Discombobulate

Chapter One

The realtor smiled as she dropped two lonesome keys in Denise's hand. Denise continued to look at her with a blank expression on her face.

"I would welcome you to the neighborhood, but your nearest neighbor is, at least, two miles away. I guess this is your welcome home. I'll leave you to get settled in. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call me."

Denise slowly nodded her head. She could see her breath in the frigid air while she spoke. "I should be okay for now. I'll let you know if I need something."

"The electric company turned on your electricity a few days ago. The heat is already on inside. I hope you don't plan on moving anything inside tonight. It's way too chilly for that."

The realtor shoved her hands into the pocket of her puffy red coat. The red matched the color of her cheeks that started to spread from the bitter air.

"Thanks again, Brenda. I needed a new start and this is perfect."

A gummy grin lit up Brenda's face. "Oh, I know, I hope you enjoy this place. It's real cozy this time of year. Anyway, I better be heading home before it gets too dark. Have a good night!"

"You too," Denise responded.

She watched the realtor grip the rail and stumble down the wooden steps. She waved once Brenda was in her car. Her eyes followed the vehicle. It U-turned out of her driveway and went towards the road.

She took a deep breath and turned back towards the house. "Cheers to a new beginning," she mumbled. In one swift motion, she had the front door unlocked.

Her timberland boots thudded on the light-colored hardwood flooring as she stepped inside. She shut the door behind her to keep the brisk wind outside. Brenda was right, the heat was turned on inside.

The end of October crept upon Brimington, Michigan rather quickly. The weather took a massive plunge toward mid-October. Beautiful fall days, which had been perfect for sweater weather, came to a screeching halt. Bitter and cold winds now sliced through sweatshirts like knives. The more layers you had, the better. Nights easily dipped down into the thirty-degree range.

Denise slipped off her bright orange windbreaker. A dark green sweatshirt for the Brimington Beavers sat underneath it. An ugly mustard yellow outlined the mascot and name. She peeled that off too. She was left in a simple faded grey t-shirt with ineligible print on it. It was one of many she bought from the local thrift store.

She had seen this house before. Of course, she had seen it. Shockingly, she was one of the very few people that showed up to the open house. A secluded cabin in the woods was exactly what she needed after her family's murder.

Tara Alberg, her only neighbor, thought she was insane. Selling the family home and getting rid of the family dog. Denise wasted no time letting go of her past life. It took three months to be exact.

That August day liked to keep her up at night. Memories of what she found haunted her like a ghost. She tried to block it out as much as she could. That's what the cigarettes were for.

Her boots thudded again as she forced herself over to the back door. The whole cabin needed to be fixed up. Shades of brown were everywhere. Sand, beige, tan, chestnut. If you named a shade of brown, it was bound to be somewhere in the cabin.

The nip of the cold wind brought Denise out of her thoughts. She let the screen door slam shut behind her. Within seconds, a single Marlboro Light was taken out of a pack and lit between her lips.

August 8th, 2007.

The date ran around her head nonstop. It was the day she came back from her book tour. She was discovered by a publishing agency when she was twenty-three. She wrote about any dark topic she could think of. The world was at her fingertips.