RJRMovieFan: I have never seen Twilight Zone, tbh. I think my dream about this was probably inspired by an episode of Alice Isn't Dead that I was thinking about while walking the other day.
Joanshea: Thank you.
Andiclauds: Honestly, this dream has been haunting me, so I had to write it. It was really disturbing and vivid. I only changed a few parts of it that didn't seem to make sense. I cannot imagine this being a long story at all. Twenty chapters, maybe? It depends on where I cut the chapters as I go.
Time Made of Ice and Glass
You saw my pain, washed out in the rain,
Broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins.
But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart,
And you knelt beside my hope torn apart.
- Mumford and Sons
The ground is loud under Aubrey's feet, and it sounds like she's walking on shards of glass. She stops to press the toe of her shoe against a patch of ice, breaking it in the middle. It's a really fucking terrible idea, because there is water underneath, and it makes her shoe wet.
"What are you doing?" Chloe asks and places her hand flat on Aubrey's back, urging her forward.
"Nothing." It's dark, but Aubrey can see her breath in front of her face. She cups her gloved hands in front of her mouth and breathes into them to warm them up. They feel even colder after she finishes exhaling, so she tucks them under her armpits. "How far do you think we drove?"
"I don't know." Chloe stuffs her hands into her pockets. "It can't be that far."
Aubrey sniffles. She's pretty sure her tears are freezing on her cheeks as they fall. Her car is on fire, against a tree. What if everything catches on fire? What if everything in the near vicinity just burns down? Did she leave anything important in there?
Chloe walks directly beside her – quiet, except for her own occasional sniffling. It's too dark to see if she's crying or just cold – but Aubrey is imagining it's both. It's difficult not to tell her that she's sorry again. Only, she knows no apology can fix this.
"Does your chest still hurt?" Aubrey asks her.
"No," Chloe answers, "The pain is gone. How about you? It sounded like you hit something really hard."
"I feel fine." In reality, Aubrey's head is pounding. She lifts one hand against her forehead, still expecting to find blood. It's hard to tell with gloves on, but it doesn't even feel like there is a bump. She still feels sick to her stomach, but that's just her nerves being absolutely shot now. She wipes her face with the back of her hand, first her eyes, and then her nose, because as disgusting as it is, she can't stand the sniffling any longer.
Chloe doesn't argue it. She takes one hand out of her pocket to wrap her arm around Aubrey, and continues walking. "I think I see a light."
Already? Aubrey looks up. Sure enough, she can see the gas station sign in the distance. They definitely drove at least a little farther than this. "Something doesn't feel right, Chloe," she whispers. Something isn't right. Something is very wrong. "I don't feel right."
"Aubrey, was it your head that hit something?" Chloe asks seriously.
Aubrey doesn't really want to answer that question right now – to Chloe or to herself.
Chloe gives her a squeeze.
"I do not want to go back in there," Aubrey says as they reach the parking lot and that smell hits her again. She lifts the front of her scarf to cover her nose, but it just worsens as they walk toward the door, stinking even stronger than last time.
"I kind of smell it now," Chloe comments.
Kind of? It's filling up Aubrey's lungs – and, whatever it is, she does not want it inside her body.
"Do you want to wait out here?" Chloe asks, "I'll be two minutes – or, however long it takes to get people out here."
And let Chloe inside alone with that creepy man? No. Aubrey pulls the door open, and holds it open for Chloe, going inside right behind her.
"Howdy, Ladies," says an older gentleman from behind the counter. Definitely not the same person as before. This guy is in his fifties or sixties, grey hair, long scraggly beard that he scratches before he waves at them. "What can I do for you?"
Aubrey looks around for the other guy. "We need to use your phone."
"No can do," the man says and looks around too.
"It's an emergency," Chloe tells him.
"Our car crashed," Aubrey fills him in, "We need to call 911."
"Who died?" he asks.
"What? No one," Chloe answers, "It's on fire."
"Still can't use the phone," the man says.
Aubrey looks right at him – noticing now that he has a glass eye, and when he blinks, it's only with the other eye. The hiring manager clearly has a type. "Did you not hear that my car is on fire?"
"I heard ya," he says, "But we ain't got a phone."
"This is a business," Aubrey points out.
"Yep," he agrees.
"So you have to have a phone."
"Nope." He shakes his head and scratches his beard again. "No need. Don't get much business here outside the locals. You could try the bed and breakfast though. LeAnn might got one a those gadgets."
"Where is that?" Aubrey asks, eager to leave if he isn't going to provide them with what they need.
"Down the road on the right," he says, "Can't miss it. Literally got a big sign that says Bed and Breakfast hangin' o'er it."
Aubrey looks around one more time before she takes Chloe's hand and pulls her toward the door. "Where is the other guy?" she asks once her other hand comes to rest on the handle, "The one that was here before?"
"Ah, you musta met my son," the man says, then answers Aubrey's question before she can figure out how to ask it, "Sorry 'bout him. He ain't been the same since the accident. He can still ring up a customer though."
Aubrey opens the door and leaves – dragging a baffled Chloe outside with her.
"What was that?" Chloe asks, glancing inside through the window, "He didn't even care."
"I think we should walk back to the highway," Aubrey suggests, "Maybe we can flag down another car."
Chloe nods. "Which way?"
Aubrey looks at the road. "Right."
"Wait, didn't he say the Bed and Breakfast was to the right?" Chloe asks.
"He said it was on the right," Aubrey says, looking at Chloe, "We came from the right, so the Bed and Breakfast must be to the left on the right, right?" When she looks at the road again, everything seems to have turned around. Maybe they did come from the left…
Chloe touches her arm – her brows furrowed in concern. "Either way, we're going to end up at the highway with cars or somewhere with a phone," she says, "He said the Bed and Breakfast was right, so let's go left."
Aubrey is unable to argue, because left suddenly looks like right.
Chloe laces their fingers – and she leads the way.
xxxxx
The woods open up to a town square – rather than the highway like Aubrey hoped. Sure enough, the first building she sees is a white Victorian style mansion with a wooden sign that says LeAnn's Bed and Breakfast in bold black letters. Her first instinct is to run back in the opposite direction.
"I thought this was the right way," Chloe claims, "Should we go back?"
They're already here, Aubrey tries to be logical, they can ask for a phone, and then they can book it as fast as they can back to the highway. She shakes her head. "I hope karma hits you like I should have," she murmurs under her breath at the deer before they walk inside.
The front desk is unoccupied, and when Aubrey taps the bell, she half expects the man with the blinking problem to appear out of nowhere again. Instead, it's a young woman in a turtle neck who casually walks in from another room. It stills throws Aubrey off, because when Aubrey pictures Bed and Breakfasts, she imagines them run by little old grandparent type couples who call you 'dear' and try to force feed you baked goods that you would feel guilty to refuse.
"Good evening," the woman, who Aubrey assumes is LeAnn, greets them, "Are you looking for a room?"
"No." Aubrey's voice shakes. She's starting to feel desperate now. "We need a phone. Our car crashed."
"Oh no." LeAnn's eyes grow big. "Is everyone okay?" She pulls an old rotary out from behind the desk and places it on the counter.
Aubrey hasn't seen a rotary phone since she was a little girl visiting her grandparents' house. It went to her aunt after her grandma died – hanged herself when she found out Aubrey's grandfather was with another woman. He took himself out not long after, the exact same way. She pulls the phone toward her and lifts it to her ear.
"I think for the most part," Chloe answers the woman's question.
Aubrey spins the dial to '9' then to '1' and then '1' again. She receives an error tone and then, 'We're sorry, the number you have reached is currently unavailable. Please, check the number or try your call again.' She places the phone back down – then stands there, trying to process that her call didn't go through.
"It's an old phone," LeAnn explains, "It does that sometimes. It usually works the second time around."
Aubrey picks it back up without another word and holds it to her ear again as she redials.
"911," an operator picks up almost immediately, "What's your emergency?"
Aubrey closes her eyes in relief. "My car crashed," she explains quickly, "It's on fire right now. We need some help."
"Is anyone in the car, Ma'am?" the operator asks.
"No," Aubrey answers, "We're both out."
"Are you a safe distance away from the vehicle?"
"Yes," Aubrey answers her again, "We walked to the nearest town. But it's on fire in the woods."
"Alright. Does anyone have any injuries?"
"I don't know." Aubrey rubs her forehead. It really hurts.
"You don't know?"
"Can you please send somebody?" Aubrey asks.
"Where is your car located, Ma'am?"
It occurs to Aubrey that she has no idea where her car is. She doesn't even know where she is right now. She grabs a brochure from the desk and locates the address in it. "I can tell you where I am," she says, then reads off the address to her.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Aubrey Posen."
"Aubrey, that address isn't showing up. Let me try tracking your call."
Aubrey pulls her hand away from Chloe's and nervously starts to fold the corners of the brochure.
"Okay, Aubrey?"
"Yes?"
"I pulled up your location. There are some heavy snow squalls headed in your direction, and it sounds like you're not in any immediate danger right now. We will send someone out as soon as we can."
"We need somebody right now," Aubrey insists.
"I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do for you. You'll have to stay where you are for right now, unless you decide to leave."
"How?" Aubrey snaps, "How am I supposed to leave when my car is on fire?"
"Maybe you have someone who you can call to come get you? You can go with them?"
The corners of Aubrey's lips twitch. She's about to verbally assault this person so the police will come get her. Instead, she quietly thanks her for her time, then slowly lowers the phone.
"What did they say?" Chloe asks, "How long?"
"They said they'll send somebody as soon as they can," Aubrey tells her, making a clear effort to speak without any sign of emotion, "Which doesn't sound like very soon."
Chloe stares at her – and, for the briefest moment, it reminds Aubrey of that same unblinking stare from the gas station. But then she blinks and looks around. "Do you want to try walking back to the highway?"
"The highway?" LeAnn asks, "That's miles away, and there's another storm rolling in."
Aubrey looked at the weather earlier – and it said that it was supposed to be cold, but clear.
"I'll tell you what," LeAnn says, "Due to the circumstances, I'll give you a night here free of charge. You can sleep on what you want to do."
Aubrey looks at Chloe. "I don't want to stay the night here," she mouths.
"We'll take it," Chloe tells LeAnn, "But we're still going to see if we can find our way out of here tonight."
"Alright. I won't argue with that." LeAnn turns and grabs a key from a hook on the wall. She hands it to Chloe. "Room 8. It's up the stairs, first room on the right, right next to the emergency exit."
"Thanks." Chloe takes the key. "Come on." She nods to Aubrey.
Aubrey reluctantly follows her to the stairs – because she can't think of another option yet.
The room is exactly where LeAnn said it was going to be – right next to a large, glowing red sign that says 'EXIT', a great reminder of how this all happened. Somehow, Aubrey missed the exit – only she didn't. She didn't.
Chloe unlocks the door and holds it open for her. "Go sit down. I want to look at your head."
Aubrey does what's asked of her. She position herself on the very edge of the bed, god she hates hotel beds, and rests her hands in her lap. She's still cold, even inside.
Chloe shuts the door and turns on the light, then strips off her winter clothes and tosses them on top the dresser. "Scoot back."
Aubrey shakes her head.
Chloe sighs and decides to straddle her lap, examining Aubrey's forehead with her eyes and her hands. "How bad does it hurt?"
Aubrey shrugs.
Chloe lowers her hands to their laps, and for a moment, they look covered in blood. On second glance, they're not. "You should rest."
Aubrey closes her eyes. "You know there is something wrong here, Chloe. Something is not right. We have to leave." How is she so calm?
"Bree, this is a weird town, but I also think you're in shock."