Fishing her phone out of her purse she called work, and informed the message machine she was having a personal emergency, and she wouldn't be able to make it today. After that she called her insurance company and informed them that she wanted to file a claim, making a vague statement about a freak natural disaster. Next was a tow service. Two hours, the said. She sighed heavily and put her phone down, then went to get some ibuprofen.
She was closing the medicine cabinet, pill bottle in hand, when she thought she saw a dark silhouette in the reflection of the small bathroom window. A cold chill shot down her spine, and she whirled to look but saw nothing. Hurrying back into the kitchen, she picked up her phone, and stared at it for a moment. Her first instinct was to call the police, but she thought better of it. It was just nerves and sleep deprivation. She considered several options, then flipped open her phone and made a call.
"Carrie... It's Alicia. I'm so sorry to call you this early. No. I mean I'm fine, I'm just having a rough few days. Look, I'm calling in to work today. Yeah. No, I haven't been sleeping, I'm kind of a wreck right now. No, I'm okay, just... The craziest thing happened. My car got mauled by a bear or something. Last night. I don't know what time. Yeah, I called a tow truck but they're going to be a while, and I don't know if it's safe here. Look, I'm sorry to ask, but do you think you could drive out here? I feel like I'm going to have a breakdown. Work, I think... Things have been hectic, you know, with the big day coming up. That would be great. I'll make breakfast, or something. Thank you so much, I owe you one. How long? Sure, great, see you soon."
The next forty five minutes passed in ominous stillness, during which Alicia could not keep her mind from wandering. Her dream had faded from her memory by now, but images and impressions kept resurfacing without context, causing her an unquantifiable discomfort. She listened intently to the stillness that filled the house, unsure what she was listening for. Her instincts murmured that something disastrous was about to happen, but she couldn't find a reason why.
Finally, she heard an engine and the crunch of fallen leaves under tires, and she shook herself out of her reverie. She turned on the porch light, but refused to open the door until her friend knocked, and she peeked out to be sure it was in fact her. Satisfied she opened the door and Carrie stepped inside, yawning and smiling halfheartedly. Ingredients were gathered and a second round of breakfast cooking began. Much to her surprise, Alicia cooked and ate a second breakfast for herself. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the eggs were in the pan again. Her friend looked as if she wanted to tease her over it, but she restrained herself. As they ate Carrie asked for more details. Had she heard anything? How did she know it was a bear? Was anything else damaged? Alicia really had no interest in dwelling on it, and avoided answering as much as possible.
Shortly after cleanup was complete the gravelly diesel roar of a large truck engine came creeping up the driveway, and was followed a minute later by a quick honk. The two women went outside and found the driver already lining up with the back wheels of the mauled vehicle. Before long Alicia's car was loaded and on the way to the shop, and the women were climbing into Carrie's small Mazda. An hour later they stood in Carrie's living room, in an urban second-story flat.
The friend yawned again, and headed for the shower. Sitting on the couch, Alicia realized she hadn't considered her plans from here on out very extensively. She didn't relish the idea of going home any time soon, with some sort of wild animal loose in the woods, but she hadn't packed for overnight, much less for an extended stay, and besides she wasn't even sure if Carrie had room for her.
Her impromptu host emerged from the shower at length, and started getting ready for work. Alicia tried to bring up the subject of her staying over, but no appropriate opening presented itself, and in short order she was left to her own devices. As it turned out, her own devices were rather limited, in uptown Wilsonville without a car. The day passed slowly, and all the little reasons she didn't live in town started to come back to her in the form of muffled voices coming through the walls and the smell of exhaust coming through the windows and more. By the time Carrie came home little of interest had happened except a call from the body shop citing a preliminary estimate for repairs, and Alicia was dramatically bored. Not wanting to seem ungrateful she tried to hide her misgivings, and suggested that the two of them might go out for dinner and a drink, and make the most of the unexpected visit. Carrie had other ideas however, citing tiredness in a voice that hinted that Alicia bore at least some of the blame. False enthusiasm dampened, Alicia at least managed to extract permission to sleep on the couch, which fortunately contained a hide-a-bed. Sleep didn't come easy to her, the bed was uneven and hard, and the sounds of urban comings and goings made her miss the solitude of the country.
The next morning Alicia's friend was in a better mood. They ate breakfast together and drove down to the nearest rental agency so Alicia could rent a car, before going their separate ways for work. She expected to answer a slew of questions about her absence the day before, but no one had the time for small talk. The hands crawled around the clock and the day seemed to drag on interminably. She couldn't concentrate, her mind kept wandering back to her car, the autumn colors in the trees around her house, the dark face in the window, and the disturbing dreams she could hardly recall. She was ravenous by lunch and she went down the block to a cafe, unwilling to risk being teased by her coworkers for eating so much. She wondered what could be causing her appetite, but nothing came to mind. The afternoon was no better, and by the time she was getting in her car to leave she was filled with an urge to do something, anything, that would bring a little change of pace. She called Carrie, and suggested dinner out. Alicia would pay. She fumed in rush-hour traffic, and arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant ten minutes late. They shared orders of chicken chow mein and spicy hoisin pork and the entire time Alicia felt a dissatisfied restlessness. This pace wasn't enough of a change for her. Maybe it was time to cash out some vacation hours.
She suggested catching a movie, but Carrie just laughed and declined. She had other business to attend to, and she had to get home. She didn't want to go through another night in Wilsonville, and as much as the idea of going home seemed like it should be frightening, she found herself longing for the quiet and the forest and nights not lit by the yellow miasma of street lights.She told Carrie she didn't want to impose on her any more and thanked her for the rescue. They parted ways again, and she considered going home but ultimately decided against it. Driving towards downtown with no real idea of where she was going, she eventually found herself parking outside of a seedy, smoky-looking dive that was apparently named "COCKTAILS". Her better sense chided her for being reckless and irresponsible, but it didn't stop her from going in. She sat at the bar and ordered a gin and tonic. She was nearly halfway through her drink before some slightly scummy, burnt-out looking 40-something sat next to her (conspicuously -- the bar was largely unoccupied) and favored her with a worn-thin plastic smile. She took a large gulp of her drink and choked it down with a grimace, then mumbled something about going to the juke box. She wasn't sure if the guy figured out that this dump didn't have a juke box before she made it out the door, but she made it unmolested regardless. With a furtive look around and a guilty conscience she started her rental and pulled out onto the road back towards home. She drove slow, regretting her decision to stop at the bar and looking for a park where she could stop and walk off some of her drink, but it was growing dark and all she found was a collection of other drivers who expressed their displeasure by tailgating her and occasionally honking.
She arrived home mentally fatigued from the gin and from checking her mirrors for cops. The sound of the wind in the treetops was a balm to soothe her jittery nerves, and all she wanted to think of was climbing into bed and turning the lights off. She parked the car along the side of her house, intuitively avoiding the spot where her own vehicle had been wrecked, and made straight for her bedroom. The window was open a crack. She didn't remember leaving it open, but the screen was in place and she didn't dwell on it. She was about to shut the window, but the sound of the woods filtering in caught her attention, and she changed her mind and undressed and climbed under her covers. Sleep found her quickly tonight.
She woke with a start, her heart beating quickly. Something had awoken her suddenly, but she wasn't sure what. As her pulse calmed she became aware that she was hungry and cold, and needed to have some quality time with the toilet. The clock told her it was 4:52. With a sigh she climbed out of bed, and immediately the floor twisted under her feet as vertigo played hell with her sense of balance. She stumbled once and almost fell back on the bed, but quickly adjusted, and made her way to the bathroom.
She was finishing up, washing her hands in the sink, when she noticed something strange. The bathroom window appeared to be obscured with leaves. Unless she was mistaken, she'd normally be able to see the rental car parked beside the house. Something was wrong.
Pulling her robe tighter and finding her slippers, she made for the living room and turned on the porch light. Cautiously opening the front door, she stepped outside into the cold night air with a deep sense of foreboding. Biting back a growing nervousness, she tiptoed off the porch and around the corner of the house.It took her a moment to realize that the large shadowy mass that faced her was a gum tree, laid out almost perfectly from one bumper to the other across the car. The roof looked crushed, and she could tell the windows were shattered out. Unnerved, she shuddered involuntarily and started back into the house. She closed the front door and leaned against it for a moment, made a decision to leave the porch light on, then headed for the bedroom to close the window. That done, she had paused and was debating whether it was worth going out to the kitchen to look for a snack when a loud *thump* from the living room made the house shudder.
