Part 1: Road Trip

Halloween had come and gone. The rich colors of northern New York’s foliage were on the ground now, replaced with the muted greens of silent pines and the skeletal browns and blacks of denuded trees. The wind had grown colder and even the remaining sunny days had a sharpness to them. The gold of the sun still shone in a cobalt blue sky but it lacked strength and warmth.

The 5.0L V8 engine of the Mustang rumbled as I pulled up to the apartment building I had once called home. I didn’t have to turn the car off. Anna, my old neighbor, was waiting. She happily bounded out the door, her long dark blonde hair flashing behind her.

I was impressed. Anna was wearing a short white sheath dress that hugged her shapely figure without showing a whole lot of skin and a cropped jean jacket. She had paired her outfit with a pair of fairly plain brown boots and a leopard print scarf in her hair. Her makeup was there but understated and her smooth skin seemed to glow in the cool fall air. Her tits fit the package as well; moderate, not too big but certainly not too small. She was stylish, sexy, and a bit understated.

She tossed her purse and a heavy black bag into the car before she squeezed into the passenger seat. I smiled at her and she beamed back at me. “Hi Michael!” she said.

“Hey Anna,” I replied. “How are you doing?”

“Great. I hope you don’t mind but I brought my point and click camera with. I figure that if we see something cool I can take a couple shots of it.”

“Sure,” I replied happily. “I saw some of your shots upstairs before. Pretty cool.”

She looked around as she snapped her seat belt on, pushing a lock of her hair around her ear. Anna was wearing understated stud type earrings. “I’m ready.”

“Cool. I figured we would head out on Highway 3 toward Cranberry Lake to that rest stop, turn around and head back. I do have some early evening stuff I wanted to do.”

“That’s great!” said Anna. “If we get a chance there is an old tumbled down farm I’d like to get some pictures of on Waters Lane. I’d like maybe your car in front of it – you know, kind of like the old and the new.’

“That sounds like a great shot.”

“How is your friend Rayven?”

“Oh, she’s good. She says hi too.”

“She seemed cool,” said Anna.

A moment later I pulled away and headed out of town. It was Sunday about two o’clock in the afternoon. Traffic was light. The tourists were all gone. The vacation properties were mostly closed for the season. There would be snowmobilers, skiers, and ice fishermen but we mostly had this landscape to ourselves for the next few months.

Once I got clear of the city I opened the car up – as much as I dared. The Mustang Super Snake I was driving could put out a lot horsepower. I got it up to 85 or 90 at most but I didn’t need a ticket or a crash. Anna seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Her soft pink lips wore a smile that you could tell touched her brown eyes despite the sunglasses she had put on. Locks of her hair swirled around as air rushed through the open windows of the car.

“This car is quite the beast Michael!”

“Hell yeah girl. This isn’t nothing either – I can’t really open it up on this country road.”

We came up behind a semi rolling along at about sixty. I had to pause a bit before shifting and whipping around the truck, leaving him plenty of space.

“Whoo hoo!” shouted Anna, holding her arm out the window.

“So, Michael?” she asked. “Are you and Rayven a thing?”

“Not really,” I answered. I was lying, partially of course, but still lying.

“And your new job?”

“Oh, it’s going good. I kind of do business analysis for a small group of contractors. We offer highly specialized services. How are things at the insurance company?”

“Fine,” answered Anna. I knew she was a customer rep at an insurance carrier. “You don’t work for the mob do you?” She was smiling as she asked.

“God no! You can check me girl, I don’t have a gun.”

Anna laughed a bit. I wasn’t sure if she believed me or not.

“I think your farm road is up here Anna.”

“Oh yeah!”

I slowed and turned off the highway, rumbling a short distance along a narrow two lane rural road. I spotted the old farm off the road shortly and turned onto the rutted driveway. The ruined farmhouse was front and center, It’s porch was devoid of a floor and the windows gaped like dark eyes, empty of glass and life. Off to the left, behind some skeletal trees was a toppled barn.