Annika jabbed her heels into Compass's sides. He snorted in protest, but he shot off over the hills at a strong gallop. All Annika wanted to do was get as far away from the ghost town that was once her hometown as she could. She also wanted to find Shannon, but she couldn't do that sticking around Horace, could she?

But Annika didn't know where she was going. She just let Compass run free. Then, she grabbed her bearings. What was she doing? Where was she going? She looked around. Just barren hills all around her. She clutched Compass's mane. Great. Now she was lost. 

Annika took deep breaths. She hadn't brought any supplies with her; she was just riding bareback without any sense of direction. She was thirsty, and she guessed Compass was, too. So she gently urged her horse on forward. If they went straight, they would eventually run into something, wouldn't they? 

Yes, indeed, they would. The long hours had dragged by, and Annika and Compass were very tired, thirsty, and hungry. Annika patted her horse's neck. 

"Sorry I did this to you, boy. Don't worry; we found something." Right in front of the tired two was a tiny village that was only about ten blocks in all. Annika could barely get Compass to stumble into the village. It was the dead of night, and nobody was outside. Or at least Annika didn't think anyone was outside.

An eerie harmonica tune whistled through the town and to Annika's ears. 

"Who's there? Anyone?" She called. She heard a raspy chuckle. A man with dark sunglasses, a worn top hat, and ragged black clothes walked out of the shadow of a building. 

"A weary traveler, aren't you? We don't get many of those around these parts. Now don't say anything more; you'll set off Fergus. And you don't want to set off Fergus." The man said. He kept looking at the ground the whole time. He took out his harmonica and played a tune. 

Annika was afraid to speak. Who was Fergus? 

"You might be wondering who Fergus is," the man said. Then he stood up straighter. "FERGUS! FERGUS, BOY!" He barked roughly. Annika heard a shaking sound and tags jingling. Then, a smoky-colored wolf lumbered out of the shadows. Standing on four legs, he was higher than the man's waist. The mysterious man rested his hand on the huge wolf's scruff, right below his dull red collar. "Fergus is my protector, see. I'm blind, so he's a big help to me sometimes." He bent down next to the wolf and whispered something inaudible. The wolf seemed to nod, and then he settled down at the man's feet and closed his eyes. The man turned back to Annika. "I'm Bennett Ray. Kind of the village crazy person. You can speak now; Fergus is neutral." 

Annika nodded and swallowed. "I'm Annika. I come from Horace, and I came back from traveling, and, well, Horace was abandoned. Do you know what happened?" Bennett stroked his stubbly gray beard. 

"When I could see, I traveled everywhere. I know of Horace. A miserable place. I'm not the only person who can't stand that place Horace. Maybe everybody moved away." Annika sighed. 

"Not likely." She explained the slight wreckage. Bennett stroked his beard the whole time. 

"Interesting. I've only heard of something like that happening once, years ago, to a village with a mayor named Casper Hayman. Anyway, child, you must be tired. Come with me; I have a place for you to stay."