Chapter 1
It was a late, frigid night in the Midwest farmlands: the surroundings were a two-tone picture of white snow and black sky, sandwiching forest and plains for miles. Zach Lowry, a working student with the night off, drove up a back road in an old GMC Sierra, rock music playing on low, windows down, letting in the fresh smell of harvested corn, heading toward a worn country home. He parked in front and shut off his truck. The house looked dilapidated and abandoned. The lights in the house were off; the windows wore rotted planks of wood. The paneling peeled, displaying decay. The foundation stood crumbling, excreting the stench of sewage from beneath, thick and cloying. The surrounding trees appeared prickly, skeletal and dead.
Zach sat uneasy, feeling the grip of fear clasping along his neck. It wasn’t like him to skip out on a date, but his gut told him this was no good. He found it best to turn around, go home, text an apology on the way. Before he could put the key back in the ignition, he was interrupted by the tapping of glass on his driver-side window. He jolted to his right and looked to see him standing there—his date, William Giese. Zach’s body went tense, then relaxed with a sigh as he rolled down the window, the cold air blowing in his face like a Himalayan breeze.
William wore a smile on his face with his hands behind his back, twisting his upper body left and right like a child waiting for a piece of candy. “I was starting to think you’d gotten lost,” he said, head tilted to the side.
“Where did you come from?” Zach asked.
“Oh, I saw you come up. I’ve been so excited!”
“Then why didn’t you text me?”
William shrugged. He gestured to Zach to step out. Zach did. In that instant, Zach knew this date was a mistake. Zach wasn’t one to judge others; he was often the first to stand up for the weird kid in the back, but this was beyond him. He looked uneasy, like he had been called upon in front of a large crowd, stashing his hands in his pockets.
“Listen, I feel bad about this,” Zach said, “but we should do this some other time, man. I’ve got work early tomorrow.”
“Oh, c’mon, you just got here. I finally have a chance to spend time with you. We can go inside and get you warmed up.”
“Sorry, man, I’d like to, but I’m exhausted. Another night, alright?”
“Well, what can it hurt just to talk? You don’t have to go yet. I promise you my home is wonderful.”
“No, dude, I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood tonight. I’m just gonna be on my way.”
William cupped his hands together and curled his head between his shoulders. “Please, just… can’t we just talk for a little while? Just for a bit, then you can go. I’ve waited so long to have the chance.”
Zach rubbed his forehead and dragged his hand down his face. He wore the face of a man with no leverage amidst a bad deal. “I’ll walk to the park like we planned and give you a few minutes.”
William gained a wide, toothy smile. “Oh, that’d be swell, Zach. Thank you, thank you.”
Zach looked down the long, snow-covered driveway and they went on their way.
