Weekend Freewrite - 5/19/2018- The Dead End

Day 6 - Selfie Freewrite Celebration Contest

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This is my weekend freewrite for the Day 6 - Selfie Freewrite Celebration Contest, hosted by @frewritehouse.

You can try your own weekend freewrite by following the Weekend Freewrite - 5/19/2018 - Part 1 - The First Sentence, hosted by @mariannewest.

The weekend freewrite is three different prompts in three different posts. I don’t look at the prompts before I begin writing so they are a surprise to me, and often lead to some awesome stories. @mariannewest hinted there may be a death or two emerging from the prompt so I wasn't sure what to expect.

It turns out our truck was overheated today, and we pulled off the road to give it a drink. I took this opportunity to get my selfie. I believe the only reason the truck overheated was for me to get the perfect selfie for today's contest entry. 😊 I hope you enjoy this freewrite. I myself like it. No one dies…. Until the end.

The Dead End

He considered all songs. Emily rolled her eyes and spit on the floor. She lifted the crate of moonshine from the dusty wood boards and nodded to the old man.

“You’ll be back again next week?” he asked.

“Pa will be by. I’m leaving for a while.”

“Heat getting to ya?”

“Yes Sir. I’ll be helping with the still up in Greer Hallow. If I can shake my tail, I’ll be back by next fall.”

“Well you take care of yourself. And don’t forget to listen to those songs. They have some good teachings in em’”

Emily shook her head and made her way back to the truck. She placed the case on the passenger seat and strapped it in with the seat belt. This would be the last time she’d see this old cabin again. And she wasn’t heartbroken a bit.

Before she was running shine, she was working as a seamstress in town. This was a different sort of work, but she didn’t mind the driving and the pay was good. It was the smelly old men like Ross that Emily didn’t like so much. She was always seconds away from grabbing her handgun off her hip.

She had a shot gun in the truck in case she needed it, but still she never felt completely safe at the end of this road. Behind that cabin were hundreds of acres and she was sure many unwitting persons have been buried over yonder. She watched as the dead end sign disappeared in her rearview mirror and felt a rush of relief that she’d made it out alive.

He turned the corner and it felt as if his heart fell to the floor. Every week he awaited Emily’s arrival, and this would be the last time she would visit his home. He knew he wasn’t the prettiest of men and he chose to keep away when she visited. His Grandpa often told him to man up and speak to her, but he never had the nerve.

“Have some balls Tommy. You’ll never get Emily's attention out in the woods spying on her with binoculars. Christ child, I often wonder if your Ma dropped you on the head as a baby.”

Tom believed that he couldn’t be the man she needed. Emily came from the other side of town. He often wondered why she was even running around in an old truck selling moonshine for her Pa when he knew she owned a nice car and nice house in town. In fact, he knew everything there was to know about Emily.

Except how to talk to her, or what she might say if he approached her. Now that she was going away he would never know. He overheard her saying that she was headed to Greer Hollow. It was a good two-hour ride north of here. He wouldn’t be able to get that far on foot, and the truck blew a head gasket. It would take him at least six hours to fix it.

It was a long, uncomfortable drive riding with the cage in the middle, but Tom had to play off the hunting trip, and Darrell had to bring the dog.

“It’s too cold for him to be riding in the back of the truck.” Darrell explained.

Tom really didn’t care. He only needed an excuse to get up north and be closer to Emily. He felt a strong sense of loyalty to her and wanted to be close to protect her. When she was in town he could drive past her house in the evenings to be sure her lights were on. He would know she made it home at night and that she was safe.

He’d been following her for months on her deliveries. She always looked behind her. He thought once that she had seen him, but she never showed any signs of alarm. He didn’t like spying on her, but then again, he didn’t like the guys in the moonshine business either. Tom wanted to be the hero if ever she needed one.

If Tom hadn’t been there, there’s no telling what would have happened. All he knew was he was right to follow Emily, and those men will never lay a hand on her again.

Ding!

Thanks for Reading!!! Please leave a comment if you like this story.

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If you have never tried a freewrite…. What are you waiting for?