How Can I Help You?

Nella

Nella Jones had been thinking about relocating, yet again, for some time, the commute to work was hell, but then her employer made the decision to transition to remote work. There were a lot of opinions on the matter, but Nella was happy about the decision. She could mindlessly offer ‘How can I help you?’ customer service for debit cards from anywhere, so why not have no answers and apologize to grumbling clients from home rather than an office.

The house she no longer had to move from had been in the family for as long as anyone cared to remember, but Nella was not one to care. She had not been close to her family, the result of unhappy accidents and poor reactions, and had run far away as soon as she could. She had been okay so far in life. Small apartments, most of her waking time chained to the desk of one bland job or another, lots of social media scrolling and Crime Junkie podcasts, going out on the weekends, rinse and repeat. It might not have been thriving, but it was the life most of the languishing lower middle class would expect to live until they expired. She was restless, bored easily and felt like something was missing, but she dealt with it, what else was there, a different desk to sit at?

She visited the place before she made the decision. She had not been there in years, and had only ended up at a job in the nearest town by a chance transfer. Nella had almost declined the transfer due to the proximity, but she remembered the house being out of the way, and she had been right about that. The drive felt extremely long, too long for a commute and she thought about just turning around, but the attorney was meeting her there. Besides, it had been a nice day.

She had been struck by the neatness of the house as she pulled up. Her great-grandparents had kept the place well in her memory, but they had passed away long ago and she could not think of a relative who would have maintained it just so. Happy flower beds dotted with small, bright wind mills and bright inviting shudders met her. She waved to the attorney as she got out of the car, and noticed the man at the house across the street. Nella gave a stiff nod, unsure if she had known this man as a boy when she had visited and children seemed to appear from nowhere—maybe the corn fields—to fish in the pond in the backyard. He either ignored her or did not see her because he wiped his boots and disappeared into his house. Nella shrugged and checked the no nosey neighbor box on her wish list.

Although lengthy, the commute quickly faded from Nella’s mind as she toured the house, and within an hour she decided she would move there. Nella stood in one of the spare rooms a moment longer and surveyed the road and the house opposite hers. That was also a nice house, well-kept, not terrible to look at, but somehow unwelcoming, its current owner’s demeanor seemingly matching the facade. The house and its owner had an American Gothic vibe, gaunt but not displeasing, which intrigued Nella. The barn on that side of the road still stood and Nella wondered what type of work her neighbor engaged in.

Beau

Beau Bennett had been unhappy when the young Jones woman had moved into her families’ old farmhouse. He was several years older than her and he recalled her visiting her great-grandparents a handful of times, most of the kids had fished in the well-stocked pond in the back yard, but he had occupied his time with collecting the small creatures in the area to dissect them. The girl had not been around in years, no one really had, and he liked it that way. There was usually a trickle of truckers hastily using the country road, but commuters were rare and often lost. Even if they were lost they never stopped to ask for assistance. Beau figured the two lonely farm houses were like whispers from the nightmares of people who watched too many true crime television specials. Beau trudged to his barn, looking over his shoulder, glad she was usually gone for most of the day at least.

Nella

After the announcement was made, Nella knew exactly where she wanted her office to be. The spare room on the second floor, with the wide window facing the road, seemed like a perfectly suitable space.

Beau

Beau’s work day had been shortened by rainy weather, and he was headed to his barn when he noticed movement in the house across the road. The Jones girl was home and appeared to be sitting in front of a screen with a headset on, but she was looking out the window. Beau had noticed her car around more often, a lot more often, and this concerned him, especially since she was set up at the window facing his house and his barn most of the day. He had not had to worry about prying eyes in so long; he wondered how observant she was of his frequent treks to the barn. Beau shook away his thoughts and he nearly flinched when she waved to him, he turned quickly back to the house.

Nella

Nella’s curiosity piqued when her neighbor, who she was certain had been staring into her office, abruptly turned to go back inside his house. She was sure he had been headed to that dreary barn; he seemed to be in there a lot. When you were bored senseless from your job—how can I help you? Oh no, I can’t do anything about that--and only had one neighbor you learned a lot about him. He did not seem to want company but she figured she should officially introduce herself at some point.

For now though Nella was ready for the weekend. She had been roped into hosting a girl’s night with two coworkers, and they were slated to arrive in a couple hours. Nella had agreed to plans at the beginning of the week, her usual excuse of being tired from time at the office and her commute being useless now, but as the time for company approached her dread heightened. At least Stacey and Melanie always had stories, and there would be wine and snacks too, so Nella determined she could survive.

Beau

“What the hell,” Beau hissed, irritated at the vehicle turning into the house across the street. He knew he should not have been irritated at this, but the years of solitude made these trespasses intolerable, and if he had been known, it would not have been for his patience. The vehicle turned too quickly and kicked up gravel while the music blared. Beau had been walking to his mailbox, miserable timing, and the two women who emerged from the vehicle looked at him and waved as if they knew him. They laughed as they went to the door where the Jones girl welcomed them. She noticed Beau and gave him a short, maybe apologetic, wave. Beau was unmoving. He knew he should not do anything, this was temporary, and he should go back to the house and bore himself with television rather than work in his barn for the evening, even though he had plans there. He would be back to relative peace soon enough…but he did need more participants for his current plan than he currently had. An idea began to form, and he liked to see his ideas through.

Nella

Stacey and Melanie had visited a happy hour before arriving and they stumbled into the house straight for more wine. Nella was surprised they had made it and was worried they would be spending the night at this rate. She noticed Beau staring at the house as they entered, one hand suspended in the action of collecting his mail. She waved but he remained a statue so she backed cautiously inside, steeling herself to bear and entertain her guests.

But Nella was surprised at how enjoyable the early evening was. She went to get more wine, and remembered she needed to lock the front door on her return. She noticed a new package, messily wrapped in brown paper, on her porch.

“Hmm,” Nella picked up the package as Melanie approached her for the wine.

“Ooooh, whatcha got there?” Melanie asked as she took the bottle and filled her already half full glass. Nella showed her the package, “Beau Bennett? Who’s that?”

“My neighbor, but…”

“Oh my god, let’s take it over to him!” Stacey shouted while leaping from the couch to join them. “C’mon, he seemed so cute and mysterious,” Nella rolled her eyes, and thought it might be a good time to put on some coffee.

“Yes!” Melanie chimed in, “and maybe he will join us for a drink or two,” she shimmied in what Nella presumed was meant to be a seductive manner.

“No, I don’t think so,” Nella said tentatively, “besides, look how weird this package is, there is no postage, and no return address.”

“Maybe it’s just a drop off from someone he knows,” Melanie shrugged.

“But did either of you even hear a car?” Nella asked.

Nella’s concerns fell on deaf ears, and the women pulled on their shoes to go across the street. Melanie and Stacey were giggling with their arms interlocked, but Nella felt uneasy as she held the small package. Stacey knocked, “Hellllloooo?” but there was no answer.

“Well there’s a car in the driveway…oh! Maybe he’s in that old barn,” Melanie and Stacy were heading down the stairs and prancing to the barn before the former even finished the statement.

“No! C’mon guys, let’s just go back to my house,” but they were already moving quickly. Nella plodded along behind them. She had not wanted to make anything uncomfortable with her neighbor, now that seemed inevitable. Nella let out a long, exasperated breath as she saw the others slip into the barn.

It had been a quiet night.

Nella froze when an ear splitting scream came from the barn, followed by a squelching sound. Melanie appeared briefly from between the barn doors, a cry for help trying to escape her lips, but her breath raced from her as she was violently pulled back into the barn. Nella clutched the package, uncertain what to do. Oddly she found herself wondering why the package she held weighed so little. She looked toward the barn, no movement, and then gingerly tore through the brown paper to find a book, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Nella’s curiosity got the best of her and she stepped toward the barn.

Beau

Two more participants and he would figure out what to do about the car and other loose ends later. For now he waited for the Jones girl to enter his barn, his laboratory. She had not run back to the house or grabbed for any phone so he felt confident she would continue on to foolishly try to rescue her friends.

Nella

Nella pushed the barn door open enough to slip in and she gasped. She had expected a dreary, smelly space with rusty tools, but instead she was met by a bright, clean room. Clean except for the area directly in front of her where dark blood swirled toward a drain. There were no signs of her coworkers, which she noted did not bother her. She was startled from her reverie by movement from her peripheral and she turned quickly, book clutched to her chest.

Beau

The Jones’ girl’s eyes glinted, and Beau stopped his swinging arm. There was something there he could not quite place, but it reminded him of looking in a mirror. She took a breath.

Nella

“How can I help you?”