“I…” I stammered. “I’m so sorry to intrude, the door was open.” I pointed behind me. “My car broke down, I was on my way to the airport. I just need to use a phone.”
“I’m sorry we don’t have any phones.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
He nodded to my left and I noticed a phone laying on the floor, cords splayed out around it. Almost like it had been ripped from the wall.
“Um…okay. Do you have a cell phone or something I could borrow?”
He shrugged apologetically and I began to understand how isolated they really were up here. I wonder what could make someone want to live like this. Completely cut off from the world.
“Okay well I’m sure you have electrical outlets right?” I sighed.
“That we have.” A slight smile formed on his lips as he crossed his arms.
“Do you mind if I plug my cell phone in? It’s dead.”
“Of course.”
I smiled and started digging through my bag looking for my phone. I grew more and more panicked when I couldn’t find it. “Damn it,” I whispered. I glanced behind me at the door, wondering if I’d dropped it somehow along the way. I must have.
“Is there a problem?” He asked.
“Yeah. I must have dropped it. I’ll go look for it.” I started to turn around.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you’ll find it in this storm.” His voice was a little less welcoming. Not mean, just slightly irritated. Or scared. I didn’t understand why.
Even though I knew he was right I didn’t want to believe it. I needed to get out of here
somehow. “Would you mind driving me back into town? I mean I saw you…at the grocery store earlier, so I know you drive.” I bit my lip and looked around.
“I would, but there’s no way we’d make it down into town in this storm.”
“When it’s cleared up then?”
He laughed a little under his breath and shook his head. “So you saw me at the store earlier right? I’m sure you know why, I’m not immune to the things people say.”
“That you’re getting supplies for the winter?”
He nodded. “Those roads out there, they’re completely impassible during the winter. What were you even doing out there?”
“I was on my way to the airport.”
“Well you took the wrong road.” He laughed. “That fork you hit awhile back? You should have gone right.”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He smiled and cocked his eyebrow.
“Shit.” I clenched my eyes shut. “Now what do I do?” I opened my eyes again and ran my fingers through my hair.
He stared at me for a long moment as he tapped his finger against his chin. “I’m Jasper,” he said. “And you’ll stay here.”
“I can’t…I can’t stay here,” I stammered.
“Well we don’t really have another choice do we?”
I shivered when I felt someone watching us and glanced up to the second story. I could almost see the shape of someone standing in the shadows and I knew it must be him.
“Jasper she can’t stay here,” he snapped. His voice was flat, monotone. There was no feeling or inflection. It was dead.
“I’m sorry we don’t have any phones.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
He nodded to my left and I noticed a phone laying on the floor, cords splayed out around it. Almost like it had been ripped from the wall.
“Um…okay. Do you have a cell phone or something I could borrow?”
He shrugged apologetically and I began to understand how isolated they really were up here. I wonder what could make someone want to live like this. Completely cut off from the world.
“Okay well I’m sure you have electrical outlets right?” I sighed.
“That we have.” A slight smile formed on his lips as he crossed his arms.
“Do you mind if I plug my cell phone in? It’s dead.”
“Of course.”
I smiled and started digging through my bag looking for my phone. I grew more and more panicked when I couldn’t find it. “Damn it,” I whispered. I glanced behind me at the door, wondering if I’d dropped it somehow along the way. I must have.
“Is there a problem?” He asked.
“Yeah. I must have dropped it. I’ll go look for it.” I started to turn around.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you’ll find it in this storm.” His voice was a little less welcoming. Not mean, just slightly irritated. Or scared. I didn’t understand why.
Even though I knew he was right I didn’t want to believe it. I needed to get out of here
somehow. “Would you mind driving me back into town? I mean I saw you…at the grocery store earlier, so I know you drive.” I bit my lip and looked around.
“I would, but there’s no way we’d make it down into town in this storm.”
“When it’s cleared up then?”
He laughed a little under his breath and shook his head. “So you saw me at the store earlier right? I’m sure you know why, I’m not immune to the things people say.”
“That you’re getting supplies for the winter?”
He nodded. “Those roads out there, they’re completely impassible during the winter. What were you even doing out there?”
“I was on my way to the airport.”
“Well you took the wrong road.” He laughed. “That fork you hit awhile back? You should have gone right.”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He smiled and cocked his eyebrow.
“Shit.” I clenched my eyes shut. “Now what do I do?” I opened my eyes again and ran my fingers through my hair.
He stared at me for a long moment as he tapped his finger against his chin. “I’m Jasper,” he said. “And you’ll stay here.”
“I can’t…I can’t stay here,” I stammered.
“Well we don’t really have another choice do we?”
I shivered when I felt someone watching us and glanced up to the second story. I could almost see the shape of someone standing in the shadows and I knew it must be him.
“Jasper she can’t stay here,” he snapped. His voice was flat, monotone. There was no feeling or inflection. It was dead.
We've got a Darkward on our hands peeps. Eek!
