Into the Woods

Adele hadn’t expected to work late on Halloween.  In the darkness her hands shook as she locked the office door. She tried calling William again, but he didn’t answer, and as she ran across the empty parking lot to her car a light fog crept up from the pavement.

She relaxed a little as she drove north through town looking at the lights and decorations, and almost stopped to have dinner, but decided it would just make it that much later when she got home. It seemed like such a brilliant idea to buy a house in the woods two summers ago when they needed a place to get away from their hectic lives. But since then, they had both lost their jobs and things were different. Luckily, she found something new right away, but it was William she worried about. It took him much longer, and when he finally did land something, he took a large pay cut. Lately the bills were piling up.

The 45-minute drive up the two-lane highway took forever. Adele turned onto the dirt road winding past trees and marshes. All houses faded away. She saw a full moon emerging from the clouds that was orange and heavy as her car sputtered across the bridge. When it got to the other side it died completely and she realized she was out of gas.

Why was William always out of town when she needed him? She dug into her purse for her cell phone but became infuriated when she saw that the battery was dead.

She wasn’t more than a half mile from her house when she left her car at the bridge. She clutched her purse tightly as she ran down the dark road and was relieved when she finally unlocked her front door and turned on the lights.

William stood outside in the dark watching his wife through the kitchen window. Within minutes his cell phone rang, but he didn’t answer. He stood there not knowing if he had the courage to go through with his plan when he saw a man talking to his wife. He didn’t recognize him at first, he looked so pale and drawn, but then something about him was familiar. He saw the expression on his wife’s face change as their conversation became enraged. Who was this man now arguing with his wife? He watched in horror as he put his hands around her neck, her face pushed toward the window as she struggled to get away. Should he save her he asked himself in those moments. But too much time ticked by, and the struggle was over.

William walked outside into the dark and dropped his gloves behind the bushes. His phone rang and he answered it.

“Is it done?” the voice asked.

“Yes.”

from: The Blue Hour: flash fiction  / available on Amazon  / photo: pixabay

First published by Black Poppy Review