Chapter 11 #2
“Charlotte’s going to a dinner party with her parents. Did you eat yet?”
“I had the leftover pizza in the fridge. I would’ve waited if I knew you were coming home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just eat in my room.” I watch as he takes the metal cover off the mower. “What happened? Did it break?”
“It won’t start. I called the repair guy and he said I need a part. I was going to go get it, but I think I’ll wait until tomorrow. I need to do some paperwork tonight.”
“I could go pick it up.”
“It’s not here in town. This is a custom part. The shop’s about an hour away.”
“I don’t mind. It’d give me something to do.”
He looks up from the lawnmower. “You really want to go? It’d save me a trip, but I’m not sure I want you driving out there alone. It’s in the middle of nowhere.”
“Is the guy that works there a psycho or something?”
“Not at all. He’s an old guy. Kind of reminds me of your grandfather.”
“Then what’s there to be worried about? I’ll go there, get the part, and come home. It’s better than spending all night in my room.”
And it’ll give me time to think. Sometimes I do my best thinking when I’m driving. This will be good.
“Let me go get the money,” my dad says.
We head into the house, and I see a trail of mud on the floor. My dad’s always making a mess and doesn’t even notice. I wonder if he was like that when my mom was alive. She died when I was four, so I really don’t remember.
“He said it’d be one hundred and fifty dollars,” my dad says, handing me the cash. “But I gave you two hundred, just in case.” He winks. “You can keep the change for doing this for me.”
“I get fifty bucks just to pick something up? You got any other errands I could run?”
He smiles. “Not tonight. Oh, you’ll need his card.” He pulls it out of his pocket. “The address is on there and his phone number, in case you get lost. Now hurry up and go. I don’t want you driving out there when it’s dark.”
“Why are you freaking out so much? I’m just driving there and coming home.”
“You’re my kid. I always worry about you.” He goes past me to the door. “Call me when you get there so I know you made it.”
“Yeah, got it.”
When he’s back outside, I scarf down the last slice of leftover pizza, then look up where I’m going. It’s about a forty-minute drive each way, and like my dad said, it does seem to be out in the middle of nowhere.
I grab my keys, get in my truck, and head out of town. It’s a nice drive with winding roads that go through mountainous terrain. There aren’t many towns out here and the few that exist are off the main road. I haven’t even seen a gas station.
After forty-five minutes, I arrive at the blue concrete building that I wouldn’t even know was a business if the map on my phone wasn’t telling me this was it. The sign is so faded you can’t even read it.
Before I go in, I text my dad. Made it. Going inside now.
An old man with a long, white beard comes out of a rusty metal door, waving at me.
“You Ella?” he yells.
“Yeah,” I yell back, getting out of the truck.
“Come on in,” he says.
I follow him inside and see parts scattered everywhere.
“It’s over here,” the man says, climbing over a stack of newspapers to a counter with a cash register.
I meet him over there, getting out my money. “A hundred and fifty?”
“A hundred sixty seventy-five with tax.”
I hand him the money.
He smiles as he gives me the change. “Couldn’t get a date tonight?”
I smile back. “Didn’t want one.”
He nods. “Already had it with men, huh? You sound just like my daughter, but she’s forty and divorced with two kids. A girl your age should still have faith the right one is out there.”
“I’m not even thinking about that. I need to get through college before I worry about guys and marriage and all that.”
“Smart girl.” He hands me the change. “But there’s nothing wrong with going on a date now and then.”
“My dad would disagree.”
He laughs. “I could see your father being that way. He’s always talking about you, saying how proud he is of you. I’m sure he’s in no hurry to have boys showing up at your door.”
“Yeah. Well, I should go.” I pick up the part.
“Need some help carrying it out?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks!”
When I’m back in the truck, I text my dad again. Got the part. Heading home.
On the way here, I was so focused on finding this place that I didn’t think about my strategy with Briggs. I really have no idea where to start. If I don’t know what he’s going to do, how do I defend myself?
I’m halfway home when storm clouds roll in, making it dark and hard to see.
There aren’t any street lights out here, and the headlights on my truck are clouded over.
The light rain turns to a heavy downpour, fogging up my windows so I can’t even see what’s in front of me.
I slow down and pull over to the side of the road.
The rain is going sideways now, rocking the truck.
I get out my phone to tell my dad I’ll be late, but I don’t have a signal.
I shut off the truck, noticing I’m low on gas.
After ten minutes, the rain finally slows to a light mist. I go to start the truck, but it won’t start.
It’s done this before. I just need to wait a minute and try again, but when I do, it still doesn’t start.
I try it over and over for fifteen minutes.
“Shit,” I say, resting my head on the steering wheel. “Come on. Just start.” I turn the key, but nothing happens.
It’s almost eight. My dad’s gonna freak out that I’m not home, and I can’t even call him to tell him what happened.
Getting out of the truck, I walk down the road a little, looking for any nearby homes, but it’s dark out, and I can’t see beyond the side of the road, which is nothing but trees and rocks.
I walk back and hop up in the truck bed to get a better look.
There’s nothing, not even a flicker of light from a town.
Just darkness. I’m on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere, in the dark.
What if nobody drives by? Or if they do and they stop, what if they try to kill me?
I check my phone again for a signal, but don’t have one. Maybe if I walk farther down the road, I’ll pick up a signal.
After walking for ten minutes, I still don’t have a signal, and I don’t like being this far from my truck. As I turn around to head back, I see lights in the distance.
“Hey!” I jump up and wave, but the car is too far away to see me. I watch as it gets closer, part of me wanting to flag it down and the other part wanting to hide in case whoever’s inside it is dangerous.
I decide to just risk it, not wanting to spend the night out here.
As the car gets closer, I move to the other side of the road and jump up and wave.
Turns out it’s not a car, it’s an SUV. As it reaches me, it swerves a little and slams on the brakes.
The headlights are blinding me, but I can see someone getting out of the back. A tall, dark figure comes toward me.
I’m dead. This guy is going to kill me. Or rape me. Or both. Shit!
I take off, running toward my truck.
“Ella?”
I stop and look to see who said it, but I’m still blinded by the headlights. “Who it is? Who’s there?”
The dark figure moves closer. I’m about to take off running again, but then I see him, and his annoyingly handsome face.
“Briggs?”