Mile 15

Chapter 9: In Which Bill and Marty Make a Pit Stop

Long shadows crawled up the sides of the old house as the headlights of the car approached. It's rotting walls and hollow front-porch indicated that the dilapidated structure had not withstood the test of time. A large pine tree had already grown through the center, it's pointed tip protruding from the almost non-existent roof. It had been decades since anybody had set foot on the property, let alone maintained it.

Bill drove the car up the overgrown remains of a driveway. As the old house finally appeared from within the deep ocean of trees, he breathed a sigh of relief. And despite his clear air of nervousness, Marty also felt some hope spark in his heart. It was the first trace of humanity they had come across in over an hour.

However, that didn't make the building any less frightening. Aside from the road behind them, there was no other infrastructure in the surrounding area, and no address or any such indicator of where they were. Tall, sturdy pine trees stood high on all sides, concealing whatever dwelt in the darkness beyond. And other than the steady roar of the evening wind and the rumble of Bill's motor, there was not a single sound.

After scrutinizing their surroundings for some time, both Bill and Marty climbed out of the car.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Bill asked, staring up at the shattered windows of the old house.

Inspired by the discovery of a singular building, Marty pulled the phone from his pocket and immediately began searching for a signal. He paid no mind to Bill or the mysterious woman they had accidentally picked up --whether to run from the feeling of uneasiness that had settled in his heart, or because he was simply oblivious, it was hard to tell. Either way, he spent the next little while dancing around the car with his phone in the air.

Upon hearing no answer to his question, Bill turned back to face the car. But the woman had once again vanished from the back seat just as suddenly as she had appeared. Bewildered, he blinked a couple of times.

"You brought me home..." said a voice beside his ear.

She had reappeared right next to him. Except this time, there was something different about her expression. There was no longer the strange sense of loss hiding behind her doe eyes, but rather a look of deep gratitude. When she looked at Bill, it was as if she could finally see him with the full and complete clarity that had not been there previously.

"Yes?" Bill replied, a little startled.

"Thank you,"

For the first time since her ominous appearance, a joyous smile suddenly appeared on the woman's features. Then she reached forward and pressed her palm against Bill's cheek. Somehow, despite the near-freezing touch of her pale hand, Bill's face immediately flushed a hot shade of red. But he soon relaxed as the woman reached up and planted a gentle kiss on the surface of his lips.

Meanwhile, Marty was still doing his ritualistic dance on the other side of the car. He had neither a signal, nor any clue of what was happening behind him.

The kiss lingered for a few seconds, and Bill's eyes were closed as he savored the feeling. Even when the woman gently pulled away, he remained frozen in place as though afraid she would disappear again if he even so much as moved. However, after a few long seconds he finally felt the need to look at her. He slowly opened his eyes.

The woman was now facing the rickety old house. Her smile had faded to a soft look of longing, but the newfound clarity in her gaze remained the same. Leaving Bill, she took a few tentative steps forward before stopping again. Backlit by the beam of the headlights, she looked very much like a cautious deer deciding her next course of action.

After a couple seconds, a single word drifted off the woman's lips, so quiet that it almost dispersed on the forest wind.

"Mama..."