The Ties that Bind

Chapter 1 | The Beginning

She was lost.

Ten minutes ago, there should have been a left turn, but the road stretched far into the distance and tall dense pines stood sentinel along the paddock fence line. Dark, heavy clouds rolled out from over the hills in the distance.

It was an unsettling change from the scattered noise and imposing skyscrapers of Devonport City. Selene had never driven so far outside the city on her own, especially not in the beat-up Chevelle that once belonged to her mother, which had seen the worst half of three years stagnant in the garage. 

Selene looked up and down the road. She hadn't seen another car in twenty minutes and some nearby grazing cows had gathered at one side of the fence and stared ominously at her with shiny black eyes. She stared back, lifted her sleek black cell phone and snapped a picture. She'd send it to Cassie later when she had WiFi.

She was hoping to be home before dark. It was half three in the afternoon but the sun was fading, fast. 

Huh. Home. Strange. The only home she remembered vividly was her father's. Thomas' small shoebox two bedroom home that she shuddered to think about. A gilded cage. 

Before she left the city, he gave her strict instructions. There was a turn off, hidden on a blind corner. You'd miss it if you weren't looking. Thomas insisted that she take a map, but she was confident that her gps system would be able to take her all the way. She didn't anticipate it changing routes and taking her in circles because of poor signal.

Ten minutes later, mailboxes were beginning to appear on the sides of roads and long driveways dipped into the tree line. She must be getting close to civilisation by now. 

Her thoughts drifted to her father and her stomach was in knots. She hadn't seen Thomas properly in weeks. He'd planned the move a couple weeks ago, but Selene hadn't confirmed if she'd stay in Devonport or go with him. After what happened with her deplorable ex-boyfriend Nicholas, despite all the confrontation between her and Thomas, she needed him as a father and he stepped up to be there for her.

She guessed it was time for a fresh start. He lived on the edge of the City. Half in, half out, he used to joke. Thomas was always restless and itching for the quiet and familiar. But moving back into their old family home wasn't exactly what she had in mind for a fresh start. It was stepping into a loaded bear-trap to see if it sprung. Selene couldn't imagine him surviving another wave of darkness if he were to be triggered by it. Never did she imagine it'd drag him back after all this time, that was certain. Even so, she felt a sense of excitement at the prospect of starting somewhere new. 

In the near distance, a small station with gas pumps appeared and she breathed a sigh of relief. She parked the chevelle next to the pump, the gravel crunching under her tires. She put a twenty in the tank to take the gas peg over halfway and wandered inside. It was a dilapidated building but the neon sign reading OPEN on the door indicated it was a fully functional business.

The old man at the counter had his back to her, eyes glued to the box television set in the corner suspended on the wall.

She noted the security camera in one corner and the dangling disconnected cord attached to the wall. Inwardly, she chuckled.

She returned to the counter with snacks and a drink. She noted the stack of maps on the counter and begrudgingly took one of those too.

The man's eyes fixed on the television, his feathery grey hair sticking out from underneath his fishing cap barely covered the crusty worn hearing aids in his ears. "Hi there." She said politely. When he didn't turn around she looked at the tv.

"...that makes it our third attack this month. Sheriff Mason has assured those of Haven County that the incident is being thoroughly investigated but still, cannot release any information at this time.  Times like these bring into question Haven County's public security—"