Samantha slams the pan of eggs on the stove. “You’re such an ungrateful little bitch.”
Tara finally looks up from her phone. “You wouldn’t know a good man if he fell in your lap.”
“And you do?” Samantha yells back at the top of her lungs. “I have worked two jobs to provide for you. Given you a decent life and you’re going to throw it away on some stupid modeling dream.”
Tara stands up and comes face to face with her mother. “I know myself. I believe in me if you want to or not. My dream is my dream. Why can’t you just support my dreams?”
“You ungrateful bitch,” Samantha yells as she slaps Tara across the face.
“No, not again.” Tara fights back.
A scuffle between the two quickly dies after Samantha tosses Tara by her hair to the floor.
“I don’t need you or your fucking college applications.” Tara stands up, grabs her phone and runs out the door.
“You’ll be back. You always come back,” Samantha yells at Tara while fixing her hair. Samantha lights a cigarette and walks back into the kitchen.
Tara starts to walk as fast as she can in the hot summer sun. Hating her mother, her life, and the world.
A handsome, charming man pulls up to the curb in a nice truck.
“Hey, gorgeous, how are you?”
She blows him off and keeps walking.
The man continues to drive slowly next to Tara. “I’m going into town. I can drop you off wherever
you’re going. It’s hot, and it’s a long walk,” the man tells her.
“It’s bad for a model beauty like yourself to be walking in this heat in the middle of June. This summer heat can be dangerous.”
“You think I’m a model?” Tara turns to him, smiling.
“Of course, I’m a talent scout and I know a natural when I see one. You’re a natural. Who do you model for?”
“No one right now. I’m sort of a free agent.” “Well, jump right in. We can talk about you getting
some work on the ride to town.”
Tara gets inside eagerly at the chance to hear her dreams potentially come true after a fight with her mother.
“Wow, nice ride for an old-school pickup truck.” Tara tells the man as she rolls down her window.
“That’s how I roll in the entertainment business. But I use this for hunting. This is a real classic here.”
“What do you hunt?”
“Models. Beautiful ones like you.”
Tara gives him an unpleasant look. She has heard those lame jokes before.
“I’m joking, of course. Deer mostly.”
“I like fast cars like the ones in the movies.” “Oh, this baby goes.”
“Show me.” Tara challenges the man.
The man rams the engine as hard as he can. The truck takes off, flying down the empty road ahead of them. The truck roars like an oncoming freight train.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a deer runs from out of
the bush and into the street.
The man swerves to avoid contact. He рitсhеs the truck tо the right аnd аlmоѕt rоlls it. Itѕ lеft tirеѕ lifting оff thе раvеmеnt and itѕ right tirеѕ screeching and stuttering. The truсk brutаllу ѕlid ѕidеwауѕ through thе junction.
Tara screams thunderously out of thrill, excitement, and fear at the same time.
Her white shoes ѕlаm intо the right-ѕidе view mirrоr аѕ hеr fееt hurl thrоugh thе windоw, knocking the mirror in the middle of the street. The man takes his right arm and grabs Tara’s elbow to pull her back in as he completes the left turn.
Tara sees a man in jogging clothes, his pale face stunned by the truck. The jogging man sees her white shoes hanging out the window.
The driver guns thе truсk’ѕ engine, аnd its tirеѕ ѕсrеесh аnd ѕmоkе as it speeds away ahead of the jogging man. The ѕmеll оf rubbеr fills the streets as the wind blows through Tara’s hair.
Tara looks down at her iPhone. It is 12:16. “Speaking of deer,” she tells the man.
“That was close, but fun I guess. I’m Tara, by the way.”
“John. John Dexter.” “Nice to meet you, John.”
“What brings you to White Pine?” John lights a cigarette.
“Home. I’m coming home.”
John and Tara drive to Breitenbush and their journey has just gotten started. The start of the Lies Behind the Woods.
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Also by Bradley Cornish
Dark Obscurity
“Oh, Allison when will you learn your lesson?”
It may be Christmas break, but Allison can feel the heat. Instead of studying for her finals, she was caught up having sex with her no-good ex-boyfriend, Mark. He is selfish and a non-apologetic serial cheater. The sex was good, but it leaves her hollow afterward. Allison has a supportive family, and she is looking forward to taking a break away from the University of Columbia in New York and spending the holidays with them back in Dakota.
A meek voice catches her attention before she leaves her class, turning to a hot guy she dubbed as Mr. Tardy as he either never turns up for class, or if he does, he is always very late. He sheepishly introduces himself as Jack Corrode and asks if she would like to go for a coffee. Over a caramel macchiato, they make small talk, laughing about his ‘chronic tardiness’ – until he gets a phone call that makes him edgy.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
When Jack ends the call; his demeanor has changed. The easy-going smile is cranked a little tight around his mouth, and there is an edge in his eyes. Allison is disappointed when he mentions that he needs to go, but quickly amends when he asks for her company back to his place.
“I sort of have a business that I run, and it pays pretty.”
When they head to his super expensive car, Allison’s jaw drops. Something in the back of her head tries to figure out how he could afford such a high-class vehicle when he is only a college student. She can’t help but draw Jack up against Mark – and feels safe
