Eli's Town by Amy Cross

Author:Amy Cross [Cross, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Horror, Occult, United States
Amazon: B016MNA2I8
Publisher: Dark Season Books
Published: 2015-10-13T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Dean

“Wow,” I mutter, turning away from the car and looking across the deserted town square, “this place is a dump! I mean, I've been to dumps before, but this is like a dump inside another dump. It's like...” I pause, trying to think of the right word. “Why the hell would anyone live in a town here? You'd have to be a complete idiot to stay in a place like this.”

“It's not a dump,” Holly replies, pulling her case out of the trunk, “and the people here aren't idiots. Although...” She pauses for a moment. “I've got to admit, it seems even quieter than I remember.”

“No kidding,” I continue, waiting for some sign of life. Feeling something crawling on my skin, I slap the back of my neck, causing a juicy black fly to buzz away. There are plenty of other flies around, too, which I guess is some kind of metaphor. “Are you sure Tulepa isn't like some kind of abandoned ghost town?” I ask. “Seriously, I haven't seen anyone since we arrived.”

“It's late afternoon,” she points out. “The pace of life around these smaller towns can be very different sometimes.”

“Life?” I turn to her. “What life?”

“I told you it might be a culture shock.”

“It's dirty as hell here,” I reply. Looking around, I see leaves all over the sidewalk, and it's clear that no-one has cut the grass on the town square for months. Turning to her, I watch as she struggles to get her suitcase out, and for the hundredth time in the past few weeks I can't help but notice a few wrinkles on the side of her face. She's getting old. Not that there's anything wrong with that, we all get old eventually, but she could do a little more to cover it up. “Seriously, babe, this place gives me the creeps. It's like we've come to the town that time forgot.”

“I'll get us booked into a room,” she replies, wheeling her suitcase toward the hotel's front door. “At least it shouldn't be fully booked.”

“Sure,” I mutter, turning to look back out across the square as I wait for some hint of other people in this crumby town. So far, all I've seen are a few fat flies buzzing past, and I'm genuinely starting to wonder if there's anyone else here. When Holly told me to expect somewhere quiet, I didn't think she meant a completely empty place that looks less like a functioning town and more like the forgotten back-lot of some old movie studio. Hearing a noise nearby, I turn just in time to see a fat little rat scurrying around the corner. I make my way over and look into the next street, but there's still no sign of activity.

In fact, the whole town is deathly quiet, like... Deadsville, Dead County. How the hell do these people have any fun? I guess barn dances and cousin-chasing are what passes for a good time for a bunch of dumb hicks.

Suddenly the silence is broken by my ring-tone, and when I check my phone I see that Sarah's trying to get in touch.

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