Apollo [MxM]

1

"Welcome to Wolfcreek", the sign said. I poked my head out of the window, my hands steady on the steering wheel. There were no other vehicles, just me, the road and the line of trees besides me as the sun filtered its light through the eaves as my truck sputtered ahead.

It's quite an old thing, second hand and the chassy almost half rusted. But it had this dual engine like in jeeps, so it was expensive. I don't know much about vehicles but I thought a vehicle which can easily travel through muddy roads was quite appropriate despite the need for extra fuel. It was not like I was going to travel a long distance after settling down, but since it's the countryside, being able to conquer the terrain sounded quite nice.

All my belongings were packed behind me in boxes covered in rainproof tarps. Double layered. I heard it rained quite a lot in this part of the states. Fortunately, it didn't rain just as the weather report described.

The tree line faded, the topography shifting from evergreen forests to grasslands with an occasional patch of trees scattered around. Then came the fields of wheat and the occasional cattle. I saw a tractor in the distance while the roads carried on to the horizon. I checked the GPS system in my phone only to find a wide stretch of roads and barely any buildings marked.

There was a farmhouse with a barn at one point. Then the evergreen forests appeared again. This time there were more houses in sight. Most looked quite modern, some looking like cabins. There was a gas station that seemed rundown and a dinner next to it, also small and quite dark inside. Then came the town. There were few buildings, a school, a few houses and maybe one grocery store.

I really should have done more research before I bought the property. I knew my new house had a landline and electricity. But the state of this town looked as if it was a town in the 1800s. I turned right, passing what looked like a garage and video store before the roads lost its evenness and became more soil than tar. Eventually, I stopped in front of a one story house. Although it was not tall, it was quite long. I noticed that there were other houses, maybe thirty yards away and fenced as well. Mine had an old steel gate and a man was waiting at the porch.

I knew what the house looked like. I contacted the land owner frequently and even resorted to video calls to see the property. I wanted a wood cabin feel, with a forest for a view and with basic amenities for civilised living and this cabin has everything. I knew the property was old, the house renovated so as to sell at a high price in the real estate market. But the property was located in such an isolated area that I watched the price plummet over a year. I was quite obsessed with it when I first saw the listing but had to reconcile myself to not give in the urge to buy it then and there because of the price, but the universe had other plans for me. And for once in my life, I had to admit, maybe for the second time, I got my wish.

The landowner was the man I had been exchanging contacts with for months, a middle aged man who with a tanned complexion and long straight black hair tied in a pony tail behind him. He had an accent that led me to believe he was of red Indian descent.

"Doctor Graham, It's a pleasure to meet you at last, face to face," he said, extending his hand. I grinned, taking him onto mine as we shook. I've come to like the elderly man over the months, he looked so old and wise although be was probably maybe twenty years older than me.

Yet I watched as his expression darkened for a few seconds as he held my hand. He let go, and the expression was replaced with one of calm. Did I grip his hand too hand?

"It's such a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cole."

The man nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's even beautiful up close," I said, looking at the house. It was all hard wood, not painted and instead lacquered, giving it the feel of a luxury wood cabin.

"Let me show you around again," he said, taking out a key and opening the door. The porch was raised a foot and a half above ground and fenced. Inside, the whole house was lit up with a fluorescent decorative light. The corridor led to the living room where there were floor to ceiling glass panels on the back, facing another porch which was more spacious. There was a fire grill in one corner, closed against the rain. The back porch was raised above ground five feet or so. The property was made at the edge of a slope facing the forest. We headed inside. There was a couch set and a low table facing what seemed like a place for a TV to be.

Mr. Cole showed me where the thermostat was and then the kitchen which had an installed oven and a gas stove. There was a back door that led to the yard outside which had a small stream running through and the forest line behind. The pantries were empty. There was a small fridge in one corner. I was quite glad the property came with a fridge, I didn't want to carry a fridge with me as I moved. There was a bedroom at the side of the living room with a guest room next to it. At the end of the corridor facing the kitchen was the toilet. It was quite spacious with a bathtub and a separate showering area. A storage closet sat next to the guest room with a window overlooking the neighbors yard.

Mr. Cole explained again, as he told once before over the phone, that the house was originally made by a couple who wanted to make a vaccination home, hence why it looked like a place meant for a quick say like an apartment with barely much storage space. The couple later sold the land back to the town council which was then supervised by him. He eventually sort of got the ownership of the land, in other words, no one cared what happened to it so he decided to sell it after renovation. He explained that the money I paid would go straight to the town development fund.

"You don't need to worry about the electricity and water supply, we might look backwards on the outside but everything works just fine," Mr. Cole explained, "We just like to keep things as they are."

I nodded in understanding.

"Here is the key, settle down for a few days and I will show you the clinic as well."

"Is that okay?" I asked. "What if there is an emergency?"

Mr. Cole snorted. "We've been without a doctor for a few months now, what hard can a few days do? Besides, we are study folks, we don't get sick that easy. And you look quite young yourself, unwind a bit and look around the place. Surely you'll come to fall in love with his place."

I nodded and thanked him, the key to my new home in my pocket. When Mr. Cole left, silence fell. I sat down on the couch and looked out towards the porch and the trees. As I watched, a shower of rain fell. I hurried out to unpack my belongings from the truck. Just as I was unloading the last box of books from the passenger's seat, the rain doubled. Then I heard thunder. I laid the boxes as they were in the corridor and along the side of the living room, took out my kettle, a tea bag and a pack of instant Korean ramyeon noodles. I bought a set from a nearby, knowing a place like Wolfcreek probably won't have stuff like that.

Then I angled the mini couch towards the porch and watched the rain till nightfall.