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Class Action
By: Alonzo Fugate
5-29-08
As I write this, I am getting ready to head down to Gatlinburg in order for Lisa and I to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary.  Our anniversary is actually on Saturday, May 17th, but we are going to Gatlinburg next week because we are still finishing up the last few moments of school.  Hey…you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do.
I have been to Gatlinburg several times, but I still enjoy visiting that area.  For one thing, there is some beautiful scenery.  All of those fine discount malls and fabulous restaurants.  Oh….and I guess that the Smoky Mountains aren’t too bad either.  To each their own!
For some reason, Lisa and I have this strange compulsion to ride the Gatlinburg sky-lift each year that we go.  One of our walls is cluttered with framed photos of us squeezed into one of those little compartments, dangling thousands of feet in the air over the Great Smokies.   We will definitely take our picture this time also in order to see how much we have aged over the past 16 years together.  Actually, it has been great.  I couldn’t ask for a better wife! 
If you have never ridden on a sky-lift, let me describe it to you.  First of all, there is a thin, little wire connected to several spindly little poles that look as though they could fall at any minute.  These cables are attached to tiny little compartments, barely big enough to hold a mouse.  Naturally, Lisa and I feel compelled to squeeze ourselves into one of these little death traps and hover over the jagged rocks of certain doom.  Did I forget to add that we also want to have our pictures taken during this process?  Oh….the joys of being a tourist!
The first time that I got on the sky-lift in Gatlinburg, I wasn’t too concerned.  I had been on the one at Natural Bridge plenty of times.  However, there is something sort of unnerving about having one thin bar sitting between me and certain death.  Whenever I am on one of those things, I am always imagining what I will do if the cable breaks.  Well…I guess that I would scream….and fall….and probably break every bone in my body.  Other than that….I don’t think that I would be able to do much else.  The most that I could hope for is to land in one of those “clear, refreshing streams” that run through Gatlinburg.  Then I could be carried away by the rushing tide and drown.  At least I would drown in clean mountain waters.
I have stated in the past that I have a very active imagination.  It is always lurking there in the back of my mind, waiting to pounce.  I am sure that it will be no different this weekend.  As you can see, it is already starting to awaken.  Sort of like the rabid black bear that will probably claw at my legs as they dangle inches above its foaming snout as I ride tranquilly through the Smokies.
Naturally, I am joking (mostly) when I talk about this.  Other than the threat of a certain and painful death, the ride on the sky-lift is very enjoyable.  There is the crisp mountain air, the beautiful scenery, and the hot chocolate that awaits at the top of the mountain.  If you love nature and being outdoors, there is nothing like the view of the Smoky Mountains from this ride.  I am always hoping that I will catch a glimpse of Dolly Parton running through the hills, but I haven’t had any luck so far.  I thought that I saw her once, but it was just a UDO…and Unidentified Dolly-like Object.  Oh well….maybe this time!
So, I will go with my little tourist dollars and ride my little tourist ride and get my little tourist picture.  What other joys in life are there anyway?  Unless you count cake….anniversary cake is pretty dang good!  Until next time….class dismissed.

Ruby 12 5-18-08
Practice makes perfect.  It is a cliché, but everyone knows that it is the truth.  When the body or mind is placed in times of trial, it is the practice that allows it work without thinking….do without knowing.  When Ruby had turned 12, her father had insisted that she learn how to shoot a gun.  Every day they had practiced with an old shotgun of his….setting up old cans and shooting them over.  Every day, her aim would get a little better.  Now….that practice would pay off.
As the vision around her melted, Ruby realized that she was still in Gran’s basement.  She had not been back at the bar.  And she hadn’t been speaking to her boss or to Joe.  It was the creature.  It had been trying to fool her…to trick her into putting down the one thing that could stop it…..the gun.  Now, as the image of her boss melted away and the reality of the creature appeared before her, Ruby’s body acted on its own.
Without thinking (because thinking was impossible when faced with the horror of the shadow), Ruby’s arm flew up…making perfect aim.  Without thinking (because she was screaming too loudly and too fiercely), Ruby’s finger found the sweet spot that would make the bullet go exactly where it needed to travel.  And for one brief moment, the air around her was filled with the scent of baking cinnamon buns….and was that chocolate chip cookies?  And then, with a flash, her finger pulled the trigger.
The creature had leapt toward her…fangs and claws exposed…thirsty for her blood.  In that instant, a shot of blue fire leapt from the pistol and made its way across the room, lighting up the darkness.  With a whoosh, the fire enveloped the creature in a cocoon of blue flame.
All along the monster had been trying to get Ruby to drop the gun.  All along the shadow of evil had been trying to trick Ruby into letting go of her one hope.  Now…with the power that it had held dispersed…the gun fell from her hand.  A large metallic clank rang out…but it was drowned out from the screeches of the writhing horror.  As Ruby stared in horror, the creature changed shape. 
First, it was a large spider…fangs dripping with deadly poison.  Then, it was a bat….its large, leathery wings burnt and ruined beyond the ability to fly.  Then it was Joe….screaming and reaching toward her.  She even saw herself….her hair burnt from her head…her eyes boiling in their sockets.  And then, with one final surge of cold heat….the flames erupted into one brief bright flash.  Ruby shielded her eyes.  
When she was able to look again, the creature was gone….the fire was gone…and the danger was gone.  Ruby felt wetness running down her face and was alarmed that she might be bleeding.  She wiped at her cheeks….and realized….she was crying.  Seeing the darkness…..the true evil of the creature….had broken something inside of her.  She knew that she would never be the same person again….but somehow she knew that it wasn’t such a bad thing.
Still crying, she turned and headed back toward the stairs which led upstairs.  The door creaked open and a familiar face appeared.
“Ruby?” Gran asked, “You okay down there darlin’?  We heard an awful racket.”
“Yes Gran,” Ruby said, “It’s fine….it’s all going to be alright.”
And it was going to be alright….Ruby could feel it.  But she also felt at the back of her mind that her world would never be “alright” again.  She knew that she would never be able to walk into a dark room again….never be able to take a long walk in the woods by herself….and never be able to fully trust her own eyes again.
And the boy.  She didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen to him.  She knew that something bad had happened to his mom….she had gotten that much out of him.  But she knew what she had to do.
But for the moment, she was safe…they were all safe.  But for how long…..how long before another creature of darkness came into her life?  That she could not answer….all that she knew was that in that final flash of light before the creature of darkness had vanished, she had seen a vision.  In the flames had been a strange sight indeed….the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  He had been holding a picture…of the boy.  His eyes had been bleeding.  And he had only spoken two words.  “Protect him.”
And that was exactly what Ruby planned on doing.  She reached the stairs and then suddenly turned.  Without thinking…without speaking…she suddenly turned and walked back across the basement floor.  With one swoop, she reached down and grasped the pistol which was lying on the floor.  She felt that she was going to need it…and soon.
The sun was starting to shine on a new day.  And unlike all the other days before it, Ruby felt alive.

Ruby 11 5-18-08
“Ruby!”
She looked up at the sharp voice, her mind whirling as people darted all around her.  It was her boss…Ted Andrews.  He was standing behind the bar…and not looking too happy at that.  She looked around at the confusion of people, staggering around in their own little drunken world.
“Are you going to put that phone down and get to work,” Ted asked her, wiping the fingerprints off of a glass before filling it with the cheap beer he kept on tap that brought in all the local alcoholics, “I’m not paying you to just stand around.”
“Ss..ss..sorry,” she stammered, shaking her head.  Hadn’t she just been somewhere else?  She could have sworn that she was at Gran’s.  Or had she just been thinking about going to Gran’s?  And why was she holding her cell phone?  Who was she calling?
“Hey Ruby!” a friendly voice called out to her.
She turned and was pleased to see Joe waving to her from his usual place at the pool table in the back.  She smiled…still a little confused.  She was pleased to see Joe.  But something wasn’t right.  She just couldn’t put her finger on it.
Walking over to Joe, she shook her head.  She seemed like she was in a fog.  She tried to focus on the people moving around her, but they seemed to be going in fast forward while she was stuck in slow motion.  So instead, she focused on Joe.  He smiled and waved her on over. 
“Hey Joe,” she leaned in for a quick kiss, looking back toward Ted.  He didn’t like her to get too friendly with the customers while she was working.  Ted was still hard at work….cleaning another glass of fingerprints.
“Where you been girl?” Joe asked her, leaning over and knocking a ball into the far pocket.  He was so good at this game!  She herself was just a clumsy oaf when it came to pool…but she loved to watch Joe when he played.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I’ve been waiting for you all night,” Joe asked, “I was getting’ lonely.  Why don’t you put down that phone you’re holding and we can play a little pool.”
“I…I can’t Joe,” she said, “I’m working right now.  Ted would kill me if I just took a break….especially now.  This place is packed.  I really need to get back to work.  I’ll talk to you later though…okay?”
Joe nodded and leaned over to make his next play.  He didn’t say anything else.  Ruby thought it was rather odd.  She walked back over to the bar.  People were still buzzing wildly around her.  She tried to see if anyone needed drinks, but she couldn’t quite make out anyone’s face.  It was almost as if everyone was standing in the shadows.  She saw that Ted was still cleaning glasses.  How many dang glasses did he have to clean anyway?
He looked up at her and scowled.
“I thought that I said that you needed to get to work,” he growled, “Put that snake down and get some drink orders!”
Snake?  Ruby looked down and gasped with horror.  Instead of a phone, she was holding a wriggling, squirming rattlesnake!  It was hissing and spitting and striking at her arm.  She let out a scream and almost dropped it…but something in the back of her mind suddenly kicked in.  Don’t let go of that thing girl….or you are as good as dead!
“RUBY!” a voice bellowed from the back.
She turned.  There was Joe again.  Only this time he wasn’t smiling and playing pool.  This time….he was crouched on top of the pool table.  Instead of a cue, he was holding a ball.  Only it wasn’t a ball….it was a human head.  With a howl, Joe threw the head toward her.  It landed on the floor at her feet.
With a low moan, Ruby saw that the head was Gran’s.  As it came to rest at her feet, the eyes flew open.  They were staring right at her….burning with hate.  Gran’s mouth flew open and a shriek filled the air. 
Ruby screamed and turned back to Ted.  He was right behind her.  His mouth opened….wider and wider until it seemed to split his head into two separate pieces.  His tongue wagged wilding out of his mouth and his hot, rancid breath hit her in the face.  She gagged from the stench.
“I….SAID….TO….PUT….THAT….THING…..DOWN!” he yelled.

Ruby 10 5-3-08
Ruby’s breath caught in her throat.  She had heard Gran’s whispered invitation…muttered in some dream perhaps but an invitation none-the-less.  The air around her took on a chill as she heard the creak of the hinges of the old door in Gran’s basement.  The thing was in the house.  What in the world was she going to do now?
Something touched her arm, and she jumped, screaming.  She quickly checked herself.  Turning the flashlight on, she saw that it was the little boy.  He was standing there, still and pale.  Oh God!  What was she going to do with the boy?  That thing in the basement was in the house….and she had no idea what she was going to do.  To make matters worse, Gran had just woken up.  And she knew what she had done it seemed.
“Oh Ruby,” Gran’s voice wavered with emotion, “I think I’ve done something bad.”
“Hush now,” Ruby whispered, “Let’s try to stay quiet.”
“That won’t help,” the boy said, his voice cold and strangely calm.  He really gave Ruby the creeps.  She looked at him in the harsh beam of the flashlight.  His eyes seemed far away…almost vacant.
Gran started to cry a little bit louder.  Ruby suddenly felt like she should just make a run for it.  The thing wanted the boy.  It would take him first.  And Gran was old…she couldn’t run that fast.  That would surely give her time to get the hell out of here and to somewhere safe…somewhere far away from the horror that was slowly creeping closer and closer to them.  She could feel it coming closer…toying with them.  The air around them was getting colder….colder….and it began to take on an acrid smell.  Like an old diaper.
What was she thinking?  Of course she couldn’t…wouldn’t…leave the boy or Gran behind.  She would stay…and fight…to the end if need be.  She still had Gran’s pistol.  She reached for it.  It felt heavy and reassuring in her hand.
“That won’t do you any good,” the boy said again, slowly and dreamily….like he was walking in his sleep.
It was all Ruby could do to keep from snapping at the boy….slapping him across the face.  Anything to get a reaction other than that dazed, hypnotized look would be better!
“Here…take this,” he reached out his hand.  He was holding something small and pointed.  It flashed a bright blue in the light-beam.
“What?” Ruby asked, taking the object.  It flashed blue again….surely it was just the light.  But it almost looked as though the light was coming from inside the object itself.  Now she could see….it was a bullet!
“Where did you get this?” Ruby asked, holding it in her palm.  It looked cold….flashing blue in the darkness.  But it felt warm.  It was almost as though it was pulsing in her hand. 
Like it’s alive! she thought.
“Mommy gave it to me,” the boy said, walking back toward the recliner where he had been sleeping only moments before, “She is with the little white man….the one from the TV.  She said to give that to you.  You have to kill the monster.”
“WHAT?!?” Ruby asked, jumping up.  Downstairs, she could hear the shuffling of feet across the laminate flooring that Gran had put down a few years ago.  It sounded like nails….claws…skittering across.  What in the world was that thing? 
“Goodnight,” the boy whispered, falling down onto the recliner.  He was fast asleep again before his head hit the back of the chair.
Had he even been awake?  Ruby stared back down at her palm.   The bullet glowed again…flashing a bright blue that sent a shock of heat up her arm.  She looked over at Gran…but the old woman was a mess.  She was shaking and crying.
“All my fault,” Gran was muttering, “I let it in.  I let it in.”
“Gran….for God’s sake,” Ruby suddenly shouted, “Just please….please don’t.  I don’t know what to do…..what should I do?”
Gran looked at her….her face a mask of fear and tears.  Ruby’s heart skipped a beat.  She had always known Gran to be her rock…the one person on whom she could always count.  Now…Gran looked like some wild animal caught in a trap.  It hurt Ruby’s eyes to see Gran in this way. 
Without even thinking about it, she opened the pistol and slid the bullet into one of the chambers.  It fit…perfectly.  Just like it was made for it, she thought.  Somehow, she knew that it would have fit any gun…any weapon that she had.  Suddenly the entire pistol felt alive…it was vibrating in her hand.  A strange calmness came over her.
She must have shown it on her face because Gran suddenly seemed to calm down a little.  She snuffed….looking at Ruby in the dim light of the flashlight.
“Ruby…what are you doing?” Gran whispered, as Ruby walked slowly toward the door which led to the basement, “Where are you going?”
“I think you know that already Gran,” Ruby said, “Lock the door behind me.  And if you hear me…screaming…get out of the house.  Take the boy with you.  Just run.”
“RUBY NO!” Gran was off the couch and running toward her, “DON”T GO DOWN THERE!”
“I have to Gran!” Ruby looked at Gran, “I have to!  But don’t worry….I think….I think that maybe I have a chance now.”
“Why?” Gran was pulling on her arm, trying to make her stay, “Because of some shiny piece of metal that the boy had.  He could have found that anywhere.  You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“NO GRAN!” Ruby pulled her arm away, “If I don’t go…we are all going to die.”
And Gran knew.  She must have sensed it. Ruby could tell.  Ruby saw her slowly lower her arms and nod…just once.
Slowly, Ruby opened the basement door, expecting the thing to jump out…and leap toward her throat.  But it didn’t.  The flashlight in her hand shook slightly.  The stairs were empty.  Taking a step forward, Ruby walked through the door and shut it behind her.  She heard the click as Gran locked it behind her. 
She was alone…in the basement…at the top of the stairs….with that thing down below somewhere.  Suddenly she didn’t feel quite so courageous.  And then….the flashlight went out.  She was alone…in the dark.  And she could hear something breathing right in front of her.

Ruby 7 3-25-08
Deep black anger rolled through the shadow’s mind as it raced along the banks of Troublesome Creek.  Things had been going so well.  It had fed on the adult female…drinking in the greed and laziness of her life force and giving it new purpose.  The child would have been next.  His was a special gift…and the creature longed to devour that power and take control of it.  Even the boy was not aware of his talents.
But then the white elf had interfered.  It wasn’t the first time that the power of White had messed with the shadow’s plans.  There had been that incident with the creature in the woods…the Dar-koth.  But that had been in another time…another life.  Someone else’s tale had been told.
The shadow focused its mind on the one thing that it knew…pain.  There was always the pain.  The pain of the rage and anger it felt out of being cheated from its prize.  The pain of hunger.  Even pleasure felt like pain.  Pain was the one constant in its life.  And now, there was the pain of crystal clarity…focusing on finding a way across the flowing water which blocked it from its prey.  Ahead, it could see the outline of what it had been searching for…a bridge.
With a howl of victory, the creature sped across the bridge.  How had the white elf known that it could not cross running water?  The boy’s scent had been so heavy in its nostrils that it could practically taste his life’s blood.  And then it had all been taken away.  The boy had swum across Troublesome.  But he wouldn’t get away….not for long.  With a swiftness that is often seen in creatures of the night, the shadow sped along on the other side of the swift waters.  It sensed a victory.  It was already picking up the scent of the boy once more.  Not even the white elf could protect him for much longer. 
As the creature ran along, snuffling at the ground, it began to tremble.  The pain was increasing.  There was only one hope of dulling the pain…making it more of a pleasurable sensation.  The boy had to die.
A sharp howl and another cry of fear and pain rang out.  Alarmed, Ruby gripped the pistol which she had taken from her Grandmother’s nightstand and then stepped outside.  With the power being out, the night took on a whole new meaning.  The darkness was so thick that it felt as though she could drown in it.
“Gran?” she hissed, “Are you out here?”
At first there was no answer.  The only sound that Ruby could hear was the sound of her own fearful, labored breathing.  She felt the hot sweat of panic begin to run down her face and into her open, panting mouth.  The bitterness of her own body flooded her senses.  Where was her grandmother?
She could hear something running in the woods.  It sounded like it was coming closer.  Someone screamed.  It almost sounded like a child.
“GRAN!” she cried out, “Where are you?”
“Hush child,” came the sound of her Gran’s voice….from right beside her, “I’m right here.  Do you hear that?”
“Yes Gran,” Ruby said, relieved to find her Gran once again, “I have your pistol.  Want me to shoot out into the woods?  Maybe it is a wildcat or something….I can scare it away.”
“No Ruby,” Gran said, “Hold off on the shooting.  That isn’t a cat….wild or otherwise.  I think that it is a child….listen.”
And Ruby listened.  The scream came again.  Yes…now that Gran had pointed it out, it did seem to be a child’s voice.  It was getting closer and closer. 
With a faint click, the light from the flashlight that Gran was holding pierced the air with a stabbing light.  She quickly fanned the area….searching for the source of the sound.  And then, they both saw it.  A little boy came bursting out of the woods.  His arms were flailing wildly and his face was a living white sheet.  He didn’t even try to slow down…he just kept running.
Handing the pistol to her Gran, Ruby ran out to meet the boy.  He wasn’t going to stop….Ruby saw that.  So instead, she reached out and grabbed him.  He was a collection of wild energy in her arms.  Struggling with her, he tried to get away.  He kept clawing at her….pinching her.
“Hey….hey now,” Ruby was trying to calm the kid down, “What’s wrong?  Is someone after you?  Are you okay?”
The boy didn’t answer.  He seemed to be in shock.  All he tried to do was keep running.
“Ruby?” her Gran was talking to her, shining the light back into the woods.
Ruby was struggling to keep the boy still….trying to keep him from running off again.  He kept screaming and screaming.
“What is it Gran?” Ruby puffed as she managed to get kicked in the shins by the boy’s size 7’s. 
“There’s something else out there,” Gran was saying, “And it’s coming this way!”
Ruby looked up in time to sense rather than directly see a shadow moving among the trees.
“I think that we had better get back inside,” was all that she managed to say….turning to run with the boy and nudge her Gran along.
That was when the bellow of rage rang out behind her.

Ruby, Part 5 3-17-08
Ruby let out a scream as she felt the hand clawing at her shoulder.  The room was dark…not pitch black, but dark enough so that she couldn’t see much of anything.  Why had she dropped that dang lighter?
“Ruby?” came a voice that she instantly recognized.
“Gran!” she felt her shoulder.  It was her Grandmother’s hand there…of course.
“What’s going on?” she continued, clutching Gran’s hand, “What are you doing here in the dark?”
“The power went out honey,” Gran said, flicking on a flashlight that cast a sharp, cold beam along the wooden floor of her house, “I was just down in the basement looking for this old flashlight.  I really should keep one upstairs in case of this.  I thought that I was going to fall down and break my fool neck!”
Ruby took the flashlight and walked with Gran into the kitchen.  It was a little cooler in here because Gran had the windows open to let in a little breeze…but it wasn’t helping out much.
“Power’s been going off a lot here lately,” Gran said, “If it keeps going off like this, pretty soon the electric company is gonna’ owe ME money.”
She laughed in slow gentle way that she had.  It made Ruby feel good to hear her Gran laugh.  There was something about it that soothed her…reminded her of when she was a little girl.  She had spent so much time with Gran as a girl.  Those had been special times…magical times.
“Let me see if I can find some of those old candles of mine,” Gran opened up some cabinets and started rustling around inside of them.  Soon, the kitchen was filled with the soft, warm glow that only candles can give.  The flashlight was turned off…to save the battery for future emergencies.
“Lord knows that I’m happy to see you Ruby,” Gran said, pouring them both a tall glass of iced tea from a round glass pitcher that she took from her darkened refrigerator, “But child…what in the world are you doing here so late at night?”
“Well….” Ruby began, hesitating.  She wanted to burst right into how she was feeling…how Joe was ignoring her….how she wanted to call him…how she wanted him to call her.  But she didn’t want to feel needy.
“Let me guess,” Gran began, taking a small sip of her tea and nodding to herself at the taste, “Man trouble…again.”
“Oh Gran!” Ruby cried out, “It’s Joe.”
“Joe Neace?” Gran asked, “Old man Harlan Neace’s boy?  You got an eye for him girl?”
“We went out on a date,” Ruby began…and then it all came spilling out.  She couldn’t hold back any longer….and really this was why she had wanted to visit Gran in the first place.  She needed to vent.  She told Gran all about Tabitha Fraley running off with her boyfriend, the extra hours at work, and her love life….or lack of it.  Why hadn’t Joe called her back?
“Now listen honey,” Gran said after listening to Ruby rattle on for a good 10 minutes, “It seems that life is dealing you a hard hand right now.  You’ve just got to be patient and wait it out.  The cards will turn…they cards will turn.  They always do.”
Ruby muttered the words to herself, “The cards will turn.”  It was one of Gran’s favorite sayings.  Ruby could remember her saying it for years and years.  Even when Ruby was a child, that had been Gran’s pat answer for everything…the cards will turn.
Ruby wasn’t too soothed by Gran’s reply, but really what else could she expect?  It wasn’t like Gran was running around with a bunch of boyfriends.  She just didn’t understand.  Oh well…there was no need to rehash this again…she needed to get to work.  She hated to leave Gran in the dark…but at least Gran would have supplies and…..
“Hey Gran!” Ruby smiled, holding up the clear Mason jar, “I brought you a little treat.”
“Shine?” Gran acted shocked, “Why child…you know that I don’t drink.  But I will take it…for medicinal purposes you understand.  It helps to have a little shine in the house you know.”
“Oh of course,” Ruby smiled, knowing that Gran would pour herself a huge slug of the corn liquor as soon as Ruby left.  But when you got to be as old as Gran, what could it hurt? 
Ruby was just getting ready to tell Gran that she had to leave….had to get to work in order to close down the bar….when there came a loud and frantic scream from outside.  Both women looked at each other in shock.
“What in God’s name was that?” Ruby whispered.
“I don’t know honey,” Gran whispered back, “But it sounded scared…or in pain.  Go upstairs and get my gun!”
Ruby sat listening again for a few minutes.  The scream sounded again.  It was closer now….and sounded like it was coming from the woods right outside Gran’s house.  There was also another sound….a roaring type of sound.  It was hard to describe.
“RUBY!” Gran yelled out, “Go and get my gun girl….something’s not right out there.  Can’t you feel it?”
And she could.  The air…once stale and hot…had turned ice cold.  Shivering, she leapt up and ran upstairs, taking the flashlight with her.  She ran to Gran’s bedroom.  The pistol was there…where it always was…in Gran’s bedstand.  It was loaded and ready to go.  Running back downstairs, she clutched the gun tightly.
“I’ve got it Gran,” she said, running back into the kitchen, “Let’s just wait and see if we hear that sound again.”
Gran was gone.

Ruby, Part 4 3-8-08
Her tires crunching on the gravel-lined dirt road, Ruby pulled off of Hwy. 476 and onto Miller Fork Road.  It had taken her longer than usual to get here.  She had been driving slowly ever since she had almost hit that kid who was playing in the road a few miles back.
What was with that kid anyway? she thought to herself.  He had acted like he was a little out of it…or maybe he was just slow.  God knew that there were enough drug babies in this county.  Of course, with a mother like his, maybe he was just afraid to do or say anything.  Ruby was still seething at the encounter with the old cow.
The view of Gran’s old house in the distance made all of her troubles melt away though.  In the low light of dusk, she could just barely make it out.  But there was no mistaking that old white, two-story farmhouse for anything else but the home of her childhood.  She had spent many years coming here…visiting Gran in the summers, helping gather eggs, hoeing in the garden, wading in the creek.  She treasured those memories. 
But it was darker than she had thought it would be.  Flipping on her headlights, she glanced at her clock and was surprised to see that it was already 8:45.  She had to be at work by 10!  She wasn’t working a full shift tonight, but she had promised Hank, the owner, that she would come in and close.   That meant that she would only have time for quick visit with Gran…maybe 45 minutes.  At least she could check up on her and give her those groceries…and the moonshine.
She quickly pulled into the driveway and honked her horn three times.  It was her special signal that she always did when she visited Gran…to let her know who she was.  It was silly…she knew that Gran could just look out the window and see her car.  But it was just a little tradition that they had started many years ago when Ruby had first learned to drive.  Some things die hard.
Ruby grabbed the groceries and alcohol and started walking up the stone walkway to Gran’s side porch.  She noticed again how dark the house looked.  Usually Gran would have a few lights on.  She wasn’t much for the dark.  But Ruby noticed that there weren’t any lights burning in the house.  She hoped that nothing was wrong.  Concern made her steps quicken.
Walking up on the side porch, Ruby set the supplies down and knocked on the door.  She couldn’t hear anyone rustling around inside the house.  There wasn’t any television on or anything as far as she could hear.  That wasn’t like Gran.  She knocked again.  Nothing.
“Gran?” she asked, trying the knob.  It turned easily in her hand.  The door swung open.  Inside, the house was as dark as a tomb.  The heat rushed out at her.  Apparently, Gran hadn’t been using her air-conditioner either.  Fear stabbed at her heart.  She hoped that nothing was wrong.
“Gran?” she cried out, walking into the house.  She tried the light switch but nothing happened.  Taking her cigarette lighter out of her purse, she clicked on a little light.  The hallway was empty.  The flickering light didn’t really help things all that much as she made her way toward the kitchen.  It was light…that was true.  But the flame just made things seem more surreal…more eerie. 
Just then, she heard something shuffling behind her.  A hand fell on her shoulder.  She let out a scream and dropped the lighter.  The room went black.