Escape From the Country Read online

  Escape

  from

  the

  Country

  Dean O'Sullivan

  Copyright © 2019 Dean O'Sullivan

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner

  without written permission of the copyright owner.

  All characters are a work of fiction.

  Any resemblance to real persons living or dead

  is purely coincidental.

  For Ben, an inspiration for staying true to yourself.

  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  The air blew through the open window as they sped down the motorway. It was a hot day and the air conditioning would have been a simpler way of keeping cool, but Julie preferred the feeling of the wind across her face. Chris loved the gadgets on his new BMW so was a little disappointed not to use the air con at any given chance. He was just happy to enjoy the journey across the open countryside with his wife, leaving the hassle of their city lives behind, along with the drama that had become a tender point in their early years of marriage. Julie subtly looked over at her husband, paying special attention to his facial features. His chiselled jaw and short dark hair. He hadn’t found the time to have a shave that morning as they were busy packing the last of their belongings. Julie had always admired him for his clean-cut look and attention to detail, but with this new beginning, a second chance, she was warming to the idea of a rugged, laid back image he’d inadvertently adopted. A smile escaped her as she cast her eyes across his body. He hadn’t played rugby for some years, but he still had the physique that she craved in a man. A man’s man, one who could take care of her and shield her from danger and temptations in life. Chris noticed his wife’s gaze and gave a grin of his own.

  “You alright over there?” he asked.

  “Yeah, just taking in the view.” she replied sheepishly.

  Their junction came up on the motorway and Chris moved to the slow lane before heading up the slip road and into a slower pace of travel, the first sign they were a long way from their old city lives. Julie was so used to her urban routine, having everything at her fingertips, she was uneasy to say the least, upping sticks and moving out to the country. Her stomach churned a little as she took in the view of her new surroundings. The hills seemed to go on for miles in every direction, dotted with typical country animals. Sheep grazed in one field and wandered at their leisure, whilst cows in the next seem to be content staring aimlessly into space, occasionally whipping their tails to swat the odd fly that pestered them. She was grateful for the second chance Chris had given her and was excited for a fresh start, but hadn’t really taken in the full extent of this new life. She thought about the coffee mornings with her friends and heading to the gym when she felt like it whilst Chris was working. She’d convinced herself leaving all of that behind was necessary and would make her a better person, but deep down, she was terrified of what was to come, worrying she would lose herself in this new life, almost having to sacrifice part of her soul as payment for redemption.

  The roads gradually became narrower and the motorway became a distant memory, you could hardly imagine one within a hundred miles of where they were now. They came across the occasional village or hamlet but passed through it without event. The scenery became sparser and the road continued to shrink and appear less maintained.

  “I’m starting to wonder where you’re taking me?” Julie asked, trying to disguise the apprehension in her voice.

  “Well, off to the wilderness to have my way with you of course.” Chris replied with a grin starting to appear. The flirting was making her feel more at ease as she’d been treading carefully for the last few months and didn’t want to overstep. It was good for her to see Chris acting this way, it made her feel things were on track and they still had a bright future. They rounded a long bend with a wood on their left and a hill to the right, crested by a stone wall. Once the road straitened they were met by civilisation. A petrol station at first, followed by a bakery and a local convenience store. Julie noticed immediately the store wasn’t branded, so had to be run by a local business owner. Quaint as that would seem to most, it was another sign that her world was gradually shrinking.

  All of a sudden, they rounded a bend and were presented with an oasis of brand new houses.

  “Here we are then.” Chris said as the car slowed. Julie saw out of her window four tightly knit terraced houses before they turned left off the main road and onto the development’s entrance. It was first time Julie would see their new home. She’d let Chris organise everything. Being in the financial market, it made sense to leave all the money worries and legal work to him. She’d even let him decide what kind of house they would live in and where. It was a tough pill for Julie to swallow given the permanence of it all, but given the alternative, she couldn’t argue the matter.

  The route that took them from the main road passed between the garden fence of the end terraced house on their left and what looked like old workshops to their right. Both sides of the new road were lined with small flower beds and newly laid pavement. It all seemed very inviting. Once the fence to their left ended, the car slowed and pulled into what would be their new driveway, neatly tucked behind the houses they'd just passed.

  The house in front of them didn’t match its surroundings. The terraced houses were tall, thin and very square. This (although very well presented) was a bit rough around the edges. The tiles had clearly been rejuvenated recently and the brickwork refreshed, but it still had that feeling only age can bring and isn’t easily rid of. Julie wasn’t sure she liked it at first. But seeing a brand-new development that wasn’t in keeping with the rest of the area, hope started to rise that other amenities could be close by or even developed in the near future. With it, the kind of people she would be used to, instead of the country bumpkins she thought she’d have to endure. The sight of her new home didn’t support her hope. If anything it left her wanting as she could feel the walls closing in around her.

  They continued up the drive thirty metres or so where they paused near the front door. The house looked new, but clearly wasn’t. Both the front door and windows had been replaced very recently and gleamed in the summer sun. The fading brickwork gave away its true age. Baskets of flowers hung from either side of the porch and neat little planters were discreetly placed below each window.

  “What do you think?” Chris asked tentatively, as he caught sight of Julie’s facial expression.

  “It looks lovely,” she replied, trying to suppress her initial reaction. “Let’s go in and see if they’ve done as well on the inside.” She tried to sound positive, but didn’t quite manage it.

  Chris turned the key in the large wood effect door. As it slowly opened, it made a noise one wouldn’t expect from a door to a house like this. It was smooth and somehow sounded clean. The couple were presented with a brilliant white hallway with a polished tile
floor and a staircase to their right, carpeted in a sturdy woven pile. The first thing Julie noticed was the large dining room to her left, a sure sign of affluence. To her right there was a door ajar. She pushed it lightly and it opened with ease, presenting a reasonably sized study for Chris to work from. The rooms were still empty as the removal van wasn’t due for another hour. They walked down the hallway and into the kitchen, a room that more often than not showcased the house and became the heart of a home. The room was huge. It was open plan with the living room and had bi-folding doors for most of the back wall.

  “Bigger than the old place. Mind you it’ll start to shrink once we fill it up with all our junk.” Chris said whilst walking over to the living area.

  “Yeah, much bigger.” Julie responded as she glanced around the room. “Just need to work out where to put it all.”

  “It’s ok,” Chris said softly, walking over and taking her in his arms. “Everything’s going to be fine. We don’t have to solve everything today and expect it all to suddenly fall into place. That’s the fun about a fresh start. We get to build it bit by bit at the pace that we feel comfortable. How about I open up that bottle of red we picked up on the way here, throw the travel rug out on the lawn and relax in the sun for a bit? I’ll go grab it and you can take a quick look upstairs.”

  Julia nodded slowly as a smile began to spread across her worried face. She grabbed Chris and held him close for a moment.

  “Oh, I think they must be here?” she exclaimed, excited to give the place her own personal touch.

  “That’s funny, I didn’t hear anyone pull up?”

  “I just saw someone walk past the dining room window.” Julie almost ran to the door ready to welcome part of her old life with open arms. As the door opened, all she was met with was Chris’ BMW. “That’s so strange, I’m sure I saw something. Maybe we should take a look?”

  “I’ll have a quick scout round, you can check out upstairs and start thinking about where you want things to go.” Chris replied.

  Julie, agreed and started up the staircase. She couldn’t help imagining where the belongings from her old life would fit in this new one as she took each step. She tried to be positive, but kept convincing herself that the pictures wouldn’t match the colour of the walls or the furniture wouldn’t suit the shape of the rooms. She wondered into one of the two back bedrooms trying to decide which would be the master given their similar size. An odd shape caught her eye as the pitch of the garage roof appeared through the window. She walked towards it and took in the view. Her head make a thump as it met the glass and her sigh started to steam the window. “This is it then” she thought to herself and rested there a moment longer, trying to take in everything the day had already thrown at her and what was yet to come. Once she found the enthusiasm to investigate the other rooms she backed away from the window. As she did though, something caught her eye. The condensation from her breath had revealed an odd shape on the glass. It looked at first glance to be a letter, an “I” perhaps. She walked towards the shape and after staring curiously as it evaporated, she gave a slow heavy exhale. The “I” reappeared immediately and with it, an “e” to its' right. “How odd” she murmured. She continued but nothing else appeared. It was then she wondered if she’d caught the end of a word. She slowly released her warm breath and stood back, frozen in shock. “D”. D I E. She stood there for what felt like an eternity. What was this? A joke surely by the firm hired to clean the place or possibly the estate agents. Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder. She jumped as she spun round, her heart in her mouth. She screamed, but was thankful to see Chris meeting her terrified gaze with a puzzled look.

  “Wo! Easy, what’s gotten into you?” He asked a little scared himself.

  “Oh, thank goodness. Look at this.” Julie pointed at the glass she’d been so wary of but the mist had disappeared. “Wait, watch.” As she released her breath once more onto the window the steam started to build, but nothing appeared.

  “Ok, crazy window licking lady, what’s the deal?”

  “No, wait, it’s here, die! Someone’s written the word die on the window, where is it?” Julie exclaimed frantically, but nothing appeared.

  “Ok, I think you’re a little stressed out and could do with a bit of rest.” he said as he tried to calm her.

  “Don’t patronise me.” Julie chided. “it was here, I know what I saw Chris. What about that guy, who was he?”

  “I couldn’t find anyone, maybe it was just a reflection or something?” He reasoned.

  “I know what a reflection looks like, I’m not stupid!” she said, her voice escalating in anger.

  “Ok, look. It’s been a long day already, the removal guys just called and they’re on their way. How about we get that bottle open and have a quick glass before they get here and take this whole situation down a notch or two and try to enjoy this lovely new house of ours?”

  That seemed to pacify Julie enough for now. Maybe she had seen things she thought to herself. It had all been very stressful and as much as she hated herself to admit it, Chris was right. Although she’d never been the kind of person to allow others to tell her what to do and especially how to think, perhaps that was the whole point of why she felt this way. Her big fear was that her decision to make things work with Chris came with a price, and that price was that she couldn’t always be in control. She had to allow her relationship to be more laid back and not so demanding. Demanding from her.

  Chapter Two

  The removal men had left, leaving boxes stacked in every room. The house had shrunk over the last few hours as it was filled with possessions of their former lives. Seeing it all laid before him, Chris could hardly believe how much stuff they'd accumulated and wondered why they’d kept as much as they did. He planned to use this as an excuse to clear out the junk. Not wanting to let onto Julie and taking advantage of her hate for early starts, he set his alarm to get a head start on the giant task tomorrow. Looking for something to sit on, he remembered seeing a box with "garden" written on it in the hallway. He’d noticed it as he’d told the removal men to put anything with "garden" on it out in the garage. Pulling the box from the rest of the pile, he hoped to find a few folding chairs for them to sit on temporarily until the new sofa was delivered. Separating the boxes, the one at the bottom of the pile became stuck. He looked down to find a catch on the floor. Amazed he never noticed this before, he pushed the rest of the boxes aside to take a closer look. The tiling had such a perfect finish that you could barely notice the two-foot square edge that seemed to reveal a hatch in the floor. The catch itself was a small brass hoop, set into the tiles. Pulling it, he opened a hole in the floor giving way to a dark hole. Cold air rushed up at him with a musty smell.

  “Julie, come see this.” He called. Taking his phone from his pocket. He turned on the torch, illuminating the space below their new house.

  “What is it?” She asked as she pushed the boxes to one side.

  “Looks like a cellar or something?” He replied, stunned he’d never known about this before buying the place. He thought this should have shown up on the floor plans, but then reasoned the purchase had been rushed through and had probably just been another minor detail that he’d dismissed in his haste. The bottom of the door was wooden and very old. Although the rest of the house had been refurbished to a high standard, whatever this room was, it had been completely ignored. There was a steep set of steps leading down to the space below and then onto a yellow floor. Chris propped the door against the wall and turned to climb down.

  “What are you doing?” Julie exclaimed.

  “Taking a look, what do you think?” He said with a wry smile.

  “Is it safe?” She asked nervously.

  “I guess we’ll find out in a minute." He replied and continued down the steps.

  The room wasn’t very deep causing Chris to crouch a little to avoid his head touching the ceiling.

  “What’s down there?”

  “Why don’t y
ou come and see?”

  “I don’t want to, you just tell me.” She said as Chris chuckled to himself.

  He looked around but didn’t see anything that seemed untoward. There were four pillars that seemed to be supporting the house and the floor was covered in a mixture of sand with a little dirt. The room was empty except for a small table in the corner with something on it. He walked towards it as he heard Julie call down telling him to be careful. The light from his phone caught something and reflected. It was an old oil lamp. The glass had turned brown, tarnished with age and the metal had turned a rusty reddish brown.

  “Wait, what’s this?” He called out so Julie could hear.

  “What’s what? Are you ok? Maybe you should come back up.” She shouted down to him.

  “There’s something here on the ground.” He said curiously. “Like, writing or something.” A chill ran across Julie as she froze in fear.

  “Chris, I don’t like this, I think you should come back up.” She insisted.

  “What is it? D I E.” Julie felt her heart pound from her chest as she shouted at Chris to come back up but stopped as she heard laughter.

  “Are you laughing?” She yelled at him in disbelief. Chris couldn’t help himself and lost all composure. “You’re a dick, screw you.” Julie said as she walked back towards the kitchen.

  “Oh, come on, it was only a joke.” He called after her as he climbed back up the steps. “Come on, I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He closed the door behind him but was momentarily unnerved by how heavy it was as it slammed shut. Chasing after his wife he realised he might have taken things too far and started to think how he could make it up to her.

  Chapter Three

  Julie woke up to the sound of Chris working hard downstairs unpacking. A little disappointed for the third day in a row, her husband wasn’t there as she woke up. She threw on a t-shirt and headed downstairs. Although it’d been several days since they’d first arrived in their new home, they still weren’t getting that homely vibe.