The Devil's reflection

Troubles in the Smoke

Clive puffed the cigarette but he didn't bother to open the window beside him, instead letting the smoky air filter through the air of the truck. Frank grumbled from the back seat of the truck as he tried not to cough on the foul air that filled the space between him and his foster father.

"What'd you say boy!" Clive growled as Frank looked back out the window at the lines of trees that seemed to pass, there was no end in sight. "I said what did you say!" Clive snapped as Frank glanced back at the man. He most certainly had seen better days, his hair was mostly gone and the white shirt under the blue plaid shirt was covered in stains. What kind of stains, Frank could only asume by the scent that rolled through the vehicle that it was alcohol or something of the sort. The man glared at him through the rearview mirror waiting for a response, his anger already boiling over. Well he most certainly didn't like Frank from the beginning but he doubted that the man had any care about him beside the check that came with.

"Lots of trees." Frank stated as the man snorted semi content with the answer before taking another drag from the cigarette. Frank's attention returned to the treeline as he rubbed at his left wrist, the burn was bothering him. He hadn't expected that last punishment from his previous foster family to be so brutal. He had been lucky to get away from his foster parents before it became worse. He pulled his hand away looking at the thrown on bandage that he did just this morning hoping the burn wasn't as bad as it seemed. His skin had patches of black and it still burned like the flame from the stove. He winced as the truck sped faster and his forearm struck the door. Searing pain rolled through his skin as it launched upwards through his arm. He bit his tongue hoping and praying that Clive didn't notice, weakness wasn't his thing.

He was thankful when the man hadn't noticed his attention was focused entirely on the road, something that seventeen year old was thankful for. Frank leaned his head on the cold window, small flecks of white fell down around them but it was still a bit warm for the snow to remain.

"You're going to school, boy." Clive stated after a few minutes. Frank was silent as he thought, he was expelled from his last school for getting into a physical altercation with the gym teacher. He knew he couldn't stop going to school so easily, he was still required to until he was eighteen. Three months, he could go to school for three months.

"Alright."

"Good then I don't have to deal with you." Clive mumbled as he blew more smoke out into the small space the two shared. It was warm inside the vehicle and Frank could feel himself starting to sweat so he leaned forward flipping off the vents for the backseat. "What are you doing?"

"Turning off the vents." Frank muttered as Clive turned the fan on high and blasted the heat. Frank huffed and leaned back in his seat before glancing at his small duffle bag and backpack beside him, it didn't hold much but it was still something. "How far-"

"SHUT UP!" Clive shouted as Frank bit his tongue falling silent. He wasn't in the mood to fight, he just wanted not to be boiling inside a truck filled with smoke going to an unknown location. The woods outside the vehicle seemed to grow thicker as the sun started to disappear behind them. Frank shifted again trying to relax as much as he could without choking on the smoke that littered the space.

The two sat in silence for hours before they finally turned onto a gravel path. Frank noticed a larger house that sat further down the road they had been on seeing the dark lamps that littered the gated drive. The gravel road seemed to stretch on forever as he waited another twenty minutes before a small log cabin came into view. The headlights of the truck illuminated the dark wooden walls as the old green painted screen door filled Frank's vision. They were far, so far from civilization and even further from others. It made Frank just a bit nervous no one would know if anything happened. Clive turned off the car before getting out, dropping the cigarette to the ground and stamping it out. Frank gathered his two bags, pulling them on before climbing out of the truck's backseat.

Clive didn't bother to look back at the teenager as he walked up to the house pulling the screen door open and unlocking the wooden door on the other side. Frank huffed as Clive disappeared into the dark house, as the teen slowly made his way to the porch. Lights flickered on from the window as Frank yanked open the screen before entering the cabin.

He should have known that it would have smelt of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The place itself was littered in empty bottles, dirty clothes lined the floor. Dirty plates covered the counters and filled the sink, the cabinet handles were broken and everything was covered in almost a layer of dust.

"Your room's down the hall and on the right." Clive stated as he yanked open the rusted fridge and dug out a beer bottle, cracking it open. Frank stared at the man for a moment before moving past him and into the filthy living room. The hallway was almost completely black as Frank moved down it finding the only door on the right side of the hall. He wasn't certain if he could even call the room a bedroom let alone anything more than a closet. Once he flicked on the light it only sealed the feeling of dread. The room only held a crappy window with a broken screen over it and a single bed which he couldn't even fit in. Frank dropped the duffle bag to the ground before slinging his backpack on the bed. He rubbed at his head, trying to get the scent of smoke from his nostrils and to try to relieve some of his growing headache. Living here was going to be a nightmare.

He dropped his backpack to the ground as he ran a hand through his hair huffing as he stared out the dark window. A small tick came from the glass and Frank moved forward crossing to the window with ease. He tried to see outside as the ticking went quiet losing Frank's attention. As he turned away the noise started again and Frank froze turning abruptly to look at the screen. It was louder now, almost like someone was beating against the glass. Frank tried to see outside but it was nearly impossible with the light in the background. It fell silent after a moment as Frank tried to gage what he just heard before pushing the thought out of his mind. He just needed to survive.

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So I'm actually super excited about this story! I've been working on it for a while now and it might be a bit slow but I absolutely fell it love with it as I wrote it. Hope you guys enjoy!