“Pepsi employee killed in Hawkins car crash.”
“Maine Vice Mayor Deaver killed in car accident in Castle Rock.”
“Woman ‘dead’ after car crash found alive in morgue.”

The news reports on radio echoed through her whole car as she indulged her third bottle of Russian Standard. Weird, she thought; she has been hearing news about road collisions all day. She was sure that the alcohol wasn’t intoxicating her mind to hear different things, she knew she was still sober. Everybody knew she always had low alcohol tolerance, even herself knew that; now she couldn’t even taste the bitterness of the liquor, she feels it inside of her. Drinking was the thing her mother told her to never do, perhaps because it turns her father into a monster with a closed fist as a weapon.

She looked at her rear-view mirror and realised she was travelling alone on an empty road. People had told her before to never travel alone in Derry Road or else something might happen. She wasn’t travelling; she was running away. It fits her, she thought, she and the road were the same; they were both empty.

She heard an unfamiliar noise, like the sound of a steel colliding with another steel. She had realized that her car engine died while she was driving. “Seriously?” she said to herself, “Is everything I own dead now? Like me?”

She stepped outside of her car and walked to find any gasoline stations or houses that could help her. There is no luck for any signs of functioning establishments on an empty road like this, she thought. However, a place filled with buried muscle cars, abandoned pickup trucks, and old bulldozers caught her attention. It’s an empty road. How is there supposed to be a car junkyard? She thought to herself. What’s even stranger is, she didn’t see it while she was driving.

“Well this day couldn’t get any weirder,” she said. First she couldn’t get drunk after drinking three bottles, then she kept on hearing news about car crashes, and now she suddenly saw a car junkyard out of the blue? She opened her hood and a massive smoke appeared, causing her to inhale it. She was coughing while staring at the oils leaking. She didn’t know what to do. She had no choice but to look for people who could help her with her car. She didn’t know anything about it, she didn’t even know what the problem of her car was. She glanced at the sky and saw the sun was slowly setting as well as her hope in what’s happening. She thought to herself, maybe this creepy car junkyard could actually help her.

She walked towards the old car junkyard and the sight of it surprised her. Her eyes widened when she saw people hanging out, beer bottles everywhere, and some couples having the time of their lives.

“May I help you?” A long haired guy who was wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt appeared by her side. She was having second thoughts in answering him back, but she really needed help, especially if she reeks of alcohol on an empty road.

“Yes, actually I was driving and then my car suddenly stopped. I don’t know what’s wrong with it, but a smoke appeared and the oils were leaking. I figured you can help me.”

“You think we know everything about cars just because we’re hanging out in a car junkyard?” He asked while laughing. Her embarrassment was overflowing at that moment which caused her to look down, she was still hearing the guy’s chuckles.

“I just guessed. I think.” She said this while looking at the ground since she was too humiliated to look at him. Much to her surprise, his laughter was no longer heard. “Thank God.” She whispered to herself.

“We’ll see what we can do. At the moment, why won’t you just join us?” Join them? Like hang out with people who are in this creepy junk yard? She stood still while ruminating on what she should do. She was feeling a little scared that maybe these people are actually killers or ghosts but there wasn’t really anything to lose for her. This is the place she'd rather be than her house where her mistakes and failures are always included in their dinner conversations.

She walked towards people who were about her age. Girls with vibrant hair colours looked at her from head to toe, some of them smiled at her that caused her to smile too.

“Your car died?” asked a short haired girl holding a beer bottle.

“Yes. This day couldn’t get any worse. Life couldn’t get any worse, from losing everything you have to people you trusted betraying you. My life is as worthless as my rotten car.” she uttered. One problem she has always had was the inability to control her mouth. People tried to cut her tongue before, unbeknownst to them it’s a far more dangerous weapon than their sharp objects.

“If that ain’t the truth.” said the short haired girl while taking a sip of her beer. Seeing people drink their beer bottles triggered her, she was fighting the urge to go back to her car and finish the remaining bottles of her Russian Standard.

“You want one?” the short haired girl asked while giving her the beer bottle. She just shrugged and shook her head, she was never a fan of beers.

The people in the car junk yard continued to hang out and drink their beers. They talked to her and even told some stories, she was enjoying their company. Epiphany suddenly hit her when this one thought crossed her mind; people there talked to her and asked her questions, but they never asked for her name. She never knew even a single name. Abandoned cars, unusual but enthusiastic people, and a junkyard in the middle of an empty road. She was starting to think she visited the labyrinth of lost people with broken cars.

“I hope you guys don’t mind me asking but, who are you and what do you do here?” curiosity was evident in her voice. For the first time, she was starting to care about things.

“We live here.” A husky and deep voice replied, which sent shivers up and down her spine.

“You live here? Like you sleep inside the cars?” Her voice was filled with wonder and a little bit of fear. She has never heard of a lifestyle like this. What about their food? Their money? Their family? These questions surrounded the confused mind of hers.

“Yeah, you can say that.”

“I’m sorry if I ask too many questions but how did you guys meet? Like, were you all friends before or did you just meet here?”

“We all met because of one thing, our cars suddenly died. Actually, two things; our cars mysteriously stopped and we all had the desire to walk away from life.”

She immediately felt tiny little bumps over her skin. She thought this was actually a nonexistent place but she was right all along. She was feeling a combination of terror and nonchalance, like a person who is on the verge of death but has already accepted the fate that the heavens had stored for her. People already had their eyes closed while some are still staring at the constellations in the sky, wondering why their lives didn’t shine as bright in the dark as them. She’d rather sleep than look at the stars, for she knows her life would be much better with her eyes closed.

“Are you sure with your decision?” a soft but eager whisper awakened her from her thoughts. She saw the long haired guy staring at her, waiting for her answer.

“What decision?”

“Are you sure you want to walk away from everything already?”

She looked at the guy with annoyance mixed with sarcasm. “What? I’m just sleeping. When my car miraculously work again, I’ll leave immediately.”

“You’re enjoying here, aren’t you?” She didn’t try to utter some words, she knew inside of her that he already knows the answer.

“I was like that too, you know? I thought this was the place where I can finally be free. I finally walked away from my problems, I don’t have to deal with never ending problems and challenges anymore.” He paused, which caused her to look at him and wait for his reply. “But that’s only what I thought.” He said this with a broken voice that she was sure she would never forget.

“But isn’t this junkyard truly for us? For people who failed, for people whose lives don’t deserve to continue anymore. Maybe our cars stopped for a reason, maybe our engines were never meant to be fixed. Maybe we were never meant to be fixed.” She felt tears slowly streaming down her face. She remembered the sight of her lover with the person she trusted the most, she remembered the bathroom floor filled with her own blood, she remembered the bruises on her face after the night her father got drunk.

“At first it was. It felt good. Until I realised that walking away from everything isn’t the solution. It doesn’t make things right, it actually makes them worse. The fact that you didn’t even try to fight is the worst thing.” She felt it. She felt his pain. She didn’t even know who this person was but one thing is for sure, she felt everything this guy had been through.

“But I tried, you know? I tried everything and life still gives me the same, eternal problems that I will never find solutions to.”

She could see his hazelnut eyes travel around her. Her blue eyes that were filled with tears looked at the boy who told her more meaningful words than her own father ever could. “I was like that. I was dumb to think life will always be easy, that I can surround myself with happiness and positivity. But life isn’t like that. Your life will not always be like the rising sun because most of the time it’s a thunderstorm. But I was more dumb to think that the best decision was to run away. I heard all about this place ever since before. I drove all the way from my place to here, thinking I could escape it all. That’s not the right decision. There isn’t a day here when I don’t think of my mother crying while I was in the hospital bed, wondering what she did wrong. I gave up on life when the people in it didn’t give up on me. I was stupid for thinking that I could reach my destination immediately without having a journey. I was stupid to think that I can just drive for 1 kilometre and be at the place I want. It doesn’t work that way, life doesn’t work like that. There will always be a journey, a journey where your car’s engine will be dead in the middle of an empty road, but you will find a way to fix it and drive again.”

“So did you regret your decision?”

“Let’s just say I was too late.” She couldn’t find the right words, she didn’t know what to say. She lets him do all the talking for she knows he can never say these words again.

“Look, I don’t want to be the one who decides for you. Maybe you’re so fed up of everything, I get it. But I’m just asking you to think about it, before everything is too late. And piece of advice, if you decide to leave here, please, don’t ever look back.” Blue meets hazelnut, in that one occurrence, they knew their car engines aren’t the only ones they have in common.

She knew that if she walked away, she was never going to see him again. It seemed impossible that he would tell her his name, but she still took the risk and ask him for it. “Before I go, can I please know your name?”

“My name’s Kevin. Kevin Parks.” His face was filled with regret and sadness. Maybe saying his own name was a struggle for him, he knew he would never hear his loved ones say it again.

She nodded and smiled at him, it’s been too long since she put a smile on her face.

“I’m Rosa.” She said. He smiled, knowing she still has the chance to let the world know her name.

“Tell my mom I’m sorry.” And just like that, he disappeared. She was left alone with the chaotic mind of hers. This was everything she wanted, to finally walk away from everything.

She looked around all the abandoned cars and abandoned souls, this is the place she’s supposed to walk away from. The darkness, the surrendering, the giving up. The people disappeared and the smell of beer and cigarettes were no longer there. Silence was her only companion, and it was the most riveting thing she has ever stumbled upon.

She went inside the rotten car of hers and inserted her key in the ignition when her engine miraculously turned on. Hearing her father’s drunken shouts, covering her scars with bracelets, and seeing people who shattered her are the things she knew she will experience again; this reality lead to Rosa’s hesitance in leaving the car junk yard. However, she thought that maybe she could visit Kevin’s mother and talk about him when he was still not aware of this place. This place, this car junkyard filled with abandoned cars and souls unexpectedly shed a light to the road towards whatever destination she was meant for. For the first time in many years, the sun finally set in her direction again. The rear-view mirror was very tempting to look at, yet she gathered all her courage to put her foot on the gas.

I held my daughter in my arms. Just three old years old, she is a survivor like me. She is the only one who hasn't been turned by the shadows. I cradled her in my arms just as I did when she was a baby. I think back to the distant memories of my wife and our family. But the thought vanishes as quickly as it begins. A few days ago I was trapped but I knew I had to rescue my daughter and I did just that. So here I am sitting in a very bright room in my house with a barricaded door. All is quiet until I hear some screaming. Not screaming of pain or fear, but the screaming of a monster. I hear one.. then two… then… they found us. I hear banging on door as hideous screams fill my ears. My daughter starts panicking and crying loudly. I softly stroke her hair just as I did when she was younger. She slowly calms down and sobs softly. I look at the entrance and hear the screams and banging on the door. The door will not hold for much longer. I hold the only thing I hold dear in my arms as it's tears run down my neck. I kiss her cheek and stroke her hair one last time as she slowly falls asleep. I slowly wrap my hands around her small neck and quickly snap it. Instantly she goes limp. I will not let those shadows turn my little girl into a monster. As I cradle her small dead body the door bursts open. A group of monsters rush through and scream in a horrifying screech “Police! Put your hands up!”.

A horror movie scene as the heroine escapes.
Everything is still besides her convalescing breath and the distant, chasing wind.
Not a noise is heard except the fall leave's rattle and the birch wood's moaning bark in the moonlight.
Her body slouches into the protection of a lone shed, and shrouds itself in the aroma of cut grass.
A tense brow relieves and tired eyes close, thankful to receive the momentary peace.

A possible misstep turns the wary peace on end with the jagged cut of broken leaves. The once relieved brow now concedes surprise as wild eyes are cast towards an opaque barricade.
Sly pieces of garden equipment leash a weathered jacket in place as she attempts to stand.
A cackle is heard, a shriek undone.
To spite the brittle wood, the formulaic jump-scare-skeleton-hand bursts through the shed's solicitous walls, set to declare the last of a weary soul as his own.
The wind catches up and spearheads any hole it can find.
It begins whistling around the dim room like a tornado elated to havoc behind a castle's walls.
The tree bark howls, the leaves, now delight.
We learn there is no reprieve for a begging champion.
The camera backs out of the splintered hole, and pans over a silhouetted forest to face the waning moon.
The hero succumbs with muted screams to a gore far below and out of frame.

Our only closure, a black screen, with bright white letters, slowly scrolling up.


The end.

the electricity runs through our veins
and past the street signs we rumble by
in the car you stole, we go fifty above the speed limit,
the roof of the car is the noir sky above
and the midnight rain pelts our upturned faces
the dancing drops of water drip onto our smiling lips
the sound of the sky collapsing
echoes the flashes that streak the sky,
the flickering light casts paved roads with a brief brightness
(as if god were wearing light up sketchers)
the lacy brallette that wears me
gives me the bravery to stand up in the speeding car
the velvet pants that ripple with the wind
drink up the nighttime rain
and the rare headlights race past us,
heading into homes and hearts
the mellow playlist that connects the aux cord to our ears blasts
so loud, we can no longer hear our insecurity
the mascara that once clung to my eyelashes
now streams down my face.
on a two way street,
we drive down the middle
unafraid in the face of direct dangers
so unaware of the towering empty skyscrapers
and instead highly exhilarated
from the street signs we drive by
too fast to read the blocky lettering
the road signs glint, smiling as we wave and reach towards them
the cigarettes you smoked are thrown through the open window,
still smothering slightly.
i can still taste the smoke on your lips
and your hand tucks my hair behind my ear
and as the wind objects and inhales
unreal in the hazy a.m. car trip
the tunnel rushes towards us,
and we both hold our breaths,
as if breathing would contaminate us.
the lights that glint, cast a yellow-white glow
and for once, i see you for who you are
a boy too buzzed to feel
a kid who only felt "sort of"
a person who couldn't heal
and a lover who could never give love

“isn’t it beautiful?” the girl said with a twinkle in her honey colored eyes as she admired the sunflower field before her. bright yellow sunflowers scattered all around in an open field just waiting for girls like her to fall in love.

“yes it is, it’s gorgeous.” the other girl replied, with a smile. although she wasn’t talking about the field, she was admiring the girl twirling in the field of flowers. she snapped a picture with her camera of the other girl as she thought about kissing her sun kissed skin all over. she’s a lovely girl. a girl who knows what she wants. the flowers dance as the wind blows. the girl put her camera down and ran into the flowers, finding the other girl. she hugged her from behind. the brown eyed girl turned around, facing her. suddenly, the blonde haired girl grabbed the young girl’s face, kissing her cherry colored lips as the sun loved their skin on this hot summer day.

It all started with a curious peck on the cheek.

Her body was pressed against mine, and I held on to her small waist--making sure to lift her up just enough so that she could reach my face. Her feet hovered over the ground, and her palms laid flat against my chest. Her usually pale cheeks took on a light rosy tint, and her lips lifted up into an innocent, little smile as she finally leaned back.

It was...very cute.

I couldn't exactly say anything about her eyes since they were covered by a black piece of cloth.
It was a bit surprising how willingly she followed my request--simply because she knew how much I hated it when people saw my face.

I suppose that she had her own motives as well.
"I'm done!"
Still, was one kiss on the cheek really worth it for all her troubles?
"You can put me down now."

I didn't think so.

"Wha--?"
I didn't let her finish as I gently pressed my lips against hers.

They were incredibly soft.
Just how I expected them to be.

She let out a faint squeak of surprise, and soon it turned into a soft whimper as she weakly responded to the kiss. Her movements were hesitant, but with the way her hands grasped my shirt so tightly, I knew she was unwilling to let me go.

Maybe.
Just maybe.

I felt the same way.

A quiet yawn, and a soft pop of bones coming into place could be heard from the bedroom as one of its owners slowly rose from her short slumber. She wasn't meant to be awake until the afternoon, but it was a bit difficult for her to break the habit of waking early.

Looking off to the side, a small smile quickly made its way to her lips as she saw that her partner was still fast asleep. Supressing the urge to snap a quick picture, she slowly made her way out of the bed, making sure to leave a pillow on her spot just in case her lover decided to cuddle in his sleep a bit.

He always did love holding her close--regardless of whether or not he was awake--and she loved letting him do it.

Using the back of her hand to gently rub the sleep away from her still blurry eyes, she made a quick trip to the bathroom. Being in just her underwear wasn't exactly going to be enough protection from the chilly morning air, but she was a bit too lazy and sluggish to fetch proper clothing.

She was hoping that she could use it as an excuse for him to warm her up with plenty of hugs later on when he wakes up.

Once that was all said and done, she immediately went to the kitchen. Admittedly, she was never really all that good in cooking, but it wouldn't hurt to try and make an effort for her sleeping beauty. Making sure to grab her striped apron, she got to work on their breakfast.

Going back to the bedroom, her lover had just woken up as well. With a soft groan, and a displeased frown on his lips, he looked towards his side.

She was gone.

It was no wonder that he had suddenly woken up from his dreamless sleep.

Still, once hearing the faint echo of pans, and footsteps from their kitchen, his frown immediately disappeared. With a content sigh, he went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit, before immediately going to the kitchen.

He leaned against the side of the entryway and watched as she hummed and seemingly skipped around the kitchen. He was never much of a morning person, but he did love to watch her cook, and that was enough to keep his usual grumpiness at bay. It was amusing how happy she was while cooking, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel incredibly grateful that she had decided to completely give herself to him.

He considered himself to be a lucky man.

Even if he might not realize it, she undoubttedly felt the same way about him.

With a chuckle, he quietly made his way to her. Placing both of his hands on either side of her, he had successfully trapped her between him and the kitchen counter. Feeling her body jump a bit in surprise, he didn't hesitate to lean down and press a soft kiss to her exposed neck. It had always amused him how small she was compared to him.

Their size difference had been one of her many insecurities, but admittedly, he actually liked it--especially whenever they idly cuddle while watching movies, or even doing nothing.

"Good morning~" her voice was soft and sweet with hints of sleepiness still mixed in.

"G'morning." He continued to press kisses to her neck, making sure to pay extra attention to the still-visible hickeys from last night. She was a bit rigid at first, but slowly, her body relaxed, and she allowed herself to lean against him. She tilted her head to the side, giving him much better access to her sensitive neck.

"What, no morning kisses?" She teased and decided to stop what she was currently doing. He was being too much of a welcomed distraction, and she didn't want any accidents to happen because of it.

No sooner, he gently grabbed her chin to tilt her head to face him, and pressed a kiss to her still-parted lips.
The kiss was short, and sweet, but it didn't really seem to be enough for the both of them.

"One more?"
He didn't need to be told twice. In fact, he would be happy to repeat it multiple times for her. True to what he thought, he did it again, and again, and again--with each one being more intense than the last.

The only reason he stopped was when he noticed that her chest heaved, and that they were both out of breath. Still, he would be lying if he said that he didn't want more.

It didn't exactly take long for him to ask, "Would it be alright if we skipped to dessert first, love?"

Trapped in her dazed state, all she could do in response was nod.

Hello everyone,

  I'm so very sorry … I feel horrible doing this, but I have no choice. You see, I have published my first book on Amazon/Kindle! This piece (and many others) had to be taken down because they do not allow published material to be available online for free. (Go figure) I wanted to leave the shell of the posts because I felt compelled to leave all your helpful and loving comments. (Silly sentimental, I know), but I also didn't want to just have the pieces disappear without an explanation. I feel bad enough as it is!

  I owe ALL of you so, SO much for all of your reads, love, and support. It was YOU that gave me the gumption to FINALLY get off my **** and publish! Thank you all for the warm comments, camaraderie, and encouragement! I will still be here, reading, uploading and just being the Rascal that I am. How could I EVER leave you guys?

  The book is called “The Way I See It – FictionPhilosophySoul Food” and it will be FREE for the first few days on Kindle Select, so watch for it, if you are interested. I hope that you go and grab it. If you do, I would also hope that you find it worthy, you would leave me a good review. That will help me get in the public eye! Soon afterward (2-3 days or so), it will be available in paperback. I will be building my Author page tonight (12/21/2018) and my website finished first thing Monday!

Find the book(s) here: www.amazon.com/author/jeff.gaines

Or find the book(s), and all about me, here: www.JeffGaines.world

  Soon after, I also hope to have my first novel (a supernatural thriller), called “Wanderer” available as well!

  Wish me luck!
Big, Biggest Love,
        Jeff Gaines