Two teenage girls crouch in tall grass at night, watching cloaked figures gathered around firelight near a burned, abandoned farmhouse. Oil rigs glow in the distance under a stormy sky, casting an eerie orange light across the rural field. The scene feels tense and supernatural, as if the girls have stumbled upon a secret ritual.
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A dark short story highlighting the horrors of elitism

ByTC Marti

Secrets and Demons Near the Junction is a dark short story of a girl who discovers her uncle is part of an elitist Elemental cult.

I wrote Secrets and Demons Near the Junction not long after it became clear someone close to me was more interconnected through sports, business, and politics than I previously thought all the way back in 2022.

After learning some new information about just how interconnected this person was, it jogged my memory and I unearthed the story. And best yet, the characters in this short story make appearances in my Terrian Chronicles series, a small-town slash paranormal academia fantasy featuring two distinct protagonists. You can catch the first story here.

A dark short story filled with local lore

What I love about Terrian Chronicles is how close it hits home. Places like Mingo Junction, Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia exist. And they’re either settings or places mentioned in Secrets and Demons Near the Junction.

The story’s bread and butter talks about a ghostly family that died in a horrific fire in a farmhouse back in 1953. As the legend states: one can see the family within the flames, staring blankly at passersby on stormy nights when they drive by.

I scoured the internet in search of the source I’d crossed years ago and came up empty, so I’m not sure if someone took it off or if I’m just not looking in the right place. My AI searches also came up empty.

Still, it made for a great premise to go with an ultra-disturbing twist.

Elementals are elitists in each series I write

If you’ve followed each series I’ve written, regardless of your entry point — I personally recommend starting with Deceived Mage since it best spells out the magical systems — you’ll know that those who hold Elemental or Mage power often hold the cards.

Well, the same thing goes in this short story. Catch it at The Rogue Scribe on Substack, and subscribe to the Scribe. That’s where I make personal confessions, talk about behind-the-scenes inspiration for my books, and even share long-forgotten short stories like Secrets and Demons Near the Junction.

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