“Okay. I’ll start packing up my office.” Sarah stood up, her knees felt like they may give out beneath her.
“I’m going to miss you around here, I really am.” Tom reached out and wrapped his arms around her in a short embrace.
“Thanks.” Sarah left the office stunned. She walked emotionless, down the hall to her office, grabbed a box and began to put her belongings into it.
Rebecca walked in and eyed the box. “Sarah, what’s going on?!”
“I’m being let go… effective immediately.” She said with little inflection in her voice.
Rebecca’s eyes welled up. “They can’t do this to you, you’re the lifeblood of this company!”
Sarah stared at the box on her desk. “Apparently they are ready for some new blood. How depressing is this? Seven years of work reduced to one box.”
“This is terrible, Sarah. I feel awful.”
“Don’t feel bad. I’m just glad you get to stay. I’ll be fine. I’ve gotten through worse than this.” Sarah gave a reassuring smile.
“What are you going to do?”
Sarah shrugged. She looked down at her desk, fighting back a tear, and at the same time trying to find something to say. That’s when she saw it for the second time, the envelope from Homewood. She put that in the box too.
“Maybe I’ll leave town for a bit. Take some time to find myself.” She looked around the office, now feeling betrayed and foreign in a place where she had spent the better part of a decade. “Well, I think that’s it. Call me if you have any questions, I don’t know who my replacement is, but I am sure they will have questions.” Sarah started to choke up a little, but quickly sucked the tears back down.
“I’m going to miss you.” Rebecca said.
“I’ll miss you too, but hey, we’ll keep in touch. Come here.”
Sarah reached out and gave Rebecca a hug. Then she quickly put on her sunglasses, picked up the box and walked down the hallway, never saying a word to anyone and never looking back.
Chapter 4
At a Crossroads
Sarah sat across the kitchen table from her best friend, Emma, who was enjoying her nightly after work glass of cabernet sauvignon. Sarah’s glass looked untouched as she was once again reading over the letter from the law office in Homewood, Nebraska.
“Those shits!” Emma fumed. “They can’t do that to you, Sarah. You should sue!”
“Emma, the thing is, everything they said was right. I am burnt out and I am not the same woman they hired. I lost my passion somewhere along the way and I’ve been floundering for months. I think I actually feel relieved. I would never have had the guts to leave and I haven’t been happy there for a long time.”
“But, are you’re really going to Nebraska? Come on Sarah, you’re not cut out for farm life.”
“Maybe not, but what’s keeping me here, Em? I have no job, no boyfriend, no family....” the last part of that sentence filled her heart with longing.
“You have me?”
“I know and that’s a lot. But this inheritance, it’s the only connection I have to my real family.”
Emma thought for a moment and then nodded. “Then you should do it. Maybe it’ll be good to get back in touch with your roots and reconnect with your past.”
“Yeah, but my aunt is gone... it’s just an empty house now.”
“I’m sure there is some history there. Maybe you’ll meet someone who knew your aunt. Maybe someone even knew your parents… your mother?”
A glimmer of hope sparked up in Sarah’s eyes. Maybe her best friend was right? Sarah felt a new resolve build inside her.
“Tomorrow then…I’m going.”
“Tomorrow?! What the hell? Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Why not? It’s not like I have work or anything,” Sarah laughed awkwardly, “and it’s not like I’m leaving for forever. Just a few weeks, or however long it takes to drive out there, check it out, and drive back.”
“Okay, well in that case we’d better finish off this wine, so you can pack and go to bed. That’s a long drive, honey.” Emma took a large gulp and then looked back at Sarah who still hadn’t picked up her glass. “Ahmmm.”
“Oh, sorry.” Sarah said with a sheepish smile. She picked up her wine glass and clinked her best friend’s glass.
“Cheers! But seriously, Sarah, while you’re there, try to have some fun please. Find yourself a young, hot, farmer and oh, I don’t know, husk his corn, or whatever they do there.”
They both laughed loudly at that. “I’m going to miss you, Em.” Sarah laughed through her wine glass.
“I’ll miss you too. Now get some sleep tonight, you have a long drive in your future.” Emma hopped up from the table and kissed Sarah on the head. “I’ll be by in the morning to see you off. Just text me later what time to be here okay?”
“Okay.”
“Bye.” Emma waved.
Sarah watched her friend walk out the apartment door and then allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. She thought about her family, her dead parents and how she couldn’t possibly find herself, if she didn’t know where she came from. She felt truly sad. Sarah knew so little about her family’s history. In her heart, she knew she was meant to go there- Nebraska. Everything was going to be different now. She looked around her apartment deciding what to bring, and then she decided to bring nothing at all. In the morning, she would pack up some clothes and necessities, and leave all the clutter behind. She had no real reason to uproot quite yet. Emma would watch her place while she was gone and she could mail rent from Homewood if she stayed longer. It was a good plan. Everything seemed to be coming together. She could deal with the rest when she got back. For now, however, it was time to try to get some sleep.
1:15am
Sarah was in her bed sleeping, but not soundly. She stirred, lost again in her dreams. It was a familiar dream. She was a little girl again, sitting in the back seat of her parents’ car. Her father was driving. Her mother sat in the passenger seat.
“Are you excited to meet your Aunt Elizabeth, Sarah?” Her mother asked from the front seat. There was something off about the appearance of her mother’s face. It was blurry and askew somehow- like the distorted reflection from a cracked and broken mirror.
Sarah nodded yes, while playing with her dolly. “Are there horses there, Mommy?” She wiggled her bare toes, waiting for her mother’s reply.
“Yes, she has a stable and everything.”
Sarah’s smile lit up the backseat. Her parents grinned at each other, and then her father glanced in the rearview mirror. He beamed at his little girl.
“Can I ride one, Daddy?” Sarah begged.
“Well maybe a small one. I think she has a pony,” her father explained.
“A pony!” Sarah squealed in delight. Sarah’s father turned his head to laugh at his daughter’s excitement. Her mother was laughing as well, but her eyes seemed sad to the little girl in the blue nightgown. Suddenly, Sarah felt a sharp pain in her belly and cold chill slither down her spine. Her smile faded away and her eyes drained of their color.
“Crash…” The words floated out of Sarah’s mouth involuntarily.
Her father turned his head back toward the road. There was a loud honking coming from in front of them. He jerked the steering wheel. The tires screeched. Sarah’s mother screamed, and Sarah was surrounded by the sounds of glass and metal being crushed.
3:20am
Sarah woke up in a cold sweat, and quickly grabbed the small bottle of pills from her night-stand. She popped one in her mouth and swallowed hard, without water, before laying her head back down on her pillow and closing her eyes. This was all routine for her now.
7:32am
The next morning, Sarah woke up early for the first time in months. She packed three suitcases of clothes, shoes, accessories and makeup. You can take the girl out of LA... she thought and laughed. It was time to leave. But first, she had an errand to run. She’d had an idea during the night, and just t
he thought of it made her smile again.
●
Emma stood on the sidewalk in front of Sarah’s apartment with a look of utter disbelief.
“You bought a truck?” She asked incredulously.
“Hey, when in Homewood.” Sarah smiled as she stepped out of her new pickup truck. “Probably the easiest sale that dealership ever had.”
“I’m guessing you’re right. But where are your cowboy boots?”
“Very funny, Em. I have more bags inside. Here are my keys.” Sarah tossed the apartment keys to Emma and then jogged inside to grab her two last bags. She gave her apartment a final glance and then walked back out to her new truck.
“Traveling light I see. Good idea, clean slate!” Emma laughed.
The two girls just stood there staring at each other for a moment, a long silent moment, until Emma broke the silence.
“Ok, get going. Stop and get a hotel if you get tired and make sure you call me...”
“The minute I get to Homewood. I got it.” Sarah smirked and then reached out and hugged her best friend.
Emma squeezed Sarah back. “I’m going to miss you, bestie. Drive safe and take care of you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few weeks. Don’t kill my plants. I love you, Em.”
“I love you too! Good luck, and try to have some fun! Call me!”
Sarah hopped up into the truck and honked goodbye to her friend as she pulled away, leaving the bustling, LA streets with the interesting names behind her.
Chapter 5
The Long Road to Somewhere
1300 Miles to Homewood. This is going to be a long drive, Sarah thought. She was filled with excitement, anxiety and anticipation.
“Time to get this show on the road,” she said to herself.
She flipped on the radio, and sang along with it to distract herself. But the further along she got in her journey, the further out of range her “go-to” radio stations became. By the time she remembered to set the cruise control on I-15, the stations filled with static.
“I should’ve gotten satellite radio”, she mumbled to herself. She fiddled with the channels, but they were all open-air static now.
Somewhere on the other side of Las Vegas, Sarah became lost in her thoughts. Such a turn her life had taken so quickly. Yesterday, she heard her mind speak to her. It was only yesterday. From the big city, with a big job and great friends, to a long highway alone and jobless, with a small town waiting somewhere on the other end.
“What am I doing?” Sarah questioned herself. There was no answer.
She felt small. The thought made her shake her head. And why hadn’t she ever gotten in contact with her Aunt Elizabeth? Her late mother’s sister was the last tie to her parents, and now she was gone too. It was too late. Sarah wiped a tear from her eye. It was strange, but she was filled with regret and yearning for the family she never had.
The drive was long. Sarah was starting to get tired. She glanced up into the rearview mirror, and noticed that the sun was low on the horizon. How long had she been driving now, she wondered to herself. Eight? Nine hours? She was busy calculating her departure time, minus restroom stops, when she saw it. The road sign wasn’t anything special, but the setting sun glimmered off the green metal sign making it hard to look at. Sarah squinted and the letters came into focus. Signal Hill, population 4,583.
“Are there horses there, Mommy?” The words slipped from Sarah’s deadpan face as the hair rose on the back of her neck. She gripped the steering wheel tighter. Her palms were dripping sweat. This was as far as we had made it, she thought. No Colorado. No Nebraska. No Homewood. No more.
Sarah never knew the whole story surrounding her parents’ death, and it was a moment she didn’t really remember. She was so young when it happened. Only bits and pieces came together for her during retellings in her dreams. As Sarah got older, she tried to erase that it had ever happened. She never wanted to know all the details of the accident. Never wanted to know that her father was killed on impact or that her mother was thrown from the car. Or how little Sarah had stayed a week in the Signal Hill Hospital, and how Aunt Elizabeth had come to visit her in her coma.
Sarah tapped on the brakes and flipped on her indicator. Maybe it was time she stopped pretending. Maybe it’s time to start asking the tough questions. But then, she quickly flipped the turn signal off and hit the reset on her cruise control. No, she decided. This wasn’t her stop. Her foot pushed down on the accelerator and the pickup kept on driving through.
●
The mountains were closer now. Soon she would pass through Cornerstone Junction and then on into Colorado. At some point she would have to stop. But only for a few minutes to fill up, stretch her legs, and grab some sugary snacks. Diet coke and Twizzlers should do the trick, she thought with a tired smile.
The road was long. As the sun went down, there was a noticeable drop in temperature. To her surprise, Sarah could now see her breath- quite the change from her sunny Southern California morning. She had turned off the radio hours ago. For a long time, she was just silent, and her mind was finally silent as well. She was now well into the mountains, and had been driving for more than half the day. There hadn’t been a town in quite a while and white snowflakes were just starting to appear in her headlights.
Sarah thought of Emma. What would she say? Well, she’d say you really should stop, before you fall asleep at the wheel! But there was nothing for miles. No town, no rest stop, and hardly a car on the road. With only a partial objection, Sarah’s mind started thinking about all of her favorite horror movies that had started out much like this. Big city girl driving cross-country by herself, her car breaks down, and she is hunted down by a maniac with a chainsaw- or something stupid like that. She quickly tried to push the thoughts from her mind and pushed down on the accelerator. I need to get somewhere fast, she thought through a sleepy haze.
Finally, she managed to find a working radio station again and hummed mindlessly to the tune. Signs of life! Her mind sang. She was beyond exhausted, but she was also starting to come out of the mountains, and that meant she was closer to Nebraska. After what felt like an eternity, Sarah finally crossed a river and saw the outline of a town. The dim lights of the distant town grew brighter as she made her way up the highway.
“Thank God, I’ve made it!” She yelled with a croaky, tired voice.
She found herself quite relieved and surprisingly excited to see the Welcome to Homewood sign. She passed a gas station and a grocery store. They were both closed. The town was quite dark. She looked at the clock in her truck- it was almost midnight. Up ahead she noticed a sign for a motel, The Wagon Wheel Motel. This is close enough, she thought. I can figure it all out tomorrow.
Sarah climbed out of the truck and stretched her body. The feeling of standing and not sitting behind the wheel was incredible. She walked inside the small lobby of the motel. An old man was dozing at the front desk. Sarah cleared her throat to wake him up, but at the same time was curious if he had one of those little bells. Sure enough, there was one right next to his hand. But before she could satisfy her desire to ring it, the old man woke up from his nap.
“Just getting into town?” He asked sleepily.
“Yes. I need a room, but I’m not sure for how long yet. Can I just pay daily?”
“Yes that’s fine. Just fill this out and I’ll need a credit card. We have cable and breakfast is coffee and donuts in the morning.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Enjoy your stay.” He muttered before resuming his nap.
Sarah grabbed her bags from the truck and dragged them, and herself, up the exterior staircase to the door of her room. They still use keys, how cute. She opened the door, stumbled inside and sat down on the bed, all the while taking in her surroundings. It was like any other motel room. Shabby carpet, questionable bed, a nightstand that surely had a New Testament Bible inside, and the lone, odd-framed print on the wall. She stared at the painting as she leaned b
ack on the bed. It was of a large field full of yellow flowers, and what seemed to be a tiny, but colorfully striped circus tent on a hill in the background. The tent was barely visible though. She strained her eyes for a closer examination, but she was exhausted, and soon her eyes closed, and she was dreaming.
12:36am
Sarah opened her eyes and found herself in a long, dark room, with a low ceiling. Her eyes slowly adjusted, revealing what the damp, musty stench in her nostrils had already told her. She was in an old, decaying cellar. Sarah knew immediately that she was not alone. There was an old, but faceless woman there in the cellar with her. The woman had long, black hair that fell below her waist. She was standing with her back to Sarah, slowly placing glass canning jars on a wooden shelf. Sarah tried to move. She had the strongest desire to run, but she had no power over her legs. She was paralyzed! She was frozen! Her mind screamed at her to move. Sarah looked down and saw that her bare feet were stuck in the cellar floor in some kind of deep concrete mud. The surrounding foundation was cracked and broken and the floor was missing in places, letting the cool dirt rise up from below. Something moved in the corner of her eye. Sarah strained, but couldn’t move her head. Her eyes flicked to the left and caught a glimpse of a tall, dark figure step back into the grey shadows. She held her breath. The figure was no longer visible in the corner of the room, but Sarah could still feel its eyes on her. The feeling was driving her insane, and then a loud crash jolted Sarah’s attention back to the woman, who had just knocked one of the glass jars from the shelf. As the glass jar shattered on the broken cellar floor, Sarah could see that it was filled with bright colorful marbles. The fleeing marbles scattered their colors everywhere across the unlit room. Six marbles rolled all the way to Sarah and stopped in front of her bare muddy feet. Sarah screamed…
1:06am
Sarah awoke still trying to scream, but silently gasping for air instead. She sat up in bed and listened. The distant echo of her out-of-body scream lingered for another moment in her ears. Sweat streaked her forehead and her breathing was heavy. She looked around the strange motel room, taking in deep breaths and wiping the damp palms of her hands repeatedly on the stiff bedding. She stopped suddenly and reached deep into her pocket. When her shaking hand reappeared, it held her small pill bottle. Just holding it made her feel better. She twisted off the childproof cap and dropped two little pills in her hand. She was just about to pop them when her routine was interrupted by the sound of laughing and loud music coming from outside. Sarah slowly got up from the bed and pulled the curtains back from the window. There were a number of people crossing the parking lot and walking towards a little bar across the street. A bright neon sign in the window proclaimed BEER, BURGERS and LIVE MUSIC! Sarah heard her stomach growl as she read it.
Peripheral Vision: A Supernatural Thriller Page 3
