Chapter Two
Eliza
One week earlier
“It’s for your own good.”
“Just do what we tell you, and it will all be fine.”
“Don’t be stubborn, Eliza!”
The words continued to echo in my head as I stuffed my backpack full of supplies. I needed to be able to move quickly, so I couldn’t exactly pack for a three-week holiday in the Bahamas. They’d probably be back in a few hours, so I didn’t have a lot of time either.
The backpack was getting heavy and full, and I squeezed in a last set of underwear before I zipped it up. I couldn’t believe that this was what it was coming to, but it didn’t feel like I had any choice in the matter. If I stayed here, then there would be trouble.
With one last glance across my cramped apartment, worried slightly about everything I was leaving behind, I made my decision to get going. I’d left my credit cards and my cell phone in a box in the back of my closet, hoping my family wouldn’t find them. I didn’t really think they were capable of tracking me with those things anyway, but I wouldn’t have put it past them to involve the police. So I’d emptied my accounts and shoved the cash into the very bottom of my bag.
After all, they’d be able to convince them fairly easily that I was mentally unwell and missing, putting on crocodile tears and sad faces until they got what they wanted.
I needed time to figure out my next move, somewhere neither they nor that psychiatrist could find me. That meant that I needed to get out of Tucson. Even if I could gain a few weeks, it would be more than I had now.
I locked the apartment behind me with a worried sigh and rushed downstairs, hoping fervently that I wouldn’t run into them on their way to come and get me. The nearest bus station was a good two-mile walk from here, but I could weave my way through buildings and stay unseen.
“Why don’t you come with us, and we’ll show you. It will all be better soon.” My mother’s voice replayed itself in my head over and over again. A sweet tone laced with poison and selfish intent. It hadn’t ever been something I considered until recently. I honestly had never known my family would throw me under the bus like that.
Down the street and around the corner, I could finally take a breath without complete panic. Now I would be able to disappear more easily.
It took a while, but I finally reached the bus station, and I walked straight to the counter. Luckily, the whole place seemed to be all but abandoned, with only an old lady coughing on a broken chair in the corner. It made sense for this place to be empty in the middle of the day. Most people would get their tickets early in the morning and late afternoon, or online if they wanted to.
“Where do you want to go?” The lady behind the counter peered at me as if I had been interrupting something important.
I hesitated, glancing up at the names of places on the board above her head. “I don’t know, wherever the cheapest tickets are, and the soonest. I need to get out of here.”
That earned a slight eyebrow raise from her, but she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she started typing on the computer in front of her.
“There’s a bus going north to Flagstaff in twenty minutes,” she finally pointed out.
“Yes, great, that one, please.” I pulled as much change out of my pocket as I had kept there for this purpose and dumped it on the counter. “You can keep whatever’s left. Just give me the ticket, quickly, please.”
On one hand, I appreciated that she didn’t ask any questions as she printed out the ticket and handed it over. On the other, I kind of wished that she would show at least the slightest interest in who I was and where I was going.
For now, this would be far enough. I’d find somewhere to sleep and plan the rest from there.
“Thanks,” I said as I took the ticket, but her attention was already elsewhere. I assumed that I’d have to wait outside for the bus, so I left without greeting her. Behind me, all I could hear were the ragged coughs of the old woman in the corner.
Standing in the parking lot, I took a moment to think about what I was doing. It seemed insane, a ridiculous idea that was bound to backfire on me. After all, I couldn’t run away forever. I needed a job somewhere, a place to live, especially when my money ran out.
And if my family did report me missing, what would happen when they found me? Would the police listen to their stories and believe their psychiatrist witness? It could be that they would hand me over without question, and I’d have no options left.
Maybe I would have to change my name, wherever it was that I ended up. I wished for a second that I was a smoker, so that I could light one up and do something about the stress itching across my body.
By the time the bus pulled into the lot, I almost ran at it in my haste, shaking and peering around to see if anyone had managed to follow me this far. The schedule said it would leave in ten minutes, but I wanted to get on as quickly as I could.
“Here.” Once the door opened, I shoved my printed ticket at the driver before anyone could even get off of the bus. He didn’t say much, but the people who were trying to pass me as I pushed my way to the back had grimaces of serious annoyance painted on their faces.
I found a seat in the far back corner and pulled the tiny curtain closed so that I could no longer see the outside world. It felt like I was finally hidden away and gone. A huge sigh of relief passed through me, and I settled down into the hard seat as if it was the most comfortable thing in the world.
When the bus eventually trundled away from the parking lot in a cloud of dust and carbon monoxide, I was giddy with nervous excitement. This was the first time that I’d ever done something this crazy in my twenty-four years of life. I only wished that there was someone next to me that I could share it with.
#
The bus continued on for around two hours before I got off in a small town called New River near a gas station. Apparently, this was as far as my ticket could send me. I stood in front of the convenience store attached to the station, staring out into the quiet roads. This place was so small that I was almost sure there would be no motels good enough to stay at.
I sighed to myself and walked into the convenience store, thinking that I’d grab something to eat before I kept going. Maybe they sold tickets for another bus, and I could get somewhere with a bit more life.
Inside, there were two burly men with thick beards reaching for their chests browsing the snack aisle.
“Mm, it’s a shame about old Mayfield, huh?” My ear caught their conversation, and for some reason, I kept listening as I stood staring at the energy drinks in the fridge.
“I mean, he’s been wrong in the head for a while now,” the other man answered gruffly. “Probably a good thing that he’s passed.”
“Yeah, but he’s got a real nice house on that ranch. I hear the family’s been fighting over who gets it in the will.”
An idea was forming in my mind. It seemed completely insane, but the more I was thinking about it, the more I liked it.
“I expect that Lawrence boy will get it.” The one with the lower voice sounded as if that was something this Lawrence would not deserve. “Any case, it’ll be empty for months, I bet. Law stuff takes forever.”
An empty house on a ranch sounded like a dream. Out in the middle of nowhere, with no one and nothing to bother me. Just me and my thoughts, figuring all of this out. If I had a few months, I was certain that I’d be able to make a plan to escape for good. Maybe even get what I deserved all along. Even a few weeks would be enough.
Still, how would I get out there? I had no idea where this place was, or even what it was called. This was a really long shot, and I was probably being really stupid.
I grabbed an energy drink from the fridge and stomped to the cashier to pay for it after rummaging in my backpack for a bit of cash. When I left, I noticed a truck parked close to one of the pumps and figured it probably belonged to one of the burly guys inside.
Another ridiculous idea started forming itself in my mind. I didn’t think that they had paid attention to me when I was in there, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have thought that I was listening to their conversation. If I could act convincing enough, then maybe I could get them to take me out there.
“Hey, uh, sorry!” I called out to them when I saw them walking back outside to their truck. This could be dangerous, but I was taking the shot anyway. The money I’d save on a place to stay would be worth it. At least, that was what I was telling myself.
“You talking to me, miss?” The gruffer man with the red beard and arms like tree trunks asked, looking surprised that I even existed.
“Yeah…” I scratched at my head, hoping that I looked at least a little innocent. “I need a ride.”
“To where?” Red Beard blinked at me. He must have been wondering what the hell I’d be doing in the middle of nowhere, or where I could possibly want to go from here.
“Uhm, my grandfather, he, uh…” I searched for the words, making my face as sad as I possibly could. “He passed away recently, and, uh… I wanted to see my family. They live on a ranch out here, and they were supposed to get me at this station, but they haven’t come, and my phone is dead and stuff.”
Red Beard and his friend both seemed suspicious at my hurried explanation, but there was compassion in their eyes. I could pull this off, I was sure of it.
“Yeah, so, my cousin, Lawrence Mayfield, it’s his ranch, I think…” I continued, watching as recognition flickered in their eyes. “I’m not sure what it’s called, I mean, I haven’t been back here in years.”
“Ah, Heaven’s Peak.” Red Beard nodded slowly. “I know the place. You say you need a ride?”
I smiled as sweetly as I could. “Please.”
They made space for me in the truck, which smelled a bit of compost and cow dung. We drove out in relative silence, with the only sound tinny country music blaring on the radio. Soon, we’d left the town behind, and quickly the roads gained holes, the tar eventually giving way to gravel and then just sandy earth.
It was about forty minutes or so of rough driving before I spotted the old, banged-up sign hanging over a ranch gate. This was the place. Red Beard, who I’d learned was called Allan, drove through comfortably.
“You can drop me at the fork.” I pointed ahead of us, not wanting them to actually drop me at someone’s house. It would be difficult to explain why Lawrence or any of the other people had no idea who I actually was.
“You sure?” Allan peered at me and pointed up ahead to the left. “I can take you right up to old Mayfield’s house.”
“No, it’s fine, really,” I insisted, lifting my hands to emphasize further. “I need the fresh air for a minute.”
“If you say so.” Allan stopped his truck, and I popped open the door. “Give the family my condolences, will you?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I waved at him, pretending like I knew exactly where I was going. Thanks to Allan’s unwitting directions, I was at least aware of which way the empty house should be. It would be embarrassing to run into any of the Mayfield family members, but I would take the chance for now.
Hopefully they’d left their grandfather’s home as it was, and I could get at least a few weeks’ worth of time here.
I watched Allan drive away in a cloud of dust, and I was alone again. Following the road to the left, I started to realize just how lonely this was going to be. There were no people in sight, just a barn down the hill somewhat. That made me wonder if there were animals on this ranch.
If they were, then surely someone was looking after them. I would have to be careful, study their movements, and run if anyone came too close.
First, however, my plan was to take a long shower. Or a bath, depending on what I found in the house.
I made it up there without any trouble. The front door wasn’t even locked, so I simply let myself in. Beneath my feet, the old wooden floors creaked, and the wind leaked through cracks in the windows. It was certainly a creepy old place, but it kept most of the weather out. Plus, it was really out in the middle of nowhere. My family wasn’t going to find me here.
Unfortunately, the fridge was empty. I should have expected that. Nobody is going to stock a dead man’s pantry. Even the cupboards had been cleared out, as if the moment he had died, his family had ransacked the place.
I’d brought a couple of cereal bars and things with me to eat, but they weren’t going to sustain me for long. That made me think of the barn. If I went down there, maybe got a bit of milk from a cow or a goat, maybe an egg or two… Then I could last here a lot longer without needing to go into town for supplies.
“I’ll do that in the morning,” I said to myself. My voice echoed through the empty house, making me shiver. For now, I simply wanted to wash all of the dust off of myself and look through the place.
Upstairs, there were two bathrooms and three bedrooms. I wondered what an elderly man would do with this much space. I chose one of the guest bedrooms rather than the main bedroom, thinking that I didn’t want to sleep there if someone had died in the bed. It was possible that it happened somewhere else, but I wasn’t going to take that chance.
I didn’t switch on the light in the bathroom. It wasn’t dark just yet, and I didn’t want anyone who might be out on the ranch to see anything suspicious through the windows. Luckily, this room only had a small window, so people wouldn’t spot me moving around inside.
The water started running and turned brown. It didn’t smell terrible, and its color went back to normal fairly quickly. Still, it made me cringe slightly. I made a mental note not to drink any of the water that I got from the taps.
I undressed and dipped myself in, sighing at the soothing heat that flowed across my body. I was finally really relaxing, laying my head back over the rim and breathing deeply. This was definitely the nicest part of my whole day.
The rest of the night, I spent my time eating cereal bars, going through some of the books in the house, and going to bed rather early. I would have to be up before four in the morning to beat the farm workers to the barn.
When I did wake up and went down the hill, it was pitch-black still outside, and I was convinced I was early enough. I hurried to the barn, where I found several cows, goats, pigs, and a chicken coop.
“Jackpot!” I whispered to myself as I lifted a hen and found her on an egg. I took two more before I decided it was enough. From there, I moved on to one of the cows. I’d brought a bottle from the house, and some knowledge from visiting farms when I was younger. It wasn’t easy to get milk, but I managed it eventually.
“Stupid bloody Flint, can you believe it?”
Someone was coming, and my heart skipped a beat. They couldn’t catch me here! I looked upward. The barn had a loft, filled with hay. To one side stood a ladder. I made my way up to the top and tumbled behind a bale, hoping my breathing wouldn’t be loud enough to hear.
Below me, the conversation continued between the men who had just arrived.
“You don’t think he’ll actually take the ranch, do you?”
“He told Lawrence he’d be here next week, apparently. Moving into the house and everything.”
I swore under my breath. That was going to ruin my plans of staying there. I would have to think of something quickly.
“What’s the matter, Debbie? Look like you’ve seen a ghost.” It seemed like they were talking to the cow I had so haphazardly milked. I wished I could have apologized to her, but I would simply have to do a better job the next day.
I had a week to stay in the house. Maybe I could move out here to the barn by then. I’d have to gather some supplies, but I could stay hidden in the loft. It was noisy enough out here that people wouldn’t hear me moving around. It was worth a shot.