Looking for Wildflowers

Chapter 8

Riley worked all day and got a simple, small back porch built. He had to wait until the next day to screen it and add a nice tin roof. He wanted Taylor to be able to enjoy listening to the rain like he knew she loved to do. Taylor was overjoyed, especially when he surprised her with a swing on the back porch.

It was a rather large swing, about the size of a twin bed. He had managed to get some foam mattresses and added random blankets and pillows to make it comfortable. It left just enough room for a small coffee table and rug. Taylor started sobbing when she walked out back and saw the setup.

"Why are you crying?" Riley feared he had gone too far, but she assured him they were happy tears. After everything had calmed down, they looked at the finished house. What was once barely a shack was now a beautiful home made with love. Even though the height markings had been painted over, the place felt cozier than before.

Riley took Taylor out in the field and picked her some wildflowers, braiding some into her hair and poking the rest in the pocket she had on her shirt.

As they were enjoying their romantic moment, they heard a horse approaching.

"Who's that?" Taylor asked with fear lacing her words. Ever since her mom left her dad, she became fearful of anyone who approached her little safe haven.

"Go back in the house, Taylor. I'll check it out." Riley said, trying to keep her calm. Reluctantly, she returned inside and watched, cracking one of the windows so she could hear the conversation.

A horse walked into the field carrying a tall man who looked like he worked out for a living. Riley was intimidated but refused to show it. He knew how to fight and was a fast runner, and knew Taylor had that gun if it came down to it.

"Can I help you?" Riley asked politely.

"Yeah, I'm here for Taylor." His voice was deep. He said her name like he already knew her and just wanted to get this over.

"Who are you?" Riley knew something was up the second he asked for Taylor like he owned the place.

"Buddy, listen, I know she's here. Now go get her before I get off this horse and get her myself." His tone changed from tired to irritated, causing Riley to stare him down for a few seconds before returning to the house.

As he walked in, he noticed Taylor was nowhere to be seen. Quietly, he looked for her, checking every closet and cabinet he knew she could fit in. He finally found her huddled in the bedroom closet behind some clothes, clutching her gun and the extra ammo she kept close.

"Who is he?" Riley asked, knowing exactly why she was in this state.

"My dad."

"How'd he find you?"

"I don't know." Taylor started crying but tried to keep it under control.

"Well, he's not leaving, so what do we do? He knows you're here."

"We tell him I'm not. I'll shoot him if I have to." she said, her voice shaking with those final words. She had never actually used the gun except for some target practice. She hated the idea of using it on someone but she hated the idea of going with her dad even more.

Suddenly, there were some knocks at the door.

"Gig is up, kids. Come out." The man yelled, making Taylor cry some more. Riley stood up, having had enough of this. He wasn't going to let some other man come onto his property and just take Taylor away.

"She's not here. She must have left." He announced as he opened the door, leaning against it. As long as Taylor stayed in the closet, and the man on the porch, they could come up with a better plan for next time.

"Yeah, right. Taylor, either come out easily or I'm going to break your friend's neck." He yelled into the house. Riley felt a chill go down his spine as he realized the man meant exactly what he said. He knew Taylor wouldn't let that slide without shooting the man, but would it be too late? It was just a waiting game.

"Alright then." He pushed his way into the house and pinned Riley against the wall, his hands wrapped around his neck. "Come out or he's dead." he hollered.

"Let him go." Taylor's voice was suddenly strong and firm as she stood at the bedroom doorway with the gun aimed right at the man's head. "Do as I say, or you die."

"Taylor, don't do this s**t. Just come on with me, I resolved the issue with your mother, everything's fine. Come home." He tried to sound like a kind, loving man, but they all knew that wasn't the case. Taylor wanted to know what he meant by resolving the problem.

"Let him go, and then we can talk." she said simply, never lowering the weapon. With a grunt and a sigh, the man dropped Riley, causing him to stumble. Taylor's eyes never left her dad as she motioned for him to sit on the couch.

"This is all a bit dramatic, don't you think?" he chuckled as he sat down.

"What are you doing here and how did you find me?" Taylor demanded.

"I'm here to get my daughter. I found you by word of mouth." He responded simply like it was obvious.

"What do you mean you resolved the issue with my mother?" Taylor demanded. Something told her it wasn't a good thing.

"Go visit her and she'll tell you all about it. I'll give you the grave number." A deep chill went over Taylor as she fought back tears.

"I'm happy where I am, so you can leave." Taylor managed to get out after a few moments of silence.

"What? With this guy?" He cut his eyes over to Riley who felt heat rising up in his chest.

"Yes." That was all Taylor said, her tone cold.

"He can't protect you, I mean, I just walked on in here-"

"Shut up." Taylor demanded.

"He's just... You could do so much better." he said, noticing how angry he was making Riley. "You need someone who can protect you." he made direct eye contact with Taylor, ignoring the gun that was still aimed at his face.

"You know what?" Riley suddenly chimed in. "She does."

"Oh does she? I haven't met him." That was all it took. Riley reached out and took the gun from Taylor, and before she could react, Riley pulled the trigger and shot the man right between the eyes. As soon as the bullet left the gun, Taylor gasped, stumbling back and holding onto a nearby chair for support. She always imagined killing her father, but seeing it actually happen was a lot different.

Riley stood there breathing heavily. Slowly, he lowered the gun and looked over at Taylor who had tears running down her face.

"Oh God." Riley whispered to himself. "Taylor, come here."

Taylor ignored him, almost like she couldn't hear him.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We can handle this." Riley was trying not to panic himself as he slowly approached Taylor and brought her in for a hug. She immediately hid her face in his chest and started sobbing.

"What do you mean we can handle this?!" Taylor yelled at him, her voice cracking and muffled from Riley's shirt.

"I mean, like, take care of the body." Riley hated it but somehow, he was the one with the clearest head right now. What else were they supposed to do?

"How? What on earth are we going to do with a big man like my dad? We can't dig a hole that deep." Taylor was starting to gather herself but was still not in the frame of mind to be making any decisions. "I mean, I know of a way we can do it but it's gruesome and I don't know if I have that in me." Her voice broke at the end and more tears came, causing her to grip his shirt for comfort. He kept a firm hand on her upper back and head, resting his on top of hers.

"We're in the woods, aren't we?" He suddenly said.

"What difference does that make?"

"We can just take him off somewhere deep in the woods and leave it. Nature will take care of it. By the time anyone finds him, if they even do, he'll be too far gone and it won't be worth even reporting." That was the best he could come up with. Taylor finally slowly looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear and sadness.

"What other choice do we have?" Her voice was laced with a tiredness Riley had never heard her use before. "Well, let's get this over with."

"I can make a gurney to make carrying him easier." Riley said, rushing out the door, pulling Taylor out with him, and making her stay on the porch.

Taylor sat in one of the chairs on the porch, watching Riley use an old sheet and two large metal poles to make a gurney. What was once her safe place, was now a horror show. She felt her heart sink as low as possible as her reality was setting in. She was finally safe, but it came at a cost.

Once again, her dad managed to make her life a living hell. She hated him for it with every fiber of her being and deep down she knew that he would have wound up this way no matter what, with his temper. She just hated that Riley had to be the one to pull the trigger.

It wasn't long before Riley came back inside.

"It's ready." He announced as he walked over to the man. Taylor started to walk in and help but he stopped her. "Let me at least try to do it on my own. You've been through enough." He said with his voice low, as if he didn't want anyone but her to hear it. Taylor just nodded and sat back down, too tired to argue.

Riley struggled a bit at first but managed to get him loaded up onto the makeup gurney.

"Are you ready to go?" He walked back out of the house to see Taylor not around. "Taylor?" he called, heading back inside when the bedroom door swung open just as he approached it. She had changed her clothes since the old ones were covered in blood. Riley decided he should quickly do the same. Once they were both redressed and ready to go, they headed out.

"You carry one end, I'll carry the other. If you need to stop, just let me know." Riley explained as he grabbed the two poles that held the old sheet tight, making somewhat of a bed. Taylor nodded while she grabbed the other end, dreading the following moments more than anything.

They walked deep into the woods. Deeper than Taylor has ever gone and she's explored these woods so many times she almost had all the animals named. Once they reached an old ditch between two hills, they noticed an old rock laid between them that looked like it could fall any moment.

Once they had the body laid out on the ground, Riley instructed Taylor to stand back. As she did, he climbed on the hills and started kicking the rock as hard as he could. It took a few tries, but eventually, it creaked and fell down, crushing anything that lay beneath it.

They took the gurney apart and threw the two poles and the old sheet into random areas. Then they started the long walk back home.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked Taylor as she walked home like a zombie. She just slowly nodded. Once they reached the house, neither one wanted to go in.

"Let me go in and I'll clean it up." Riley insisted.

"No, I want to help." Taylor fought back. Eventually, they agreed that she could help but Riley would do most of the work and Taylor could quit anytime she needed to.