Chapter Text
It was shortly after Camille’s 28th birthday when she finally decided to go after the man who had killed her family. The man whose face she saw every time she closed her eyes- shocked expression painting her dreams.
She packs up her meager belongings, donating or selling anything she doesn’t intend on taking with her. She says goodbye to the older couple across the hallway that she has grown close to during the past few years. She had moved into the small one-bedroom apartment by herself after graduating from college and remembers struggling up the narrow stairs with boxes and furniture. Alex and Simon had taken the time to give her a hand, inviting her over for dinner after the hard work was done.
They were so welcoming- she almost didn’t trust their intentions at first but with time, grew comfortable enough to find friendship in them. She envied them at times- always having someone there, to talk to, and to listen.
When they helped her pack up her things, still asking her why she would want to move to Triple Oak, Montana of all places, Alex told Camille to keep in touch- begged her actually.
“I want to see all your photos, I want you to call me at least once a week okay?” She had cried when she hugged Camille- the last of her boxes stuffed into the bright yellow Jeep. Simon gave her a tight hug, a strong expression holding back tears. He gave her the riot act as if she was his own daughter- no drinking, no drugs, no talking to strangers. Camille had laughed him off, tears pricking at her eyes at the same time.
The drive was excruciating- she felt so tired but drove for hours at a time without stopping. It was a few days before she finally reached the small town. She met her landlord, a middle-aged woman with straw-coloured hair pulled into a bun, in the small realtor office in town. The woman was warm and welcoming- offering to come and show her around the place after she was done work. She said the gas stove could be a bit finicky and let her know she would need to keep up with keeping the woodpile stocked through the cold winter.
Camille thanked her and made her way back into the town to explore, keys in hand. Though the town was small, she figured mostly everything she would need could be found in the number of stores lining the main drag. That or she could drive to the next town over, a bigger city with a large mall and community college. She stopped in front of a building with a bright yellow sign- the Triple Oak Dinner- and ducked in, sitting down at a barstool. She ordered a winter coffee, explaining to the girl taking her order what exactly that was.
“Coming right up!” The waitress was blonde and bubbly- maybe the same age as Camille. Her name tag read Emily.
“Are you new around here?” The girl placed a cup of hot coffee in front of Camille, pouring in a splash of bourbon and passing a container of maple syrup across the counter. Camille smiled, stirring in the sweet amber liquid.
“Yeah, I uh- just moved here.” Camille spoke softly, sipping slowly.
“Well, I’m Emily- nice to meet you!”
“Camille.” Emily reaches across the bar to shake her hand, both smiling at each other.
“So, whereabouts are you living?” Emily is wiping down the counter taking her time there in order to get to know Camille.
“It’s up the road, I think 10 minutes from here- a cabin up by the lake. I haven’t even been yet, just got into town.”
“I know where that is- it’s beautiful up there! You are going to love it. Is it just you?” Emily is cheery as ever, wiping sweat from her brow and refilling the coffee filters.
“Yeaup- just me.” Camille finishes her coffee, feeling the warmth of the bourbon in her system already. She thanks Emily, and pays- promising to come back the next day once she has had a chance to settle in.
She ducks into the small gifts and supplies store and the woman at the cash register talks her ear off from the moment she walks in the door, to the moment she leaves. She learns her name is Linda and that she is her go-to should she have any questions about the town- Camille has no doubt the woman has tabs on everyone and knows anything there is to know about the place.
The road up to the cabin leads her out of the small downtown strip, up a winding path through tall pine trees, and over a two-lane bridge. She passes no one on her way, and the farther she drives, the eerier she feels.
She pulls around another tight bend in the road, the Jeep doing an excellent job of climbing uphill through the snow, and the cabin comes into view.
Camille kills the engine, jumping down from the driver’s seat, and takes a moment to appreciate her surroundings. It’s quiet- so quiet and peaceful. She jiggles the keys in the doorway, struggling for a moment before it turns and the lock clicks open.
The cabin is small but inviting. Camille unpacks her food, stocking the fridge and cabinets. She places the small bottle of bourbon on the counter for later.
She spends her afternoon unpacking- clothes tucked into the dresser drawer at the foot of her bed, camera and laptop equipment on the coffee table. It doesn’t take long to empty out the Jeep and Camille surveys her new home proudly. She had done it- she had come this far- and for a moment intrusive thoughts invade her mind.
‘You're here for a reason.’
‘Where will you go when it’s over?’
‘Can you even do this?’
Camille shakes her head. She grabs her coat and makes her way outside to the large pile of wood stacked beside the stairs leading up to the porch.
---
After 15 minutes of trying and failing to even split one log, Camille, frustrated and over the task entirely, gives up. Hopping in the truck she drives into town intent on asking Linda if she can buy firewood at least for now until she figures out the secret to chopping the large logs at her place.
Linda manages to turn the simple purchase into about a half an hour-long conversation, of which Camille is rarely given the chance to provide any input. Once she finally finds a natural break in the conversation- or speech? Camille thanks the woman, and carries the large mesh bag of split firewood out to her car. She looks through the window into the Diner and sees Emily still working.
“Back already?” Emily beams at her when she enters, and Camille gives a small smile.
“Yeah- you’re probably going to laugh at me but I couldn’t chop any of the firewood at my place to get a fire started. I had to just buy some- I feel useless.” Emily laughed, and Camille couldn’t help but join her. “Then I got stuck talking to Linda- at the store down the street? For like half an hour… I thought I would be there all night.”
Emily laughed even more, almost dropping the tray of glasses she was storing under the counter. “Linda is like that- lovely woman but my god can she ever talk.”
Camille ended up ordering dinner, and Emily joined her at the bar when her shift ended, picking at a plate of fries she had brought out with Camille’s food. The two talked for almost an hour.
Emily was attending college in the next town over and had chosen to stay with her parents to save some money. “I can’t wait to get out of this town.” Emily said when Camille asked what her plans were after she finished school.
“I mean no offense- you just moved here and all. But I grew up here and sometimes, I mean I just want to explore the world. See something beyond Triple Oak, ya know?” Camille nodded, understanding.
“What brought you here anyway?”
Camille hadn’t thought of how she might answer that question if asked.
“I just wanted a change- the city is so busy. It can be...kind of overwhelming sometimes. I like the peace and quiet.”
When the two leave the diner, Emily hands over her phone. Camille smiles at the gesture, entering her phone number. The girls agree to meet the following day when Emily is off work to go get dinner at one of the only other restaurants in town.
During her drive home, Camille can’t help but smile at her conversation with Emily- it wasn’t what she had come out here intending to do exactly, but she had made a friend nonetheless and it made her happy. She pulled into her drive, hopped down, and rounded the vehicle only for her smile to drop. The woodpile she had failed so spectacularly at splitting earlier was neatly arranged against the wall each log now fully split into perfectly sized pieces. The long ax was buried in the large stump acting as a chopping block.
She looked around, confused. Walking up the steps into the cabin, she took a few moments to look around, checking behind doors and around corners. She breathed an uneasy sigh after finding nothing, no sign of any intruders. She quickly ran outside to grab a few logs, locking the door behind her. She lit a fire in the large hearth in the center of the cabin and laid down on the couch. Her long trip finally caught up with her, as she wrapped herself in a blanket, staring into the fire and falling asleep.