Sedona

Two Steps Back

(Y/N)'s POV

Another day of routine is coming around. I watched Thomas and Annie go into the playroom before getting ready to leave for work. For the past week, my eyes kept catching on the door that blended into the wall.

It wasn't that obvious to me before; I could almost ignore that it was there. But now that I hear that the original owner of that room is dead, attacked, it stuck out to me. It couldn't be more obvious to me.

The paint on the door to make it blend into the wall didn't work anymore. It didn't hide from anyone. Other parents would stand by each other, muttering about it like it's gossip.

I get it that the accident is strange. The news article said that he was found deep in the woods. His family claimed that he wasn't the kind of guy to go into the woods for any reason, staying in town.

A feeling stayed deep in my chest that this wasn't supposed to happen. A man being somewhere that he never would have been is giving the idea that something different happened that night. And everyone brushed it off around me like it was not strange.

Cold dread filled my heart from just looking at the door. Fear picked at my bones thinking about it. Something is off about the way that the case is; why was he out there?

I stared at the door for a moment, like a car crash that I couldn't look away from. But the obligations of work have to pull me the other way. My feet slowly moved backward, and with one last look at my kids, I left the place.

Climbing back into my driver's seat, I drove my way to work. Mr. Charles still lingered in my mind like a stain in my mind. I felt bad for him and his family. These animal attacks have happened so often in this woodsy town.

It's more attacks than I heard of in my old town. Here, there have been four in a month. Five lives have been lost, and he is the latest one. At this point, no one should be risking their lives out there.

I have found myself getting nervous if I drove into a forest road. It's a risk that I'm not willing to make, so I stay in town. Work came into view with its big sign that said "Forks Vet Clinic" in big letters.

"Here, we go," I mumbled to myself, going into the building. Dogs barked, and cats hissed around me. An older woman with all-white hair struggles to hold back her dog.

"Calm down, Ernie." She muttered sweetly to the big dog. "I know you don't like it, but you have to be here. You're sick." She pet the dog on his head, and he slowly relaxed, setting his head in her lap.

I strolled past into the office to clock in. The first appointment I had was with a Ms. Mabel Thomas and her dog. So I came out to the waiting room.

"Ms. Mabel Thomas?" I called, but no one answered. "Mabel Thomas?" My voice got a little louder.

"Ernie, it's your turn." The woman that I saw before stood up with her dog. She walked up to me slowly, shuffling in her soft pink flats.

"Sorry, dear. I can't hear that well. I lost my hearing aids." She smiled kindly at me. She looked like the typical grandmother in a cartoon.

"It's alright. Right this way," I guided her out to the back in the hall. The dog laid down on the table on her command.

Ms. Thomas sat with her creme-colored handbag in her lap. My mind trailed off as I clipped the dog's nails and did the usual check-up. The news articles and the talk with Esme reeled in my mind.

Mr. Charles didn't deserve the hand he'd been dealt on Friday night. No one found him until the end of the weekend. His mother knew that something was wrong after he had not been in the house for two hours without telling her anything.

She's the first to say anything. At first, people thought he just went on his own path, leaving the state. She had to be persistent, and her intuition proved her right.

He was found on his back with birds feasting on him. Almost no evidence is left of him. Cold, pale skin and lifeless, scared eyes looked back at the police officers who found him.

The article didn't say more about him, but it did mention how they found his car abandoned on the outskirts of the forests. The car had its tires stuck in the mud, otherwise untouched.

"

Thomas, Annie? It's time to come home." I called into the playroom when I arrived.

"Parent!" Thomas and Annie ran up to me, dropping everything to come to me.

"Not so fast, get your toys." I redirected the two kids.

"Yes, parent!" They ran back into the room to round up their toys.

"(Y/N)," Esme came to my side with papers in her hands. "They made these for you; they wanted me to hold onto them for them."

Six drawings were made for me. Four of them were made by Annie based on the name on the back and the major use of pink for the drawing. "Thank you for giving me this," I replied kindly.

My eyes found hers for a second. For a few days or so, they were this pretty golden color, but they're back to that dark color. Her eyes changed colors every now and then, like it was a phase for her to want either or.

It's also like a household trend or something. Each of her children had a similar golden color, and his husband did too. I guess that's a weird form of bonding that they have, but I wouldn't know.

I've seen them so often I probably haven't gone a week without seeing one of them. Esme here at the daycare; she's never missed a day yet, from what I can tell. I've seen Alice and Jasper at the store before, too. I guess Forks is smaller than I thought.

I might put some distance between us. It may be a small town, but I'm definitely seeing them more. It's okay. It's not accidental. But I don't know for sure.
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1076 Words