by Amy Cross
I guess there's no point phoning ahead, though, not if the town is still cut off. We'll just have to surprise him.
Chapter Sixteen
Dean
“Wow,” I mutter, turning away from the car and looking across the deserted town square, “this place is a dump! I mean, I've been to dumps before, but this is like a dump inside another dump. It's like...” I pause, trying to think of the right word. “Why the hell would anyone live in a town here? You'd have to be a complete idiot to stay in a place like this.”
“It's not a dump,” Holly replies, pulling her case out of the trunk, “and the people here aren't idiots. Although...” She pauses for a moment. “I've got to admit, it seems even quieter than I remember.”
“No kidding,” I continue, waiting for some sign of life. Feeling something crawling on my skin, I slap the back of my neck, causing a juicy black fly to buzz away. There are plenty of other flies around, too, which I guess is some kind of metaphor. “Are you sure Tulepa isn't like some kind of abandoned ghost town?” I ask. “Seriously, I haven't seen anyone since we arrived.”
“It's late afternoon,” she points out. “The pace of life around these smaller towns can be very different sometimes.”
“Life?” I turn to her. “What life?”
“I told you it might be a culture shock.”
“It's dirty as hell here,” I reply. Looking around, I see leaves all over the sidewalk, and it's clear that no-one has cut the grass on the town square for months. Turning to her, I watch as she struggles to get her suitcase out, and for the hundredth time in the past few weeks I can't help but notice a few wrinkles on the side of her face. She's getting old. Not that there's anything wrong with that, we all get old eventually, but she could do a little more to cover it up. “Seriously, babe, this place gives me the creeps. It's like we've come to the town that time forgot.”
“I'll get us booked into a room,” she replies, wheeling her suitcase toward the hotel's front door. “At least it shouldn't be fully booked.”
“Sure,” I mutter, turning to look back out across the square as I wait for some hint of other people in this crumby town. So far, all I've seen are a few fat flies buzzing past, and I'm genuinely starting to wonder if there's anyone else here. When Holly told me to expect somewhere quiet, I didn't think she meant a completely empty place that looks less like a functioning town and more like the forgotten back-lot of some old movie studio. Hearing a noise nearby, I turn just in time to see a fat little rat scurrying around the corner. I make my way over and look into the next street, but there's still no sign of activity.
In fact, the whole town is deathly quiet, like... Deadsville, Dead County. How the hell do these people have any fun? I guess barn dances and cousin-chasing are what passes for a good time for a bunch of dumb hicks.
Suddenly the silence is broken by my ring-tone, and when I check my phone I see that Sarah's trying to get in touch. I look over my shoulder to make sure Holly's still in the hotel, and then I answer the call.
“Hey,” I whisper, keeping my voice low as I slip around the corner, “I can't really -”
“Are you with her?”
“Sarah, please -”
“I thought you were gonna break it off with her?” she whines. “Dean, you said you'd finally decided to tell her about us and that was, like, a week ago!”
“I will,” I reply, swatting away another fly, “it's just... It's not the right time, not yet. I've gotta be delicate.”
“So when will it be the right time? When I'm at four months? Five? Or are you gonna wait until the baby's born and then maybe get around to telling her about me?”
“Of course I won't wait that long,” I reply. “Sarah, babe, seriously... It's just delicate, you know? I don't want her freaking out on me, so I need to choose the right moment. The last thing I want is for her to get bitchy.”
“Are you still sleeping with her?”
Sighing, I realize I need to get her off the line fast. “I can't exactly stay on the couch.”
“You need to break things off with Holly by Monday,” she replies, “or maybe I'll drop by her office some time and show her my bump. She's a doctor, isn't she? I'm sure she can put two and two together, especially after she almost caught us kissing last month.”
“Don't do anything like that. Please, Sarah, don't be stupid. Just let me handle this. I'll end things with Holly soon, I swear.” Spotting movement nearby, I turn and see a girl watching me from a doorway. She's the first stranger I've seen since we got here, and damn, she's hot. Best of all, she's smiling at me like she knows exactly what I'd like to do to her, and her shirt looks to be one size too small, clinging just right to her chest, and open almost all the way down.
Suddenly I realize that Sarah has been talking some more, but I didn't hear a word she said.
“I'll break it off with Holly soon,” I stammer, figuring that's what she wants to hear the most. I can't break eye contact with the hot girl, though. “I swear.”
“You've been saying that for months.”
The hot girl winks at me.
“I...” For a moment, all I can do is stare at her. This is like heaven come true.
“Dean?” Sarah says after a moment. “Are you still there?”
“Trust me.” Spotting movement at the door to the hotel, I turn and see Holly waving at me to join her. “Gotta go,” I whisper into the phone. “Do not call me again this weekend, okay? You've just gotta trust that I'm doing the right thing. I love you, babe.”
Before she can reply, I cut the call and look back toward the hot girl, only to find that she's vanished. Still, she's gonna be in my dreams tonight, and I might just try to track her down later if I manage to slip away from Holly. After all, that girl blatantly wanted me, and I'm probably the first good-looking guy to set foot in this dump for years. Turning, I head over to where Holly's holding the door open for me.
“Sorry,” she says, “I didn't mean to interrupt.”
“Just my broker,” I tell her, kissing her cheek as I slip past and enter the foyer. To my surprise, there's actually a man behind the counter, shuffling some papers into a pile, albeit some ancient guy who looks like he should be wrapped in bandages and buried under a pyramid. He turns and gives me an old guy, dumb-ass smile, and I can immediately tell that he's harmless enough. “Hey buddy,” I say as I reach the counter. “I hope you've given us the best room in the house, yeah? We don't want some shoebox with a toilet at the other end of the corridor.”
“I'm sure you'll be comfortable,” he replies dourly.
“Got us the suite, did you?” I ask, turning to Holly.
“I got us a room on the ground floor,” she replies, holding up a key. “I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“If you hear some banging and some moaning sounds,” I continue, turning back to the guy behind the counter and patting his shoulder, “don't come knocking, okay?” With a wink, I turn and take the key from Holly and then we make our way across the foyer in search of room 105. “How much was it?” I ask. “Don't worry, I'll pay you back for my half in a couple of weeks.”
“The guy at the counter seemed a little off,” she replies, keeping her voice low as we head along the corridor. “I asked him why the town was so quiet, but he just said it's always like this. I mean, it was quiet three years ago, but not this quiet.”
“I guess the locals are happy with life at a snail's pace,” I mutter. “You don't have any male cousins in Tulepa, do you? Wouldn't want them to try lifting your skirt -”
“Dean!” she hisses, grabbing the key from my hand. “Can you try to be a little less offensive?”
Reaching the door to room 105, she gets it unlocked and then leads me into a cramped space that smells of dust and damp.
“Please tell me this isn't our room,” I mutter, unable to hide my disappointment as I head to the window, hoping to crack it open and get some air in here. “I'm starting to think going to your Mom's place would've been a better option.” As I
pull the curtain aside, I spot the hot girl outside on the other side of the parking lot; she smiles at me for a moment, before disappearing from view. Damn it, I think she actually wants to get some action.
Glancing over my shoulder, I watch for a moment as Holly sets her suitcase on the table and starts to unzip the sides. It's barely bigger than a closet, and there are dark brown stains on one of the walls. I've stayed in some crumby joints over the years, but this is like stepping back into the 70s.
“It's not paradise,” Holly says, as if she can read my thoughts, “but it's kind of fun, don't you think?”
“I might take a look around later,” I tell her. “While you're off finding your uncle Eli, I mean.”
“You're not going to come with me?”
“Well, I want to see a little more of this place. You're right, I was being dismissive earlier, treating it like a caricature, so I should get a better angle and kinda flesh it out. Maybe I can meet some of the locals and find out what makes them tick, then we can meet up later and have dinner with your uncle. How does that sound?”
“Sure,” she replies. “Whatever you want.”
Turning to look back out the window, I see that there's no sign of the hot girl, but she definitely noticed me earlier and I've got a feeling she won't be too hard to locate. I just have to make sure I'm really discrete, because the last thing I want is to break up with Holly in this dusty little town, especially since there's probably only one bus a week out of here. Plus, it'd be a little inconvenient to have to find my own place when we get back to New York, so I need this relationship to keep bubbling along for at least a few more months. A moment later, I watch as a fly scurries past on the other side of the window pane; I bang on the glass, causing it to take flight.
“I need to take a shower,” Holly says after a moment, “and then I'll head off to Eli's.”
“You do that,” I mutter, before turning to her and watching as she heads to the bathroom. “I think I'll go look around, maybe sample some of the local hospitality.”
Chapter Seventeen
Holly
As soon as I get to Piebarton Road, I can tell that something's definitely not right. Not only is Eli's house an unkempt mess, but the other houses nearby are in no better state. All the lawns are untended, and the apple tree in the neighbor's garden looks as if it's on the verge of death, with rotten fruit all over the grass.
It's almost as if everyone in Tulepa just gave up.
When I get to Eli's door, I spot something else that doesn't make much sense. When I was here a few years ago, Tatty and I broke a window to get into the house, and that same window is still broken today, as if Eli never gave any thought to getting it repaired. I pause for a moment, before knocking on the door even though I'm starting to think there won't be any answer. Taking a step back, I look over toward the street and spot someone going into one of the other houses. There's definitely still life in Tulepa, then. Just not a lot.
As if to prove that point, I spot a few fat flies buzzing through the air.
After a couple of minutes, and having tried knocking a few more times, I make my way to the window and peer inside. The place looks much the same as I remember it from last time, although the broken window has allowed dirt and old leaves to get blown inside, and I figure there's no way anyone can actually be still living here, not in such filth. Realizing that I need to check for certain, however, I carefully climb through the broken window, struggling a little to keep from cutting myself on the glass. It's not easy, and I knock another broken piece to the floor, but somehow I'm able to make my way through. Once I'm inside, the fusty air is immediately striking, as is the sense of stillness. It's strange how you can tell when no-one has passed through a room for a while.
In fact, I feel as no-one has been in here for years, maybe even not since Tatty and I came to search the place.
“Eli?” I call out, just in case he didn't hear the knock at the door.
Making my way through to the hallway, I glance up the stairs.
Silence.
“Eli?”
When I get to the top floor, I check the bedroom and then I push the bathroom door open. Last time I was here, there was dried blood in the bath; that same blood is still there today, albeit fainter and darker now, as if it has just been left to dry on the porcelain. The mirror above the sink is broken, though, which I'm pretty sure wasn't the case before, so I guess maybe Eli has been here at least once, even if he didn't stick around. I don't understand what's going on, but there's no way he can be living here, not in such filth. I guess maybe he sold up and the place has been left to rot. I guess it might not be so easy to find Eli this time either, in which case I need to enlist some expert help.
***
“Hello?” I call out, after knocking again on the door to Tatty's parents' house. “Is anyone home?”
Again, there's no answer. Last time I was here, this place was immaculate and well-maintained, but now it seems to have been left to go to ruin, just like the other houses in town. I take a step back and look up at the windows, but there's no sign of life, and I can't help wondering whether Tatty and her family moved away. I guess it's possible that Tulepa could have suffered some kind of economic collapse, even if everything seems to have gone to hell in just a few years. Sure, the town wasn't exactly full of life when I was here before, but it seemed to be rumbling along at its own speed. Sighing, I check my phone and see that once again I've got no signal. Swatting away a fly, I can't help but feel as if Tulepa is completely sealed off from the rest of the world, which seems impossible in the twenty-first century.
“Great,” I mutter. “Talk about deja -”
And then suddenly I hear someone singing.
It's just a faint sound, and after a moment I realize that it's coming from around the back of the house. I make my way to the gate at the side and swing it open, and then I head around until I spot a figure sitting with her back to me on the steps that overlook the wild, overgrown garden. She's singing quietly, her voice sounding pained and delicate as she goes through a lullaby that I vaguely remember from my own childhood, and she seems to be rocking something gently in her arms. The scene is strangely peaceful, and I feel as if I shouldn't interrupt, but at the same time I need to know where I can find Tatty.
“Hello?” I say cautiously, taking a step closer.
The singing continues, and the woman doesn't look around.
“Hey,” I continue, “I'm really sorry to disturb you, but I was looking for someone who used to live here.”
Still she sings, and I can't help noticing that she has a young, pretty voice.
“So sleep like an angel,” she continues, still rocking a bundle in her arms, “and know that you're loved. Mama is here to show you the way, so there's nothing to fear, no reason to cry. Mama loves you, my darling, and Mama always knows best...”
“Hi -”
Suddenly she stops singing, but she doesn't look round and she's still rocking whatever's in her arms. I guess she must have a baby, although from the lack of sound I'm starting to wonder if she's actually holding a doll.
“I'm looking for a girl named Tatty,” I continue, feeling as if I'm definitely intruding. Finally, I take a step back. “Natalie Sutton? She used to live here with her parents. It's okay, though, I can -”
Before I can finish, she turns toward me. She's young, younger than me, with shadowy bags under her eyes and chapped, sore-looking skin. It takes a moment, but with a sense of growing shock I realize that this is Tatty, albeit three years later and looking absolutely exhausted and worn down. She stares at me for a moment, as if she doesn't recognize me, but then finally a faint smile flickers across her face.
“Holly?” she whispers, her voice sounding cracked and dry.
“Hey,” I reply, stepping closer but stopping when I see the baby in her arms. Its face is completely still, stiller than resting or sleeping, almost as if...
“I didn't expect to see you back in Tulepa any time,” Ta
tty continues in a flat tone. She tries to smile, but something about her expression seems unnatural, almost forced. “How long's it been? It must be years now.”
“Three, I think.” I pause, before taking another step toward her. I can't help staring at the baby, waiting and hoping for it to move.
“Oh,” Tatty says after a moment, as her smile broadens, “you're probably wondering about Robert, aren't you?” She looks down at the baby, which is clearly no more than a couple of months old, and slowly she places her hand against the child's face and strokes his cheek. “Yeah, a lot of things have kind of changed since the last time you were here. I had Robert on July third, the July just gone, so he's still very young. It's just me and him now, but we're muddling through.” She pauses for a moment, before leaning down and kissing the child's forehead. “They don't come with manuals. I'm still leaning how to do all of this.”
“You are, huh?” Feeling distinctly uneasy, I glance back at her parents' house and see that several of the windows around this side are broken. In fact, the whole yard is a mess, with pieces of upturned patio furniture all over the place and dead flowers in the borders. Looking back at Tatty, I watch as she carefully tightens the stained shawl around the baby's body, as if to keep him warm. “Tatty,” I say cautiously, “do you... I'm a doctor, remember? Do you mind if I take a look at your son?”
She turns to me with a frown, as if the request is surprising. “Why?”
“Just...” Taking a deep breath, I can't help noticing that something seems very different in Tatty's eyes, as if all her vitality and enthusiasm has ebbed away. “I'd just like to see him, that's all. I promise I won't hurt him, I just want to hold him. Has he... Has he been checked over by a doctor since he was born?”
“Why would he be?”
“It's kind of...” Pausing, I realize that my worst fears are coming true. “There was a doctor present for the birth, wasn't there?”
