The Kindness of Strangers

Ch. 1 - Howdy, Stranger!

"I was lookin' for meat for supper, didn't find any...but, but this lady did give me four bucks for some pictures of mine!" The old lady raises an eyebrow at me. I nod, I did pay for his pictures after all. They're good pictures.

"At least you brought something for all your trouble then. Next time, help Tommy before running off, he's got his hands full with his work as it is." Nubbins nods, handing the lady the money he got from me.

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt any but do y'all happen to have gas in that pump out front, I'm gettin' low." The old man shakes his head.

"All out till the delivery comes later today, you'll hav' ta wait." Well, shit. I run my hands through my hair with a sigh. Beggars can't be choosers I suppose. It's not like I have enough gas to find another station anyway.

"Is there a hotel nearby? I could check in and stay since I'm not in a rush to go anywhere. Maybe try and find work with the locals here." The old lady looks at me with a small smile.
"Only us out here, dear. Well, us and my siblings. You can stay with us if you're so keen on workin'" My jaw feels like it nearly hit the floor. What's up with these people? Southern hospitality be damned, I'm a stranger. I could be dangerous!

"Are, are you sure? I don't wanna impose!"

"Can ye clean and cook?" I nod. "You know anything about children?" I nod slowly, as an idea works its way into my head.

"I can offer some supplies too, ma'am! To share with y'all. I have cans, water, and first aid!" The old lady's smile gets wider.

"Please, call me mama. We'd be more than happy to accept some more food on the table. Drayton over there can help you find work later." The old man, Drayton, scowls at me. Makes me wanna shrivel up and disappear. Maybe it would be best to stick by mama and Nubbins 'till the others warm up to me.

"Now what's your name dear?" I whip my head back to Mama and give her my best apologetic smile. It's not polite to just space out while talking to people.

"Name's Bo, a pleasure to meet you, mama" She holds my hands firmly. For the first in a long time, you feel embarrassed about how calloused your hands have become.

"How polite, my Tommy will love having you around the house when we're here!" I smile at her the best I can. In reality, it feels like my stomach is full of bees.

"I sure hope so, don't want any bad blood with a man sharing his home." Mama smiles at me before looking at Nubbins who's restocking the shelves in her place.

"Help Bo find the house, Nubbins, sweety. I'll call Tommy and tell him to clean up and give her a tour." Nubbins grabs my hand, pulling me toward the van, talking a mile a minute. His hand is...greasy? Either that or its dried sweat.

"We ain't had an outsider over in a long while. Don't you mind ugly old Thomas either, he's just shy. We especially don't get a lot of girls in our neck of the woods!" I nod, thankful for the warning. I'll just have to be extra polite when introducing myself to the third man. I look over to Nubbins from the driver's seat and grab his attention.

"Hey Nubbins, how exactly are you related to Drayton and Thomas?" Nubbins slaps his leg and cackles. I'm sure he's laughing at how nervous I probably look.

"Don't worry your head about it. They're just my brothers! I'm not crazy enough to live with a bunch of strangers." I sigh with relief. Hopefully, Thomas isn't as cold in character as Drayton.

Time is certainly not on my side with this god-forsaken trip. I eye my fuel gauge warily, the needle getting closer and closer to empty. I involuntarily yelp when Nubbins jerks the wheel into a dusty driveway. I slam the brakes for what feels like the millionth time today. My lungs feel like they're struggling to catch up with my heart. I whip my head to look at Nubbins, a cold sweat forming all over my body.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Nubbins! What were you thinking?!" Nubbins frowns for a second before smiling in his way again. Must be a nervous habit.
"You almost missed the turn." I huff, letting my back thud against the seat. I wipe my face with the rag I keep in my pocket, taking a deep shaky breath. It's okay, I'm okay, we're okay. The completely empty gauge looks back at you, confirming that what Nubbins did was for the best.

"Well, we're out of gas anyway. Can you help me push the van into the grass so we don't get in Mama's way?" He gives me a nod as I turn the steering wheel towards the grass. After what feels like an eternity later, we manage to steer the van out of the driveway and into the yard. My body feels like lead and my skin feels like it's melting. Poor Nubbins doesn't look much better off. I walk around the van and open the back. I lazily rummage through boxes before finding my prize. Bottled water. I give Nubbins a bottle of water before opening my own. He fumbles with the cap before pouring half of it on himself and chugging the other half in seconds. Just hope that water doesn't come back up later.

"All right, I look like a mess but I think we gave Thomas enough time to clean, yeah?" Nubbins just gives me a tired half-nod, leading me to the pretty white house. The porch swing puts a smile on my face and I wipe my dusty shoes on the mat before stepping inside. Hope I get time to sit on that swing later.

"Tommy!" You hear a thud upstairs. "Thomas, you fat ass, get down here! We have company!" He pauses for a second. "You better not be wearin' your work clothes either or I'm tellin' Mama!" I hear an angry grunt and another thud. Nubbins smiles nervously. "He'll be here, he probably just doesn't know what to wear." I take a minute to gawk at all the taxidermy in the house. These people either had a lot of free time or a lot of money. I mean it's bones and stuffed animal corpses as far as the eye can see. Nubbins leads me to the living room and I stare in shock at the human bones lining the couch. What the hell kind of backwoods interior design is this? Nubbins seems to notice me staring and gives me a mean look. "What? You don't like my decoratin'?" I shake my head, embarrassed to have been caught off guard. It takes me a bit to find my words. It feels like they're stuck in my chest.

"No, no It, it's just....aren't human bones like super expensive to buy? Was your mama a nurse or somethin'? I've seen some crazy stuff like this in magazines but I didn't take you for the ooky spooky artsy type." Nubbins stares at me for a bit and I feel like my heart's stopped. Did I just dig myself a hole by offending him? God he'll never let you stay now. Nubbins derails that train of thought with a shockingly loud laugh. Now I just feel silly.

"Yeah, Ma took all the study ones before the local clinic shut down, plus sometimes you find homeless folk in the woods who've passed on. Better than letting them rot alone, I say." I nod nervously. I mean it's pretty gross but I also know how small towns treat the homeless. Their remains are probably better off here. At least they'll be remembered, in a way. A second oddity catches my eye. A plump chicken hanging from the ceiling, trilling at me softly. The chicken and I lock eyes for only a moment before the creature returned to its slumber. Stars above what have I gotten myself into?