Ashes of Him

After the storm

The rain fell harder, drumming against the truck’s hood as Mason stared at Ella, his breath visible in the cold night air. Mason stared intently at Ella under dark sky his breath misting visibly in freezing night air as rain lashed down heavily on truck hood. Both remained stationary. Silence fell awkwardly between them.“You’re not supposed to be here.” Ella swallowed, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Neither was I.”

Lightning flickered, casting sharp shadows across his face. Mason's jaw finally tightened slowly.“Get in,” Mason said abruptly, opening the passenger door.

Ella swallowed hard as her voice fell barely above a faint whisper uttering words "You're not supposed be here."Darkness suddenly swallowed everything and lightning flickered eerily casting sharp jagged shadows right across his rugged weathered face. She thought she glimpsed pain there for a fleeting moment or maybe it was just some lingering memory of past hurt. Mason said get in rather abruptly while opening passenger door. She hesitated but cold wet conditions made her decision remarkably easy afterwards outside. She slid inside and got enveloped in a warm scent of worn leather and pine air freshener wafting slowly around her.“Why did you leave?” Mason finally asked, voice low and strained, his eyes fixed on the dark road ahead.

Mason started engine and truck rumbled forward splashing through deep puddles on empty highway under overcast morning sky really slowly.“I was scared,” she admitted, voice breaking. “I thought if I stayed, I’d drown in what we had. Silence settled heavily between them like a thick fog bank on a murky morning suddenly.“You could’ve told me.”

“I couldn’t.” She blinked rapidly, holding back the tears. “I didn’t know how. Ella's hands twisted fitfully in her lap tracing obscure patterns on faded jeans with fingers that moved with nervous energy.“You left me with nothing, Ella. She scrutinized Mason's profile under streetlights that highlighted sharp jawline and faint scar above his eyebrow from years back. Mason finally asked voice low and strained why you left his eyes fixed on dark road ahead.“I thought silence was mercy.”

Mason’s hands clenched the steering wheel. “Mercy? Ella's throat constricted suddenly with anxiety. She admitted being frightened with voice cracking awkwardly. I figured staying would submerge me utterly in remnants of our tumultuous past relationship somehow.“I didn’t come back for closure,” she said softly. “I came back because… some things never leave you, no matter how far you run.” Mason glanced at her then, his eyes searching. “And what are you running from now?”

She hesitated, the truth lodged in her throat. “Myself.” A sudden c***k of thunder shook the truck, jolting them both.He shifted gaze briefly downwards onto her face and something inscrutable flickered momentarily in depths of his dark eyes.“You’re not the only one who’s changed.”

Ella’s eyes narrowed. “How?”

He shrugged, voice rough. “Life isn’t kinder to those who wait. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "I just couldn't." She blinked fast and struggled silently. I was clueless somehow.“There’s a lot you don’t know. A flash of anger flickered behind Mason's eyes as Ella struggled mightily to utter farewell without utterly shattering their relationship.Ella you dumped me utterly with scarcely a thing.“Tell me.” He shook his head. “Not here. Not exactly an explanation.“Where are we going?” she asked. “To my place.

She recoiled suddenly as though slapped violently on a raw nerve ending with stinging ferocity in broad daylight. Mason's hands gripped steering wheel tightly in anger still simmering quietly beneath usually stoic exterior. Mercy? Shadows and memories shrouded Rosewood as the truck rumbled slowly towards outskirts and darkness fell heavily around them suddenly tonight.---

The truck slowed to a stop outside Mason’s modest home — a weathered two-story with peeling paint and a crooked porch light that flickered in the rain. Old houses wore their weathered history on sleeves like battle-hardened veterans standing stubbornly amidst rubble of forgotten lifestyles. Ella took a deep breath with damp earthy scent and pine wafting heavily into her lungs. Mason's phone buzzed sharply on dashboard before either of them could utter a word.“Not now,” he muttered, silencing the call.

His face darkened as he glanced quickly at screen with an almost imperceptible flicker of annoyance.“Who was that?”

Mason hesitated. “Someone I’d rather not deal with tonight.” Ella’s eyes narrowed. “Someone who knows you’re here?” He nodded, voice low. “Yeah. He muttered not now and silenced call abruptly. Ella's curiosity was suddenly and inexplicably piqued beneath her tranquil exterior. Mason hesitated awkwardly. "Who was that guy anyway?"Ella's eyes narrowed sharply with a mixture of annoyance and frustration still lingering ominously in her gaze. He nodded with a low gravelly voice barely audible from across the dimly lit room. Yeah obviously.“What was that?”

Mason’s jaw clenched. “Trouble.”

Without thinking, Ella moved closer to him, seeking an anchor in the storm of emotions and now danger.“Who’s after you?” she whispered. “Old debts,” Mason said grimly. “People who didn’t forget. The air thickened with unsaid menacing vibes and electric tension hung heavily around them in a profoundly unsettling manner. She was about to pry further when porch light flickered again and went out utterly in darkness suddenly tonight. Darkness swallowed house eerily in mere seconds. Mason groped wildly for his flashlight deep inside glove compartment and clicked it on casting faint beam through surrounding darkness.“Should we call the police?”

Mason shook his head. “They can’t help with this. A sharp sound sliced darkness outside and distant crash echoed loudly followed swiftly by hurried footsteps somewhere in the blackness.“You’re deeper in this than you think, Ella. Ella's heart pounded furiously inside her chest suddenly. Mason's jaw clenched suddenly as he muttered what was that under his breath with utter bewilderment. Ella instinctively edged nearer him seeking solace amidst swirling fe

elings and peril.