Page 4 of Heat Haze
Frank groans awkwardly, tugging at the collar of his shirt. “Yeah. Uh, sorta. I don’t know if it’s really as big as it was in the past, and whatever.”
“Any of y’all actors?”
Nadine laughs dryly at that. “God, I wish. I’ve been trying ever since I moved away from home.” A frown tugs at her lips, eyes turning to stare out the window. “Guess it really isn’t for everyone.”
“You never know…” Damien hums, the vehicle veering left as he turns onto a beaten dirt road. The grass becomes more prominent, a sickly green color that almost appears yellow in the right light. “Might get your big break real soon.”
“Maybe,” Nadine replies wistfully. “Hopefully one day.”
Levi peers out the window, taking in everything there is to see. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a farm before. It’s kinda cool.”
“Farm life ain’t for everyone.” The van slows down as we approach what I assume is the main house. There’s afew trees scattered about, but the entire area seems dead. It’s desolate. I wouldn’t even guess that anyone lived here.
The house itself is nice enough. Two stories, white wooden walls, and a black slate roof. The front porch is sort of sweet looking, with warm yellow lights cutting through the evening darkness. Not even the broken fence or the seemingly decade-old rocking chair out front can take away from how homely it all is.
“Welcome, welcome…” Damien smiles from ear to ear as he turns the key in the ignition and the low rumble of the van slowly dies down. “Uh, listen y’all, before we head in… My family ain’t gonna be what you expect. So please—please—treat ‘em kindly. They’re good people. Honest.”
I speak up before one of my friends can make a stupid comment. “I promise we won’t make any trouble. We’re guests, and you’re doing us a huge favor…”
“Glad we have an understandin’ then.” His tone seems off, but nonetheless he steps outside and pulls open the door for us. It’s still excruciatingly hot, and the sky is darkening quickly. Cotton candy pink fades into a deep purple, right out of a movie or something.
Damien steps up the front door, painted red with a four pane window. With a tug of the golden handle it opens, and he basically kicks it. The door slams against the wall, rattling the old family photos inside. Nadine reaches for Grant’s arm, holding him extra tight.
The interior walls are a gnarly looking cream color with a dark oak trim that matches the floor. The smell in the air becomes a lot more pronounced. Decay and something oddly sweet. Vanilla, maybe?
“We got guests, y’all!” Damien shouts, and at first there’s no response. He brings us into the living room, and Icatch a glimpse of Levi and Frank clinging to each other like they’re in some haunted house.
The living room isn’t much different from the rest of the house. An intricate red and gold rug sits underneath a beat up coffee table, covered in dust and lord knows what else. Weird splotchy stains that are faded but not invisible, and seemingly entire chunks missing near the edges.
But what really catches my attention is an older man sitting in a rocking chair. He’s facing away from us, attention focused on an even older TV set that has to be from the eighties. Uneven blinds are kept shut, and the room is dark save for a few lamps tucked on the side tables.
Damien approaches him, kneeling down to put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “We have some guests, gramps. You want me to get Toro to take you up to your room? Might get a lil’ noisy down here.”
The man has seemingly no reaction, but then I catch the slightest bob of his head. Damien tilts his head down, smiling at him. “Toro!” He hollers, voice echoing throughout the entire house. “Toro! Get your ass down here, boy!”
It’s not that crazy to care for an elderly family member, at least not to me. Taking care of my grandma was a pretty big thing in my parents divorce. These people have opened their home to us, we’re guests, and we have to be respectful. Which is exactly why I die a little inside when Frank opens his big mouth.
“This is too fucking weird…” he grumbles with an eye roll. “I think we should just go, dude.”
A faint silhouette approaches with slower, heavier steps that feel too horror-esque for my liking. Damien justpeers over at Frank with a slight tilt of his head. “What’s so weird ‘bout it? Y’all don’t love your grandparents?”
Frank doesn’t seem to have a valid response to that, but it doesn’t matter. The heavy footsteps, now louder, command attention as a man enters the room. He’s even taller than Damien, head grazing the top of the doorway when he comes in.
“Carry gramps up to his room,” Damien barks at him. The taller man doesn’t say anything, head hung low as he bends down to effortlessly scoop up his grandfather. The man ishuge, built strong and sturdy with a broad chest and big arms. His overalls are similar to Damien’s, but the denim is darker and fits him much tighter. The beat up state of them almost makes me wonder if this is some kind of hand-me-down situation.
His dark hair is messy. Thick and full as it flows down his neck in a shaggy mullet, bangs pulled down to cover his forehead and most of his eyes. He turns to the rest of us, but only stares. Without a word he leaves, stomping up the stairs with an uneven pace.
“That’s Toro. My lil’ brother,” Damien explains. “He’s a little, uh…Simple. Don’t expect much outta him. You’ll meet the others soon, I’m sure. I’mma check on dinner. Y’all rest easy now.”
He disappears into the other room, leaving the five of us all alone in the living room. I take a seat on the tattered couch. All things considered it’s pretty comfy, the cushion sinking under my weight.
“We should just leave, right?” Levi asks in a hushed tone, still holding on tight to Frank. “This is… I don’t like this. The vibes are totally off.”
Nadine and I exchange a glance, but the scowl she’s trying and failing to hide lets me know she isn’t on my side this time around. “Yeah…” She starts, lips pulled to the side. “I don’t really know about this place. I’m sure they’re great people, but…”
“You guys are being really… judgy.” I finally speak up, trying to keep my temper at bay. “They’rehelpingus. We don’t have acar, remember? Not only are they gonna feed us, but they’re gonna fix it for us.”
“Oh, so what, Nico?” Frank snaps. “You think I wanna waste any more time in this shithole? I don’t give a fuck if they’re helping us. It’s weird.Thisis weird.”
