Trinity

Chapter 2-Hells-Ending

CHAPTER 2
(Hells-Ending)

We got off the plane in the Aslith’s international airport during twilight, then we headed for the cab— a black Toyota Corolla whose driver listened to the news that came from the radio, while he ate a handful of milky doughnuts. The driver drove fast, and the wheels screeched loud. I inhaled the gas; the smoke from the exhaust pipe, which made me nauseous. I inhaled the stench of sweaty armpits and fear—which was mostly me.

The atmosphere was dim when we arrived downtown. A duplex building with the inscription 'Ranch Brothers Place’, boldly etched on the side wall, was visible, alongside a Hotel Vista— which glowed in blue neon lights round the periphery of the roof.

I spotted Arioch’s cave— a kind of eatery— and other cafés and restaurants, alongside bookshops mounted in multiple spots. I watched how individuals munched on drum sticks and Buffalo wings, and I could just taste the ingredients.  I craved for some after I heard the crushing crisps, which made my taste buds weep above my starving tongue. But the driver had no idea of how much I starved. So he drove past it, and my stomach roared in regret.

The clear mountains; with white snow tops from the distance, felt welcoming, not to mention the trees having touches of white on their green leaves, alongside the white grasses and shrubs. The snow melted partly, arrayed beside the lines of pavements and rooftops. Yet the sight of a lady nearly slipping on the wet floor brightened up my mood. This place was definitely different from Tristan— I thought. The crossing lines of the rail tracks hiding deep in the woods while an almost rusted-wheeled train choo-ed above it bloomed with nature’s magnificence.

The driver kept driving at 80 miles per hour as he took the left turn. A steel plate hung in front. On it was the name of the town “Hells Ending” written in white above the black pole.

“I know I’ve asked this once but… don’t you think you’re going to the wrong place?” the driver asked with a contorted face.

“No” dad answered. “This is right where we’re meant to be. Why?”

“I’m just asking.” said the driver with a certain petrified look. “Hell’s-Ending haven’t had a guest in years” he said.

“Well, good to know we’re breaking the record, don’t you think?” dad’s lips curled halfway up while the driver nodded slowly; in sight of us through the rear view mirror.

I could tell how sombre the whole place was from first sight. The leaves rustled on each other, and the moist air felt dry. Old house structures nicely built in similar patterns spread across the eerie land that sprouted plants full of thorns and thistles. I didn’t feel safe after spotting a three story building made of brown bricks on the right side. A large writing covered the front of a stone wall, which made me crease my brows at the sight of “Lycan-high” just before the entrance.

“That’s the school Tee” Dad said with a sense of joy in his tone. “I’m sure you’ll fit in perfectly” he smiled, ignorant of how I despised new beginnings. I despised being the centre of everyone’s attention; individuals trying to talk to the new girl in school, not to mention having to bear with petty introductions. It was much more torture for me than anyone else, I presumed. Yet my parents were proudly alumni of this school.

“It’s a rather odd place for your daughter to school” the driver said, focused on the ripped road. “The students… They’re brilliant. But their attitude… they’re wild. You might think the students run the school sometimes.” Dad chuckled in view of the dying trees at the side of the road.

A few minutes more, we arrived at our destination. The cab halted in front of a wide bungalow. The entrance was very much made of wood above stone walls. The side lawns were freshly cut, and the sunflowers hooked in the soil of the flower pots beside it.