Harvest

by Michele Gwynn

  The first week after his death went by like a nightmare. It was one thing after another until the funeral. She had stood there in the rain, watching his casket being lowered into the ground. It was so final. She had gone a little hysterical after that crying "But he can't BREATHE! How can he breathe in there?"

  Her mother had pulled her into her arms, consoling her. It seemed the tears would never end. Then the shocker came at the reading of his will. Of course, they hadn't been married yet, so Maggie wasn't entitled to anything really, but Brad had made her his sole beneficiary on his life insurance policy. The lawyer said he had made the change two months ago. Brad's mother, Ellen, had yelled and screamed and called her a gold-digger! Maggie couldn’t believe it. What the hell was this woman screaming about? She had just lost her fiancé, the love of her life, and now her almost future mother-in-law was cursing her like a street whore!

  Maggie had run out. She had run out, and had kept running for seven days. She’d driven from one little podunk town to the next until she had reached Farley last night. She checked into the Motel 6 and then had asked for directions to the closest bar. Each little town she had come upon had been toasted and drunk to until she couldn't remember how she got back to her room. She didn't even care. All she cared about was forgetting the pain. Drowning it out. Didn't matter if she never woke up again, as far as she was concerned.

  She grabbed her purse and room key, and headed for the door. She threw it open and stepped out.....

  Maggie stood on the other side of the threshold with her mouth hanging open. Son of a bitch! It's freaking snowing!

  The cold hit her thin, summer clothes and went right into her skin, stinging her. She went back inside quickly, slamming the door. “Snow?”

  "Holy shit!" She looked out the cheap, plastic blinds at the snow falling. It had to be a couple inches thick, and there were icicles hanging from the second floor above her. Maggie went back to her small stash of clothes in her duffel bag. She foraged around until she pulled out one of Brad's long-sleeve button-down's. It was the only shirt with sleeves that she had with her. Hell, it was July, for shit's sake!

  She threw it on over her t-shirt and picked her purse and room key up again. She would have to make a dash for her car and then maybe stop somewhere to pick up a jacket real quick before finding a diner.

  It took forever to warm up her little Honda Civic. Poor thing, it wasn't used to snow. Well, heck, being from south Texas, Maggie wasn't used to it either! She would just have to take it slow, and run the heater! It had been strange to hear the crunch of snow and ice under her shoes

  Maggie’s thoughts were in a jumble. Driving around Farley shouldn't be too hard. It’s a pretty small town, anyway. There has to be retailer somewhere, maybe a Wal-Mart. Might be kinda hard to find a jacket at this time of year though! Oh well, shouldn't take too long. A good, thick sweater, or a running suit top, or something like it will do. The snow has to be some kind of El Nino fluke and will probably be gone by tomorrow.

  Her stomach growled. "Okay, okay. I'm gonna feed you. Just chill out!" Then she laughed! Chill out. Now that's funny. It was the first time Maggie had laughed about anything since Brad died.

  Down the long main street, lights changed but no traffic crossed the intersections. Dave sat in his truck with the heater running, thinking as hard as he had ever done in his life. In the distance, a small red Honda Civic came into view. It drove closer to the corner where Dave sat. Finally, Dave looked up and noticed. He had never been happier to see a car in his life. It meant he wasn't the only person around. He smiled.

  As he watched, the little car started to chug and jerk; slowly it sputtered, then died.

  Inside the Honda, Maggie cursed loudly! "Sonofabitch. What's wrong?" Every light on the dashboard lit up at once. She tried pressing the gas but the car didn't respond. She turned it off, and then tried to turn it back on again...nothing!

  She wanted to cry. It was getting cold inside the car. She reached into her purse and rummaged for her cell phone. She didn't know who she was going to call since no one knew where she was, but maybe she could get a number for a tow truck. She flipped the phone top and pressed the on button. Her phone came on but stayed in the same screen.......searching............then, NO SIGNAL!

  “What? No way!" She threw the phone into the seat, frustrated. She put her hands on the steering wheel and leaned her face on her hands. Okay, think Maggie! What are you going to do? You can't stay in the car, you'll freeze! Where to go...where to go......

  A loud tap on the window startled her! Looking up at the ice-frosted glass, she saw a smiling face looking back. She unrolled the window.

  "Sorry I scared you, ma'am. I noticed your car died. Need some help?" said Dave.

  "Yes! yes I do. I don't know what happened. She just die.." Maggie's voice trailed off before she could say "died". She just couldn't bring herself to say that word.

  "Well, let's get you out of there and inside my truck before you freeze. I can take you to my friend's garage and he can send a tow truck for your car."

  Maggie opened her door, grabbed her purse and keys. She locked the door, kinda funny since it wasn't running. No one would be able to steal it anyway!

  She looked at the man, trying to decide if he was safe. He was close to her age. He seemed like just an average guy, sort of familiar, too, like she’d seen him somewhere. The freezing wind sliced through her thin clothing, deciding for her what was the safest and smartest thing to do.

  They ran back to his truck and got in quick. It was warm inside since he left if running. Thank God!

  "By the way, I'm Dave Forrester." Dave offered his hand.

  "Maggie. Maggie Harris." She took his hand and shook it.

  "Nice to meet you Maggie" said Dave.

  "Thanks for being there. I don't know what I would have done! My cell couldn't pick up a signal and I wouldn't know who to call here anyway."

  "Not from around here, huh?" Dave smiled. Damn, it was sure nice to find someone after the weird morning he'd had. He recognized her as the pretty red-head from the bar the night before.

  "No" Maggie didn't offer any other explanation.

  They drove two streets over and one street left. Dave pulled his truck up to a garage with a big sign out front that read RED'S AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS.

  "Stay here while I go grab Red, okay?"

  "Sure". Maggie smiled.

  Dave hopped out, pulled his jacket close around him and walked/slipped through the snow to the door next to the large garage door. He pulled the handle, but the door was locked. He knocked three times and stood shivering, waiting for Red to open up. He was there everyday, rain or shine.

  No one came to the door. He knocked again, pounded really. "Red! It's Dave, man. Open up!"

  Still no answer. Dave reached into his pocket for his cell phone and dialed Red's number. It rang and rang. He could hear it ringing just beyond the door. Red didn't have an answering machine because he was usually always there to answer. That was strange. Dave disconnected the call and tried Red's home number. There, the answering machine caught the call. "Hey Red, it's Dave. I’m down here at the garage, where the hell are yo....CLICK." The call was lost in one click. Dave looked down at his phone and saw NO SIGNAL!

  "What the freak?" He looked back at Maggie, sitting in his truck. Not knowing what else to do, he went back to the truck.

  Inside, he said "I don't know what's going on. He's usually here. I tried to call him, but the phone lost signal. I can take you to his house, if you don't mind?" It's just around the corner. Maybe the snow kept him home."

  "Yea, what's with this snow? I didn't know it could snow in July. Was there something on the news?" Maggie asked.

  "I don't know. I couldn't get any signal on my satellite this morning." Dave sighed.

  Maggie looked strange. "Ya know, I couldn't get any signal on the TV is my room either, and they're on a cable system".

  Dave and Maggie exchanged confused looks. "Let's just go to Red's a
nd see what's what. There has to be some explanation for what's going on, right?"

  Maggie looked a little more reassured. Dave, on the other hand, looked far more concerned. It just wasn't like his friend not to be at his garage. If he wasn't at home either, Dave was going to start to really get scared because something bad, something really, really bad would have to have happened to keep Red from coming in to work.

  He put the truck in gear and pulled back onto the street. Silently, he prayed.

  The first thing Maggie noticed about Rodeo Avenue was the quiet. Dave wasn’t saying anything. The radio in his truck wasn’t working. The wind had picked up, and howled like a lonely specter while fat snowflakes landed, and then froze, on the windshield. The defroster in the old Chevy worked overtime trying to keep the glass clear.

  In such weather, it would be expected that most people would stay home, but the fact that not a single car had passed them on the way over, and not a single chimney on the few houses that had them emitted any smoke, made for an unnerving silence.

  “So which house is it?” Maggie tried to ease her own nerves with this simple question.

  “It’s the third from the last down there on the right. See the brown one with the basketball hoop in the driveway?” Dave pointed to the driveway where, sure enough, Red’s Ford F-150 was parked. The feeling of relief that filled Dave was strong.

  “Thank God! I was really getting scared that some plague had just wiped out the world or something!” Dave’s laugh sounded good to Maggie’s ears. She, too, had started getting frightened by the bewildering lack of people out and about.

  “I guess people just don’t like to get out in freak weather. Probably something came over the news last night and we just both missed it” she said.

  “Yea. I had a little accident on the way home last night, and it seems to have knocked out my radio here.” Dave slapped the dashboard for emphasis. “Otherwise, I might’ve heard the weather report. I’ll have to call my parents when I get inside. I bet they’ve been trying to call me”. With each word, Dave felt better and better.

  He pulled up in the driveway behind the Ford truck. He turned off the ignition, and ran around to open the door for Maggie who was already letting herself out.

  “Sorry..” she began.

  “Here let me get that for you…” the said their words simultaneously as Dave finished opening the door for her.

  Maggie blushed a little, not used to anyone doing anything nice for her since Brad was still alive. Actually, she couldn’t remember a time when Brad had come around a car to open the door for her. She just always did these things herself. The thought of Brad hit her with renewed pain. As suddenly as the blush appeared, it retreated from her cheeks leaving her skin pale.

  She glanced up at Dave as he cocked out his elbow for her take while he guided her through the snow-covered grass to the front door. He had a good face; strong jaw, but not overly. His nose was a smidge oversized, but seemed to fit him well. His lips were shapely, not too thin, and not too fat. It was his eyes, she figured, that conveyed who he was. They were a light blue surrounded by thick brown lashes. His brows set above them with not much else to do except top them off. He wasn’t one of those facially expressive people whose eyebrows rose and fell in exaggerated expressions. Like the cool blue eyes below, they were just calm, steady. Maggie concluded then and there that Dave was a steady individual; one you could always count on to be who he was.

  They arrived on the front door step, and stomped their feet to get the snow off. Laughing a little, Dave rang the doorbell.

  “Red! It’s Dave” he yelled through the door while trying to blow warm air on his cold hands.

  “Ring it again. Maybe he’s asleep” said Maggie. She was holding her arms around herself in a vain attempt to stay warm.

  Dave rang the bell again then knocked to make sure he roused Red. “Red!” he said again.

  No answer.

  Dave reached down to try the doorknob. It was locked. He looked at Maggie shivering in the cold. He knew he had to get her inside before she froze up like a Popsicle.

  He reached above the door frame with his right hand feeling for the extra key Red always kept there. He knew Red kept that key there for emergencies. Usually the emergency was just that Red forgot his house key.

  “Hold on, Maggie. I’m sure Red won’t mind if we just come in” he said while unlocking the front door. “I’ll just go kick his lazy ass out of bed and then we’ll see what’s what.”

  “Hope he has his heater on” she said, following Dave inside.

  “You and me both!” Dave waited till Maggie passed him then closed the front door. It wasn’t much warmer inside. Apparently, Red hadn’t turned on the heat.

  “Shoot. Not much of an improvement” she said.

  “Darrel Louis Graham, I’m turning on your heat you cheap son of a bitch, and then I’m coming in there to kick your lazy ass. Get up!” said Dave as he flipped on the thermostat in the hallway. It clicked on immediately after he set it to 75 degrees. The smell of burnt air filter hit the air.

  “God, that stinks. I hate the smell of a heater when it first turns on” said Maggie.

  “Yea, it’s not a good smell. Hey Red, did ya hear me, buddy?” Dave continued down the hall and took a left turn into the open doorway leading to Red’s bedroom. Maggie wandered into the living and took in the décor.

  There wasn’t much to take in. An old gray couch with a blue quilt folded over the back occupied the greatest space against the back wall. Above the back of the couch was a wide window that looked out over the back yard. One navy blue recliner sat off to the right and both seating areas faced a 32 inch Sony television. A folding card table made up the dining area with four folding metal chairs. Although it was tidy, it still appeared to be what it was; a bachelor pad.

  Dave came back out into the living room. He stood there saying nothing. His face turned ashen.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” asked Maggie.

  Dave’s eyes connected with hers. She saw something in them that sent a shiver down her spine; not one from the cold, but from sheer fear.

  Without a word, she walked towards Dave, and looked into the bedroom. There, on the unmade bed lay a stain of red in the outline of a human body. Where the hips and buttocks area should have been lay a pair of boxer shorts. It looked like someone had taken red paint and painted the form of a body, then dressed it with a pair of blue boxers with white vertical stripes. It smelled faintly of old blood, like the smell most gals become acquainted with when they have their period. There was never any mistaking the smell of blood. It was faintly coppery.

  “What the hell is that?” Maggie turned her eyes to Dave. They stood no more than two feet apart.

  “Something has happened.” Dave looked haunted. His eyes were looking at her, but were not focused on her. “I have to call my mom. I need to call my mom.”

  He walked over to the phone on the breakfast bar.

  “Is that blood? Is that really blood?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I need to call my mom!” Dave picked up the phone, dialing his parents house. He put the phone to his ear and waited. It rang and rang, but no one answered. His parents didn’t keep an answering machine like most folks. They did have caller I.D., though.

  “They aren’t picking up. They should be picking up!” Dave’s voice got louder with each word. He hung up and stared at the phone. He picked it back up again and dialed 911.

  “Who are you calling now?”

  “The police, an ambulance. Someone! Something has happened to Red” he shouted.

  “You don’t know that yet, Dave” said Maggie. She reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. Dave shook it off.

  “I’ve known Red all my life. I know what’s in that bedroom ain’t right. Something has happened, Maggie. We need help.”

  The line continued to ring with no answer. After the twentieth ring, Dave hung up, hard!

  “Dammit! Where the hell is every
one?” He began to walk through the entire house, checking closets, the other two rooms, then the garage. He opened the backdoor and walked out to the backyard, searching every corner.

  When he came back in, he was shivering, and looking lost. Dave settled his gaze back on Maggie who stood there with her arms wrapped around herself. She waited patiently for him to get a grip. Her big green eyes were filled with compassion, and also filled with something else; fear. He realized he didn’t like seeing fear in her eyes. Get it together, Forrester, he thought. He couldn’t do anything about waylaying her fears just then, but there was something he could do.

  Dave marched back to the closet in the front hallway. He opened the door and reached inside, pulling out a black leather coat. It was Red’s second favorite to his Marlboro brown duster. He came forward and placed it around her shoulders.