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"I'm going to count to three, and when I open my eyes the car will be fixed, okay? One~ two~ three!" Teddy was buying time sitting idly on a rock.
"Is it fixed?" The rest of the group all answered with sighs, and groans of their own. The only one actually calm enough to answer was Raphael.
"Noo, Teddy," he sighed, "No it's not fixed. Still hasn't since the past hour." With what he knew, which wasn't much, Raphael tried his luck with 'fixing' the van. A detailed manual was his biggest guide right now. Helpful but hard to understand.
He was also hoping that it'd bring his best friends, Spencer and Dylan, back together. The couple had a short burst of an argument that seemed to put them against a road block. They weren't speaking to each other at the moment, but Raph would try his best at bringing the group back to harmony.
"Aren't there any services we can call?" Pearl wasn't holding up well either. She was quickly becoming anxious and rightfully so with the sun hiding behind the trees. Night would fully set in soon.
Spencer was making the calls, trying to, "There's little to no signal out here. I can barely get a ring in before it just hangs up."
A minute of silence drifted among the five of them. This was supposed to be a nice road trip up to the mountains for the weekend. It was turning out for the worse though, broken down on an old forgotten road, without any signal, with food and water on a limit. Plus, dark was arriving. They all really were hoping someone would come by to save them.
Teddy let out an obnoxiously loud groan, frustration very evident with her impatience.
"Well, I need to use the restroom. Can you come with me Teddy?" Pearl's eyes darted around the surrounding woods, waiting to become scary dark monsters at night. She really had been holding it for the longest and she definitely wasn't going to use it at night or even be able to hold it until morning.
Teddy led the way, guiding her skittish friend to a safe spot. A look was shared between Raph and Spencer, before Spencer glanced over to Dylan. Alone and in silence, he laid spread on the ground in front of their van, the van he rented and said was in perfect condition without any sort of defects or problems.
That was what he told Spencer when he bought it, and now it was broken down. He didn't mean to get upset at him. In Spencer's head, a lot of money was going to waste, and he hated money to be wasted. It's why he handles the finances out of the two of them. Dylan always fumbled with money. He said he was sure and it turned out to blow up in his face and, well, the explosion reached Spencer.
He did feel guilty. He felt he was putting all the blame on Dylan. They were actually supposed to get the van together .
Just seeing his husband sulk on the cold road like that was really hurting his heart. Even more, he knew Dylan was berating himself much harder.
"Hey, Dyl," Spencer was going to fix this. He was going to turn this around for everyone but something else caught his attention. A set of bright lights flashed at them.
"Um, Raph."
Said man's attention was taken from the grueling manual, faced with the lights as well. Although upside down for him, Dylan saw them too, coming to at least sit up.
The beaming lights proceeded to get closer. Slowly but surely. It was ominous though, with the amount of time it was taking.
"Hey! Over here!" Raph shouted with his arms up to signal. Soon enough the headlights were right next to them, part of a utility van, one that looked aged and was scuffed.
The driver's window rolled down, "Y'all look lil' down in the dumps." Although it was dark, it was a country accented comment from a woman with ginger hair. Just next to her, another woman could barely be seen.
Spencer took the lead, "You could say that. Our van broke down suddenly. Do you think you could help us out?"
She peered out her window, getting a closer look at Spencer, Dylan and Raphael. Their faces mixed with hope and distress. For Dylan, he didn't like the look of this lady.
"Well, I don' know much on cars. We'll have to get Sammy for tha', but I can always offer a ride."
"Where to?" Dylan squinted.
"Our home," She answered like it was obvious, far too friendly for Dylan's liking, "There ain't no stations near here, they're far out. I'm sure you'd like to keep yer' stuff too. I can get Sammy to tow in your van an' fix 'er up but it's gettin' dark."
"We'll gladly take up your offer-" Spencer was cut off by Dylan.
"Uh, a word, Spence." Raph joined the two.
"What is it Dylan?"
"I say no."
"No?" Raph was taken back as was Spencer.
"You don't want to go? Hun, it's getting dark. I'd rather stay in a safe home for the night than our van in the middle of the dark woods."
"Her smile creeps me out. I don't trust her."
"She's offering to help us, Dylan."
"Yeah? And in exchange for what?"
"Look," Raph, being the voice of reason, hugged them both over the shoulders, "You want a safe place and you think she's creepy. Let's remember, it's only one night. We're not staying there for a month."
He patted them on the back, "So let's agree to disagree and manage together." The couple glanced at each other sheepishly before nodding.
A rustle from the bushes caught the attention of the men, and the offering strangers. It was Teddy and Pearl.
"We're back." Teddy loudly announced.
"Who are they?" The ginger woman asked, a hint of doubt in her voice. A frown was present too.
"I hope you have room for two more. They're with us." Spencer clarified with a wry smile.
"What's going on?" Pearl still was filled with anxiety.
"Oh! They're with you. Well, ya' know what they say, the more the merrier. Anabella why don' you open the hatch for them."
Raph quickly explained to the two girls about the situation, Teddy ready to go and Pearl iffy and nervous like Dylan.
With some of their things packed with them, the group was settled into the back of the dingy van. The ride onwards was filled with nothing but silence and the old worn road.
Pearl was too uncomfortable to fully relax as she clinged to a sleeping Teddy. Across from Raph was his best friends, Spencer and Dylan, the couple fast asleep and leaning on each other. It was adorable and all the more nice to see the tension between the two dwindle. Finally, he could relax a bit even with the strange twist of the weekend trip.
When they finally arrived at the house, which was very scary and creepy with its worn outside, everyone was either wide awake or exhausted, Pearl and Raphael.
The outside was like a haunted house but the interior was the complete opposite, everything was clean and nothing looked worn down. This house was pretty big.
"Sammy! Come up here!" The ginger lady shouted through the house. Now that they were in light, the women could be seen. The ginger had a tired but gentle face, wearing a homey outfit with a flour dusted apron.
Next to her was the other lady, much shorter, with jet black hair, and orange threatening to show from the roots. Her outfit screamed dark with a sweater and a long skirt.
Eventually, heavy footsteps were heard and from the depths of the house, a man showed, taller and bigger than the women, his hair bright blond with a cold face. His red flannel tight around his muscles. The look on Teddy's face.
"I wanted introductions to be said together. I'm happy to have y'all over, my name's Nora Westfill and these are my siblings."
"Anabella. Call me Ana. or Bella. or Anne. I don't really care." Her dead eyes and voice weren't welcoming like her sister.
Their brother, hefty and built of muscle, folded his arms, "Samuel." A man a few words.
"Samuel is hot~" Teddy muttered.
The group introduced themselves as nicely as possible, Dylan suspicious, Pearl nervous, and Teddy fawning over eye candy.
Regardless, they all settled down quickly in the spacious living room. Samuel left to go get their van, Nora fixing up steaks for dinner, and Anabella keeping the guests company. Not really.
She just mainly sat amongst them as they melted into comfort and tiredness. To be truthful, she was actually staring down Pearl, really making sure she didn't get comfortable.
"Ana," Raph grabbed her attention with a sweet smile on his face, "What do you do for fun? I'm sure it can get dull out here in the woods."
Her eyes squinted briefly, "I'm not a child………creep. I'm literally twenty…and I like reading." She barely gave him any attention before staring back at Pearl again.
Embarrassment flooded Raphael's face. To be fair, she really had the face of a child and was pretty short. He was just trying to be nice! How did he come off as creepy?!?
Spencer and Dylan were still a little out of it to even bother joining the conversation. The two had a more private discussion of their own just off to the side.
"Dylan, I know things aren't how we planned them and you're probably not in the best mood, but I want to apologize. I didn't mean to make such a fuss over the van. Especially when it's just a rental."
His husband's face was more or less indifferent, "I know Spence, you don't need to apologize. I just want to go home at this point." His eyes darted worryingly.
He grasped his hand, "Is someone scared~?” Spencer teased.
"Course not! May I remind you, you're the one afraid of the dark ."
He pecked him on the cheek, "There's no need to bring that up, okay. The spooky and scary stuff always happens at night."
"And I'll be here to be your knight in shining armor."
"You will, so let's try to enjoy this botched trip." In agreement and better moods, although still a little tired, the couple joined the rest of the group, all in high energy.
"Whatcha guys talking about?"
"Ana loves crocheting." Raph pointed out.
"I do not looove crocheting…I like it. What I do love is my favorite story. It's very dark, scary and gory ."
Pearl shared a look with Spencer and Dylan.
"Tell us! A little excitement never hurt anyone." Teddy's voice oozed of enthusiasm, per usual no matter how scary something may be.
"I don't know~. It's very descriptive but I can tell you it's about a house of serial killers, out in the deep. dark. woods. With no sort of contact with the human world…"
Pearl clamped her hands over her ears, "My favorite part…" and then for the first time, Anabella smiled but one that unnerved everyone but Teddy. She looked about ready to drool, her green eyes focusing on Pearl.
"It's where the killer wraps their victim in a soft self-made blanket of beautiful patterns and then proceeds to strangle them with a lovely made rope, both of them entangled in a warm embrace…"
Raph coughed, "That's a little…uh, twisted."
"Scary stories can be touching." Her eyes were then pinned on Raph, her words blurted out quickly with a sparkling bleam, "That applies to serial killers too, you know."
"Anabella!" As soon as those words left her mouth, a firm thud was heard, smacked with a rolled newspaper.
She groaned in annoyance rubbing her head, "What have I told you about spookin' the guests."
"I was just 'entertaining' them." She pouted. The small commotion was interrupted by a door shutting. Samuel was back. And doused in glistening red from head to toe.
"Oh my god! Are you okay?!?!"
"You're covered in b-blood!!"
Dylan and Spencer shouted, Teddy was more pleasantly(?) surprised, and Raph helped to keep Pearl up who just about fainted.
"Yeah…m'good…" Samuel ruffled his blonde locs, staining them red.
"This sure is a shock, huh? Sammy, go clean up please, dinner is ready." He didn't say anymore, just nodded and left.
Nora and Anabella looked none surprised, "I really apologize for that. Our brother can be a lil' stupid."
"That was blood?" Teddy really didn't seem to understand what just happened. If anything, she was more intrigued, perhaps even more attracted.
"He went out huntin' today. I didn't know he caught something." She groaned at the footprints spotted on the floorboards.
"Come. Dinner is ready and Anabella clean this up..." Nora continued to grumble, leading the group to the dining room, openly connected to the kitchen.
Everyone cleaned themselves up, and like a cafeteria line, Nora fixed their plates with a bit of everything she'd made. The food steaming hot and smelling of beautiful aromas, Nora could see them practically drooling. By the time everyone had sat down, Samuel was back, clean in a new flannel.
Everyone was seated and an awkward silence drew in. Raphael smiled ironically at the quietness. Teddy was head over heels sitting next to Samuel, confused by her gaze. Nora had a gentle smile before her face scrunched up in obvious irritation. Her eyes were on Samuel.
"Sammy, here, apologizes for his manners."
He only nodded before digging into his steak. His sister's eyes flitted with something boiling, opting to eat her food with overwhelming tension. Dinner had begun and in a very perplexing way, the clinking of silverware filling the void.
"Sam, your steak doesn't look cooked." Teddy pointed at the immense pink inside of his steak, plate flowing with light blood.
Samuel had half the mind to tell her it wasn't, just the outside was barely browned, but a simple glance to Nora told him otherwise.
He nodded, "I like rare." Before eating some more.
More silence sat in, Nora breaking it this time, "Pearl, sweety, you haven't touched your food."
She gulped nervously, "I'm not that hungry. I also only eat mine cooked thoroughly…sorry…"
Nora's face was constricted with shock, more than it should've been.
"You can have mine." Anabella blurted out. Nora was even more shocked by this, so was everyone else. Anabella definitely wasn't the type to be generous or even care about others. So to see her push her plate across the table, offering it to Pearl, knowing good well she only eats well done, was a total surprise.
Her cold eyes sat on the plate she'd offer. A quiet ‘thanks’ coming from Pearl, exchanging plates. Pearl still didn't eat it though, only picking at it. After that, Ana didn't eat anymore, her eyes distant staring at her lap.
Nora eyed her, "Raphael I hope your food is servin' you well."
Raphael was honestly just about the only one giving a friendly face to this family. Sam walking in nonchalantly covered in blood, the look in Spencer's eyes there and onwards, he was at least half as wary as his husband now. They were holding hands after that and he was pretty sure they still were now.
"The food is wonderful. We really appreciate you helping us out." If no one was going to have a level head and be nice, Raphael was going to be the voice for them.
"It's a big help that Sam is able to fix the van as well."He gave The mentioned man a warm smile, seeming to be taken aback by the comment, his face warming.
"He'll have the van up and runnin' again, but don't worry about it so much. You can stay as long as you'd like."
"Well," Dylan interrupted, "We have to be back tomorrow actually, my parents will be coming over to stay with me and Spence." He looked to his husband.
"Yeah, it was on short notice but they'll be expecting us. Besides, I have work the next day." Spencer nodded, reading between the lines.
Pearl downed the rest of her sweet tea, "I do too.
"I don't. I'd love to stay longer." Teddy eyed Samuel, more or less oblivious to her infatuation.
To that fact being announced, Nora had nothing more to say on it, changing the subject. She really was hoping for them to stay longer but there were two things bothering her.
Firstly, they had people expecting them. There was no way they could proceed with their usual activities. Secondly, she eyed her siblings, she'd have to talk with them.
After dinner had been eaten, the group quickly felt sleepy, well, all except Pearl but Nora guided them to the guest rooms. Both Teddy and Pearl (Pearl too scared on her own) and Spencer and Dylan shared a room. Raphael with a room of his own.
Nora called for her siblings for a chat at the dinner table, "You two," a finger tapped repetitively on her arm. The sound of the clock on the wall was filling the room.
"You two have been acting strange…" she noted but neither spoke.
"Samuel. You know I hate rudeness, I thought I taught you manners."
"Anabella. You never share. In fact, you were pretty talkative."
Nora waited for a response but neither of the younger siblings said anything.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, a huff of frustration released, "Look, I have no clue what in the ever lovin’ world is going on with you two but I will say plans are canceled tonight. Despite their circumstances, consider this a punishment-"
"Pearl is nice…"
Anabella spoke suddenly, "She's…nice. She…accepted my gift…" She sighed out in ecstasy.
"The nice man complimented me…" and then suddenly Sam was speaking out too.
Minor. Small. Things. Nora knew her siblings weren't all put together, even she wasn't. Drugging people, and for what, just to tie them up later to painfully tease the mess out of them. A slow impending death.
Samuel had his urges frequently, a blood lusting young man who loved cutting his victims into a dripping mess, especially selfish people.
Anabella, although alone, attached herself to someone, and with a sick concept, would hope they'd care about her as she strangled them to death.
They were a sick family, that was for sure, but to see these kinds of reactions coming from the two, it made Nora curious. She wondered to let this play out, let things flow naturally, unplanned, something she'd never do. Until now.
"Hm. Just…be on your best behavior, we'll send them off tomorrow." Her brother and sister left with a nod and nothing more. Nora still sat and pondered on the events a little more.
When was the last time they had actual company, and not targets? Maybe this was for the better? For once, Samuel could start making friends. For once, Anabella wouldn't be on her nerves and someone else could watch her.
For once, maybe even Nora herself could connect with other people.
She scoffed at the thoughts, "Always thinkin' of others. Fine. I'll let you go…for now."
When morning arrived, Dylan was woken up by the smell of warm savory breakfast. His feet led him to the kitchen, Nora alone and with a big knife in her hands, but when she faced him, he felt at ease.
In her face was a gentle energy, one that spoke of genuine kindness. "Good mornin' Dylan." And her voice spoke it too.
Maybe he could just tell, or he was still sleepy but he felt calm. He pulled a chair out, "Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?"
A sudden burst of laughter came from the woman, far too outlandish but sounding so real, "How did I sleep? I'm not the one staying at a random stranger's home."
Dylan wryly smiled at that with agreement. Maybe it was because tensions were high and it was scarily dark in the middle of the woods, but Nora seemed nicer, and Dylan felt a lot more comfortable. Their conversation flowed like gentle beach waves, to and fro about life and personal issues.
Amidst the conversation a set of footsteps pattered lightly, "You two seem to be getting along." A slight surprise to Spencer seeing his husband trusting who saw as suspicious, he placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Would you like some help?" He offered.
"That's very kind of you, I'd appreciate it. I've got some deer sausage thanks to Samuel."
Now with Spencer, Dylan and Nora quickly fell into a comfortable chat. The three definitely were the more skeptical if not the most and now they were filling the room with attentive chatter.
"Guess who got the van fixed?" Raphael triumphantly entered, Samuel following behind.
"I'mma guess you did?" Dylan sipped his coffee, Spencer sitting with him at this point.
"If that was the case, we wouldn't be here. Sam here did it, and all while teaching me." He patted the bigger man's shoulder, his cheeks flushed lightly.
"Thanks a lot pal, you're a lifesaver for that." He held out a fist for him, Sam slightly confused before bumping it and quickly walking to Nora.
"He's really nice…we talked…a lot…" he whispered to the older woman, a quiet 'oh' escaping her.
Samuel swallowed before continuing, "We also talked about…girls. He…taught me how to talk…to girls…"
His sister stared him down in curiosity, watching as his face viciously became redder with every passing second.
Samuel was always her favorite out of the two, watching and raising him to be a gentleman, but she'd never seen his face like this: beat red, with shy eyes.
He cleared his throat, "I'll go get Anabella." He quickly excused himself with a fast pace she'd never seen him in before either.
Eventually, Pearl and Teddy had come down, Pearl looking a lot fresher than yesterday. Not too long after that did Samuel return with Anabella, obviously still sleepy with her pajamas and stuffed animal. Teddy gave Sam a small nod, his cheeks heating as they all took a seat.
Compared to last night's dinner, breakfast turned out waaay better. Everyone was speaking to one another even if just a little bit. For the friends this felt like a beautiful home and for the siblings, this felt like an actual family. Nora even caught her siblings smiling, actually smiling in peace.
The breakfast was a satisfying treat for the stomach and mind, the table settling into a calm quiet chatter, they almost seemed sleepy, but they all knew there was no time for that.
Good things don't last forever, the siblings know that far too well. They'd have to let them go, although in a different way than usual.
"Y'all have everything you need?"
"Yep, double checked and everything." Spencer settled into the driver's seat.
"Thanks again for the cake Nora." Dylan happily made his appreciation known, "Breakfast was amazing, better than Spencer's." He teased his spouse, a pouting smile coming over him.
"Here." A neatly crocheted lilac sweater was shoved into Pearl's face. "It's a gift…"
Pearl was definitely taken aback by this. A gift? And one from the girl who was making her skin crawl the entire stay? From Anabella?
Pearl blinked at the sweater before taking it, "I made it last night."
"Last night?! You didn't…sleep?"
"I couldn't…"
Pearl couldn't really sleep last night either, she usually couldn't sleep a lot of the time, her comfort disregarded. She felt a warmth of empathy.
"You didn't need to but thank you, I mean it. It's really cute and perfectly oversized." For once she laughed. It was light and quiet, but it was all that filled Anabella's ears at that moment. She smiled at that, a strange sound leaving her throat.
She grasped her neck, shock apparent in her face. What was-was that a laugh???
"I'll remember you everytime I wear this." Pearl clamped the sweater tight to her person before leaving with a smile.
Samuel stood in silence, waiting for them to leave, waiting to never see them again. A deep dark hidden part of himself wanted to wallow in sadness but he didn't get the chance. Not when Teddy bounded over to him, her smile beaming bright as ever.
"Hey Sam."
He swallowed. He could feel his cheeks heating up already.
She laughed lightly, "There's no need to be so shy. I'm leaving but this is for you." A slip of paper was presented to him.
He took it perplexed before turning it over, a set of numbers written neatly on it.
"Call me, okay?" Teddy had already hopped into the car by the time he looked at her, shock evident on his face and of course his face reddening even more.
"You are not gettin’ a phone, use the public line." Nora stated, peering at the paper, surprisingly not against it considering how controlling she was. Samuel would definitely travel to the next town over just to talk to Teddy, hopefully Raph too.
With the gifts and farewells given, the little family waved off the crew, watching them slowly disappear down the road. A sense of happiness filled all of them, even Nora no matter how much she didn't want to feel it.
"I hope we'll get to see them again." Anabella said.
"Maybe." Nora sneered, brushing it off, as much as she could at least. That warmth in her heart continued to swirl.
"Me too." Samuel quietly agreed. His feet took off in a brisk walk. He headed over to the garage.
"Where are you going?" Nora quirked an eyebrow.
"The next town over."
Nora bit her lip at the smile trying to show. Seeing Samuel like this was really cute and adoring. She knew this would become a problem since last night, and now even she couldn't help herself, not with her little brother looking so giddy.
"You've got a little something trying to show on your face."
"Do not tease me, Anabella."
“And you were so wary for nothing.
“Oh shut up. My instincts are never wrong.
Dylan wasn't wrong, though. His gut always knows. They're just so lucky to escape what would've been their death, but he'll take it as a one time fault. Just this once. And he'll never guess that Anabella’s story was once and still is true.