Four years ago, my husband and I decided to live off the grid. The idea came fast, but planning it was long. We planned to live in the woods north of Greendale for one year, and but we were now approaching on our second.
I used to be a champion bow hunter, and my husband a seasoned survivalist who won a adventure reality show that was close to the conditions of our property we bought to live on in Texas. So it wasn’t like we were unprepared. I just never imagined what would come next.
We lived in a cabin, and every once in a while we would go out to buy necessary supplies, like feminine products, blankets, etc, from the local store.
That morning, our deer watering system broke. The pipe that brought rainwater down from the gutter from our cabin broke, and without it, the deer wouldn’t have much water to drink because of the drought, and that would impact our hunting season. I offered to go out and buy the pipe.
“Are you sure?” My husband asked. “I could just head down there myself.”
“Oh, because I’m a lady?” I joked. “I can’t handle driving a couple miles? Ill be fine, just go gather and do lady things or something while I’m gone.”
He snorted and shook his head. “Whatever. But don’t be long, we went to the store two months ago.”
“Alrighty,” I said sighing and putting on a light coat. “Love you.”
“Love you too, my manly man.” He said, and put on his boots.
When I walked out to our old Chevy, something moved in the brush. I thought it must be a rabbit and turned to look at it in curiosity. But it was gone, so I just opened the driver side for an cringed at the old spit out sunflower seeds on the floor my husband must of bought last time he was out. I suddenly had a shiver and looked behind me again. Something didn’t feel right. I hoped it wasn’t rabbit fever and turned the key in the ignition.
The 15 minute drive to town was uneventful. I didn’t see a single car on the road down to the hardware store, which was odd, but not exactly panic-raising.
I got out and opened the door to Old Miley’s Hardware Store. The bell tingled above the door. I haven’t been here since we first set up our camp, and I took a minute to look around at the cheap western decorations they’d put up. The TV was on, but it seemed like it wasn’t picking up a channel. I wandered to check out counter to say hi to Miley and ask how he was doing. But he wasn’t there.
“Odd.” I thought, and rang the bell for assistance. I heard some scuffling in the back, so I waited for him to show up.
Then I noticed it.
A large, dried maroon spot where Miley should have been. It smelled foul and metallic. Blood.
The scuffling grew louder and I stifled a scream and tumbled back into a shelf of nails. They hit the floor and scattered. I didn’t care about hunting season. I didn’t care about Miley. I wanted to run. I felt like the prey I hunted. I felt frozen. The TV static seemed to grow louder and louder, building. Then it was there.
I screamed, screaming my lungs out, till they burst and deflated like a popped basketball. He had no eyes.