God damn trees everywhere! Not a lick of sunshine, not a piece of building and not another car in site. Welcome to semi almost middle America where people live in forests, apparently, and have no cell reception for miles.
In Lilly’s case, the no cell phone reception was a huge problem at this point. It had been raining for several days in the state of Massachusetts and her car had hit one of the muddy spots in the road and was now stuck. For almost an hour she had been trying to find some bars to call, simply giving up waiting and hoping someone would drive by.
Unlikely. She was in the middle of a forest going to Willow Creek, a small settlers town in the middle of the woods, forty-five minutes from the nearest town, two hours from the nearest city. She lived in Boston, wonderful, populated, rich in history Boston.
She had grown up in Boston, living with her dad and step mother, actually Betty was more like her actual mother as she had never known her real one. She left her husband and child shortly after Lilly’s birth, running away back to her hometown.
Lilly’s dad had never gone after her, he just continued living his life and eventually remarried and had two more children with his lovely new wife. And where did that leave his first born child? Well she finally had a family with a mother who loved and cared for her, held her when the kids at school were mean to her, helped her through becoming a woman, talked to her about what happens when you are a woman, and comforted her when the boys broke her heart.
Betty Neace was the only mother Lilly had ever had, and the only mother she would ever love. Not the woman who carried her for nine months, not the woman who gave birth to her.
Though that woman is the reason why she was stuck on a muddy road in the middle of the Massachusetts forest. Norah Neace, also known as Norah Essex as the letter informed her, had passed away about a week ago and her friends and family in Willow Creek had contacted her daughter and ex-husband informing them of their loss.
Lilly felt little for the woman, yes it was sad she had died at the age of thirty-seven and left behind nothing but a small store and some friends, but this woman had abandoned her when she was a baby and now she was expected to say goodbye.
It was her dad’s idea to go to Willow Creek, he told her she needed to know more about where her mother came from, meet the other members of the family and have a base in her mother’s life.
For days they fought about it, she did not want to go but he insisted. Norah had no one in her life and everything was left to her only child, and it was only fair that if this woman was leaving her everything that she should go and see her, say hello and then a quick goodbye before she was put in the ground and all the dirt poured on top of her.
And look where that landed her. In the middle of nowhere, stuck, waiting for some townie creeper to pop out of the bushes with a machete and a hockey mask there either to kill her or to bring her back to his underground layer where she would bare his murderous children so they may continue his legacy.
She really needed to stop watching horror films, she thought as she walked back to her car. The late 90’s convertible Mercedes matched the scenery around her in its light green colour. Everything around her was green and brown, though some of the leaves were changing to fall. It was the beginning of August now, soon this whole area would be a colour mass of fall leaves.
The sun went away again, not coming out from behind the thick and creepy dark clouds ahead. Lilly sighed and looked down the winding path, her only option at this point would be to start walking, though if rain was about to fall and night was going to come faster than normal she may end up getting lost in the woods.
But she couldn’t wait by her car, what if no one travelled down this road? What if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and she was on some sort of unknown road leading off a cliff and she was going to die waiting for rescue? Unlikely as that was, her dad would have the state police, coast guard, army and probably the president out there looking for her the moment he knew something was off.
And amazingly enough that moment had not come yet, she left mid afternoon as the trip was only a little under three hours thought she would be arriving before seven. Not the case, it was now closer to nine and could not call him to tell him she was lost. Another hour or so and someone was going to be out there looking for her, either him or the closest police force.
The sky lit up with lightening, thunder following soon after. Swearing under her breath Lilly pulled out her phone once more hoping for some bars, nothing. As the rain started to pour down from the sky she climbed back into her car, thanking her intelligence she did not pull the roof down on her car that morning, thinking of all the bug that would be surrounding her and flying into her mouth as she drove.
She turned on the car, only the battery hoping to find some music to listen to, nothing, no reception. Swearing again she leaned against the back of her seat and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic falling of the rain drops, interrupted by the crashing boom of thunder and the abnormal flashing of the lightening.
She had never seen a storm like this one, it was so strong, so intense, almost frightening how close it was to her, it was like it was right over her head pounding down on her.
Even nature is against me, she thought.
The rain continued for some time, her four ways on if some car did manage to find her road. She was once again lying back with her eyes closed when the car wretched and bean to move. Bolting up, she looked out her window.
She was parked on a slant and the massive rain fall was moving the mud and dirt around her. Her car was heading into the deep ditch and she would most defiantly be stuck then. Swearing she turned on the engine and tried to move again, the car wheels turned and the engine roared as she pressed harder and harder down on the pedal.
The car wretched again and fell another foot into the ditch. She was freaking out now, she was going to end up crushed in her car, stuck all night. Her only option was to give the car more of a push.
Climbing out she was instantly soaked, her hair falling into her face, her clothes sticking to her, wet jeans were the worst. She grabbed hold of the wheel and began pushing the car, which she left in park, with all the strength she could find.
The roaring thunder made her jump, the lightening flashed so bright it seemed the entire forest lit up. Yelling now as she pushed it was as though all her muscles were about to turn into liquid while her bones were about to pop from their sockets.
Lilly was pushing so hard with no avail her body was almost on a horizontal line, finally her footing gave out and she fell into the muddy ground. She couldn’t tell if she was crying or if it was just the rain was pouring down her face.
Unable to help herself, she sat down in the mud and cried. Everyone had told her she was unable to help herself, always relied on others to do the work for her. And they were right, look what happened when she finally was trying to do something for herself, she ends up crying in the mud.
“I’m so useless!” She yelled to the trees. She was going to die out there waiting for help, she was either going to drown from the rain, be crushed in her car, or get killed by a psychopath and right now anyone of those deaths would have been most welcomed.
The car lurched again, farther into the ditch it went. Lilly looked at the piece of ugly metal, yeah it was old and a gross beige colour but it was her car, her baby, and it was perfect. She placed a loving hand on the door, the car lurched again.
More lightening, this time it was not as bright and lit up the sky for a long time, too long, she thought. Turning her head she saw two headlights coming in the distance, a car! Someone was coming! She was saved!
She jumped to her feet and began waving her arms like a mad woman, though the four ways of her car were on she had no idea if they would notice as she really couldn’t tell if the lights could be seen from the road.
The car must have noticed her because it pulled over, father off from the side as her car and a tall and dark figure emerged from the drivers side.
“Thank god someone stopped!” She said over the sound of the still falling rain, “My car is stuck! I need help getting it out!”
The figure, whose face she could not see looked over her shoulder and nodded one, it was a man she could tell by the stature of the body, a tall man, he towered over her small frame. “Get in.” He said motioning to her car with a tilt of his head, his voice was young, he was probably not much older than her.
She nodded her head and carefully climbed back into the front seat, the car lurched but the man had his hands on the back. He motioned for her to go, she pressed on the gas and the car moved to the side, the wheels trying to gain traction.
She pressed harder until the car was trying to go over eighty miles per hour, she could hear the guy yelling from behind her. With one final press of the gas the car bolted up the slight hill and was back on the road.
Quickly stopping she hoped out of the car to thank the man, he was heading back to his own car, “Wait!” She called running after him, waving her arms like the mad woman she must look like, “Wait, thank you! Thank you so much!”
He nodded his head once, “Not a problem.” The lightening struck the sky, illuminating the woods and her saviours face. She gasped. He was gorgeous with a mop of dark curls clinging to his pale face, his eyes bright with colour, his thin lips looked delectable. And she was right, he was her age, or not much older.
She realized she was starting at him, shaking her head she quickly thought of something to say, “I’m going to Willow Creek but have no idea how to get there, do you know?” Please say yes, please say yes.
He nodded once, “It’s fifteen miles up the road, take a left after the black rocks from there it’s your first right after the giant willow tree.”
He better have been joking because he did not give her any names of streets or signs to follow, just landmarks and mundane ones at that. Rocks and trees? Really? Was this Willow Creek so small that they couldn’t put up signs and directions on how to find them?
“I’m going there, you can follow me.” He said turning back to his car. Lilly wanted to ask him his name but he had already slammed the door. She quickly got back into her car and follow the boy down the winding roads. Thank god he was going where she was because she did not see black rocks, and she had no idea which willow tree he was talking about but eventually she came upon a large sign that said: Willow Creek. Est. 1693, Pop 4 500.
As Lilly pulled into the town she picked up her directions. She needed to find Main street...and lo and behold the first road in the town was main street! She drove down looking for number 666, creepy. The boy that saved her was still in front of her, though quickly he pulled to the left down Willow Road.
She found 662, then 664, pulling off to the side of the street she parked in front of 666 and looked at her destination. Willow Creek Books the sign read. Why was she pointed in the direction of a book store? Shrugging she got out of her car and peered into the dark window, no one home.
She looked up to the second floor, the curtain was swaying as though someone had been looking out of it. She took a step back hoping they would see her but the lights in the bookstore turned on and she could see a figure walking in the window, quickly opening the creaking door.
“Lilly?” The voice asked, when she nodded the boy stepped aside and let her in. She looked around, rows upon rows of books lines the walls and the shelves in the middle of the store. Some of them she could see were new, others were so old they were bound with leather covers and looked as delicate as porcelain.
The boy stood in front of her, smiling, he was young maybe around twenty with brown hair, blue eyes and thick horn rimmed glasses across his face. He was wearing a plaid shirt and simple jeans, he held out his hand to her, “I’m Sean Essex,” He said in a pleasent tone, “I was your mothers nephew.”
Nephew? Meaning this Sean Essex was her cousin? She lightly shook his hand and smiled the only smile she could come up with, it must have looked more like a scowl because Sean coughed awkwardly and shifted in his shoes, “I am truly sorry about your mother.”
She shrugged, “Not my mother really.”
He nodded his head several times, shifting awkwardly again though this time he truly did look upset. Lilly thought she must remember to speak kindly about the woman when she was here, Sean had probably loved his Aunt and was mourning her loss.
“Sean, I’m sorry, about your loss of her.”
He smiled at her and motioned to follow him, they walked through the store, she stopped to look at some of the books on their way into the backroom where an old winding staircase way. They climbed it and above the store was a small apartment.
The walls were a mute blue just as the walls downstairs, the floor and well used dark hard wood. The windows were covered with lace curtains and the furniture was all made of ark oak with pale green cushions on them.
“Your mother’s room was the first on the left,” Sean said pointing with one finger down a small hallway, “The bathroom is across the hall and my room is at the end of the hallway.” He smiled at her though it faded when he saw her frown, “I’m sorry if it’s too difficult to sleep in...Norah’s room you can take mine or the couch? Though I did clean it and change the seats today.”
“It’s fine, thanks.” She said smiling at the boy, her cousin.
Stepping into the bathroom she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked horrible right now. Her blonde hair was in tangles on her head, and her makeup was running down her face and into her blue eyes, her clothes were clinging to her body and she was completely covered in mud.
Sean must have known she was going to want to shower and had left a towel hanging on the door knob outside. She looked into the main room of the apartment but he was not there, his bedroom door was closed.
Before showing she sent a quick message to her dad that she was there and safe and would call him in the morning.
The water took some time to heat up but when it did it felt like heaven. The liquid was washing away any sign of her horrible night, the dirt, the grime, the tears. Though there was one part of her night she could not get out of her head, and that was the boy who helped her out of the ditch and lead her into town.
She wanted to find him again, to say thank you one more time, and look into the gorgeous eyes of his.