The Ash Mill Incident: A Night Reports Novella

By Donna Burgess

Coldwater, West Virginia. Winter, 1973.

Three children have vanished near the abandoned Ash Textile Mill. The sheriff blames the harsh Appalachian winter. The grieving families are silent. But investigative journalist Jack Callahan knows the pattern: institutional denial, isolated towns, and the things that hide in the margins.

Armed only with a notepad, a camera, and a cassette recorder, Jack enters the ruins of the Ash Mill to find the truth. But the mill isn't empty. Beneath the rotting floorboards lies a secret that predates the town-a sound that rises from the dark, mimicking the voices of the lost, learning the names of the living, and refining its lure.

Jack Callahan is about to discover that some silences are heavy for a reason, and some sounds never leave you.

The Ash Mill Incident is a standalone horror novella and the first installment in The Night Reports, a series of 1970s-set investigations into the supernatural. Perfect for fans of The X-Files, Archive 81, and atmospheric folk horror.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H8Q9LWFT
• ISBN13: 9798249027841
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"