Mark Thompson used to be the creative director at Westley Advertising—good job, perfect marriage, the whole package. But after his wife Emily's betrayal and his father-in-law's ruthless firing, his life completely imploded. Six months of drowning in alcohol left him broke, his bank card declined, and he's humiliated by the pity and scorn of strangers at a convenience store. Just when he hit rock bottom, a strange job posting appeared before him: Substitute teacher wanted at Westlake Academy. $700 a day. The phone interview was unsettling, but the money was too good to ignore. Driving out to the hidden, gothic campus, Mark noticed everything felt… wrong. His GPS died, the road narrowed into nowhere, and stone angels on campus seemed to be weeping. The receptionist, Sarah, was pale as paper, her unblinking stare freezing him to the bone. Worst of all, the job required him to descend into an underground facility—and follow five mysterious rules. When Sarah whispered, "This is as far as I can go," Mark realized he might be stepping into a nightmare with no return. But seven hundred dollars in cash was right there on the table. And when one is desperate, do he really have a choice?