Saintsville

by Brittani Louise Taylor

  “Uh-huh,” Maggie agrees, scanning the forest once more.

  Having her answer, Eve retreats back indoors, probably to find her purse and keys as Maggie walks over to the stump, intending on returning the ax to where she had found it. Tilting her eyes to the woods, nothing is amiss, but something tells her to keep it close. Maggie carries the ax with her as she walks to the house, up the stairs, and inside.

  Just in case.

  Day two is uneventful. They find a tall folding ladder and evict as many spiders as possible. Maggie is unusually sober as she works beside her sister. Eve just chalks her silence up to ghosts. Not literal ghosts, but the ghosts of their lives thus far. Being here was bound to be triggering, and taking Maggie away from everything she has ever known even more so.

  While dusting in the boarded-up living room, Eve notices the small jewelry box she had forgotten about on their first night. Wiping it off with a rag, she carries it back into the center of the room. Sitting carefully on the old couch—now draped with a painting drop cloth—she cracks open the lid and is puzzled by its contents.

  Purple velvet lining displays a small silver necklace. Removing it from the box, Eve sees the chain is long, at least thirty inches, but the round pendant is odd. Circular in shape, simple, the center looks to be transparent. Almost like a magnifying glass, but this glass has an iridescent quality as she tilts it back and forth, catching the light shining down from the chandelier.

  “Whatcha got there?” Maggie mumbles, curious and leaning over Eve’s shoulder. Before Maggie has a chance to claim it as hers, Eve throws the necklace on, raising the pendant to eye level.

  “Cool,” Maggie shrugs. “It’s yours. I would be creeped out wearing something that belonged to Grandma, anyways. She’ll probably haunt you for it.”

  Relieved to see Maggie in a better mood, Eve relaxes.

  “Ha, ha. If she does, at least we know she isn’t an evil spirit.”

  Setting her hammer down, Maggie grabs an apple from the fridge and plops next to Eve on the couch. Crunch. Taking a big bite, she leans back, lost in thought.

  “But don’t you think it’s weird? Grandma is killed one month before our parents disappear? For all we know, she could have died on this very couch. Something is hella fishy….”

  Another crunch as Maggie takes another big bite, unfazed.

  “I did try asking Jill about it—”

  “And?” Maggie interrupts.

  “Anytime I bring up June, she changes the subject.”

  “Yet another reason not to trust her.” Giving Eve a knowing look, Maggie gets up and grabs her hammer.

  Eve protectively tucks the necklace under her shirt.

  The sisters work outside from midday to dusk. Removing the nailed boards from the windows on the lower level, one by one. As they do, they are mystified. All of the panes of glass underneath are fully intact, so the boards weren’t installed because of repair. There really wasn’t anything in the house to steal, so they definitely weren’t put in place for protection. Saintsville is devoid of tornados or any sort of natural disasters that would require precautions like this. Maybe this had just been Jill’s way of grieving?

  Unable to finish with the second level without borrowing a larger ladder from Jill, they have made almost an entire loop around the house. With one window left, Maggie and Eve tug on the nails with their hammers as they hear a rumbling in the distance.

  The sound is coming from down the road, as a dirt cloud moves steadily closer. She hears the roaring as two automobiles—a black muscle car and a generic moving truck—come into view.

  “Did you order furniture?” a puzzled Maggie inquires, turning to Eve for answers.

  “Nope.”

  “Interesting….”

  The solid black hot rod heads straight toward them, but veers right, passing their parked station wagon. It comes to a stop in front of the large fallen tree, the one blocking the driveway to the other forgotten home. The moving van slows to a halt, idling a hundred or so feet back, giving the sleek black car room to work.

  From the driver’s side exits the first figure. A man, wearing back aviators, a black tank top, black pants, and black combat boots with his head shaved. Muscular arms are covered in tattoos, too hard to make out from a distance, but from their vantage point at the window, Eve thinks they look like lines. Bar codes. Whoever he is, he is breathtaking.

  As if on cue, three more males emerge—all covered in the same odd markings. They have to be related, though their personal styles vary. The second male’s head is shaved, like the first, but sports glasses like Eve. He seems to be giving instructions to the other two that appear from the passenger-side door, while the first male stands with his arms crossed, waiting.

  The third maybe-brother has a nose ring, only half his head shaved, and the other half encompassed by complex braids. And the fourth, who looks to be about Maggie’s age, is sporting a black beanie…covering up whatever hair he does or doesn’t have.

  The Abbott sisters stand, mouths agape.

  Is this some kind of joke?

  Two by two, the boys split, heading to the sports car’s trunk as it pops open. From within, they start to pull out long, thick silver chains.

  “What are they doing?” Maggie whispers, not wanting to be discovered just yet, too enthralled by the beautiful creatures before her.

  “I think they’re going to try and move that tree….” Eve states, also transfixed. Where Maggie is excited by the attractive male prospects, Eve grimaces.

  “Who are they?” states Maggie seductively. Based on how she purrs those three words, Eve knows that trouble will soon follow.

  “I think…they’re our new neighbors.”

  Chapter 6

  Are they brothers? That is yet to be discovered. Whoever they are, they work quickly. Three lift the tree on the left end, while one throws a chain underneath, and they repeat this on the right side as well, bringing it over the top of the weathered pine and securing it. The male with the half-shaved head and braids, and the one with a beanie, carry the two ends of chain to meet, forming a sort of triangle with the fallen log. Unhooking a winch from the hot rod, the guy with glasses now drags a metal cable forward as the Abbotts continue to stare. He deftly slides the ends of the chains onto a large hook attached to the winch and backs away.

  All of this takes them, maybe, five minutes? They don’t converse while they set about their task, just move and flow, effortlessly, as one unit.

  “This is, by far, the hottest thing I have ever seen….” Maggie declares earnestly.

  “Do you think they’re some sort of cult?” Eve whispers, just in case they can possibly hear her.

  “If they are, I have found my true calling!” Maggie drops her hammer and leans back against the house. Quickly unbuttoning the bottom three or four snaps on her flannel, she ties it, exposing her midriff.

  “Really?” Eve scolds, hoping to chastise her sister into covering up. “Why stop there? Why not take off your entire top?”

  “I want one of them to….”

  “Maggie!” Louder than she meant to, Eve yells her little sister’s name.

  Both girls turn back toward “operation tree,” and all four of the males have stopped moving and are looking straight at them. The half-shaved, glasses, and youngest have moved out of the way, giving the oldest brother clearance. He’s about to get back into the black car but is angled toward Eve. His stance is powerful and menacing—muscles tense and corded, as if he could pounce at any moment.

  Eve turns cold. Whoever these people are, she knows one thing for sure. They are dangerous.

  “Really?! Why do you always have to embarrass me?” Maggie whispers, covering her face with her gloved hands.

  Eve sheepishly waves hello and the strangers relax, but they don’t return the gesture. Instead, they turn their attention once again to the fallen tree.

  Her cheeks heat, doubly embarrassed by their dismissal. Not waiting for Maggie, Eve ferociously att
acks another nail, ripping it free from the board. Maggie soon picks up her hammer and joins her sister, but both women are still very much aware of the new arrivals.

  “Who keeps chains like that in their car? Unless they knew they were going to need them?” Eve whispers.

  “They obviously knew they were going to need them, or how else were they going to move that tree—levitation?” Maggie snarks.

  “This is too weird….”

  “You’re weird. You can leave, and they can most definitely stay!”

  The black hot rod roars to life, catching the sisters’ attention once more. Eve assumes the oldest male is driving as he throws it into gear, hits the gas, and a loud crack emits as the pine starts to shift. The tires, spitting out dirt, dig in and force the car forwards with the tree in tow. Swinging around, the pine is pulled off the road to the left. Once the blockage has been cleared, the other three outside of the car spring into action. Removing the chain, stowing the winch, and joining the patriarch of their group back in their vehicle. Thrown into drive again, the sports car rips down the driveway with the moving truck following closely behind.

  “Do you think we should go say hi?” Maggie asks hopefully, but Eve just groans.

  “We have two more windows to go.”

  “Buzzkill.”

  “Let them get settled in,” Eve states reasonably. “I’m sure we will find out more about them soon enough.”

  The girls finish the last lower-level window just before sundown and head inside. The boys have parked, headed indoors, and haven’t revealed themselves since. No lights on, either—their newly inhabited house is pitch black.

  Day three, the Abbott sisters are awoken by a chainsaw.

  Eve drowsily throws on her glasses and hobbles to her window to pinpoint the source of the noise. Peeking through the cracks over her still-boarded window—they really need to locate a taller ladder soon—she sees the shaved head and notes it to be the angry driver from the day prior.

  And he is topless.

  Sporting the same black pants and combat boots, sans shirt, she sees that the barcode-like tattoos cover most of his chiseled upper body, and head south. Eve wonders just how far down the tattoos extend when she hears a thud above her. Maggie must have been woken by the noise as well.

  Locating her cellphone and unplugging it from its charger, she sees the time is 6:30 a.m.

  From the attic, Eve hears her baby sister yawn loudly, squeal, pounding as she runs, then her voice shouting down the ladder, “Eve? Get up here!” Thump, thump, thump as Maggie sprints back over her head, more than likely to the large vaulted window facing toward the front of the house.

  Putting on a fuzzy gray bathrobe and slippers, Eve patters out of her room and up the ladder, entering Maggie’s space. Spotting her little sister, she grins. Her wild curls are especially voluminous this morning. Hair sticking up at odd angles, the petite redhead looks like she is five years old again, minus the missing teeth and with curves. With a blanket wrapped around her, she waves and beckons for Eve to join her.

  “This is better than cable.” Maggie snorts, turning back to the window.

  They’re surprised to see five males, not four, hard at work. The fifth must have been driving the moving truck; his short blonde hair is spiked. They all seem to have assigned tasks. Clearing debris, what looks to be parts of rusted old cars and barrels. The male who they assume is the youngest Eve almost doesn’t recognize at first without the beanie, but his shoulder-length locks are now held back by a black bandana. He’s setting markers—little metal flags that he seems to be laser measuring. Every ten feet along the border of their property, another orange marker gets pushed into the ground.

  “Please tell me they are putting in an outdoor gym! Do you have any binoculars?”

  Laughing, Eve responds, “No.”

  “Well, I am seventeen in a few months. Consider it an early birthday present?”

  Actually, Eve doesn’t consider binoculars to be such a bad idea. She wouldn’t mind getting a closer look. More to spy on the suspicious figures, and follow their movements, of course. At least that’s what she is telling herself. This home only needs one boy-crazed female.

  “I’ll think about it….” Kissing Maggie’s head, Eve stretches, and heads back downstairs to make breakfast.

  Days four, five, six, and seven turn into a blur of cleaning, painting, and more spying. The brothers, in four days, have completely clear cut the field, dug ditches, and installed tall posts. Even more odd, at the top of each post are massive light panels. Not facing toward their abode but turned toward Eve and Maggie’s. From what they could tell, gawking from the attic window, not one attempt has been made on home improvements. Just the field. And the lights. That seemed to be their main focus.

  The Abbotts’ seven-day respite has come to an end. It is Monday, which means Eve’s first day working at Jill’s, and Maggie’s first day as a high school junior. So far, the day is off to a rough start. The wiring in the kitchen can’t be up to code, as the toaster starts sparking and burns two slices of bread to a crisp. Switching gears, Eve quickly grabs two more pieces of multigrain and slaps on some peanut butter and honey. That will have to do for breakfast, as they are already running late.

  The eldest Abbott has woken up early enough, taken time to tie her hair back into a chic bun, and even applied minimal makeup. Nervous, Eve is unsure what the dress code for her new job entails. Settling on a simple, navy-blue dress and cream ballet flats, she thought it said, “I work at a café.”

  Entering the kitchen, Maggie has also apparently put in her own unique sort of effort to get ready. Her normally wild ringlets are split into two French braids. Sporting a cut-off band shirt, jeans, and sneakers, she is effortlessly cool, like always. Completing her look is a hooded sweatshirt tied around her waist, which Eve wishes her sister would just wear, but she knows better than to say anything.

  Maggie has on maybe a bit too much eye makeup as well, in Eve’s opinion. A smokey pink shadow and black winged liner only magnify the intensity of her gorgeous blue eyes.

  Checking her phone, Eve groans. Throwing the unplugged toaster in the sink and handing her sister a paper towel with one slice of bread, she grabs the other, her purse and keys, and rushes toward the front door.

  “Maggie, backpack, let’s go!”

  “Don’t tell me, you really got a job at my school….”

  “What?”

  “You look like a librarian,” Maggie snorts.

  Holding the front door open with her foot, Eve motions toward the car, used to Maggie’s insults. She watches as her younger sister sets down her breakfast and unhurriedly retrieves a water bottle from the fridge.

  “Now, Mags! I’ll meet you in the car!”

  Eve takes a bite of her toast as she power walks to the station wagon. Minutes pass and Maggie has still not come out. Honking the horn, she finally sees her emerge with her backpack in one hand and honeyed bread in the other, but she still manages to flip Eve the bird. Locking the front door, she stows her keys in her backpack and casually strolls to the car.

  Finally in the automobile, Maggie’s door isn’t even shut before Eve guns it.

  “What the hell!” Maggie exclaims, setting her napkin and partially eaten breakfast on the dash, swinging the passenger side door shut, and firmly clicking her seatbelt into place.

  “If you aren’t ready to leave the house by seven thirty tomorrow, I swear, you’re walking!”

  Eve is on edge. There are just too many unanswered questions in her life at the moment.

  What happened to their grandmother?

  What happened to their parents?

  Is their current living situation safe?

  Can she trust Jill?

  Who the heck are the strangers holed up in the house across the field?

  And now, one more question.

  Why could she see their sleek, black hot rod approaching in her rearview mirror?

  “You have to be kidding….�
� Eve grimaces, not ready at all for what this particular day might bring.

  Chapter 7

  Every turn Eve makes, the hot rod follows. As it tails them through town, it becomes increasingly evident that both cars are headed in the direction of the high school. Oblivious, Maggie chatters away. She is nervous, although she would never admit it. Back in Seattle, Maggie had a solid group of friends. Girls and guys she had befriended from preschool up. She fit in, knew her place, and quite frankly, was queen bee.

  And now she’s the new girl.

  In this town, Maggie already knows she doesn’t belong. The looks she has received every time they venture to the market, or hardware store…well, they aren’t warm and friendly. The residents of this anomaly are aloof, calculating, and wary. Maggie highly doubts anyone here listens to indie rock or stays out past their curfew. Saintsville doesn’t like edgy newcomers. She can tell by the judgmental stares of mothers and fathers, as if she might corrupt their children. And honestly, they are probably right to worry. Maggie has always done what she wanted, when she wanted, with whomever she wanted. But all she wants, in this moment, is to blink and wake up in her former life.

  Normally Eve is pretty empathic. Attuned to her sister’s moods, she should see that Maggie is on edge. That her—not so little anymore—sister is hurting. That in this moment, she really needs her.

  But Eve is currently preoccupied by the two predatory males currently tailgating their beat-up ride. From what she can garner, the shaved-head, chainsaw-wielding, yet-to-be named older brother is once again driving. He always seems to be driving, which Eve attributes to him needing to be in control. Or it’s his car, and he’s horrible at sharing. On the passenger side sits the long-haired teenager. Eve’s worst suspicious are confirmed when they finally reach Saintsville High, and the distinct black sports car is firmly behind them in the drop-off queue.

  “No…you can’t be serious?” Eve mumbles to herself, staring in the rearview mirror.