It was a beautiful, late summer night. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but nothing a light jacket and jeans couldn't remedy. The moon was full, so I kept the fire low ā barely more than the coals I'd used to cook dinner earlier. I'd finally earned a week of vacation at my first real job, and I was indulging a long-denied need to get out of doors for more than a night.
All my friends either were off to college or couldn't get the same week off, so I was flying solo until the weekend. The peaceful solitude ā especially at night ā was amazing. I had plenty of beer to last me, and the pond down the road was full of fish, which is where I'd acquired my dinner. Unfortunately, it was too late in the year to take a jump off the cliff into the water far below.
The edge of an old strip mine pit might not seem like the smartest place to consume alcohol, but if you were underage, Killer Pit was the safest place to do it. It was in the absolute middle of nowhere, and cops would have had to walk for miles to sneak up on you. It was also technically private property ā with gates across the roads and faded no trespassing signs ā though the mining company had shut down decades before. With nobody around to complain, and the probability of actually catching people low, the cops didn't bother. They preferred to skulk around the highways outside the area and catch people going in with alcohol in the car or leaving drunk.
It was always a bit of an anxious trip in, but once you were through a gate, you were more or less home-free.
I was thinking about calling it a night when I saw the flash of headlights off in the distance. I had a good five minutes to hurl my beer and the empty cans over the edge of the cliff if necessary, so I watched. After a couple of minutes, I knew it wasn't a cop. It was a car rather than an SUV, and the headlights were all wrong. Once I could hear the engine clearly, I relaxed. It was a muscle car, and nothing like what the police used.
Killer Pit was also a popular hook-up spot, and I assumed it was someone sneaking out to bang their girlfriend in the back seat. I silently apologized to the guy in case I accidentally cock-blocked him by being there.
Sure enough, the car pulled off the gravel road and onto the dirt path over to where I was at the cliff edge. I was behind some scrub bush at the bottom of a small rise, and I guess it was enough to conceal me and my truck. The car rolled past me ā the rumble of the engine shattering the silence of the night.
I'm nothing resembling a car guy, but even I could appreciate a classic. It was something from the 70s and looked pristine. Someone had done a lot of work on that car.
A few seconds later the car turned and the headlights pointed out over the cliff edge about fifty feet away from me. That's when it came to a stop. I watched as the car idled, but the glare of the moon on the window prevented me from making out who was inside. After a minute or so, the door opened.
My brow furrowed when a woman climbed out. Without the glare, the moonlight let me get a good look at her. She looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s and had dark brown hair. She was wearing jeans that showed off a really nice ass. While she wasn't particularly busty, the tight top she was wearing accentuated her breasts.
I guess she didn't notice me, because she never even glanced my way. She walked over toward the edge of the cliff, and then leaned forward to look over. After a couple of seconds, she lifted a hand to her mouth and bit her thumb. I heard a sigh, and then she shook her head before walking back to the car.
The door remained open as she shut down the engine. She stared out the windshield briefly, and then let her head drop into her hands. A few moments later, I heard sniffling and whimpers.
I spent an awkward minute or two watching her cry and debating whether I should do something. I decided that I'd probably regret it if I didn't at least go talk to her. I stood up from my camp chair and walked her way.
When I was about five feet away, I drew in a breath to say something, but she must have sensed my presence somehow. She suddenly looked up and screamed.
I lifted my hands and froze in place. I said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." I pointed over my shoulder and said, "I'm camped over there. Are you okay?"
She slumped back in the seat and lifted a hand to her heart, which was probably beating rapidly. "I didn't know you were there. You scared me half to death," she said in a shaky voice.
"Sorry. I just saw you and you looked upset. Is everything okay?"
She let out a loud, disgusted-sounding scoff. "Oh, sure. My husband is off in Vegas banging his secretary. Everything's great."
She reached for the passenger seat, and I saw a bottle of whisky there. As she grabbed the neck, she seemed to think better of it and let go.
"That's messed up," I said. "Is there's anything I can do to help?"
"I came out here to push his precious baby over the cliff. Want to help?"
"Probably not the greatest idea," I suggested.
She chuckled, and then sighed. "I know. I sobered up enough to realize how crazy it was about halfway here."
"Well, it will probably hurt him more when he has to sell it in the divorce anyway."
I saw her eyes light up and she sat up straighter while turning toward me. "Oh, that's going to kill him. I didn't even think about that."
"Saves you a long walk, too. We're kind of in the middle of nowhere," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "My name's Trace."
"Helen. Not a great plan, I know."
"You should probably hang out until you sober up," I suggested. "Cops love to wait for people coming out of here."
"I know. I used to come out here all the time when I was your age." Her eyes darted up and down, looking me over. "How old are you, anyway?"
"Nineteen."
"Out here by yourself?"
I nodded. "A couple of friends are coming this weekend, but I'm just chilling."
Helen shook her head and chuckled. "I remember those days. Drinking, dancing, making out, jumping off the cliff... I lost my virginity right over there somewhere."
I nodded and chuckled.
"I got fucked out here
so
many times. How about you?"
"Nah. Never here. Close a couple of times, but then they'd get antsy about getting caught."