Misery Breeds Company

Chapter One

She just looked so... Miserable...

She'd been out there for the last two hours. Standing in the rain in the same spot she always did. Must have been freezing, but like always she refused to move. Hell, I'd been watching her this whole time from my shop. But I knew better than to approach her. It just wasn't worth it. Calling her boyfriend an asshole... Just wasn't accurate enough...

My name is Tim Cooper. I'm thirty-two and the towns 'tech guy.' Seriously, anyone who's done business with me knows my name. Everyone else knows me from my shop in passing. This is one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone. Just like we all know Jess and Mike. Jessie May grew up here with Mike Donald. Apparently, they were best friends as kids. But when Mike's parents died and left him the farm, he went a little... Well... Crazy just wasn't accurate enough.

Basically, he went from the teen heartthrob to the town drunk in two weeks flat. Hell, after the bills backed up and he missed harvest season a few years back, the bank started poking around. Nowadays, when he's sober, he's the town tow truck driver. About the only thing, he can still work out how to do right these days. Even if he's nearly lost his license again for drink driving. And he dragged poor Jess down with him.

Jess was... Well... I don't really know. I know all about Mike from the town gossip. Some of the ladies in the markets just about never shut up. Sandra, who regularly kicks out her ethernet cable, always makes me a cup of tea when I come in to do the repair. I'm pretty sure she does it on purpose when she's lonely, but the homemade biscuits make up for the drive and I've long stopped charging her for the service. But I digress...

Jess was Mike's... Girl... That's how he put it. That's how he put it in high school. That's how he put it when he drunkenly got on one knee at the harvest festival a few years ago. That's how he put it while he made excuses for her black eye on the anniversary of his parents' death a month later. That's how he put it when he threatened to do the same to me when I offered her a lift to work at four in the morning last winter. Seriously, he made her walk to work while he sobered up enough to pick her up after her shift. And if she wasn't waiting in 'her spot' when he arrived, she'd turn up the next day with a new bruise or an odd limp.

Fuck, I'll just say it. Mike was a cunt. Absolute scum of the earth. The whole town avoided him. The pub tried to cut him off, but after visiting the next town over, he came home rotten drunk and took his anger out on Jess. The same thing happened with the bottle shop. In the end, the male townsfolk just keep a wary eye on him. The ladies, keep an eye on her. I mean... Who wouldn't want to keep an eye on that angel?

She was beautiful... A smile that lit up the room. It didn't matter how badly she'd been busted up. A black eye, "hi there, what can I get you?" Split lip, "The tuna loaf is the special of the day, it's made fresh!" It's pouring rain at four in the morning in early winter and she's walking barefoot under a plastic sheet. "Thanks for stopping to check on me, but Mike doesn't like it when I talk to men." Even abused, controlled and devoid of all the things that would let her soar, that smile lit this world. Fuck I hated Mike with everything I had. Just seeing her smile made my heart ache... She was a little short and on the pudgy side. But, for whatever reason, that just made her more adorable in every way, not to mention... Ahem... Sexy... Curves for days, in ALL the right places. Fuck the thigh gap and any other unrealistic expectations of modern beauty. She had everything she needed to turn heads, and I couldn't help but imagine how plush and soft she'd be... Her hair was sandy blonde and I wasn't sure the length, as she always wore it in a bun. This, combined with her thick glasses, gave her an almost, sexy librarian look. She always gave you the feeling she could give your cheek a pinch and you wouldn't know if you should be offended or laugh. Either way... She was a god damned angel, stuck on this earth... With fucking Mike...

Hell, I'd been playing solitaire for the last half hour. Usually, when I wanted to game at work, I had a rig out back, but I couldn't keep an eye on Jess from back there. It wasn't bad enough that my shop was across the street from her work, but we were neighbors as well. Well... Not directly. This was a farming town. I could see her house from my house and we lived on the same street. But it was still a good quarter-hour walk between the two. I'd moved to the area after college. Following a hint from my professor at college, I used my inheritance to buy a house and a store in this town. With the modern age catching up, and the introduction of high-speed internet to the area, there was a niche for someone like me. Without mortgages on the house or my store, my overheads were low and I lived comfortably. Hell, a few of the wealthier kids from these farmers had me build them gaming rigs, so I wasn't doing too badly at all. Especially when one decided to upgrade. All his friends wanted it too. It was so bad, the last graphics card that came out, I ordered five of them in advance when Dean Patrick showed up with a grin, a grand, and a request for an upgrade. Between him and his three friends, that was enough business for me to install the last one on my own rig. It really was a good graphics card.

Shit...

She's gone...

Mike hadn't picked her up. I knew that for a fact. His hunk of shit red commodore either had a hole in the muffler, or he'd deliberately chopped it off at some point. Either way, you heard him coming. It was what I was waiting for on this dreary, rainy day. For Jess, standing in the rain, where she was told to meet him, to be picked up so I felt I could go home. Even if it was eight at night. He'd never been quite this late before. But it seems even she has her limits with his bullshit. "Fuck," I grumbled to myself. Signing off my computer, I headed out the back. The store had been locked for hours. I closed up at five-thirty most days. Jess finished around the same time and was usually picked up around six. Probably to go home and cook that drunken fuck dinner. But, with a shake of my head, I headed out the back door.

I was lucky I splurged when I bought this place. The parking lot back here was all dirt when I bought it. The same dirt that's everywhere out here. It's great for crops apparently, but unless you own a four-wheel drive, it was bog city after a five-minute sprinkle. I'd taken the initiative back then and had loads of crusher dust brought in. Having it poured and pressed into the car park behind my store meant I could continue driving my Camry. And no, not one of those early 90's shit boxes that refuse to die. Mines only a couple of years old and drives like brand new. Which was why I had a covered spot right by the door so I didn't have to get in wet.

With a smile at the shiny paint job, I pulled open the door and got in. Keyless entry made everything convenient. Pushing the button to start the car, I backed it out of my spot and drove around the front. Checking both directions for traffic, I started driving for home. It took me a whole minute to get to the first bend, and as I passed it, I spotted her walking quickly through the dark. She was huddled all the way over near the trees, so I almost missed her. Slamming on the brakes, I pulled over to the curb. Grabbing my umbrella, I opened the door and got out into the blinding rain.

"Hey, I'll give you a lift!" I called. She turned to face me as lightning flashed through the sky. Before she could respond, a massive crack shattered the sky, and the poor woman literally crouched in fright. Dropping the umbrella, I rushed to help her. It was a little early for the storm season, but the weather had snapped warm for the last few days. Probably why she didn't have that plastic sheet she usually wore. "Come on!" I called as I reached her. "I'll drive you home!"

And... She shook her head at me. "I can't, Mike wouldn't like that!"

I tried not to growl when she said his name, but I hadn't quite bitten back my anger. "Look! I'll drop you by the copse before my place. He'll never know you were in my car. But I can't let you walk alone in this. You're freezing!" I shouted into the rain. And she really was. I could see the goosebumps in her skin in the faint light from my headlights. I could also see her shaking bodily, but I wasn't quite convinced if that was fear.

"I-"

"If you say you can't," I cut her off. "Then I'll drive behind you the whole way. I don't want to see you getting hurt!"

And with a resigned sigh, she nodded her head. "Okay!"

I offered her my hand, but she just looked at it. So I withdrew and turned back for the car. When I got to the passenger door, I pulled it open and she climbed in. Rushing around to the other side, I climbed in myself.

"BRrrr," I said, shaking my head to get the water out of my hair. "Bloody cold out there. Can't believe you were going to walk." Reaching over, I missed her flinch as my hand came close. But I simply switched on the heater.

"Oh, I... I'll need to be wet and cold... Or-"

"You'll be plenty wet and cold walking from where I drop you off," I said softly, realizing I needed to give her an excuse. "Besides, this is more for me than anything," I smiled reassuringly at her, not that she seemed to relax.

A quick shoulder check to make sure no traffic was coming, I pulled onto the main road. Now, I'd mentioned this was a small town, where everyone knew everyone. But I also mentioned it was a farming town. Apart from the town center itself, everyone lived outside the immediate city limits. What was going to take me twenty minutes to drive doing eighty would have taken her about four hours without shortcuts if she kept up a decent pace. And in this weather, at this time of night and with the probable beating she'd get at home for whatever reason Mike hadn't picked her up...

"Thank you," she said softly.

I just smiled, "no problem. We're neighbors, that's what good neighbors do."

"But... I've just ruined your seats! It's going to cost a fortune to clean!" She began to cry.

I was a little stumped until I realized she probably thought I'd ask for money or something. "Hey, don't worry. I had this booked in for a detail tomorrow anyway." Or at least I would by morning. Ah fuck it, I'd take a late start tomorrow and get the whole thing detailed in the next town over. "Don't worry yourself. These seats are getting shampooed anyway."

Chapter Two

The drive had been... Strained. After she thanked me, all hopes of conversation stopped. Hell, she spent the whole drive clutching the handrail like I was going to kill her. Thinking about the black skid marks on my road, there was probably a subconscious reason for that. But she even went as far as pressing herself against the door, while pushing back into the seat. She even kept her head turned so she faced out the window rather than look where we were going. I wondered if she was desperately trying not to block my blindspot or something... Mike was a real piece of shit... Who knows? One day, he might be fat and stupid enough that I could get away with slapping some sense into him. Not that I was a fighter, at all. But fuck me... Hadn't one of these old farming bastards taken the time to straighten the prick out? Even the sheriff didn't bother coming out to their place anymore. I knew that for a fact, I had his number on speed dial and he'd told me! Every time he showed up, Mike made himself scarce, while Jess made up some bullshit about falling or being clumsy. Didn't matter that I'd had cameras installed upstairs to film him flogging her in the yard... I mean... Not that I'd spent ten grand on high definition cameras, just to make sure that if ever my neighbor did something truly horrendous, at least she'd have some evidence... Cameras with all that, and telescopic lenses, cost twice that amount...

Either way, I was sitting on my porch, in the dark. I'd turned on the upstairs lights to make it seem I was inside. But that just meant Jess couldn't see me watching her as she trudged along in the dark on her way home. It also told me that Mike probably wasn't home either. As the lights were off and I couldn't see the shitty red commodore in the yard. Not that I'd probably be able to over all this rain, but still. I kept watching until well after she turned down her driveway and headed inside. Once the lights popped on, I headed inside to make my own dinner. A microwaved lasagne, because I can't cook for shit.

I'd also like to take a moment here and clear up a few things. My 'unhealthy' obsession with my neighbor isn't because I'm a creepy stalker. I genuinely, honest to god, fear for her life. The reason I have the sheriff's number was from my first week of living here. I'd just moved the last of my stuff into place, on my second day under this roof, when the wind changed. When it did, I heard her voice for the first time. Begging and pleading for him to stop, followed by a lot of screaming. I couldn't see much from my porch, but from upstairs, I had a clear view of him beating her in the yard. That was the first time I called the cops. The first time I saw him hide in the house while she sent them away. I had to call the cops three times that week after that incident. It was the anniversary of Mike's parents' deaths. He went on a bit of a bender apparently and took his frustrations out on the only person within arms reach that would have anything to do with him. I've explained the first call. The second was after he put her through the glass sliding door at the back of their house. The third was after my mailbox disappeared after a loud band that sounded suspiciously like a shotgun, followed by the sound of Mike's shitty commodore taking off down the road.

Turns out the fucker had a police radio somewhere in his house and heard every call out when I rang the cops on his ass. So the sheriff gave me his number and told me to keep to myself. Because while murder was an arrestable offence, it didn't prevent me from being dead.

So... That pretty much brings us to the now. As I sit, listening to the weather report on tv while I eat my shitty lasagne. I could get way better from the diner across the street. But I only went in when Jess was in the kitchens. Until this evening, I'd kept my distance from her. 'Sigh...'

"-ther patterns will continue into early next week, so keep an umbrella handy."

"Fuck," I mumbled, switching off the tv.

Another goddamn week of watching Jess stand in the rain, freezing her ass off until Mike picked her up... Honestly, I didn't know why I did it. She was a grown-ass woman and everyone knew who she was. There was also little traffic that came through, so the chance of something going wrong was slim to nil. I... I just couldn't, with a straight conscience, not do the bare minimum I could, to watch out for her. So, with that, I threw my plastic lasagne dish in the trash and headed upstairs. This was my happy place. My gaming rig was top of the line. There really was nothing quite like immersing yourself in a good storyline in some RPG for a few hours. It always helped me relax after work, not that I had a hard job, but this was still 'me' time. Sitting at my desk, I fired up my system and wound down for the evening. An hour later, and several dead monsters, putting me up two whole levels, I crawled into bed. It was a little ridiculous at first. Why did a single guy need a king-sized bed? Answer, it came with an orthopedic mattress. My god, it was comfortable. No more than thirty seconds after my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

The soft beeping of my alarm brought me to wakefulness as the... Well... Usually, there'd be sunlight this time of year still... Today was turning just as wet and horrible as yesterday. Which... I wonder if Jess made it to work okay after the beating she probably got last night?... Fuck I hated Mike... With a groan, I got up and headed for the bathroom. After relieving myself, I climbed into the shower. Five minutes later, I was as scrubbed as I was going to get for a guy who lived in air conditioning. Dressing in a casual shirt and slacks, I headed downstairs and made coffee. This was about the only thing I could actually make other than occasionally toast. Even then, if I got distracted, I burned the toast... Aaaaaand shit... Pulling out my phone, I had a call to make.

"Hi, have you got any space for an interior detail this morning?" I asked Jim, the owner of the carwash in the next town over. I'd met him a few months after I bought my car. Turns out he got into an argument with his tech guy and I was the next closest that didn't charge a fortune for house calls. Since then, I've made regular visits to the next town over. I had the feeling that while the guy who ran the tech store there wasn't all that bad, he was expensive and liked flash over function. Which unless you're dealing with gamers, didn't usually fly with older folks, and people who just wanted stuff to work for a long time. "Yeah, shampoo as well. I got the seats wet yesterday in all the rain... Sweet, I'll head over now. Thanks, you're a lifesaver!"

Hanging up, I grinned at my luck and headed into my garage. Pausing to grab a disposable seat cover, I fitted it and climbed in. I didn't want to protect the seat so much, as I didn't want a wet ass. Backing out of the driveway, I spun around in the yard and waited for the automatic door to shut, before heading for the street. Today was a little different, instead of driving towards town, I actually drove further away, past Jess and Mike's place on my way to the connection road out of town. I had the feeling Mike didn't like seeing me drive past their house but fuck him. If he tried anything, I had cameras this time. At the least, having his ass locked up for a few days would give Jess a moment to breathe.

As I accelerated to cruise speed for the area, I checked my surroundings. Being this far away from civilization meant there was plenty of natural beauty to see. It also meant there was plenty of wildlife and if you weren't careful, you could come round the bend into a herd of wild pigs or something. I shit you not, I'd seen it happen! Speaking of, that's a decent-sized dead hog. It's on the other side of the road, but blocking part of the lane. If it's still there when I come back, which it probably would, I'll drag it off to the side so it doesn't impede traffic. Turning up the radio, I listened to the reiteration of the weather report. It was a once in a decade weather event. The farmers were loving it so far, but if it kept up too long, their crops would start drowning. This area was always pretty lush, but everywhere had it's limit. Switching over to a music station, I drove for the next hour and a bit to the neighboring town.

Pulling into the parking lot at the car wash, I was greeted by Jim and another young man. "Morning, Jim, how's the system running?"

"Not bad," Jim said, taking my keys and handing them to the young man, who got in and started my car. "I've got a weird issue with the internet though."

"Oh? What sort of issue?"

"Weird ads and stuff. Come on, I'll show you." Jim led me inside and to the computer at the front desk. A young woman wearing a name badge let me know her name was Mary-Sue, moved aside. Jim went and opened the browser and went to the site for the carwash. "See, this is what I'm talking about," he said tapping the screen with his finger.

Looking over his shoulder, I gulped a little bit and glanced at Mary-Sue, who was staring at the floor. What Jim was pointing at was the ads on the screen. I'd implemented them on his website to generate a small amount of residual income. They ran through google and used predictive algorithms to generate ads.