You Shouldn't Have Come Here

by Jeneva Rose

“Did you mention me to her?” I thought back to my conversations with Betty. I couldn’t recall if I did or not. “I’m sure I did. I talk to Betty about everything. She’s like a second mom to me.”

“The check engine light came on when I was leaving Betty’s store, and it started shaking when I drove back. Like when I accelerated.” She let out a sigh.

“I could get used to this,” she said, taking a sip. Her eyes peered over the glass, running up and down my body. “I could too, Grace.” I gave her a coy smile and slid the pans into the dishwater. If I’m being honest, I was already used to it. Grace would be a hard habit to break. Nearly impossible.

Every relationship eventually loses its luster. You get bored. It becomes routine, mundane. And then you find yourself seeking that excitement and spark elsewhere.

His thoughts were a little more on display now, and on some level, I knew he and I were one and the same. I could feel it.

The sound of a woman screaming pulled me from my sleep.

I laid awake for a long time, and I didn’t hear the scream again. Perhaps I was dreaming, but what if . . . I wasn’t?

The other girls were like turnips. Sure, they were pretty, but what you saw was what you got, and they were mostly forgettable. Grace, she was like an onion: layered, complex, with so much to offer. Onions could be grilled, sautéed, baked, caramelized, roasted—heck, even eaten raw. They could take a dish to a whole new level with all the flavor they packed. They were unassuming but also surprising, just like Grace.

I’d even used them as insect repellent in a pinch—sliced them open and rubbed them all over my skin.

I’m glad she felt comfortable enough to sleep soundly in my home.

I never wanted to see her walk away from me again.

“With anything in life, you gotta have bait to catch it. The trick is to get it all the way through from end to end, so it can’t get off the hook.”

She was a determined woman. I could see that the first day I laid eyes on her.

“He’s a tough one,” I said as we got the fish right near the riverbank where I’d pull it out. “I like it when they fight.”

I placed an arm around Grace and pulled her into me, patting her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around my lower back and leaned her head against my chest. She fit perfectly there like a missing puzzle piece. Fate.

She had her catch of the day, and I had mine. Grace just didn’t know it yet. She was my catch.

We’re all predators to something.

A duck egg slipped from my hand and splatted against the ground. Bright blood marbled the golden yolk. Bloody eggs were rare—so rare they came with superstitions. My mother’s words sprung to the front of my mind, See a bloody yolk? It means you’re gonna die.

“It’s just odd. Why would a woman travel alone and stay at a total stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere?” She stood and dusted off her hands. “Lots of women do that these days. All a part of that feminist movement.” I kicked some dirt and grass clippings onto the bloody egg, covering it up. “No, they don’t, Calvin.”

Even with the guts and blood and vomit and maggots, she was still gorgeous to me.

Grace ignored her, staring at the dead animals instead. Her eyes narrowed as she studied them.

She took her eyes off of the pit and looked in my direction—not at me but beyond, staring intently at the ranch like she was seeing it differently now. I wondered if she felt it. The curse. It was hard not to feel it. Death hung heavy in the air here.

A low nasal whine came from above. We both looked up, watching several turkey vultures circle high in the air, waiting to swoop in for a meal. “Don’t worry. They’re harmless,” I said. “They actually help keep the environment clean and prevent the spread of diseases.”

when she looked at me, there was an intensity beneath her eyes. I had seen it once before, and I knew what it meant . . . to her. But I didn’t feel the same way.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about after she leaves.” I shifted my stance and slid a hand into my front pocket. “You can tell me now.” “No, it can wait.” Charlotte turned the key in the ignition. “What if she doesn’t leave?” I said with a laugh, only half joking. She put the car in drive and looked over at me. “Then I’ll throw her out myself.” Her eyes narrowed for a moment but then she flashed a smile that could only best be described as sinister.

No one ever mentions that death has a sweet odor like the smell of a fresh-cut lawn or a ripe banana. Hexanol and butanol are responsible for that pleasant scent just after death sets in.

One moment, I found the ranch comforting, and the next, it terrified me.

Calvin didn’t look. I was surprised. He was a man of his word. Most men weren’t.

Calvin pressed his lips together, and his eyes lost their glow. Disappointment kept people wanting more. It was fuel for their desires. He didn’t say anything and just turned around instead.

I glanced back once, and I saw Calvin looking over his shoulder, watching me walk away. Perhaps he wasn’t as true to his word as I thought he was. You never really know a person.

“There’s something special about Grace. Something different. I know she leaves in six days but maybe she doesn’t have to.

I smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” I’ll always have you.

was fascinated by the idea of domesticating wild animals. They did as we said because we trained them to forget their nature, to disregard who they truly were. But nature can’t be erased. It’s always there, lying dormant, waiting for its turn to resurface. Even Siegfried and Roy couldn’t keep the tiger in the cage.

I could tell he was carrying a darkness inside of him. But I guess we all were though. Calvin just didn’t carry his well.

She squinted her eyes like she was trying to conjure up the answer,

Does she maybe have a different identity?

She hesitated again, looking up toward the ceiling, searching for the right answer. Dr. Reed scribbled down more notes. “New York City.”

Definitely feels like she’s trying to remember the story she made for herself, but I could be overthinking things

“I’ve known you all your life, Calvin. No doubt in my mind that you got some screw loose up there,” Dr. Reed teased.

When you held on to something too long, it always left a mark. The same was true for people.

I’d take care of Grace every day of my life if she’d let me and even if she wouldn’t.

SIR. STOP

He was right. We all did have bad dreams, but I always believed they were warnings, the subconscious trying its best to alert you that something in your waking world was amiss.

My mind kept going back to that. There was nothing worse than feeling stuck. The mounted animals reminded me of that. Actually, I didn’t feel stuck—I was stuck, just like them. Maybe that was the warning.

“I’m following up on a missing person’s report for a woman by the name of Briana Becker. Her sister from Michigan reported her missing early this afternoon. Apparently, she was traveling alone on a cross-country road trip, and they expected her home three days ago but hadn’t heard from her in over two weeks.” Sheriff Almond slid a piece of paper from his front pocket and held it out. “Have you seen this woman?”

The door with the padlock that supposedly led to the basement made me stop in my tracks. I stared at it, wondering what was on the other side. A shiver ran down my spine as a thought crossed my mind. The missing woman. The scream I heard the other night. The woman’s clothes in the dresser. Maybe they weren’t his ex’s. Maybe they were Briana’s. I made my way down the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind me. When I went to turn the lock, I realized there wasn’t one.

“Your wish is my command.” She smiled and closed the door slowly. Goddamn, that girl was going to be the death of me.

There was a sense of dread I had been carrying with me since I arrived. This place was different. Was I being paranoid or was there really cause for concern? There were too many coincidences. Too many things going wrong or just not how I thought they’d go. I should be completely relaxed, not on edge with thoughts running through my brain like a Rolodex. The scream I heard. The lack of Wi-Fi and cell phone service. My car acting up. And the missing girl. The sheriff said she never checked in. He verified it himself. But then why did he come here asking questions he already had the answers to? Unless he didn’t believe the answers.

I needed to at least ask him about the car. It’d been three days and his brother still hadn’t shown up. I got the feeling that maybe there was a reason for that.

despite everything, I liked Calvin. I was drawn to him like a cat to a mouse.

You trust me, right, Grace?”

a strong chin, a carved jawline covered in stubble, and full lips that I was sure told lies.

One moment, it was like she was falling for me, and the next, it was as though she was scared of me. Maybe she felt both ways. I didn’t know why. I hadn’t done anything to make her fear me.