Fire and Smoke

American Nightmare

The sun had reached the peak of its climb, and Alex narrowed her eyes against its glare as she turned to her left. Nothing but hills and trees —

There. A brick chimney was barely visible through the pines, and Alex's gaze passed over it before her head swiveled back. That was a cabin. She couldn't see much beyond the chimney — it could be abandoned and dilapidated for all that she could tell — but a house meant a road. And all roads would eventually lead to civilization.

Alex's wings tremored, and she slumped against the tree as she sized up the distance between her and the cabin. It was a mile, at least twice the distance she had already come, but at least the journey was downhill. Even still, she took a few moments to rest against the log before she pushed herself back to her weary feet. It was a long way down.

The going was slow. Alex kept a steady pace, focusing on distant trees to make sure she didn't stray from the straight path she had set. As the minutes ticked by and she began to fear that she had missed her mark altogether, only then did she finally catch sight of a break in the trees twenty feet to her left. It wasn't wide, but the packed dirt and faint tire treads made it clear that this path was touched by human hands. Alex scrambled through a patch of undergrowth, forcing through the thorns that caught on her jeans as she fought her eagerness to get to the road. The cabin had to be just ahead; she could see its wooden exterior through the trees.

Alex followed the road towards it, slipping back into the safety of the forest as she drew near. From the outside, the cabin appeared dark and silent, and Alex drew her wings in close. Her grace sat stubbornly inside of her, too weak to reach out and investigate, and the young angel hesitated on the tree line, eyes narrowed as she studied the darkened window. The two-storied structure was small — no more than three or four rooms at most — and a set of slanted doors sat along a concrete base, a heavy chain locking the entrance to the basement.

The front door, on the other hand, showed no signs of impediment. A truck sat a few feet off, parked in the shadows of the looming shadows of the trees. Despite the rust that sat along the peeling paint, the vehicle's tires shone, their tread deep and black. The faint odor of gasoline clung to the air around it, and Alex drew in a deep breath. Stale, but not old. Someone had to be nearby.

Alex circled the premises, peering at the yellow-paned windows, but the blinds were drawn in each room, keeping out her prying eyes. With a frown, she returned to the front, her wings flicking in displeasure. Apart from the car, there were no signs of life, no sounds from inside the cabin walls, and a quick glance upwards showed that the sun was still high. Perhaps the inhabitant had gone into the woods and hadn't yet returned.

She crossed the clearing and knocked on the door. No answer. The young angel hesitated and, with a shrug, she tried the doorknob.

Unlocked. The door swung open, leaving Alex peering into the darkness. There wasn't much: a wooden table sat towards the far end, where a kitchenette had been assembled. A second door stood just to her left, pulled tightly shut, and just beyond it lay what appeared to be an open room. Living room, perhaps? "Hello?" Alex leaned inwards, ears pricked. "Anyone home?"

No answer. With another shrug, Alex stepped inside, gently closing the door behind her. Waiting in here, at a table and out of the beating sun, felt like a better option than camping outside. She —

The air froze around her, seizing her limbs and locking her into place. A squeak left Alex's lips as her momentum was cut abruptly short, and her head whipped around as she searched for whatever ailed her. The cold, foreign tinge against her grace told her it was magic, through and through, but it took several seconds of scouring the dark to find the drawings located on either wall, trapping her in between. "Dammit!"