Blood Red Hills

Return to Red Hills

Somehow Lana drifted off to sleep on the six hour flight from JFK into Salt Lake City. A flight attendant offered her some Excedrin and when the pain was relieved, she slept. She had been to Utah numerous times, but Red Hills was always avoided. She made her way off the plane and to baggage claim. She rolled her rose gold suitcase to pick up her car rental. She gave her name and ID to the man and he handed the keys to the chrome dark blue BMW. Red Hills was two hours south of the airport and usually Lana loved a good road trip. But traveling down to Red Hills, there was an area between Nephi and Gunnison that was 45 minutes of nothing. No cell service, other drivers were few and far between, and after taking that exit in Nephi, that was when the eeriness hit.

Luckily, Lana wasn't driving that long road in the dark. It was 6 am by the time she got on the road, meaning it would be closer to 7:30 by the time she reached that stretch of doom. She grabbed her phone and called Veronica. "I'm just leaving the airport. I should be in town around 8." she said. She could hear Veronica yawning on the other line.

"Okay, are you staying at the Broken Road Inn?" Veronica asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I'll have to call and reserve a room. I tried to book it online, but apparently they don't have a website."

"I'm sure there will be a room for you."

"I have no doubt in that."

"See you in a couple hours."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Lana hung up after the awkward call and realized she couldn't call the Broken Road Inn due to the fact she didn't have the number. She didn't worry about that, she was still sure she would have a room. She pulled into a Starbucks for a caramel macchiato and a plain bagel with cream cheese. She turned on some music to help the coffee wake her up and sailed down the freeway. It wasn't a bad drive, it was just that the closer Lana got to Red Hills, the more memories came flooding back. It's been easily over twelve years since she had been in the area. It was nostalgic in a way that stung her to her very core. The lights of the Gunnison prison shown over the hill, and it was as if Lana drove through a portal that took her fifty years back. Another strange thing about this area, it never prospered. Never grew or updated with the rest of the world. She began to stress about what it would be like to see Veronica again. They had been cordial, but no doubt still estranged.

She pulled up to the Broken Road Inn. The only thing different about it was a paint job. It wasn't big at all, maybe five rooms. She opened the door to find Veronica and a woman she recognized as Gwen, a former classmate, and Eric's wife from the looks of f*******: pictures. Veronica looked like a mess, but offered a warm smile. Gwen looked as if she had been crying, then applied some makeup. The small town techniques never changed. The foundation was a little more orange than the rest of her fake tan.

"Any rooms available?" Lana asked pleasantly.

 Gwen pushed her bleach blonde hair sprayed bangs out of her face and pulled out a thick binder and opened the book to the days date. She ran her finger down as if there was a waiting list, "I have two available. One has two twin beds and the other a king."

"I'll take the king." Lana responded without question.

"It's going to be extra." Gwen said through her gum chewing teeth. She glanced out at the car that Lana showed up in. "But I think you'll manage. How long will you be staying?"

"A month."

Veronica arched her brows, "One month? I thought you were coming in for just a week."

"Well, I've had some time to think since last night and I decided to stay for a month."

Gwen looked annoyed, but at the same time, this would be good for the business. "I have you down for the next month. It's good to see you again Lana." she forced a smile.

"Thank you Gwen, and you too."

"I'll help you to your room." Veronica said as she grabbed the suitcase.

Lana took the old-fashioned key from Gwen and headed up the narrow staircase. This place...it was where Lana and Eric had their first time. And of course the room available to her was the one where it happened. This wouldn't bring back any painful memories at all. Painful because they were sweet. Eric was the love of her life, and the experience was beautiful. Veronica gave her a look as if she knew what happened in that room too. Eric and Veronica told each other everything. She looked around the room, the bed seemed new, and there was an upgrade from an old television to a modern 25 inch flat screen. The bathroom looked the same. The nostalgia of it all sent a lump into Lana's throat. She was overwhelmed with the memories of this room.

"So what made you want to stay for a month?" she asked as she set the suitcase down.

Lana shook her head, coming back to reality. "I'm going to investigate Eric's death."

Veronica scoffed, "What is there to investigate? He shot himself."

"Veronica, you and I know there is probably more to it than that."

"No there isn't Lana. He killed himself plain and simple."

That was part of the problem of this town. There was clearly a darkness to it and yet no one cared to try and unearth what it was. There were so many suicides, not including the time Lana lived there. Many times did she walk into first period in sixth grade and find out a boy in high school shot himself. Or another time when she walked into 5th period sophomore year and her classmate that was a senior was found in a ditch the night before with empty heroin needles and a rubber tie around his arm. It was either drug overdose, or an eaten bullet. What was it about this town that made young men want to end it? Was it the dark energy in the town that took Eric? Or was it life choices that drove him to it? Whatever the reason was, Lana felt compelled to find it. Leaving Eric hurt enough, and now that he was dead, she owed it to herself to find out why. Maybe that was selfish, but she never stopped loving Eric.

The day she saw he was engaged to Gwen, she threw up and left work. She felt as if she died inside that day. It was a future Lana wanted, but she couldn't stay in Red Hills. Not with the darkness. Not in a town that would never prosper. She wanted to leave more than have a future with Eric. But that didn't mean that leaving him hurt any less. The world could be amazing if one explored it, that was the future she wanted with Eric. Eric wanted a future in a town where he was loved and adored.

"He did...but you should know, I never stopped loving him." Lana admitted.

Veronica scoffed, "And yet you left him."

"Why do you think he killed himself, Veronica? Did Eric appear depressed? People who kill themselves aren't just happy one minute and the next they want to die."

"People who kill themselves are also really good at hiding it until one day they're just gone."

"Fair enough, but Eric was a happy and loving guy. Eric isn't the guy to marry a woman, give her children, and then go eat a bullet."

"I don't know why he killed himself. But he did, and there's nothing to investigate. It is what it is. I called you because he would have wanted you at his funeral. That's it."

Lana took a step toward Veronica and looked her in the eyes, "I think there's more to why Eric died. I don't think anyone here wants to admit it. I know this town is haunted and full of dark energy and I'm not leaving until I've uncovered what possessed Eric to kill himself."