CHAPTER THREE
Titan flung his cap across the room, disgusted that’d he’d clipped a fire hydrant with the front bumper of the truck.
They’d been checking and flushing the lines all week and when he went to pull away, he somehow managed to get a little too close.
The damage to the hydrant was minimal, but someone was going to have to come inspect it to make sure nothing was bent underground.
Thank goodness he hadn’t completely knocked it over—that would’ve been horrific, especially if the water line had burst.
As for the truck, he planned to get with the chief and make arrangements to have it fixed. It wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t pretty either. Since he was the one who’d caused the issue, he felt it was only right to pay for the damages out of pocket.
It’d been almost two weeks since the accident and no, he wasn’t doing okay. It was nothing less than devastating attending Matt’s funeral, saying goodbye to someone he loved, that treated him like a brother. The one person who’d been there for him through thick and thin.
Knowing that his father had been the cause of Matt’s death was completely unsettling.
Yes, Willie had no business driving his old jalopy that time of the morning.
And yes, Matt had no business walking home after a night of drinking and playing cards.
But Titan couldn’t help feeling like he was all his fault.
If he’d only answered his phone…Matt would still be with them.
The way Matt’s sister, Felicia, had treated him at the ceremony hadn’t helped, either.
The way she’d turned her head and refused to even look at him.
Admitting that he was sorry wasn’t going to change anything, he was well aware of that, but could she not see that he was in just as much pain as she was?
“Everything okay?” Randall Bryant, the Crecent Valley Fire Chief stepped up behind Titan causing him to jump.
“Chief, yeah, I’m fine.” Titan leaned over to retrieve the cap off the floor and dropped it onto the table. He felt his face flush, embarrassed that Randall had caught him losing his cool.
“Come on, let’s go have a talk in my office.”
Titan looked at him blankly. Talk? Talking wasn’t going to change anything. It wasn’t going to bring his best friend back.
He’d taken a few days off to attend Matt’s funeral, but he’d come right on back to work, hopeful it would help keep his mind off of things. Unfortunately, he was struggling in the worst kind of way, hence the damage to the hydrant and the truck.
As for Willie, his old man could rot in the fucking hospital.
He didn’t want to see him nor did he care to know how he was doing.
He hoped they carted his ass off to jail as soon as he was released and that’s where they’d keep him.
The man was looking at life behind bars now and it served him right.
The fact that Willie had survived and Matt didn’t would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Need something?” Titan followed him down the hallway. He took the chair across from his chief’s desk and began to pick at a string hanging from the bottom of his Crecent Valley t-shirt.
“I know you’re hurting, Titan. I know this hasn’t been easy for you.”
The man had no idea. He had no fucking clue what it was like to watch your best friend being lowered into the ground. Knowing that your own god-damned father was the one that put him there. That one phone call could’ve made all the difference.
Titan swiped his eyes. “Yeah, well, I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“I want you to take some time off. Go talk to someone that can help you deal with the loss. Take a few weeks. Take a month. Take six months. I don’t care how long you’re gone, just get some help. Your job will be here when you’re ready to return.”
That was easier said than done. Where was he supposed to go? Who was he supposed to talk to? No one wanted to hear about his problems.
“I—”
“I don’t want to hear excuses, Titan. Just go. We’ll make it without you. You need help.”
Chief was right. He did need help. But how do you bring back someone when their life was cut short?
Titan grabbed his things and climbed into his truck. The drive home was a blur…so many memories and lots and lots of tears. By the time he made it home, he didn’t think it was possible he could cry anymore. Crying was good, though, right?
He pulled out a duffel bag from the closet and crammed some warm clothes inside.
Several long sleave shirts and jeans along with a pair of hiking boots and sneakers.
When he zipped the bag, he hardly had room for his socks and sweats.
He had an idea of where he wanted to go, but he didn’t want to cause any more trouble for anyone.
Matt’s family had never cared when he’d stayed at their cabin in Misty Ridge, so hopefully, they wouldn’t mind this time either.
Yes, the circumstances were very different now—he couldn’t blame them for the wedge that had come between their families because of his father and the accident—but it was the only place he felt he could go to find comfort.
In the kitchen, he shoved a few groceries into a couple of reusable grocery bags then carried everything out to his truck.
He’d stop along the way for some drinks.
He drove a little ways out of town then stopped to fuel his truck.
For once, it was nice not having someone stare.
Crecent Valley was a small town and the townsfolk hadn’t bothered to hide their snide looks or expressions any time they saw him.
He’d wanted to get up in their faces and remind them that he wasn’t the one who’d taken Matt’s life, but what good would that do?
He wasn’t a fighter, so it was best he remain quiet.
At the bottom of the mountain, he pulled over to make sure he had everything he could possibly need.
Once he got where he was going, he didn’t want to drive back down.
Not for a few days anyway. He often wondered why no one had bothered to post a sign about there being nothing ahead for the next fifty miles or so.
And by nothing, he meant just that. No food, no cell service, and no fuel.
He couldn’t imagine running out of gas midway up and having no way to reach anyone.
A half hour into the climb, he spotted an eagle soaring through the air.
It glided effortlessly through the sky then disappeared into the pines.
It reappeared a few seconds later with something hanging from its beak.
Titan tried to watch and see where it headed next, but it suddenly became too dangerous to take his eyes off of the road with the sharp twists and turns.
Some parts of the road didn’t even have guardrails!
The skies began to darken and before long, big drops of rain began to bead against the truck’s windshield.
The mountains were always cloudy, but this time a serious storm was just ahead.
As he drove higher and higher, the gusting wind made it harder to stay in his lane.
He hadn’t passed a single vehicle in quite some time, making him feel like he was even more alone.
He turned the volume up on the radio to drowned out the rumbling thunder. If it got much worse, he’d find a spot and pull off until it passed.
The rain didn’t seem to be letting up, though, which was a little concerning.
Had he known it was going to rain, Titan would’ve held off leaving until the next morning.
He didn’t have too much further to go, but it was getting harder and harder to make out the lines on the road.
He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed a sign for a turnout up ahead.
Easing the truck off the side of the road, he leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes.
Whew! He didn’t realize the death grip he had on the steering wheel until he looked down at his trembling hands.
Just to be on the safe side, should there be some other idiot out on the road, he turned on his hazard lights.
Minutes turned into a half hour, yet the rain didn’t seem to be letting up. Not even a little bit. He sat upright in his seat when he felt his truck move.
“What the—”
Titan cranked the truck and quickly turned on the wipers so he could see out of the windshield.
For a minute, he thought someone had pulled up behind him and nudged the truck.
But that wasn’t the case at all. A steady flow of mud slid down the side of the mountain, crossing the road directly in front of him.
He rolled down the window and peered out.
The right vehicle could still drive thru it, but the more time that passed, the riskier it became.
Part of his job at the fire department included search and rescue so he knew just how dangerous mudslides could be.
It was still a good distance from his truck, but when he climbed out to take a closer look, he realized what the movement was he’d felt moments ago.
His back rear tire on the driver’s side was flat as could be.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the rim had sank down into the soft ground.
What next, he thought to himself. First the rain, now a flat.
It’d probably been a year or longer since he’d been to the cabin and he estimated it was still a quarter of a mile away.
Maybe even further. The idea of getting wet—drenched was more like it—wasn’t something he’d planned on, but his options were somewhat limited at that point.
He could carry what he was able to and try to keep it as dry as possible or he could stay in the truck until the rain subsided. And who knew how long that could be.
But the one thing he couldn’t do…change the tire. The ground was much too soft and that would lead to a whole new set of issues if the tire jack slipped.
He pulled on his jacket and zipped it up to his chin.
The rain made it seem much colder than what it really was and he did his best not to think about it.
Tossing his duffel bag over his shoulder, he hoped the outside material would keep his stuff dry.
Then he shut the doors of his truck and double clicked the lock.
He hated leaving his truck, but he was confident no one would mess with it.
If anyone else ventured to get out in this mess, hopefully they’d have enough since to turn around and go back.
His boots were soaked in a matter of minutes as well as the rest of his clothes.
He may as well not be wearing a jacket at all.
As he made his way through the flowing mud, he was reminded just how dangerous it was.
He nearly lost his footing a time or two as he struggled to keep his balance, and when he finally made it safely across to the other side, he had to kneel for a moment to catch his breath.
The cabin ended up not being as far as he thought and the closer he got, all he could think about was stripping out of his wet clothes and climbing into a warm tub of water.
That, and finding something to eat. Hopefully, he could find some soup or ramen in the pantry, anything to get him through until he could make it back to his truck for the food he'd packed.
The outside of the cabin had aged since the last time he was there and was in desperate need of pressure washing.
Several of the shutters looked like were barely hanging on—nothing that a few nails couldn’t fix—but that was really the least of his worries.
Depending on how long he stayed, he’d do what he could to help spruce up the place a bit.
He stopped at the bottom step and scanned the length of the porch. He was surprised to see the set of rockers out front and wondered why Matt’s family hadn’t moved them inside. Oddly enough, they appeared to be in great shape despite the weather and the cushions looked practically new.
Lowering his duffel bag to the porch, he winced when a sharp pain ran the length of his arm.
Thank goodness he didn’t have to carry it any further.
It hadn’t seemed that heavy until now. Using his boot, he lifted the corner of the “Welcome” mat and leaned down to retrieve the key.
Most people wouldn’t dare leave a key in such an obvious place, but he was glad to see it was still there.
Just as he was getting ready to insert the key in the lock, he stopped and cocked his head to the side.
If he didn’t know better, he could’ve sworn he heard music playing.
It’d been a long day and he hadn’t exactly been himself since before the accident, so it was very likely that he was imagining things.
Because really, why would there be music playing?
He shook his head. Nah, he was hearing things. He was crazy but he wasn’t that…crazy. Until he heard it again.
It was possible Matt’s mother had forgotten to turn off a radio. It made the most sense anyway. To think it’d been left on since the last time they’d been there…Oh well, he’d turn it off once he got inside because all he cared to listen to was the sound of silence.
And rain drops.
Geez, if the rain didn’t let up soon he was worried Crecent Valley would flood since many of the streams flowed down from the mountains.
With his hand on the doorknob, he gave the door a slight push. Anxious to get inside and out of the weather, he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw her.
“What the—"