It Was Born in the Darkness of the Wood

by J. L. Hickey

  “Ouch,” she winced. “Big oaf,” She slapped him lovingly on his hip. Trayer pranced around Aaron excitedly. Happy as ever to see his friend, the dog buried his broad snout into Aaron’s crotch, huff, and snorted.

  “Miss me, boy?” he laughed. “He’s always so scary until he realizes it’s me,” said Aaron. He played with the big dog, scratching him behind the ears, rough horsing with him as he might with a little brother. “Like, oh yeah, that’s not a stranger, duh—that’s my buddy who brings me food,” Aaron used a playful dumb voice to voice the dog. “Here yeah go bud, got you some breakfast too,” he reached into a brown grease-soaked paper bag and tossed the Dane a single hash brown. Trayer wolfed it down in one gulp.

  “Damn, girl,” Aaron turned his attention to Haylee. “You get into a fight with the couch and lose? Lookin’ rough. When’s the last time you showered?”

  “Thanks,” Haylee frowned, rubbing her thigh where Trayer’s boney tail had smacked her. “Sorry, I didn’t get all dolled up for your surprise visit.”

  “You look sick, is all,” Aaron corrected. “Hungover?”

  “Too many pills last night,” Haylee sank back into the couch. Her robe brushed open. Embarrassed, she covered herself up. Her head felt weighted down as if fifty-pound weights were strapped to her forehead. Her legs were also shaky; a cold sweat had come over her. She held out her two hands and tried to steady them; she failed. Trayer, now losing interest in Aaron, jumped back on the couch, burying his head in Haylee’s lap.

  “The pills I got you?” Aaron made his way into the living room.

  “Yeah,” she replied.

  “The 40mg of Norco?” he asked again.

  “I think,” she frowned.

  “I told you to take one, how many—”

  “Two, with some vodka and Red Bull.”

  “Well, that’s why you look and feel like shit,” Aaron frowned. “I told you I could get you them, but you had to be careful. Can’t fuck ‘round with these.”

  “I know, I know…” Haylee shook her head, not wanting a lecture. The television was on a local news station, the volume was loud, and her head was splitting. She turned it down to a low buzz. She wasn’t in the mood for company; she wanted to crawl back into her couch and sleep the day away.

  “Food will help, I brought breakfast,” He tossed a sausage and egg muffin on the coffee table. He placed large coffee in front of her as well. “Straight black, strong too,” he said.

  “You’re too kind,” she smiled. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.

  “Listen, not to be that guy,” Aaron took a seat next to her, unwrapping his breakfast sandwich. Trayer wedged himself between the two. He was always protecting her from everyone and everything, especially from men. It didn’t matter if the dog liked you or not; Trayer always wedged himself between her and anyone.

  “—Then don’t,” she replied, her mouth full of sausage and egg.

  “Look, if you want me to keep getting you these pills, you have to meet me halfway,” he took a hefty bite from his sandwich, a chunk of egg fell onto his lap. Smooth, he thought to himself.

  “It was an accident. I’ll be careful,” she added. “They’re new pills. I have to figure out what works for me. Obviously, two was too many.”

  “I have a limited supply,” he picked up the egg with a paper napkin, wrapped it up, and tossed it back into the grease-stained brown bag. “Plus, I keep a few myself, for when I get bad. They don’t hand this shit out like candy. I only get a months’ worth. So, take em’ on bad days, and take one a day, twice a day tops. Those are strong and meant for me; I’m like three times your size little lady. That’s why I told you one. You used to get the 20mg’s from that dirtbag. So, just be careful. I wanna help, but I don’t wanna see you blue-faced and overdosed.”

  “Right,” she sighed. She eagerly took a second bite of the sandwich. It was greasy but tasty. She hadn’t eaten much the last few days, a couple of peanut butter sandwiches, a small bag of chips. Her diet was shit.

  “I’m telling you, switch over to weed,” Aaron pulled out a bag from his inner pocket. “Those pills are dangerous. I wouldn’t fuck with them too much. Plus, even for the physical pain, this works better for me. It’s legal now too, so it’s not like your dad…”

  “I know,” She interrupts. “It doesn’t work like that for me, nothing works except for the pills,” She stopped him. She didn’t need a sermon on the dangers of pills, or the wonders of weed. Weed didn’t knock her out like the pills; weed didn’t keep it from visiting her dreams. She’s tried everything, every-thing. Norco was the only thing that made her completely blackout. No dreams, no visitor. Either way, sobriety was no longer an option in her life. She had to embrace the self-medication. It was the only weapons she had to fend off the thing.

  If he only knew. Or did he? This entire shit town knew about her past.

  “Poor Haylee, what horrors she’s been through.

  How will she manage? How could she?

  She’s broken, she’ll never be the same.”

  Haylee heard the whispers around town. She felt like a special attraction, something for the city to gossip about. When she did manage the courage to get up and leave the house (even years after the incident), the town still spread rumors about her—a freak. At least Aaron spoke to her like a person.

  They’d become semi friends after he moved in next door about a year ago. Helped her more than she was willing to admit. He’d go with her shopping sometimes, when she was out of food, and couldn’t bear going out by herself. He was her only human friend. If she wasn’t such a broken, miserable, disaster of a human, she thought he might have liked her. But how could he? The mess she was—the pile of shit-bag of a human that was left after that night.

  The damaged Haylee.

  The Haylee three years ago? Sure, she’d never had a problem getting attention from men. Now? She was damaged goods, a lost soul with nowhere to go.

  At least he brought food.

  “Sandwich is good,” she forced a smile. She pushed the thoughts out of her head. “I needed that.”

  “I’m glad,” Aaron washed the last bite of his sandwich down with a large gulp of his coffee.

  Haylee’s phone buzzed on the coffee table, breaking the conversation.

  “Shit, that’s my dad,” Haylee sighed. “I need to take this,” she stood up, grabbed the phone, swiping the green button to accept the call.

  “Morning, dad,” she answered.

  “Morning, I tried calling last night,” His voice was soft, yet stern like a grown man talking to a frightened child. That’s how he always spoke to her now. Like she was fragile, easy to break. If he said the wrong thing or his tone was too stiff, she might snap.

  “Sorry, fell asleep early last night, had a bad day,” she replied. She offered a smile to Aaron, putting up her finger to him, signaling for a minute.

  He nodded, picked up the television remote, and turned up the volume. Haylee made her way into the kitchen for privacy.

  “I’m sorry about that. Lots of bad days lately, huh?” her dad added. “Same for me, lonely here without anyone.”

  “Yeah,” She wasn’t sure how to respond. She couldn’t even remember when she had a ‘good’ day. She was sure it was the same for him. “How’s the business going?”

  “Slow,” her dad sighed. “Not a lot of dignified work for a Private detective who was banished from the police force. I get the regulars. Wife wants to know if the Husband is cheating and guess what?”

  “What?” Haylee asked.

  “They always are,” He let out a half chuckle. “Picked up a few side gigs too. Gotta pay for your living, yeah
know? It’s not easy. I do some bouncer work on weekends now, and security here and there. Mostly bars, a night club in the city.”

  “I’m sorry I’m such a burden,” Haylee hated feeling guilty about needing her father’s support.

  “I didn’t mean it like,” her dad fumbled his words.

  “—It’s okay, I get it,” Haylee interjected.

  “Are you eating? Staying healthy?” her dad spoke softly again, attempting to reign the conversation back under his control.

  “I’m alive,” Haylee half chuckled.

  “I haven’t been billed from Doctor Feldman lately, are you seeing him?”

  “It’s been a few weeks,” no lies there, she didn’t see the point of a shrink. She was beyond help. Her dad wouldn’t listen, though. She braced herself for the same lecture he’s spewed to her over the last twenty-some years.

  “I wish you would see him regularly. My therapist has helped me so much.”

  “I will see about next week, promise,” that time, it was a lie. Haylee had no intention of seeing anyone. Especially Dr. Feldman.

  “Any job prospects?” He asked. He was shooting straight to the point this morning, wasting no time.

  “No,” she said bluntly. A swirl of anger came over Haylee’s head. She didn’t want to deal with this, not now, not ever.

  “Look, I don’t want to push you too fast. I can only pay for your rent for so long before I go broke. I’m working three jobs. Either we need to find you some income, or we need to talk about you moving back home to Ohio.”

  “I will start looking soon,” Haylee pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve the tension building. She tried getting a job last year, and it was a disaster. She had a panic attack that hospitalized her for two days. She never even made it into the first day of work. A shitty job at a Dollar General store running the cash wrap had sent her into a mental spiral into a very dark space.

  “Okay, listen...I’m sorry. I am not trying to make this harder. I love and care about you. You’re all I have. We’re in this together.”

  She could hear the sadness in her Dad’s voice, it stung her, like a million needles pressing against her back. Like a wave, shooting up her spine and outward. She wasn’t the only victim of that night; she knew that. She relied on her dad for so much, but who did he have? Guilt replaced the anger. He had no one. He was a broken father with an adult daughter who still needed her daddy to pay her bills.

  “No, I’m sorry,” Haylee fell into the kitchen table. Defeated, exhausted, her head still feeling light from the pills.

  “Listen, that’s not even why I called. I need a favor, can you do me a favor? It’s really important,” his voice changed, gone was the forced politeness, the nurturing tone of a father. Replaced was the voice of Detective Dad. The voice he used when he was on duty, or when Haylee and her sister were caught being bad. When that voice came out, she knew it was serious.

  “Uh, sure? Sounds important?”

  “I want you to stay away from the local news and social media for the next few days. Can you do that for me?” He spoke to her again, like a child. Slow, methodic, the seriousness in his request hung in the air.

  “Why, what’s going on?” Haylee frowned.

  “Nothing you need to worry about. But for both of us, please stay away. Just, I don’t know, read some books? Watch some movies? I need you to lay low. Can you do that? Until I say otherwise?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I guess,” Haylee answered.

  “Okay, good.”

  “Listen, I have a guest over,” Haylee replied, “I don’t want to be rude.”

  “—Oh,” her dad was surprised, probably a little annoyed. “Yeah, um, well, I love you and just keep me posted if you need anything. I can send some money for groceries in a few days for you.”

  “Thanks, dad. I will call you tonight?” she asked.

  “Yeah, okay. Bye.” He hung up.

  Click.

  Silence.

  Haylee put her cell down on the kitchen table, staring at the background picture of her home screen. It was her favorite photo of her and her sister. Camille had taken it at Haylee’s graduation party. The two of them stood out in front of their old Ohio home, a quaint two-story bungalow. Haylee, stood with her left arm resting over her little sisters’ shoulder, both with bright, broad smiles.

  Haylee stood up from the table and made her way back to the living room. Aaron sat on the couch, his mouth gaped open, eyes wide. Trayer had moved, resting his head in Aaron’s lap.

  “Holy shit,” he pointed to the television.

  There, a pretty young woman in a woman’s pinstripe suit jacket sat at the local WMEM TV25 news desk. An image hung in the top right corner of the screen reading, “Murder strikes Orr Road in Emmet County Once Again.”

  “In some wildly disturbing news,” The woman spoke, her voice pleasant, the words that followed, not so much. “Police walked into what many are calling a scene from a horror movie. Two bodies have been found in a home on the now-infamous Orr road. Reports are saying the two victims were murdered in their homes and mutilated sometime in the last few days. More news to come as it develops. Stay tuned; you heard it here first.”

  A Video clip followed the woman with the pleasant voice, filmed late last night; they aired the residence where the crime was committed. There were multiple police cars parked outside the two-story country home, blue and red lights poured into the dark Michigan sky, reflecting off the home’s window. Bright yellow police tape stretched across the hilly snow-covered front yard. There was a large group of officers and EMT’s working the scene.

  Haylee’s knees buckled.

  “Jesus!” Aaron jumped from the couch, Trayer was faster, immediately at her side. Aaron helped her to the couch. Her light frame was easy to lift, even with his bad leg. He sat her down, fetched her a glass of water from the kitchen.

  She took it, guzzling down the entire glass without breathing.

  “Do I need to call an ambulance? Are you okay?”

  “That’s my old street…” the words spilled from her mouth. “That’s…”

  I know,” Aaron frowned. “Close to where…”

  He knew. They had never spoken about the accident, but he knew.

  Could you even call it an accident? She’d always spoke about that night as if it was some sort of freak turn of events. But accidents aren’t premeditated. You don’t unintentionally eat another human.

  She should have realized he knew. Everyone in town knew. There were no secrets, especially when your name was all over local and national news.

  Her fifteen minutes of fame.

  “I didn’t know you knew,” she frowned. The news report with the pretty woman was already over. There hadn’t been much to discuss, not a lot of information had been collected despite a double murder. “You don’t look at me like everyone else.”

  “Of course, I knew,” Aaron took a seat next to her. “—And what do you mean, everyone else?”

  “Like a freak, everyone looks at me like I’m broken,” A stream of tears rolled down Haylee’s reddened cheeks.

  “No one thinks you’re broken. You’re a victim of an awful crime,” he added. He was rubbing her back in an attempt to console her.

  Her breaths came heavy and deep.

  “They stare at me, talk about me,” she spoke through gasps of air.

  This was the start of a panic attack.

  “Breath,” he said slowly. “We don’t know much right now,” he added. “What are you thinking? What’s going through your head?”

  “My dad,” Haylee sniffled. She wiped the
tears from her cheeks. She took a deep breath, tried to collect herself. “He just called, told me to stay away from the news, away from social media. He must have heard...probably from his connections.”

  “Too close for comfort?” Aaron questioned. “I mean, it’s weird. The same road as your old home? Another, you know...murder. Violent one too.”

  “Yeah,” Haylee went numb. “Weird…” she muttered, wiping the tears away.

  FOUR

  Michigan winters are brutal, with weather able to change in an instant. Haylee had packed up earlier that evening, preparing for her trip. Haylee was excited to drive down to Ohio to visit her dad. She was glad her little sister, Camille, couldn’t make it. She landed a job working at the small strip mall outside of town. She wanted to stay in for the weekend to prepare for her new career.

  Haylee needed to get away from everyone, even her sister. Camille and Haylee had a love/hate relationship, as most siblings do. Her little sister was a do-gooder, straight-A student, a college graduate, and of course, the apple in their daddy’s eye. Haylee was the opposite; she hated college, took up smoking and drinking in middle school, and liked boys a little bit too much. Not to mention, Haylee was damaged goods, a freak, and she spent her entire childhood wishing she was more like Camille.

  Camille wasn’t damaged goods.

  Once Haylee asked her if she too had the dreams. If she heard the voices, also?

  Camille looked at her like she was a freak.

  They never spoke of it again. Not even after their Mother died.

  Haylee hadn’t seen her dad since she moved to Northern Michigan with her fiancé Robbie about four months prior. Robbie had a job opportunity as a marketing director with THM Senior Solutions. It was about an hour commute from their cozy little home out in the countryside of Emmet County. The new position paid more than both their salaries back in Ohio.

  After Robbie purposed, they packed up and moved to Michigan two months later. He’d settle in with his new position, and Haylee looked to start up a new career. She wasn’t going to miss starting over. Hell, she was ready for the turn of a new leaf, excited to escape her hometown and the many demons she would hopefully leave behind.