chapter 1
Rose
I woke up like any other day. not wanting to get out of bed knowing things needed to be done. to day was one of my few days off. I would love to have the day off and just stay in bed and sleep my life away. sadly I need food and stuff for the house. so out of bed I go. I grab some sweets and the only clean shirt I have. clothes are on the top of my list of stuff to do when I get back home. I live a little ways away from town. In a two bed room one and a half bath house. With about 5 acres of land. With half being a wooded area. I like living away from everyone; it's my little piece of paradise. I work at a wildlife reservation 6 days a week for 9 hours a day
So I have a lot of stuff I have to do on my day off. To keep me going all week because i dont want to have to shop on my work days, I'm tired. When I get off I just want to go home and sleep. Sometimes I even forget to eat before I fall asleep. I'm dressed and ready to shop as well as I ever will be. I lock up even though everyone tells me no one will be out this far to worry about getting robbed. But I was once burned and im not going to be an easy target a second time. I head to my four wheeler instead of my car. It's faster if I go through the woods it takes 10 minutes to get to the store. If I go by car it takes 20 minutes. And I have my basket welded to the back of it to carry all my shopping. It was so worth getting it put on. I hate driving the car. I use it only a handful of times a year. Everywhere I need to go I can get to with my lovely four wheeler. I hop on and put on my helmet. Better safe then sorry if I get in an accident I will be long dead before anyone finds me. And off I go. I go full speed through the woods. And make it to the store in no time. I come up behind the stores. It's one of those small shopping malls where all the shops are in a parking lot together but they're not like the one in bigger towns where they're all connected. The shops are very close together with little allies in between them. I park next to the motorcycles, golf carts and other four wheeler s. At least I'm not the only one who hates to drive cars. I hop off and head for the dollar store. It has everything I need and the prices aren't too bad. I'm not broke but if i can get the same things for a cheaper price why not. As soon as I step foot inside the cashier calls out to me.
" hay rose running a little late today i see." mat laughs
"It's only 10. I'm not late. It's my day off so I can sleep in once in a while. " I give him a scowl and I grab a buggy and head down the first aisle I hear him laughing behind me. I come here every sunday and he usually works sunday morning so i see him a lot. He's an ok guy but i dont like how he acts like we are close because he knows what I buy every week. I only see him when I go shopping. We are not friends. I wish he would work other shifts. It's like he's the only one who works here. But hay he might be the only one. It's a small town and most people have been with their current job since they were 17 and started working. And the kids nowadays as soon as they graduate high school. They move away for college or work. Very few come back for holidays. Talking about holidays, I really need a vacation. I should talk to my boss Monday about seeing when I can take some time off. I'm going to have to pull out my tent and make sure it's still good i havent used it in so long and it's been in the garage. It may be bad by now and then I'm going to have to get a new one.
I grab milk, microwavable dinners and some other cold foods. Onto the next aisle.I need fast food for when I don't want to cook. Which is most days. And a little bit of food to actually cook. Sometimes I have an easy day and I'm tired of microwaveable food. So I need something to cook. Ok food done now i have to get everything else. I need to grab laundry detergent, soap, body wash and razors. I have everything and coffee because caffeine addiction is real. As I get up to the register. I see Matt smiling with a big toothy smile. I sigh and prepare for the small talk that I would rather chow off my own hand than to do.
"You need to eat better, not all this junk food." Matt says as he puts my food into bags and looks at them like they have personally offended him. He has been telling me this ever since he started working here 2 years ago. I don't know why he keeps telling me. I'm not going to change
"I'm busy and I still need to eat." I say quietly and start putting the bags into my buggy as fast as he bags them.
"I'm just worried about your health" he looks up and down me and I feel a shiver go down my spine and not the good kind. He's not a bad guy. He's nice every time I see him and he's not bad looking either. I just hate the way he looks at me. I'm not sure why, just somewhere in the back of my mind. It's saying it's bad and I have learned a long time ago to listen to it even if it makes me look crazy.
"Thanks but I know what I'm doing. I'm paying with a card" i say wall pulling out my card ready to get out of here and be back home. I swipe my card and pay. Then I'm walking out even before my receipt comes out. As I push the buggy to my four wheeler. I see something move in my peripheral in between the buildings. in the very back. I stop and turn my head to get a better look. To see what's back there. It could be an animal. And depending on which kind I might have to make a call to work to come and get it and bring it back to where it belongs and not in town. I have had to do that more times than I can count. Animals sometimes get curious about town and wander in. and we got to come and get them. If they are hurt we take care of them until they are well and then send them back into the woods away from town. But most of the time we just get them then bring them back to their woods. I see something move again and it looks big. I put my cart to the side and step into the alley. Very carefully. I don't feel like being food today. That's when I saw him, a man. He's curled up in the corner. There's blood on him. I step closer but with more caution then I would with an animal. He goes very still. Like he's not even breathing. His hair is white as snow. He might be an old homeless man. I have never seen any homeless people in our small town but I haven't really been looking before. He might need to go to the hospital. I really hope i didn't scare him so badly that his heart gave out and he's just not breathing, not just seeming like it.
"Sir are you ok" I say with the gentlest voice I can. "Do you need help?" I try again then he moves very very slowly. He turned his face toward me and looked at me with white eyes. I'm so shocked that I took a step back. But I stop myself before I take another one and step back to him. He's not an old man, he looks to be in his 30s. He's looking at me like he can see into my soul.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I just need to rest for a little while. Then I will be on my way. I ask that you not tell anyone I'm here please." The smoothest voice I have ever heard comes from him. I sigh. I would love to just walk a way like he wants me to but my conscience wont let me do that . damn it cant it just go to hell.
"Ok what here i will be right back." I say turning and walking back the way I came , not waiting for him to say anything.