Cover art for The Last Live Hour
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The Last Live Hour

by Smagik

Tonight is the final broadcast of WVAL, the Appalachian valley’s beloved community radio station. In the cramped studio, four people face the microphone for the last time: Marian Pike, the station manager who made the call to end it; Emmett, the young evening DJ who has never wanted another job; Sully, the old-timer chief engineer who knows every crackle and hum of the equipment; and Lottie, the investigative journalist who’s never stopped fighting for the station. The reader is an unnamed witness who has stumbled into the booth to help pack up—or so they thought. As the on-air hour ticks down, a sudden catastrophic failure silences the transmitter. The backup fails. The station is dead before its time, and it’s clear someone made sure of it. With the valley listening and expecting answers, the four must decide what to say on air about why they’re going dark. But the truth is tangled in years of secrets: an illegal power boost, a farm fire, a pirate signal in the hills, and a young woman’s desperate plan to save the unsavable. Phone calls from listeners bring the outside world crashing in—memories, accusations, and one voice from the past that changes everything. The reader must sift through conversations, search the studio for clues, and piece together a timeline of betrayal before the final sign-off. Every choice of what to pursue reveals another layer, but the clock is relentless. By the end of the hour, the culprit is exposed, and the station’s fate is sealed—but what the reader chooses to do with the truth will echo long after the signal fades.

Read an excerpt

The studio clock clicks to the hour, and a red light blinks on the console. A high-pitched alarm tone fills the room. Emmett lunges for the console, fingers darting across buttons. The alarm cuts, but silence rushes in, heavy and wrong. Sully is already at the rack, pulling a cart from the slot. His hands move with practiced speed, but his face is pinched.

The world

The Valley Dial

The Valley Dial is a small, independent radio station broadcasting from the basement of a converted church in the fictional town of Bitterwood, nestled deep in an Appalachian valley. Founded in 1978 by a group of residents who wanted to preserve local music, stories, and emergency communication, the station runs on a shoestring budget and the dedication of its volunteers. The station’s single AM tower on Bald Knob is a local landmark, and its signal reaches the hollers and farms that cell service forgets. The station’s licence comes up for renewal every eight years, a process that has always been a formality—until now. The community is woven together by church suppers, high school football, and the familiar voices on the radio. The station’s programming is an eclectic mix of bluegrass, local news, swap-shop call-ins, and preachers’ sermons. The volunteer hosts are known by name and voice, and the station is a source of pride. But beneath the surface, generational tensions simmer: younger volunteers want to stream online and play indie folk, while the old guard insists that AM is the only way to reach everyone. The valley itself feels both isolated and eternal, with misty mornings, winding gravel roads, and the constant hum of cicadas in summer. The world of The Valley Dial is one where secrets don’t stay buried forever. The station’s logs, old tapes, and the memories of its listeners hold the history of the valley. When the licence renewal is suddenly challenged, the volunteers must dig into that history and confront the fact that the station’s most familiar voice may also be its greatest threat.
Explore this world

Who you'll meet

  • Marian Pike

    Station Manager, WVAL

    Station manager Marian Pike holds WVAL together with calm authority and the fatigue of someone who has been solving problems for too long. A clipboard remains in hand even after there is nothing left to log.

  • Emmett

    Evening DJ, WVAL

    Evening DJ Emmett loves WVAL with an earnestness that makes the station’s final hours feel personal. When nerves rise, his hands find a patch cable or record sleeve before his words catch up.

  • Sully

    Chief Engineer, WVAL

    WVAL chief engineer Sully fills a room with a booming welcome and an easy laugh. The shadow behind his good humor shows most clearly when his tuneless whistle replaces an answer.

  • Lottie

    Volunteer News Reporter, WVAL; Freelance Journalist

    Volunteer reporter Lottie asks quiet questions with an intensity that makes guarded people reconsider. Her pen clicks steadily while she listens, marking the moments she intends to revisit.

  • Jesse Pike

    Drifter, former musician

    Jesse Pike is a drifter and former musician whose magnetism arrives with a bitter edge. Their fingers keep time against their thigh, following a song nobody else can hear.

What to expect

  • 8 episodes
  • Who you'll meet Marian Pike, Emmett, Sully, Lottie, Jesse Pike
  • The world The Valley Dial
  • Your progress is automatically saved.

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