Luke

My eyes squinted as the sun started to set against the beautiful ranch. The bale of hay I sat on poked into my jeans as I squirmed to find a better spot. It was beautiful. Not just the work that was being done to help the retired and wounded soldiers, but the ranch itself.

“How you like it here?” Theo, a retired doctor from the SEALS and basically my boss, sat beside me on the poky hay bale.

“I love it,” I gushed, feeling a sense of worth and calmness I’d never felt before.

Theo was the first friend I’d made at the ranch, and even though we didn’t talk much, we always seemed to be near one another. He was older, in his early forties, and as a doctor, I knew what he must’ve seen in the field. His dark eyes, though riddled with pain at times, calmed me, and I assumed there must be something about me that calmed him as well.

“You feel like making a run into town?” he asked, handing me a slip of paper folded in half.

I opened it up and nodded as I read the list of supplies.

“This for the cabin?” I asked.

“Yup. You never know when another lost soul will find their way here. Have to be ready,” he smiled, patting me on the back as he got up.

I nodded and shoved the paper into my back pocket. Theo walked away, headed towards the stables where he spent most of his time. The horses were therapeutic for many of the vets that showed up to the ranch. For me, I preferred working with my hands, building cabins, doing repairs, and working in the fields.

It was already getting late, and I knew the local hardware store in the small town would close soon, so I headed off in my truck to purchase everything on the list Theo had given me.

An eerie feeling ran down my spine as I drove through the curvy roads. The town was familiar, an unpleasant memory, but I knew that being there would be part of my healing.

A small white house, pushed far back from the street, abandoned and disheveled, caused me to pull to the side of the road. I stared across the beaten and worn road at the lonely house, remembering my time there as a child and teenager. It was the house that made me determined to be something more, something better, to be someone.

I shook my head as I tried to contemplate how six foster kids managed to fit into the tiny house, along with the couple that seemed more irritated by our presence than eager to help.

The woman, Wilma, had fire-red hair that was curled so tight and short to her head it looked like rusted springs, and her eyes were so black they were void of any emotion. I didn’t miss her drunken berating, her constant torture with words—you’re worthless, you’ll never amount to anything, you should kiss my feet for taking you in. I could still hear her screeching voice.

The man, Donald, didn’t seem to take much interest in us kids. He was quiet, drank too much, and often fell asleep in his tattered recliner in front of the large window of the house. I used to watch him stare out into the road, as if he were waiting on someone, something. He’d stay like that until the liquor he consumed took its toll and his eyes would close.

I was there for years, longer than any of the others, except Candace, a beautiful blonde with a smile so sweet I’d never forget it. She was my first love, my first kiss, my first everything. She made living in that terrible white house tolerable. They told me she ran away, but I didn’t believe it. We were in love. She would’ve told me if she planned to leave. She would’ve taken me with her.

My heart felt heavy as I pulled my truck back onto the road. Memories of Candace swirled in my mind as I continued my journey into town.

As I rounded a corner, I nearly hit a woman on the side of the road, stumbling, almost toppling over as she swayed to the middle of the lane.

I slammed on my brakes and put the truck in park. The woman didn’t seem fazed. It was like she didn’t even know I was there.

“Are you okay?” I called to her, opening my truck door and starting to step out.

She didn’t turn back towards my voice or respond.

I left the truck running and the door open and walked towards her as she stumbled down the road. I assumed she was drunk as I reached for her, gripping her by the wrist to get her attention.

She flinched dramatically, turning towards me, her face bloodied and bruised.

“I’m sorry,” I stammered, staring at the woman in disbelief.

It had to be my mind playing tricks on me after stopping at that dreadful house. Blood covered the woman’s t-shirt, more than could’ve come from just her. Her blonde hair was tangled and frayed, and her hazel eyes were distant but familiar. It couldn’t be, no, there was no way this was Candace.

“Where are you going? Can I give you a ride?” I asked, still feeling as if my mind was caving in on me.

The woman wouldn’t speak. Her head pushed down, her eyes barely open as they hung to the road. There were no shoes on her dirty, bloodied feet, and it was unclear how long she’d been walking. No smell of alcohol surrounded her as I stood closely by her side, and there were no signs of emotion of any kind—just a blank emptiness.

“You’re safe now. I’ll help you.” I wrapped my arms around her as she shuddered at my touch. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe,” I said softly, guiding her towards my truck.

She didn’t fight me or try to run away as I opened the passenger door to my truck. I helped her climb inside, closing her in safely, and rushed across the truck to the driver’s side.

I turned around in the gravel, heading back to the ranch. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew Theo would.

“I’m gonna get you help,” I promised, glancing over at the familiar woman.

She stared at her lap with her hands clenched together, nervously fidgeting as she slunk towards the truck door, as far away from me in the cab as possible.

We passed the little white house, the one that had me convinced I’d gone crazy, and she didn’t so much as look up. Maybe it wasn’t her after all.

I pulled the truck up to the stables, leaving my lights shining towards the half-opened doors. The woman shuddered when I opened her door. I extended my hand to her, telling her again that she was safe and that I was there to help. Her eyes lifted, staring directly into mine. I knew right then I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t imagining anything. This was Candace.

“What’s going on?” Theo asked, walking from the stables towards the truck.

“I found her walking down the street,” I explained, helping Candace from the truck.

Theo’s eyes filled with shock as he stared at the bruised and bloodied woman.

“What happened?” he questioned.

“I don’t know. She’s in shock, I think. She won’t speak,” I replied.

“Ma’am, can you tell me what happened to you?” Theo asked.

Candace didn’t look up. She didn’t speak.

“We need to take her to my office,” Theo spoke quickly.

I didn’t hesitate to follow his orders, guiding Candace towards his office just a few yards from the stables.

She was so frail and thin as I slid my arm around her back. If this truly was Candace, and I was pretty certain it was, she was a shell of who she once was.