Kristen Brand

There’s something deeply unsettling about abandoned buildings.

Maybe it’s the silence. Maybe it’s the feeling that places can somehow remember what happened inside them. Whatever the reason, I’ve always found abandoned locations fascinating—especially old roadside businesses slowly decaying in the desert.

That fascination inspired my newest paranormal fiction video:

This video actually began as a short story I wrote set in the world of Bea and Maggie’s Paranormal Case Files. If you’re new to the series, most of the novels are told from Maggie’s point of view as she investigates supernatural cases alongside exorcist Bea Romo Reyes.

But not every case involves both of them.

Sometimes Bea ends up handling hauntings and possessions alone—either from before she met Maggie or when a case requires her to go solo. This gas station haunting is one of those stories.

The Inspiration Behind the Story

Unlike some paranormal cases in the series, this one wasn’t inspired by a specific urban legend or piece of folklore.

I’ve always been intrigued by abandoned buildings: old motels, derelict Victorian mansions, closed-down gas stations in tiny desert towns. There’s something eerie about places people used to gather that now sit empty and forgotten.

That atmosphere became the foundation for this story.

Of course, to have a story, you need people to go inside the creepy abandoned building, hence the group of bored teenagers breaking into an abandoned gas station… and encountering something they absolutely weren’t prepared for.

A Different Kind of Ghost

One thing that makes this haunting different from some others in the series is the ghost itself.

The spirit haunting the gas station isn’t purely evil. He’s tragic.

In Smoke and Hellfire—the first full-length Bea and Maggie’s Paranormal Case Files book—the entity known as Zadock Saunders is completely malevolent. There’s no humanity left in him. He wants suffering and death.

The ghost in the gas station is different. He’s angry, violent, and dangerous, but underneath all of that is someone who suffered a horrific death and became trapped in that pain.

That’s also why Bea handles this exorcism differently than she normally would.

Readers of the series know Bea usually approaches malevolent entities with a lot more hellfire and brute supernatural force. Talking a ghost down is not typically her style. But in this particular case, she recognizes that what she’s dealing with isn’t pure evil—it’s grief, rage, and trauma twisted into something monstrous.

I thought that made for a more emotionally interesting encounter.

Expanding the World of Bea and Maggie’s Paranormal Case Files

One of the things I enjoy most about writing paranormal fiction is exploring different kinds of supernatural encounters. Some cases lean darker and more horror-oriented. Others focus more on mystery, folklore, or emotional hauntings. And some are funny.

These standalone stories also let me explore corners of Bea’s world that don’t always fit into the main novels.

If you enjoyed the gas station story and want to read more about Bea Romo Reyes, you can start with:

🔥 Cursed Bloodline (Free Ebook)

A paranormal case involving a ghost who’s been killing members of a family for generations.

It’s an exclusive story for subscribers of my author newsletter, and you can get a free copy by signing up.

🔥 Smoke and Hellfire (Book One)

The first full-length Bea and Maggie’s Paranormal Case Files novel featuring exorcisms, supernatural investigations, and a far more malevolent evil.

And if you enjoy paranormal fiction, ghost stories, supernatural investigations, and eerie urban fantasy, there’s plenty more on the way—both here on the blog and on YouTube.