If I waited until this weekend, Mandy would have an absolute fit. I promised her I’d bring it tonight. But either my GPS had stopped working or she’d given me an incorrect address.
I took my foot off the brake and applied it to the gas, finding more courage since I had Riley on the phone. If this turned into aThe Hills Have Eyessituation, I had faith he’d find me before I became dinner.
Plus, I hated to admit defeat. “I’m already here.” I could turn around, drive back to the small town, and see if any of them knew the area.
“Cass…” he said, letting my name trail with an unspoken warning.
I was so far away from Pelican Bay I didn’t want to turn back, but the trees closed in a little further and I bunched up my shoulders. I didn’t want to be a chicken, but everything outside the vehicle grew more terrifying with the lack of light.
“Babe, I don’t want you being so far north alone. It’s a long drive home in the dark.”
I smiled at his concern. He reminded me of my eighty-year-old grandparents, who hated to drive any time after dusk. They were always concerned with deer.
“I don’t want it either,” I said. My car wasn’t moving, but that didn’t stop the splatter of blood when the big ass bug flew into the window. It pinged off the glass, but from my wide-eyed stare flew off to die on a different windshield on another day.
“I shouldn’t have let you go,” Riley said, his voice gruff.
Men. I’d never know if it was the tone he used or the actual words he spoke, but it definitely ruffled my feathers.
“Riley, I’m fine.” My voice had way more conviction that I felt, but I was a grown ass woman. I’d lived alone in another state for years. I didn’t come back to Pelican Bay for a week and suddenly lose my independent streak.
I haven’t needed a man to do anything for me since high school and I didn’t plan to become dependent on someone else now. Even Riley.
But shit. These trees were damn scary and the fucking bugs out of this world. They had to be on little bug steroids.
“I’m going to drive a little further on the road. If I don’t see a house, I’ll come back and we can go this weekend,” I said, trying to placate Riley and talk myself into continuing.
A country block was a mile. If I made it to the end of the road and didn’t see any signs of civilization, I wouldn’t be lying when I told Mandy I’d tried my hardest.
“Good. Let me know when you get close and I’ll bring home Chinese,” he said right before we did a quick goodbye.
I argued with Riley when he demanded Whiskers and I go to his place the night someone broke into my brother’s home. I lost that evening, but I wasn’t sure when I decided to stay with him longer and not even attempt to argue about it. And move the cat in, too. And let him bring home Chinese.
I drove further down the road, only trees blocking the way until I reached the top of a hill and then started back on the other side. There, next to the stop sign that marked my mile, was a home. In the most basic sense.
At the end of the road sat an old farmhouse, looking like it used to be white, but nobody painted it since before I was born. The porch sagged, resembling the ones in the town I passed, but smoke puffed out from the chimney. At least it had a sign of life.
Although, who in the hell used their chimney in July?
The home had to be another half a mile ahead of me, but I refused to have driven so far and not at least attempt to deliver the stupid box.
The car inched forward as I hesitated to put pressure on the gas pedal. I wanted to deliver the box and get back to Pelican Bay as quickly as possible, but I wasn’t looking forward to visiting this home. If I thought the trees were creepy, the house grew worse with every bit closer I drove to it.
It was basically the house featured in every horror movie I’d ever watched. To pass the time until I made it to the driveway, I started listing them off—which, in hindsight, may not have been my best decision.House of 1000 Corpses,The Hills Have Eyes,The Hills have Eyes II, that movie where they hunt people for a competition. That one was so freaky, I put the entire title out of my head. Who even thought of those plot lines?
I turned left into the driveway and crossed my fingers the inhabitants of this house were more like the Cleavers than cannibals. Yeah, I’d think happy thoughts and hope the universe delivered.
I pulled the keys from the ignition and wrapped them between my fingers like they teach you in self-defense classes. I’d never actually attended a class, but I’d seen people do it on TV, so I had a general idea of what I needed to do if someone tried to snack on my arm like a drumstick.
Deep breaths. Surely, if they were going to eat me, they’d have met me at the door. I struggled to get the box from the passenger side seat of my car, but I refused to get out and put my back to the scary house if I grabbed it like a normal person.
“You are a kick-ass woman, Cassandra Cable. You’re going to walk this box up, hand the shit over, and then run back to your car.” I repeated the mantra in my head and out loud as I walked to the porch.
The steps creaked with my weight—not reassuring—and the box grew heavy in my arms. For a moment I considered dropping it by the front door, knocking and making a run for it, but I wanted to tell Mandy I completed the job and not lie. I already felt badly enough it took me so long. I couldn’t mess it up now.
I knocked twice, and the door creaked before slowly opening from the weight of my hand. Oh wonderful. Total killer movie.
Okay. It’s fine. I stepped back and then sucked in a breath of air. I’d need it if I had to run.
