Watching over Erica (#1 COMRAICH GAOIL)

Old. Shabby. Dilapidated. If Erica had to describe her family home, she would use these adjectives. As she parked her beat-up second-hand BMW 330D to the side of the house and pulled out her old red suitcase, she felt her stomach turn at the pitiful state the house was in. To be honest, it was much worse than she had expected. Before her eyes stood a house that had been abandoned for decades and this was glimpsed by the dusty and deteriorated appearance of its walls and facades. It was obvious that the original owner of the house, her grandfather, had not known how to keep it properly. The garden was nothing more than a piece of uncultivated disturbed land, where weeds had decided to establish themselves without shame. Next to the house was a kind of shed in even worse shape than the house, with holes in the walls and ceiling, and very dirty. Erica swallowed. If it weren't for the fact that she was desperate to get away from Cardiff and had nowhere else -and no money- to stay, she probably would have run out of there by now. But she can't. Maybe the interior is better, which is what matters, she said to herself. But it didn't take long for her to be disappointed again. The musty, dusty smell was overpowering, and Erica even caught a bit of the stench of rodents and mold. Since the death of her grandfather eight years ago, no one had lived in that place and everything was in a sorry state. The wooden planks creaked and seemed weak, some furniture was rotten or gnawed by vermin and, in general, the atmosphere could not be more sad and sinister. At least there was a fireplace, Erica realized, and the couch looked salvageable. She could always sleep there, in case the mattresses hadn't survived the bugs. On the upper floor there was nothing of interest except two bedrooms and a modest bathroom. In one of the closets she found several fairly decent sets of bedding, quilts and blankets. In another small wooden cabinet she found her grandfather's clothes, which consisted of three pairs of pants, five shirts, several changes of underwear, socks, and a lumberjack coat. It wasn't much, but maybe she could sell it for a few pounds, although the clothes looked pretty worn and old. Shoes had to be thrown away. After carefully inspecting the entire house, Erica came to the conclusion that while it hardly qualified as a livable place, it wasn't the most creepy house to live in either. What it needed most was a deep cleaning, and getting rid of all the useless furniture and mattresses. Also, although she didn't have much money now, later she could save a little and renovate the house little by little, although she herself didn't know how long she was going to stay in the town. But for now, it was going to be a long season. She stepped outside for a moment to look inside the shed, where to her relief she found dry, well-stacked lumber, enough to last for a while, and various garden tools, though these were heavy and rusty. She was interested in taking advantage of the garden and planting her own vegetables in the future, since that way she could save some money. But she decided to put that idea aside for another time and focus first on the house. She had to go to the Town Hall to finish signing some papers about the house and, incidentally, register the electricity, gas and water. Hiring a Wi-Fi service at home was another story. She doubted a technician was going to go to much trouble to come here to set her up with Internet, and it was very likely that as soon as he set foot inside, he'd be running down the hill and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Erica wasn't going to do such a thing to a poor employee. Instead, she had already purchased USB Wi-Fi to connect to her laptop when needed, although she hadn't planned to use it much. She preferred spending time away from technology, if she had to be honest. Erica grabbed her bag and started to leave. She had things to do before it got dark. [...] Heaving a sigh of relief, Erica left the Town Hall happier than before. It had taken a little longer than she expected, but finally all the paperwork was done. That left her with time to go to a supermarket because there was no food in the house. And ordering at home was out of the question, of course. As she made a mental note about what to buy, she didn't realize she was bumping into someone. The impact sent her staggering backwards and she nearly fell on her ass if it weren't for the quick hands that caught her. “Ah,” said a male voice, “are you okay?” Erica raised her head and instantly her cheeks turned a maroon color. The man she had collided with was tall and heavyset and very well-dressed in gray suit pants and a navy blue shirt that set off his dark skin. He was a little older than her, and had a frank and attractive face capable of bewitching any woman. Suddenly she felt that her mouth had gone dry. “Ah…” “Please don't be ashamed and tell me the truth. Does your nose or any other place hurt?” the gentleman asked politely, studying her carefully. Finally, Erica found enough words to say: “Oh, no, I'm fine but… if you could please let me go…” She wasn't used to being touched and the fact that such a handsome man was doing it made her more and more nervous. She didn't even know why she was blushing so much. The man was not her type. He obeyed and took a couple of steps back. “I beg your pardon. I was distracted,” he apologized as he gave her a brilliant smile. Erica blinked and nodded. “It's actually my fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm sorry too,” she replied, a little embarrassed. “In that case, there's nothing to regret, miss... Now that I think about it, your face doesn't ring a bell. May I ask your name? Are you a newcomer?” Now the man was openly interested. Why did he want to know? Was there a reason? Her face must have been openly showing what she was thinking, because the man laughed and hastened to explain: “Oh, I have no dark intentions, I can assure you. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Marcus Kilgour, and I am the mayor of this dear town. It's a real pleasure to meet you, miss.” If she was surprised before, now she was stunned. Erica stared at him with wide eyes and a wide-open mouth. “M-mayor?” She stuttered. The man nodded innocently but with an amused smile. “Yes, it is.” “B-but… you don't look much older than me!” she exclaimed, not believing her eyes. Then she put her hand to her mouth. Oops. Far from being offended, the mayor seemed even more amused by her response. “Although it may not seem like it, I am thirty-nine years old, but I am lucky to have some wonderful genes,” he explained kindly, much to the young woman's astonishment. “It's strange to meet new people in Comraich Gaoil, we haven't had an outsider here in years. What's your name?” “Oh, my name is Erica Goodwin, and I actually plan to stay and live for a while.” Marcus looked thoughtful. “Goodwin... Goodwin... what does that name sound like to me?” “My grandfather died here eight years ago. I think his name was Carl Goodwin,” Erica explained. Then she clearly saw how the mayor put on a strange expression, as if he had just sucked on a sour lemon by mistake, to be more exact. Oh oh. “What's wrong?” she asked. “You don't look like your grandfather at all, Miss Erica,” the mayor replied tactfully, showing his interlocutor his perfect teeth. “He wasn't much liked around here, right?” “Not much,” Marcus admitted, “but that's a thing of the past. Did you ever get to know him?” “No, my father rarely talked about him, and by the time I was born, they had long since lost touch,” Erica explained with a shrug. The mayor looked at her with a hint of pity. “It is true that your grandfather was not very popular in the town, but that does not mean that we are not pleased to have you among us. As the Mayor, I welcome you to our beloved sanctuary. If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me, the superintendent, or even a member of the ESF, who are always hanging around here.” “The ESF, you say?” she inquired, confused, because those acronyms didn't sound familiar to her. A neighborhood association, perhaps? “The Easton Security Forces. It's an ex-military security company whose base of operations is a bit out of town, but its members almost always come down here and can be seen regularly. They're nice, so you don't have to be afraid of them. They take care of the women, too,” Marcus explained, waving his hands dismissively. Apparently, he knew them very well. The last sentence sounded a little strange to her, but Erica decided not to dwell on it too much. “I did not know that. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.” “As the mayor, my job is to watch over everyone, especially single women or those who don't have a male figure to protect them,” he replied, and again gave her a blinding smile. “I hope you have a great stay at Comraich Gaoil. At the slightest problem, we will be here to help you. I'm serious.” And it seemed that it really was. His tone of voice took on a steely note on the last sentence that warmed her chest. Marcus Kilgour truly cared for his people. “Thank you very much, Mr. Kilgour.” “Call me Marcus. Mr. Kilgour was my father. Can I just call you Erica?” “Sure.” “Perfect. In that case, we'll see each other… Ah!” He was about to leave, but at the last moment he forgot to mention something important. “I almost forgot... Erica, if it's hard for you to go down to town to ask for help, you can also go to your neighbors. What's more, do it. Annoy them all you want.” Now it was Erica's time to frown. “Neighbors? What neighbors?” Her grandfather's house was located just outside Comraich Gaoil, on a steep shingle slope surrounded by bushes and a wooded area. Erica hadn't seen any other houses besides hers as she drove there. “Yes, although it's normal that you don't know. They live just behind you, in a clearing near the river. Their names are Emerson and Sean Allister.” “They are brothers?” “Yes, one is nicer than the other, but they are completely trustworthy and I'm sure they'll be glad to have a little female company from time to time. If you need anything, go to them,” he replied with complete confidence. Erica wasn't too sure about the latter, but decided to nod anyway. The last thing she wanted was to be a nuisance to others. “In that case, I'll keep it in mind,” she replied with a smile. Marcus seemed satisfied. “You may not believe me now, but you'll soon realize how we men are in this place. You will know very soon. Finally, I have to go. Welcome to Comraich Gaoil, Erica.”