Back in the truck, I headed to Abby’s Second Hand and Foot Used Goods. I knew I could always pop on my laptop and order furniture delivered new, but I was curious about the store and the owner. Pulling up along the cracked sidewalk littered with old street lamps, I got out and looked around. Years of dirt and sun-beaten storefronts lined up one next to the other. Fliers about donations and the local foodbank covered the glass door while antiques sat in the window displays. Opening the door, I heard a bell chime, and a woman’s voice called out, “If you’re looking for the food bank, you’ll have to visit the church first for a voucher.” I recognized the owner when she walked around a long shoe rack displaying used heels and sneakers. Looking me over, she said, “Oh, it’s you.” I didn’t know how to take it, so my suave response was, “Yes, it’s me?” She rolled her eyes, “At the gas station, red truck? Almost hit me?” I nodded and cracked a sheepish smile, “Ah, faded blue tru
It was well past midnight, and I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was being a bitch and refused to come. Earlier, I’d spoken to Eric, informing him of my decision to buy the home, and he was more excited than I was. “Man, that’s great news! If there’s anything you need, tell me. I got you covered, and hey, it’s a good step. You can move on and get a fresh start. Age doesn’t rewind, you know? Maybe find your pen, and pick it up? But hey, I gotta go. We got a newbie who signed with an illiterate asshole who thinks we’re paid to write for him. Talk again soon!” That was the extent of his congrats, which was fine with me. He was still making money off of me, but the moment I start sending him transcripts and outlines, he’ll be up my ass, pushing me for even bigger dollar signs. I still can’t figure out why I bought the home. Maybe I felt pushed or subconsciously wanted to stop running around. Who knows, if the place doesn’t work after I move in, I could always sell it to
I started to get up, thinking that if I intervened at that moment, I'd wake up in a cold sweat, and the dream would be over. But the boy grabbed my sleeve, and like a vice grip yanking me back, I stumbled and made a noise. William's father stopped on the stairs. I could see the back of his mud-covered boots now. If William's momma wasn't mad about muddy boot prints in the house, then what the young boy did must have really pissed her off. He was wearing jeans, also caked with dry mud. I could smell the manure on him, and I remembered smelling the same thing in the warehouse. "I hear you breathing, boy. Might as well come out now." We didn't move, and I could feel William's arm lift to cover his mouth again. My attention was drawn back to peeking between the steps as his father took another step down, and then, it was like I was watching an old familiar cartoon, the man bent in half at such an angle that I didn't think was possible. The oil lamp swung gently as he held it out, m
Sitting up in a familiar state of sweat, or what I thought was sweat, I realized what woke me. Looking up, I could see tons of water droplets coming down from the ceiling. It was leaking while the rain beat at the window outside. The sound of thunder cracked loudly, and I shook my head. "Fucking great," I mumbled as I pressed my hand down into the soggy bed. Grabbing my phone from the side table, I looked at the time. It was only four in the morning, so that meant I'd only slept maybe three hours, but the dream, fuck, it made it feel like I had slept the entire day. Getting up, I changed into a hoodie and jeans before heading to complain about the leak. I noticed the water was dripping on the tv stand and carpet by the bathroom. I wasn't about to sleep on the wet floor. Somehow, again, I ended up in a room with shitty conditions. Opening the door, wet wind slapped at me. I pulled the hood over my head and slammed the door behind me as I tried dodging the rain and went throug
I was done with the Motel of Horrors. After Tina had left me to ponder my life choices, I finally turned in the room key. There was no point in asking for a refund. Even if I knew what I’d seen and what I didn’t afterward, I couldn’t prove it. The early morning was a gray, foggy mist leftover from the rain that still threatened overhead. I decided to head out to the new house to unlock the door and unload the crap in my truck. It wasn’t a big deal driving out there, the distance from town wasn’t too bad, and the main strip of road was deserted at this time. Finally, after about 15 minutes of driving, I reached the turn for the long gravel driveway. The weathered for sale sign was gone. Someone had apparently removed it. Usually, a person or family is happy with sunshine coming out of their ass when they buy a home, and I used to be that kind of someone. But not today. Between the dreams and subtle things that looked like warnings, I wondered if I’d genuinely made a mistake. Anothe
It took a little under an hour to get everything moved. The rain held, but the wind decided to make itself known as we carried the desk up the small steps. “We’ll have to bring it in the sliding glass door. I don’t think we can fit it in this one,” Abby said, setting her side down. “Yeah, looks that way. Let’s head around the back then.” Walking around the side of the house, both our steps sunk into the ground as we carried the heavy desk to the back patio door. “Shit, it’s still locked. Set it down, and I’ll unlock it,” I told her as I set my side of the heavy piece of junk down and headed back around to the front door. Coming in the front door, I could see our muddy tracks, but something caught my eye. Muddy shoeprints were going into the hallway towards the bedrooms, also. We had set everything up in the living room, and I didn’t recall either of us going back there. I followed them to the back bedroom. They were comparable to mine in size, but I couldn’t tell if they we
“Good to see ya again, Mr. Lake. I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself properly last time. Names Buck Johnson,” the large farmer said, holding out his hand. I took it reluctantly and shook it, getting a smile from him. “Nice to meet you again,” I replied politely. “So’s, I hear you ended up buying the place after all?” I nodded, glancing between him and the sheriff, “Yeah, I figured it’d work for what I was looking for.” “Good deal, and I suppose you won’t need to use that barn?” I shrugged, looking away, not sure how I wanted to respond. “Nah, he’s a writer, probably wouldn’t know the first thing about using a combine, am I right, Mr. Lake?” I looked at the man, tempted to say no because I could pay someone else to use it, but instead just smiled, replying, “I suppose you are right, sheriff. Anyway, it was nice seeing you both again. Take care now.” I gave them a quick nod and turned, trying to get back to my truck. They didn’t say anything or call after me, to which I
When I say shadows, I didn’t mean the kind that appears when the sun is bright. These were dark, deep, nothingness, more of a blur rather. I blinked several times, and when I slowly turned my head to see them, they disappeared. They were gone, completely. I went back to the bathroom and flipped on the light. Leaning forward in the mirror, I pulled back the skin around my eye, seeing if I had something sticking there. Nothing, my eyes looked the same, bloodshot, with heavy bags drooping underneath. Splashing water on my face, I looked back into the mirror, and that’s when I caught sight of the shadows standing behind me. I yelled in a panic, almost climbing on the toilet as I turned around, but nothing was there. I glanced back to the mirror, but nothing dark and looming stood there. The bathroom was empty, void of anything other than myself. I sat on the toilet for a minute, trying to gather myself back to reality, my heart thumping in my throat. It had to be all in my mi