On a snowy night in November

    

The dim headlights of Everett’s simple car were illuminated in the heavy down fall of snow. It was a mean, heavy kind of snowfall, the kind that makes you thank god you’re not stuck out in it, that you’re indoors by a warm fire with a warmer drink in your hand. Everett was think more about the drink. How he’d need it when he was done. Need it? Hell I deserve it! Everett thought. He wasn’t much of a drinker, most of the time anyway, but this was a special occasion, almost a celebration. There was still that little voice, somewhere deep in his chest, making his heart beat heavy, that told him how wrong it was to think of this as a celebration or even the right thing. Everett had always listened to that voice, not that he’d always done what it told him but he’d hear it out. No chance. Not this time. No going back. No undoing this now. He pushed it down, down so far it made his stomach queasy. He felt like he was going to shit himself the way his gut gurgled and popped. It’s just the adrenaline. The excitement as the little voice wouldn’t like it to be called.

Everett had been looking for a good spot along the road, clear enough and isolated enough. He would have stopped sooner but ,much to his surprise, he’d seen another car pass him some miles back and he wasn’t about to risk the chance of another one seeing his basic, likely broken down, car on the side of the road and for some nosy “good samaritan” to come by. “Need any help?” Sure! Got a shovel, asshole! Everett always made himself laugh, whether he really thought it was funny or just amusing. “You are your own best critic, Everett” Molly used to say. She always called him Everett when she was being despiteful and cruel. She called him Everett a lot.

“Everett why aren’t you ever in a fight? Can they just sense the piss in your pants and not bother?” “Everett what’s it like to live without a spine?”

It had been a struggle just to get everyone together for thanksgiving dinner, let alone get along but the evening had been a success, at least to Everett. Food was good, everyone was, mostly, polite except for cousin Rich but at least he was a sort of charming kind of impolite, lowbrow and classless. Everett often wished he’d been as loose as Rich was, he didn’t take shit, only gave it. Mom and Dad never came to thanksgiving. “Christmas or a family emergency”, that was Robert and Grace Caulders motto. Really they just didn’t want to bother leaving sunny and warm Florida, especially when everyone was getting together. When they retired from work they retired from the family, not that Everett could blame them but that didn’t stop him from resenting them. Everett was the oldest of the two Caulder children, the other was brother Billy Molly, after a few drinks, would always begin to lay into Everett and though she never said it out loud, he knew it was because he was timid but didn’t want to be. She knew he would never raise his voice or argue much, she knew he was a push over and, boy did she like to push and Everett never pushed back. It was after dinner, Everett and Pete, that’s Pete from next door, were having a talk on the latest World War 2 documentary, as many men with not much else in their lives to talk about do, when Molly and Billy got in a heated screaming match.

“Take it back goddamn it! Right now!”

Everett rushed to the dining room to allay the commotion.

“Billy calm down! What’s going on?” Billy put his hand in the air stormed away.

“Oh fuck off Everett.”

“Molly please....”

“ Oh screw off with that uptight, grown up voice you coward. Even if you could help you think I want help from a dickless...” Everett shook with the anger of years of being put down. “GODDAMN IT MOLLY YOU....”

And like that the steam faded. Even that angry he couldn’t do anything. Molly started to laugh before she passed out in her chair.

“Okay I think the evening is done and everyone should probably start off home. It’s starting to snow” Bill said with a particular disdain.

Everett sighed. It was a defeated sigh, a tired sigh. Everyone began to leave, they didn’t need Bill to tell them the night was done. Rich came up and rested a hand on Everetts shoulder. “Hey, man. You good driving home with that thing?”

He said eyeing the intoxicated and passed out Molly.

“I’ll get her home.”

“Shit whatever man. See you next year, great dinner Bill!”

Rich shambled into his car and took off. Billy came up behind Everett. “Jesus Christ, Ev, just leave her and be done with this shit.”

“I...I can’t. I...” Billy cut him off with a sigh.

“Right. Just... just get outta here, Everett. Before the snow picks up.”

Everett stood in the open door, in the cold November night, snow softly coming down.

“Okay. Lets get this over with.”

He, rather uncarefully, plopped Molly into the passengers seat, who was now a bit more awake. Everett climbed in the drivers seat and turned the key. The car grumbled but didn’t start. Molly just snickered. Failed again Everett. Again the car rumbled but didn’t start. Come on damn it! He slammed the dash and the car, as if sensing Everetts rising antagonism, burped to life. He pulled out of the driveway and out into the increasingly snowy night.

Everett drove slowly and carefully, despite his desire to get ride of Molly from his life for another year. Slowly and carefully throughout his life. Molly was now awake and not speaking, for once, while Everett focused on the dark, snowy roads.

“We could have just stayed at your brothers place you know.” Molly slurred.

“Why would you think he wants you there? Why are such a bitch to me? I don’t want to hate you Molly.”

“Because you don’t want to hate me. Because you have no spine, no nothing....I have to piss.” “Goddamn it. What do you me to do, just pull over in this snow storm so you can go?”

“Unless you want me to go in your car which I really don’t mind to do.”

Everett slammed on the breaks and Molly smashed her head in the front dash. I didn’t buckle her. Oh god I didn’t buckle her.

“Well I guess that shut you up, huh?”.

Everett couldn’t believe he said it but then, like a the car slamming to life, he started to laugh. He laughed so hard he almost had tears in his eyes.

“Molly?... Are you...”. He lifted her head forward and saw that her face had slammed into the dash so hard it had cracked her head.

“Oh shit. I...I should get her to the doctors!”

Everett jumped out of his car, into the near pitch black, snow drenched night.

What did you do?! What did you do?! Put her in the back seat and drive her to the hospital!

Everett lifted Molly out of the car and carefully placed her in the back seat. Should probably cover her up to keep her warm or something, right? He hurried around to the trunk, looking for a blanket or sheet but could only find the ugly Disney World towel his mother had given him for Christmas last year.

“It’ll do...”

“Everett?...”

Everett spun around, almost slipping on the snow bank piling on the road side. Molly stood there, blood running down her sullen face, big flakes of snow catching in her wild, black hair.

“Molly you’re...okay?”

Molly reached past Everett and into the trunk and pulled something out that she hung by her side, though Everett was too focused on her nightmarish visage.

“I thought you were...”

“Dead, you Sonofabitch?”

“Well, yeah...wait what?”

Molly swung the tire iron at Everett, causing him to tip back into the open trunk.

“Molly wait you...you have head injury! We have to go to the hospital!”

Molly brought the weapon down at ,the now half in the trunk, Everett, who caught the dazed swing with both hands.

“You shit. You can’t even kill me right!”

Everett, with great force, kicked Molly back with both feet, while still holding the tire iron.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you!”

Molly came back at him with claws out ,hitting and scratching.

“Ha! You can’t even fuck up correctly!”

Molly hit Everett right across the face, cutting him right around his eye and knocking his clunky glasses off before continuing to slap and scratch. In a single motion, Everett swung the tire iron back and directly into Molly’s preexisting head wound.

“I WASN’T TRYING TO KILL YOU!”

Molly lumbered back, eyes wide. She fell back into the snow. Everett hit again. And again and a again. Driving the iron into Molly’s face, screaming.

“I WASN’T TRYING TO KILL YOU! I WASN’T TRYING TO KILL YOU!”

Everett fell back, breathing heavily, covered in blood. Gasping in the cold air.

“I wasn’t...I wasn’t...I.”

With out hesitation, he picked her up dumped her into the trunk, covering her with the towel. Mickey Mouse and Goofy waving up at him. Everett waved back, climbed back into the car and pulled on the road and began driving again.

Well what now? Drive to the middle of nowhere and leave her in the woods?... Why not?

So here he was. Timid, spineless Everett was driving along the lonesome, snowy road with his dead wife in the trunk, looking for somewhere to leave her.

“There we go.”

Everett spied a narrow logging road leading off in the dark wooded surroundings. He hadn’t seen another car for awhile, no one to say they saw him in the area if somebody should find Molly. Though Everett was planning to make sure no one ever saw Molly again. He pulled off the main road and on to the overgrown logging path. Looks like nobody has been down here in a long time. The heavy snow made trees seem bigger and monstrous. Looming over him like silent observers in his actions tonight. Deeper and deeper into the woods he drove, over more and more rough terrain, terrain not meant for his flimsy car to deal with. Finally, after what could have been hours driving far into this unknown realm, Everett stopped. He sat there in silence, hearing only the flutter of snow flakes hitting the windows. No going back. No undoing this. He clambered out and stood amongst the daunting wild wilderness before him. Just you and me. He walked around back and opened the trunk, Mickey and Goofys faces now obscured by inky blood staining through. He heaved her out and dropped her in the snow, it didn’t take long for the snow to start covering her. Perfect. No one will even see the tracks of the car or any footprints or a trace of anything at all. The world will swallow it up, along with her. Everett looked up and down the confined road. At this point it was hardly even a road, more of a path and a little more than a deer path at that. If he had turned off his headlights he’d be in pitch black night. Once, maybe, old trucks would drive in and out of these woods with heaps of logs, ones too if they were this deep in the wild. Since then the wild had taken back its allotment with interest. Something caught Everetts attention in the snow, a shape, like a sign. He trudged over and freed it from the over grown and snow blanketed ground, surprised he’d even seen it. He rub his glasses clear with his plain, tasteless tie. A gift from the late Molly.

“KEEP OUT. BEWARE.”

It was old. Very old he figured. Everett again looked up and down the path. Doesn’t say private and if someone had been out here, it had been along time ago. Probably as far back as when it was a regular logging road. He scrunched his face and glanced to the sky but saw only blackness becoming snow and clutching the ancient tree tops. No time to fuck around. Can barely see which way I drove in. He went back to the car, slammed the trunk shut and began dragging Molly off the road. Into the forest.

“Remember how much you used to hate nature?”

Everett spoke with a lightness and glee he’d not spoken with before as he pulled her bloody, shrouded body through the snowy trees.

CRACK.

Everett stopped dead. His gleefulness stopped dead to. He looked around, still making out the dim headlights in the not so distance. Hello?... you know animals do live in the woods dummy. Good, maybe they’ll take their share of Molly and she can finally give something back. Still, don’t wanna be around when those doggies come sniffing. He laughed at himself out loud. So loud it echoed.

“Well, Molly. This is where I leave you. Don’t call or write or move! Haha!”

“haha...”

Everett spun around and caught his foot on an upturned root, falling face first into Molly. No. No it was the echo. It was... He slowly pulled the towel back from Mollys face. She was all red and black, almost frostbitten looking. He threw it back with a gag. Not her. The echo. That’s all. An unearthly sound chimed through the black trees. Everett, still prone to the ground, flicked his eyes in all directions. This is finished. It’s all done just back to the car and drive away. He slowly pulled himself up, watchfully eyeing the surrounding shadows. Just hop in the car and...

Those shadows were moving, not like the trees in the gusts of frosty air but, rather sharp and knowingly. Everett turned to the car from which the only light for miles emerged and dropped again. Something was there. Something standing, moving around the car, past the headlights. Through the trees and snow and darkness it was impossible to tell what it was really. Pale white skin, maybe black and It’s proportions, unnatural. Everett turned away, cowering by an old oak. His glasses were fogging up as he tried to breathe softly. He only saw the shadows in the headlights moving. Gliding. And then it was gone. Not a shape or shadow from the car. Now. Go now!

“everett...”

He heard it. Softly from the encompassing night beyond the trees the headlights dare not touch. He saw them. The two pale, white orbs just beyond. Eyes. He saw its eyes.

“Oh god...oh god!”

“not here”

Everett stood in a flash, bolting towards the car. Towards the light. The light which began to fade. The headlights were going out.

“Oh god no no no no!”

He was in the dark. In a void of unknown. Everett could barely gasp for air as if the darkness was suffocating him.

Footsteps moved in the snow. The soft crunch moved around him. All around him. All at once. He dropped and covered his head, making a ball. The little voice wasn’t there anymore nor was the brave new one. Everett barely felt human. He felt like he didn’t belong.

“Help...”

“help...”

“Help.”

“help.”

“FOR GOD SAKE SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!”

His words echoed through the primordial forest with no reply. He was again alone in silence. He could still feel the snow falling from above but the touch of reality brought no comfort.

Everett opened his eyes to still darkness barely breaking. Had he been there all night? Die here die there. Maybe you got it coming. He uncurled himself slowly, his bones cracking from the tightness he held himself in. He stood and began to creep forward towards where he believed the car once sat. Forward and forward. Even in the dark, Everett knew he was back on the path but could not make out the car. Where is it damn it. He moved up and down, back and forth along the patch but his car was not there Nothing was there. The snow had eaten his trail, all evidence that he was even here and now, like Molly he would be eaten by the woods.

The sound again. Not a howl or a scream. Not a cry or a wail. It chilled Everett more than the freezing winter. Like his cries, it echoed it the hills, across the treetops. He looked down to his watch. Frozen. He was frozen, shivering both from the cold and the unnameable fear that gripped him. His hands were blue, turning black. He held himself and looked to the ends of the path, which now where only just visible.

The eyes watched him from the darkness at one end.

Everett was so cold he could hardly react. He shivered and shook, turned away down the other end of the path and set about walking.

“no help..”

Though Everett didn’t know, he walked deeper into the forest. Deeper from the world and would be taken by the ancient forest, eventually.