To Hell and Back // Alex Keller.

Lie to me.

Darkness was slowly turning into light when the morning fell onto the wet ground of a small town. Somewhere behind the clouds, the bright sun helplessly tried to fight through. Not even a single ray could find its way out, as the heavy drops fell onto the dry ground. Grayness was everywhere the eyes of a beholder could reach. It was hanging up in the sky with the fluffy clouds, on the ground with the cracked asphalt road and in the walls of small houses. Not even a single soul was outside, hiding from the ever-changing mood of nature under the warm roofs.

Puddles splashed around just like a fountain as the car at high speed passed through it. Drops reached for the far away, painting over the last dry spot over the dark asphalt. Pieces of dirt stayed on the shiny surface of the car, as another puddle cleaned it off the tires. Kelly's hand was in control of the vehicle, while the gaze of hazel eyes focused on the empty road in front of her. A tall cup of coffee cooled down during the first minutes of the ride. But its taste could still release the placebo feeling of being energized.

"C'mon Price. Please pick up, please." Loud beeps escaped out of the phone and echoed through the silence, as a redhead nervously bit her lower lip. The sleepless night left its mark all over her face with tired eyes and dark circles. The encounter with the man at the bar left an unsettling feeling in her mouth and made the thoughts of a woman run around just like a carousel.

"... the customer you are trying to reach is unavailable. The voicemail is full. Please try again later." Instead of the voice of a captain, a robotic voice reached the woman. She tried dialling the man's number again, but it seemed as if the luck herself escaped out of Miller's hands on the rainy summer day.

"Fuck!" Helplessly, she cursed out loud when the car stopped in the middle of the narrow road. The lid of the coffee mug touched Kelly's lips when she took a few sips of a cold drink. Taking a deep breath, a woman placed the cup back in its place before following the empty road further into the town.

Tall trees on the side of the road reached up to the sky, not letting any light pass through the heavy branches and green leaves. Wildflowers were scattered all over the tall grass on both sides of the road, hiding something deep in the woods away from the eyes of the passing passengers and their cars. The road to town was becoming more familiar with each trip, as she took a turn to a street where the dark house was hiding. It was still early in the morning when the grey car parked outside of the building. A redhead noticed the light coming through the closed blinds and decided to leave the warmth of the vehicle. Large drops of rain were falling on the woman's body and hair, as she ran towards the door.

"You are in so early, Kel." Alex was resting on the couch in the living room when the attention of his eyes was caught by a woman rushing to hide in the warm walls of the house. A cup of warm coffee sat in a large hand of the officer, as he took a few sips of drink. Keller's hair messily stood up, while the haze of sleepiness was still present on the man's mind.

"Woke up earlier today, guess I caught the weekend curse." Kelly caught the look of his eyes on hers, letting a soft smile appear on her tired face. Her coat found its place on one of the two hangers by the door when the drops of rain slowly ran down the smooth material to the cold, wooden floor.

"What's the weekend curse?" Light of curiosity was shining in the bright blue eyes of a man, as he left the empty cup on the coffee table in front of the couch. The TV changed from one channel to another, as endless news didn't give any ray of hope about the future. History was repeating itself every single year. Poor were suffering even more with each passing day, while the richest were becoming richer and greedier.

"When you plan on sleeping in the whole day, but wake up early with the sun." Miller turned the silent mode on her phone off, as her eyes ran over the darkened screen in hopes of seeing something from Price. The legs of a woman took her to the empty kitchen for a glass of water that felt like liquid gold to the dryness of her mouth. The face of a stranger from the bar stood in front of her eye, as a redhead tried to remember if they'd ever seen each other before. The southern accent of the man would be hard to forget in the room of SAS soldiers. Liam was dead, but the ghosts of his past were now hunting Kelly.