like the town was holding its breath.

She passed the diner, its once bright neon sign flickering weakly against the dimming sky. Inside, she could see the

usuals—old-timers sipping coffee, staring out the windows with vacant eyes. There was something different about them, something off. It wasn’t just the silence. It was the way they sat there, unmoving, as if they were waiting for something. Or someone.

The bell above the door jingled as she stepped inside. Heads turned briefly in her direction, but no one said a word. The chatter she remembered from years ago, the gossip that had once filled the place, was gone. Instead, there was only the low hum of the fluorescent lights and the faint clinking of dishes behind the counter.

“Eva?” A familiar voice broke through the quiet.

Eva turned to see Mary—the diner’s owner—standing behind the counter. She looked older, more worn than Eva remembered, with deep lines etched into her face. But her eyes were the same—sharp and full of questions.

“Hey, Mary,” Eva replied, trying to force a smile. “It’s been a while.”

Mary wiped her hands on a towel and gave a nod. “Too long. I didn’t think you’d come back after… well, after everything.”

Eva didn’t respond, unsure of what to say. The last time she’d been in this diner, she’d been a teenager, running from a town full of whispers and memories she couldn’t bear to face. And now, standing here again, it felt like no time had passed at all.

“I’m looking for Alex,” she said after a moment. “Have you seen him?”

Mary frowned and glanced toward the corner of the diner where a few regulars sat in silence. “Not for a few days. I thought maybe he was off in the woods again, doing whatever it is he does out there.”

Eva’s stomach tightened. Alex had always been drawn to the woods, disappearing for hours on end when they were kids. But this felt different. He wouldn’t have just vanished without a word.

“You might want to check with Tom over at the general store,” Mary added. “He’s seen Alex around more than anyone lately.”

Eva nodded her thanks and turned to leave, but Mary’s voice stopped her. “Something’s been going on, Eva.”

She turned back, a question hanging on her lips, but Mary spoke before she could ask. “People… they’ve been hearing things. Voices. Whispers, mostly. From the past.” Her voice lowered as if she didn’t want the others to hear. “It’s been happening for weeks now, and no one knows why.”

Eva’s pulse quickened. She thought of the whisper she’d heard outside the house the night before, how it had sent a chill down her spine. She hadn’t imagined it. She knew that now.

“Whispers?” Eva asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Mary nodded. “They started small—faint, easy to dismiss. But they’re getting louder. More frequent. Some say they’re hearing voices they haven’t heard in years. Dead relatives. Old friends. Some are hearing their own voices, things they said a long time ago.”

Eva felt the room tilt slightly, like the ground had shifted beneath her feet. She’d come back to Ash Hollow expecting something strange, but this—this was worse than she’d feared.

“You’re hearing them too?” Eva asked.

Mary’s eyes flicked toward the door. “Once or twice. Thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. But others…” She hesitated. “It’s getting to them. Some folks are barely leaving their houses now. Scared of what they might hear next.”

Eva took a deep breath, the weight of Mary’s words settling heavy on her chest. The whispers hadn’t just returned for her—they were haunting the entire town.

“I need to find Alex,” she said quietly, more to herself than to Mary.

Mary gave a solemn nod and watched as Eva headed back out into the street. The air outside was colder now, the wind picking up, carrying with it faint echoes—murmurs that seemed to brush past her ears like distant memories. She shook her head, trying to focus. She needed to find her brother. Whatever was happening in Ash Hollow, it was clear that Alex knew more than he’d let on in his letter.

The general store was only a block away, its windows dark despite the early evening hour. Tom Granger, the store’s owner, was inside, leaning against the counter, flipping through a newspaper. When he saw her, he raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Eva Blake.” He set the paper down and crossed his arms, giving her a long, appraising look. “Never thought I’d see you back here.”

“Don’t get too excited,” she replied, trying to keep the tension out of her voice. “I’m just here to find Alex.”

Tom’s expression darkened. “He’s been acting strange lately. Stranger than usual, anyway.”

Eva stepped closer. “What do you mean?”

Tom scratched the back of his neck, as if unsure how to explain. “He’s been talking about the voices. Said he heard them first—before anyone else did. Thought it was nothing, but then… well, it wasn’t just him anymore. Now it’s everyone.”

Eva swallowed hard. “When did you last see him?”

Tom’s eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to remember. “Maybe three days ago. He was stocking up on supplies—flashlights, batteries, that sort of thing. Said he needed them for the woods.”

“The woods?” Eva’s voice came out sharper than she’d intended.

Tom nodded. “He’s been spending more time out there lately. At night, mostly.”

Eva felt her heart pound in her chest. Alex had always been drawn to the woods, but at night? That wasn’t like him. Something was pulling him deeper into whatever was happening in Ash Hollow, and she was starting to fear that she was already too late.

“What else did he say?” she asked, her voice low.

Tom hesitated, glancing toward the door as if to make sure no one was listening. “He said… he could hear them clearer out there. The voices. They’re louder in the woods. He said they were calling to him.”

Eva felt a cold wave of dread wash over her. The woods had always been a place of secrets, a place where the town’s boundaries blurred with something older, something darker. If Alex was being drawn into that, she had no idea how she was going to get him back.

“Thanks, Tom,” she muttered, turning toward the door.

“Eva.” Tom’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “Be careful out there.”

She nodded, the weight of his words pressing down on her. As she stepped outside, the wind caught her hair, sending a shiver through her. The whispers were there again, faint but unmistakable, brushing against her skin like a forgotten memory.

“Eva…”

She froze, the whisper unmistakably her own. It echoed from somewhere in the distance, as if it had been pulled from a moment long gone, a time she had tried to leave behind.

The voices were growing louder.

And she was only beginning to hear them.

You’ve reached the edge of the free excerpt…
But the echoes are only beginning to awaken.

What waits in the forest will change everything.
And Eva is about to face the truth she fled for years.

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