The House of Lost Souls

Chapter 1

The car was silent as they drove through the country roads, the quiet hum of the engine being the only sound. Jessie's eyes wandered about the landscape, admiring the beauty of it all. Surrounding them on either side of the road were massive, dark green pines that towered over them. The sky was a vibrant shade of purple, a leftover fleck of night before the sun rose. Ahead of them mountains loomed, like the walls of a fortress, protecting the valley located inside it. That valley was her destination, though she had never actually been there herself, she had heard stories of its majesty and she couldn't wait to see it for herself. Being a southern girl, she'd been restricted within certain places. But she'd always had a fascination with the north in all its majesty. When she was younger she would lie in bed at night, imagining herself walking under a canopy of ancient pines that towered overhead. Or her summiting the peak of a mountain, and staring out at the infinite forests that surrounded it. So to actually be here, in person, was exciting enough, but to spend an entire summer here, she could barely contain her excitement.

A bit of time passed and Madison, who was sitting in the passenger seat, said in her deep voice, "We're low on gas." Jessie looked and saw that, despite them filling up their tank completely at the last gas station, they were now low. Jessie, optimistic as she was, replied "Maybe there's a gas station nearby." Her words tinged by her southern accent. As luck would have it, a couple minutes later they saw a sign on the side of the road. It was worn down and slightly overgrown, some of the letters barely hanging on, but she could still make out what it said. "Last Stop gas, right ahead" it said, and sure enough, there was a gas station not too far down the road from it. As they got closer they began to have doubts about stopping there. The building itself looked pretty dated, an old wooden structure with a pitched roof. The walls were mostly barren old wood, with patches of faded white paint spread about the wall. The roof was made up of black squares, attached to the faded green wood trim that bordered it. The double doors out front, and the windows around the place were all boarded up with old wood. The pumps out front were big and boxy, most of their surface covered in orange rust. But strangest of all, there was a man sitting out front in a dark green lawn chair. He was wearing a red flannel shirt, blue jeans that tucked into his black western boots, and a beige cowboy hat which adorned his head. As they approached the gas station Jessie and Madison both exchanged looks of apprehension, but ultimately they had no choice, they wouldn't make it to the valley if they didn't stop for gas, so Jessie pulled into the gas station. As she did, the man's eyes followed her car, and when they stopped beside one of the pumps, he got up and started walking towards them. Madison eyed him suspiciously, watching him through the mirror on the side of the car. Jessie got out to start pumping gas, keeping an eye on the man while he approached. She could hear his boots clicking against the concrete as he got closer, all the while she tried to figure out how to work the pump. The man cleared his throat and she turned her attention towards him. He was now only standing a couple of feet away, a gas can in his right hand. "The pump's broken ma'am," he said, his thick southern accent surprising her, he continued, "That's why I brought over this gas can."
"Oh, well thank you, that's very kind of you." She moved over to let him pour in the gas and was about to get back in the car when he spoke again. "So what brings you to these parts?"
"Well, I've just always had an admiration for the north, and a friend of mine owns a house out here in the valley, he invited me out here." "Really? We haven't seen too many residents lately." He paused for a moment, then said, "Say, is this friend of yours named Jake?" Jessie was a bit taken aback but she replied, "Yeah, he is. Do you know him?" He gave a little chuckle and said, "Well I'll be damned, of course I know your friend, I remember when I would always see him and his mother come and go down this very road every summer, so I'm glad to see he's coming back to town." The man finished filling up their car and placed the gas can on the ground. With a smile on his face he extended a hand towards Jessie and said, "Dale." Jessie shook his hand and said, "Jessie."
"Well it's been nice talking to you Jessie, but I won't keep ya from the road any longer."
"Well it's been nice talking to you Dale, and thanks for the refill."
"Don't mention it, a friend of Jake is a friend of mine." Jessie hopped back in the car, and as she was about to drive off Dale walked over to the window. "Be careful out there, these woods have more to them than meets the eye, but you and your friends are always welcome at my gas station if you ever find yourself in a situation. Well, safe travels!" With that they drove off, with the sun slowly rising on the horizon, and their destination within view.