R. Thomas Riley

Lance Ramey yawned loudly. His jaw popped loudly in the slumbering silence of his family in the purring RV. Jessica’s eyes fluttered open and she looked at him.

“Oops, sorry,” Lance said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

Jessica yawned and stretched in her seat. “It’s ok,” she muttered, her voice still thick with sleep. She glanced out the windshield and squinted in the fresh morning sunlight. “Where are we?”

“About a hundred miles to go,” Lance answered.

Jessica’s nose wrinkled and she frowned at her husband. “You’ve been smoking.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, I had one or two,” Lance answered sheepishly.

Jessica pursed her lips with disapproval and twisted around in her seat. The twins were fast asleep on the couch. The back bedroom partition was closed which meant Tara was still in full pout mode. She was upset that her plans with her friends were interrupted with this family mini-vacation.

“Yeah,” Lance said as he noticed the direction of Jessica’s gaze. “She hasn’t come out in hours.”

“Well, pardon us for wanting her to spend time with her family,” Jessica answered derisively.

“She’ll come around,” Lance assured her. “Once she sees this place she’ll love it.”

“Where are we going again?”

“A little town called Temple. I used to go there all the time as a kid. Been abandoned for years and years, was when I was a kid.”

Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. “You and your ghost towns.”

“Those ghost towns paid for this RV, babe,” he answered quickly.

Lance was a professional photographer and had over five books published so far on his photography of lost towns across the United States. He had a natural eye for it and loved his job very much as it allowed him to travel extensively, on the publisher’s dime, and be outdoors. Jessica could not be more contradictory. She loathed the outdoors and hated being dirty in any way, shape, or form. Occasionally, Lance caught himself wondering why they’d even married in the first place as much opposite as they were.

He reached over and tried to take her hand, but she pulled away and stared out the window at the passing cacti and brush. She was going to give him the silent treatment now because of the smokes. Fine, be that way, he thought.

He’d been a heavy smoker when they’d met for their first blind date. His friend, Jim Lemanski, had set them up. Outside the restaurant he’d chain smoked to calm his nerves. He’d seen her coming up the sidewalk but immediately dismissed her. She strolled by barely giving him a look either. They had waited on opposite sides of the entrance for a few minutes until finally she glanced over and waved a hand in front of her face.

“Do you mind?” she’d said.

“Oh, sorry,” he’d replied and quickly snuffed out the cigarette.

She’d looked him over and frowned. “You wouldn’t happen to be Lance, would you?”

Embarrassed he’d gotten off on the wrong foot the rest of the date had been disastrous because of his nervousness. When they’d parted after the date he was sure he’d never hear from her again, but she called two nights later. Their careers, goals, and life were so opposite of each other they’d filled their time together pointing out just how different they were from each other. Nine months later Lance had popped the question and she’d said yes. Even now, he still couldn’t believe they were married. He was plain, certain not ugly, but nothing to write home about. She was model quality, easily one of the hottest women he’d ever gone on a date with.
As he drove he stole quick glances of her profile. This trip originally had been planned just for him. The deadline was fast approaching for the next book and Lance figured a road trip would force him to buckle down and finish his photos. Not to mention, there would be no family to interrupt in his office at the house. He loved his family and the life he’d made with them, that wasn’t a contention, but sometimes you needed time away from all that to fully appreciate what you had.

His face darkened as his thoughts drifted to Jim Lemanski. His best friend and fellow photographer, the man he’d entrusted his family to when he was out photographing and researching for the books. A month ago Jessica had told Lance she and Jim had been seeing each other. The news had devastated Lance, of course. She’d blamed his long absences and obsession with work for her affair. She was in need of companionship and Jim had been there for her when Lance couldn’t or wouldn’t be.

The first thought that had jumped into Lance’s head was divorce. He didn’t want to talk about things, try to work them out, or hear her excuses for her actions. In the end, he had the kids to think about. The twins weighed the heaviest on his mind. Tara was from Jessica’s first marriage and she’d never accepted Lance as her stepfather.

He didn’t want to stay in the marriage for the sake of the kids. He’d seen his father do just that and witnessed how that toxic marriage had eaten away at his father’s very soul like an acidic cancer. He truly loved Jessica, and after the initial anger and hurt had subsided, he found he wanted to try and work things out between them.

This impromptu road trip was a way to try and reconnect with them. To show them what he did. The twins were all for it. They loved the new RV and they were young enough that being cooped up in it was an exotic adventure for them. Krista and Alex could sleep whenever they wanted, eat junk food, and play video games. Tara was another story. She was at that teenage stage where being around her parents was bothersome. They were merely obstacles in her quest to have fun.
Jessica had been hesitant at first, but finally agreed and took upon the pleasure to talk Tara into coming along. Lance could only imagine the concessions she’d had to promise, the bribes she’d had to promise, to convince Tara to cooperate.

A scream sounded behind them and Lance grinned. “The twins are awake,” he said needlessly.
“Stop pulling your sister’s hair right this instant, Alex Caleb Ramey!” Jessica scolded.

###

Lance slowed and started looking for the turn. They’d made their last stop thirty minutes ago and loaded up on supplies and gas at the local convenience store.

“You weren’t kidding,” Jessica said. “This place is way out in nowhere.”

Lance glanced over unsure whether she was being sarcastic or trying to be humorous. He couldn’t tell from her face either so he decided to let the comment go unanswered.

Lance rechecked the GPS. It’d been years since he’d been out here. The GPS beeped and he made the turn from the highway to the side road. They traveled easily for the first few miles and then the road started to degrade rapidly. The RV rocked like a ship at sea and Jessica flung irritated looks his direction every few seconds as she jostled in her seat.

The twins stood and laughed as they tried to maintain their balance amidst the swaying of the RV. Lance waited for Jessica to scold them and tell them to sit but she didn’t. He kept his speed low and watched in the rear view to make sure the rocking didn’t become too excessive to be dangerous to the twins.

The back partition opened and Tara peered out from her self-imposed exile. “Jesus!” she shouted. “Where are you taking us? The friggin’ Moon?”

“Watch the language,” Jessica said reflexively.

The RV crested the hill and Jessica gasped as she saw the town below in the fading afternoon light. He brought the RV to a stop and set the parking break. He let Jessica take in the sight. He knew that once she saw the ghost town all her doubts about the trip would cease.

He got up and walked to the back of the RV. The twins rushed towards him and each grabbed one of his legs and sat on his feet. He playacted like he were Godzilla and they were attacking him. The twins squealed with glee at their favorite game. Grimm stretched and yawned as he balefully watched the rough housing. Lance reached down and rubbed the dog’s ear.

“Hey, guys,” he said. “Why don’t you take Grimm out? I bet he has to go potty.”

The twins released his legs and rushed over to the dog. The dog patiently endured their prodding and screams. Jessica had been dead set against the dog at first. She argued that Pit Bulls were dangerous, but Lance had worn her down with article after article of how the breed really was gentle and simply had a very bad reputation. Once she’d witnessed how the dog had interacted with the kids and how fiercely protective he was of the twins her fear were assuaged. Still, he would catch her every once in a while sucking in a breath if Grimm appeared to play a bit too rough.

The twins took Grimm out on his leash and after Lance and warned them not to stray too far away he reentered the RV. Tara squeezed past him with her black silk -covered diary without a word. Lance had found the diary on the kitchen table one time and he’d flipped through it. On some levels he felt like a voyeur, but he was curious to see what was going on in his stepdaughter’s head. He put the diary down a few moments later to see Tara in a completely different light. Despite her tough exterior and harsh demeanor there was a lonely little girl in there he’d discovered.

Lance came to the front of the RV and slipped his hands on Jessica’s shoulders. “I think we’re alone,” he whispered.

She leaned back and reached up a hand to rest on his. “This is beautiful, Lance.”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but the pictures don’t do it justice.”

“They never do,” Lance agreed. “I can only capture what little I can. It’s the best a photographer can hope for.”

“It’s beautiful,” she repeated.

“Let’s go for a walk before it gets dark.”

The evening was balmy, with the fresh, slightly musty smell of the high desert after a hard rain. The town had a dirt road that ran its length down the middle. At the end nearest to them an old church crouched on a slight hill as if it were standing guard over the town. A short distance from this ramshackle building another leaned precariously. There were still a few old houses that remained standing as well. At the far edge of town a set of ancient railroad tracks led to nowhere.

Lance glanced over with surprise as Jessica slipped her hand into his as they walked. She squeezed softly and smiled back at him. For a brief moment, Lance could almost believe that the events of the last few months had never happened. His life was intact and in shambles in that moment. The paradox was maddening.

He forced his thoughts from the affair and tried to enjoy the quiet. He found enjoyment in the crunch of his boots on the hard-packed earth, the easy rhythm of his arms and legs as he walked. They listened to resounding buzz of cicadas, locusts, and their giant cousins the horse lubbers as the insects competed to be louder than the other.

The laughter of the twins carried on the air and Lance smiled as he watched them scamper about the prairie grass. Grimm barked excitedly as he ran circles around the twins as they chased the dog.

“Are we going to be ok?” Jessica asked suddenly.

Lance glanced over at her. He could see the hesitation apparent in her eyes. He still loved her. This much was true, but he didn’t like her. Hate was a strong word, but the emotion had lurked in his chest for weeks now.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he responded.

“Fair enough.”

They stopped talking as one of the twins cried out. Lance was moving before he realized it. The sound of one’s child in distress is a heart clenching feeling. Lance raced over as Krista bawled. Jessica was close behind.

“What’s the matter, baby?” he shouted as he ran. He knelt down beside his daughter and cringed as he saw the blood welling up from her knee. Alex stood by with a scared look on his face as his sister cried. “Hold still, baby,” Lance ordered gently. He reached down and gently tried to untangle the rusted barbed wire from Krista’s leg. He finally managed to get her leg untangled and gathered her up in his arms. “It’s ok,” he soothed. “It’s ok.”

“What happened?” Jessica said as she caught up to them. She scooped Alex into her arms and he cried into her shoulder.

Grimm pranced around them and whined uneasily as Lance started back towards the RV to clean Krista’s knee.

“She’s fine,” Lance said. “She got tangled up in some old barbed wire and it spooked her. It looks worse than it is.”

###

Tara walked aimlessly for a few minutes. The beauties of her surroundings were lost on her as she contemplated her predicament. She’d planned on talking things through with her boyfriend, Jeff, over the weekend. She’d been dragged on this stupid family trip instead. On the other hand having this time apart from him gave her more time to consider things. Jeff was a nice guy. He treated her right and they had fun together. He made her laugh and understood how her mind worked.

She glanced up and noticed the building in front of her. She glanced back and could just make out the sun glinting off the RV’s windshield. The building looked like it might have once been a schoolhouse. It bowed perilously to the right and she could hear the frame creaking in the slight breeze. She peered in a window and was surprised to see ancient school desks and shelves filled with moldy books. She went around to the front of the building and tried the door, but it had been warped from years of disuse and refused to budge. She circled the building and found a window low enough to the ground with a frame steady enough to support her and she climbed through. She carefully tested the wood floor and cringed as it groaned loudly beneath her feet. She stayed near the wall and made her way towards the shelves.

Used condoms and rusty beer cans were strewn across the floor. The old slate board was filled with crude sayings and names of those that had visited the building in the past. In the center of the room someone had tried to have a bonfire and had burned a whole in the floor. She approached the hole cautiously and peered down into the basement but couldn’t see anything in the blackness below. She shuddered as she imagined herself crashing through the floor and being stuck in that darkness. Tara gave the charred hole a wide berth and made it to the far side of the room without incident.

She pulled a book down from the shelf and it fell apart in her hands. She tried a few more and eventually found an old Reader that was salvageable. She looked through the lesson plans and thought about a kid from years ago reading the same book. The history was palpable in her hands. She gently put the book back on the shelf. As she turned around she spotted a door that was halfway open. Tara crossed to the door and peered down the stairs. Her curiosity got the best of her and she cautiously tested the stairs. They seemed to be fairly solid so she started down. She pulled her cell from her pocket. The small screen offered meager light but it was better than none.

She reached the basement without incident. The burned out hole let in some light and acted as a spotlight on that section of the dirt floor, but the rest of the basement was clothed in darkness.

The basement stank and made her eyes water. Tara wasn’t sure what the smell was exactly but it was rank. It was a gamey smell. She considered turning back, but inquisitiveness was stronger.

The basement held a chill and Tara shivered. She pulled out her digital camera and took a picture. The flash was blinding in the dark and wrecked what little night vision she’d had. She waited for her eyes to readjust and checked the viewfinder to see what the flash had revealed. She gasped as she stared at the picture.

All around her the basement came alive with movement and growls. Outside, Tara heard her little stepsister start to wail.



Available on Kindle. Temple of Strays