The Sins of Our Fathers

Oliver

Pain throbbed his head, his eyes slowly opened to find himself in a dimly lit bathroom. Looking around it was clear the bathroom hadn’t been cleaned in a long awhile. Slowly sitting up he rubbed the back of his head trying to dull the throbbing pain.

Where was he? How did he get here, and why was he here?

Standing up he made his way out of the bathroom to see he was at what looked to be a truck stop, but no one was there. Vehicles littered all over abandoned by their owners.

“Where am I?” He said walking away from the truck stop toward what looked to be a little town.

It didn’t take him long before he was standing in front of a sign saying, “Welcome to Willow Brook”.

“Cute.” Oliver mutter to himself flicking the sign as he passed by.

Running his fingers through his hair he let out a sigh. No one was around, he couldn’t find a single soul in this quaint little town.

Almost every part of the little town seemed to have some part of it destroyed. A battle had erupted here leaving it Barron and destroyed. He needed to find someone, anyone. He couldn’t be alone, there had to be someone out there. Oliver was now more determined than ever to search every crevice of this town to find another living soul. He wasn’t going to give up, he knew there had to be someone still here.

Walking out into the sun he slid on a pair of sunglasses on trying to block out the blinding sun. It had been 9 days and he still hadn’t

found a single soul in this retched little town. How could a town that looked so small be so frustratingly big?

He had figured he would have searched the entire town in a few days, but the more he searched the more he realized this town wasn’t as small as he had once thought. It had seemed that everyone had left this town leaving him all alone.

What made things worse was the fact that he still had no more memories of his life before waking up in the truck stop. He had no clue who he really was before that or why he ended up there.

Everywhere he went he found destruction. What happened in this town?

Walking down the road he ran a hand down his face letting out a frustrated groan. He had stopped really looking for anyone around day 7. He had begun to accept that he was all alone when he heard a sound coming from the Starbucks.

“Strange.” He walked toward the Starbucks to further inspect the strange noises.

Maybe it was just some wild animal that got into the store, and was now tearing it apart eating what had been left behind?

That’s when he heard a woman’s voice. Walking to the entrance of the coffee shop he froze in his tracks, eyes wide and mouth gapped open. He wasn’t alone after all, and it was a woman.

He stood there like a statue watching as she danced behind the counter singing Baby got back by Sir Mix-a-lot. Watching her sing along he couldn’t help but smirk as he tried to hold back a chuckle.

“Hello?” Oliver said cutting through the song.

The woman squealed in surprise dropping her cup as it collided with the ground shattering to pieces.

Oliver mentally smacked himself in the face. Great going. You just scared her.

He watched as she slowly turned around to face him. Her mouth dropping in surprise to see him standing on the other side of the counter. Just as he was about to introduce himself, she jumped over the counter knocking him to the ground.

“Are you real?” She asked while pressing her hands on his face.

Oliver just watched as this strange woman pressed her hands into his face moving it around like she was molding clay.

For a small girl she was surprisingly strong pulling his face down to her running her fingers through his hair. He quietly watched her as her eyes roamed all over him until he finally cleared his throat trying to break her from her mesmerized spell.

“Oh sorry.” She chuckled getting off him and standing back up. “I am Astra, and you are?” Astra held her hand out, a big friendly smile on her face.

“Oliver.” He grunted slowly standing back up on his feet before he reached out shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you Ollie ole boy.” Astra said in her best old timey voice doing a little jig before she turned on her heels going back to the counter.

Oliver watched her dancing around and couldn’t help but chuckle. She was an odd duck, but very entertaining. He didn’t know what to do or saw watching her stop her little dance and crawl back over the counter.

Looking at her he couldn’t deny she was gorgeous. He couldn’t help, but mentally high five himself for being stuck in this abandoned town with such a beauty. She had long blonde hair, striking green eyes that seemed to intensify with her thick long lashes.

Looking over her face she was a natural beauty. She had no makeup on letting her true beauty shine. His eyes traveled down her body admiring her lean yet curvy frame. She must be a runner, or maybe a dancer with such a nice body.

“Coffee?” Astra asked breaking him from his thoughts and his eyes from her body,

“Yes. Please.”

“What’s your poison?”

“Poison?” Oliver asked tilting his head in confusion. Does she mean alcohol or?

“Yeah. Do you take sugar, milk, caramel drizzle?”

“Oh, umm just two sugars and a splash of milk please.”

“Coming right up!” Astra finished making his coffee turning back to face him. Sliding the cup across the counter.

Grabbing the cup, he lifted it to his face taking in a deep inhale. The smell put a smile on his face before pressing his lips to the edge

of the cup taking his first sip.

“Mm thank you I really needed this,” Oliver said taking another sip of the coffee.

So, I do like coffee. Good to know, Oliver nodded his head before drinking more. When Astra had asked him what he liked in his coffee he wasn’t sure and panicked giving her a random order in hopes that he would like it.

It was a relief that he did, he really didn’t want to have to force himself to drink it down pretending it was good. It was clear Astra knew her way around a coffee maker, maybe she was a barista before all of this?

“Anytime I’m here seven days a week, twenty-four seven.”

Chuckling at her comment Oliver looked up to see her gulping down her coffee. Watching her lips press against the cup, her eyes closing and a little moan escaping her throat relishing in the drink.

Clearing his throat Oliver looked back down at his cup in hopes she hadn’t just seen him ogling her as she drank her coffee. What was wrong with him? Why was such a simple act so arousing to him? Or maybe it wasn’t the drinking of the coffee, and just Astra herself.

As he had noted when he first saw her, she was a very beautiful woman. It was almost godly, seeming inhuman in a way. She must have made a lot of women jealous before getting stuck in this town.

“Do you remember anything?” Astra’s voice broke him from his thoughts.

“I remember my name is Oliver. Last thing I remember was leaving my apartment to go to work, and then I woke up here. I don’t know how I got here or why.”

“You remember your life before here?”

“Sort of. I remember my job, I was… I am a photographer.” Oliver looked away from her running his hand through his hair.

“Oooh, that’s cool. Did you make a lot of money from it?”

“I... I don’t remember.” Oliver rubbed his hand on the back of his neck nervously breaking his eyes from her to look down at the floor.

He didn’t want her to see the frustration in his eyes. Oliver would give anything in that moment to remember his life before this, but

instead he only had bits and pieces.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s okay.” Oliver said looking at her with a small smile.

Looking into her eyes he could see the uncertainty and frustration; she knew exactly how he was feeling.

Oliver chuckled watching Astra jump from the counter throwing her hands in the air like a professional gymnast. She had a big goofy grin spread across her face only making him smile back.

“Come on let me give you the tour.” Astra said grabbing onto his arm practically yanking him out of the coffee shop.

Oliver didn’t protest as Astra yanked him around town. He had seen most of the town already, but it was nice to hear her go on about the town and the many things she had named. He couldn’t express the happiness he felt in that moment to finally not be alone.

“And this is home sweet home.” Astra swung the door open walking into the apartment flinging her arms as if to say ta da! “I don’t know whose apartment this was before, maybe it was mine or not. Either way it has become my little crash pad.”

Walking into the apartment Oliver was impressed. The living room was huge with one wall that was almost an entire window looking out at the town. It had a big plush brown couch facing a brick wall that housed a flat screen television.

Off the living room was an open concept kitchen. All of it was white, not something he would have personally chosen, but it worked in this space. He could see a hall that surely led to one or more bedrooms and probably a bathroom.

Nodding his head in approval, she had found herself a nice little crash pad to stay in until they could find a way out of this place and

back to their normal lives.

“Mr. Pokey,” Astra said.

“Mr. Pokey?” Oliver asked looking over to see Astra shooting finger guns at a cactus.

Why was she calling that cactus Mr. Pokey? Did it poke her or something?

“Oh, how rude Oliver this is Mr. Pokey my cactus.”

“You named your cactus?” Oliver regretted the words as they left his lips.

Looking over at her he could see she was upset. He just made her feel stupid, and after she had been so nice to him.

IDIOT! He scolded himself.

“Yup.” Astra said popping the p. “Don’t you name your plants?” She said looking up at him with a tilted head.

“Cut me some slack I have been all alone for 14 days. He’s like my Wilson, except I am not stranded on an island and Mr. Pokey isn’t a ball,” Astra said shrugging her shoulders before turning around and heading over to the couch.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you I was just confused at first.” Oliver said holding his hands up showing he meant no harm.

Walking over to the cactus he reached out carefully pinching one of the cactus’s spikes.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Pokey.”

“Mr. Pokey is just a plant silly but thank you.” Astra said with a big grin.

Turning to face her he couldn’t help but smile back. She has an infectious smile; it is hard not to smile when she does. He couldn’t help but feel a weight lifted to see she was not upset with him.

Being stuck here might not be so bad if I get to spend it with her. With that thought he left the cactus and headed to join her on the couch.