Blood Inheritance
By Chuck Semenuk
The Scottish countryside was beautiful. Ethan had never been there before but felt compelled to follow a specific route. He drove almost robotically, programmed for a predetermined destination. His mind wandered to another place, a dark world inhabited by demons and death.
After being on the road most of the day, Janet was exhausted. Being six months pregnant with their first child, she was ready to stop somewhere for the day; anywhere. She hadn’t wanted to take this trip but Ethan was insistent. His family had come from this part of Scotland and he had always wanted to come here. They were very well-off financially so money wasn’t an issue; Janet just wished that they could have taken the trip after the baby was born.
“Ethan, I’m so tired and hungry. Do you think we can stop somewhere for the night?”
Snapping back to reality Ethan replied “Sure, honey. I guess I’ve been enjoying the drive so much I just lost track of time. There’s a nice little inn just around the next bend.”
Janet stared at him. They hadn’t seen a soul in the past hour. What makes him think there’s an inn around the bend? As they rounded the bend in the road, a building came into view; the sign over the door read “Doo Brae Inn,” the English translation, “Dove Hill Inn.” Janet’s mouth hung open. How could he know the inn was there?
