Evil Dead

Chapter 5 - Photo Albums

**ABOUT 30 MINS LATER**

Natalie goes to the Jeep grabs a pack of plastic bottled water. She heads back to the cabin. She goes to the kitchen. Natalie opens the fridge and starts arranging the bottles inside of it.

"How'd you guys meet?" Mia says, with a blank expression on her face.

Natalie jumps and a bottle slips from her hands. Mia is perched, catlike, on the kitchen counter smoking a cigarette.

"Oh God! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were there.. I'm so sorry." Natalie breathes for air with her hand on her chest.

"Don't worry, I'm so skinny now that I can slip into rooms undetected. It's like a superpower."

"Hey, at least you're bikini-ready."

An uncomfortable silence comes between them.

Natalie feels embarrassed for her own comment. "Wow, that was dumb."

"No, it's okay. Chasing the dragon is great cardio." Mia winks. "So, it's hard to be objective about my own brother, but he's what-- like, a 6? 7 at most?"

Natalie's not sure what she's referring to.

"How'd he get with a 10 like you?"

Natalie is suprised by the compliment. "Oh. Thanks. Um, well, we work together at the garage. I'm the office manager."

"Kinky. So when did you guys get engaged?"

"Oh, um, about a year ago? So now we've just gotta set a date, I guess. Eventually." She seems slightly perturbed by this last detail.

"Cool. I always wanted a hot sister."

Natalie smiles, a little weirded out. Mia hops off the countertop and heads for the door.

Mia startes at Natalie over her shoulder. "Thanks for coming, I know David wouldn't have done this alone."

Natalie smiles, she knows Mia is right.

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**AFTERNOON**

The sun is lower now and the tree's shadows have begun to grow.

Mia sits in front of an old cardboard box that has been affected by time and humidity. "This is it. The box of horrors."

David finishes replacing some light bulbs on the wall.

"Nothing like archiving precious artifacts in most cardboard." She continues.

Eric makes a disgusted face. "I hate the word 'moist'."

Mia, looking paler and weaker than before, opens the box, revealing a few old photo albums and yearbooks. The group is gathered around the coffee table, enjoying big bugs of hot coffee.

"I'd rather not look into that box. No, thank you. I already feel too old." Olivia chimes in.

Mia opens the first album and stares at the first page. She immediately starts laughing and looks at Olivia.

"Fuck it, let me see that." Olivia laughs.

Mia tosses the album to Olivia.

On the photo: Mia, David, Olivia, and Eric pose for a self-portrait at an underground rock club. They have fabulous "rock hair."

Olivia laughs. "That was the best my body ever looked. Why was I wearing a fucking cloak?"

"I gotta see this." Natalie says, reaching for the book.

Olivia passes the album. Natalie cracks up at the photo and turns the page. "Whoa."

It was a picture of David and Eric together. They're on a small club stage, back to back, screaming on a mic. David on guitar, Eric on the bass.

"Ah yes, 'The Darkmans'. Flint's worst band, and that's saying a lot." Olivia states.

Natalie gives David a suprised look. "David, you never told me you were in a band."

"Didn't I? Didn't think it was relevant." He shrugged.

Eric broses through another album. "Yeah, the band was only together for what? Eight fucking years."

Natalie giggles. "You guys look so cute, rocking out like that."

"Back to back."  Olivia adds.

Eric throws back an album to the box, showing little interest.

Mia reaches for a new album. She opens it, revealing a photo of herself and David as teens, hugging their mother.

David notices the picture, but the rest of the group are still commenting on the rock band ones. Mia and David both zone out.

"I guess we can say Mia was the number one fan..." Olivia says in the background.

"Yeah, and you were all the rest of them." Replies Eric.

Mia stands up, her expression dark, and disappears down the hallway.