text: The wheels on Carmella’s accord squeaked as she slid into the spot. She checked her phone again to see what town she landed in on maps. Riftons, Tennessee. She didn’t want to drive anymore today and the signs on the roads told her it’d be a while before the next town. So she figured she’d stop here and get a drink at the first thing that looked like a bar. Then, when she was done drinking she could get a hotel room for the night. Kent wouldn’t mind if she stopped. He always had her leave for gem shows early to give her time not only to drive them but to give her a day of freedom before them. If she stayed here tonight and finished the journey tomorrow she could check into the hotel in Richmond and still have most of the day left to relax before the show the next morning. It was chilly outside and she rubbed the arms of her gray sweater as she entered the bar. She expected more of a transition from the afternoon sunlight outside. But the room was well lit, clean, and most everything in the building looked new. Shiny taps sat behind the lacquered bar. Brand new stools lined the expanse of it. A bartender leaned against the counter behind the bar in a relaxed way stroking a long, full, dark beard. He absent mindedly watched the television and didn't look up when she entered. She sat a few seats down from a petite dark haired beauty who got up when Carmella sat down. “What can I get you?” the burly attendant asked her. “Whatever red is good here. You can start a tab.” Carm handed him her card and he shuffled off to take care of the drink and tab. As he set the wine glass in front of her the tiny vamp returned and sat right next to Carmella. They both looked over as a couple entered and sat in a booth off to the side and started looking at menus. The man in the couple locked eyes with Carmella’s seatmate and Carm mused on how they might know each other. “Mind grabbing me what she’s got Francis?” a deep voice trickled from the wet looking oxblood lips of the girl next to her. “Sure, Angelle.” and he poured another glass from the bottle he opened for Carm. Carmella said nothing but watched as the pale creature swirled the dark liquid before taking a sip. “I haven’t had red wine in a while. Sometimes you forget how good it is.” She said looking right at Carmella. The bartender she addressed as Francis shuffled off to talk to the couple who had flagged him down. “Not much of a wine drinker?” Carmella asked dumbly. What else was one supposed to say to an unprompted conversation? Especially when the person who started it was so distractingly beautiful. The woman next to her chuckled. “No, I usually like the harder stuff. But change is good every once in a while. I’m Angelle by the way.” “Carmella.” and she offered her hand out to shake. Four more patrons come in and Angelle regards them in the same fashion as the man before. Eyes lock without a word of greeting. She turns back to Carm and lightly clasps the offered hand. Her skin is scorching... Carmella thinks to herself. “Nice to meet you Carmella. What brings you out here? I’m assuming you’re just passing through? There’s literally nothing to see here. And anyone who lives here stays. No one moves in. No one moves out. Riftons is where people are born, bred, and die.” The dark eyes Angelle regarded Carmella with were filled with humor. “Ah. Yes. I’m just staying the night. I have to get to Virginia tomorrow for work. I drove up from Texas and I just can’t drive anymore today.” “Texas? That’s a bit of a drive to Virginia. What do you do? Why drive instead of fly?” “I buy gems wholesale for a store in Dallas. And I don’t know. I guess I like to sightsee. My boss doesn’t mind. Says it almost makes no difference in expenses and he likes making his employees happy.” Carmella conveniently left out the part about her fear of flying. She’d much rather die in a fiery wreck than trapped in a giant tube of metal high above the ground. Carmella ordered another drink. As the wine flowed, so did the conversation between her and Angelle. More people arrived as time passed too. This bar was different from any one horse town dive Carmella had experienced in the past. Most established town bars were dated. But this place provided a posh hipster vibe. Everyone who came in was young. Angelle seemed to recognize the people who came in but never said a word to anyone except Francis and Carm. Eventually Carmella stopped questioning the strangeness of this all. How everything seemed to defy her expectations of what a small old town should be. She looked down at her phone. “Jesus is that the time?” she slurred out. She had been here for hours and the bar was packed. Everything was shifting and seemed to get brighter and hotter. She was going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. “Carm, I think maybe it’s time to cut you off.” Angelle laughed at her above the crowd. Angelle waved down Francis. “Hey let me settle our tab. It’s time.” she shouted. Carmella giggled and grabbed her purse. “I’ve got this.” Angelle stopped her. Carm was too drunk to protest. She needed to get to a bed. The heat of the bar and the lights were giving her a headache. And they only seemed to be getting brighter. “Let’s get out of here.” she mumbled into Angelle’s ear beyond her long dark hair. Carmella slumped into Angelle and let her guide her. There were so many people. Angelle twisted and turned through the crowd supporting Carm. Her body radiated heat. It was too hot. Why weren’t they out yet? “Angelle....” Carm mumbled weakly. “Shhh... we’re almost out. It’s time. You’ll be out soon.” “Time?” Carm questioned. Suddenly the lights were too bright to stand anymore. “Stop!” Carm yelled. “I want out. I want to leave. It’s too hot. It’s so hot.” She started to push Angelle away but her grip tightened. Then everything and everyone stopped. They all turned toward Carmella. All in sync. Unprompted and unexpected. “It’s time.” Angelle reported and her body began to glow. Carmella struggled against Angelle’s gaining heat with alarm and panic. Her gaining brightness. Everyone around her started to close in. Their bodies shimmering, the luminescence gaining. Carm dropped to the ground and covered her eyes while she sobbed. She couldn’t block out the light. It was consuming the very essence of her. The heat enveloped her senses and she could no longer think straight no matter how hard she tried. Humming started around her and a uniform chant began. “It’s time. It’s time. It’s time. It’s time.” Carmella felt hands lifting her up. Then she felt her body float of its own accord. She was completely bound and she never saw the roof open above her. Didn’t see Angelle’s form next to her floating past the top of the building. She didn’t see the capsule she floated into. A bright, white, tiny sun. That night, several towns in Tennessee reported a large, unidentifiable light floating above what was supposed to be nothing but woods. This wasn’t the first time strange things came from this patch of woods. They were expansive and empty. Just trees between one town and the next. Reports of mysterious lights would happen every once in a while. No one talked about it, but the old timers in the area knew you avoided the roads which passed through those woods. People who traveled through never came back. No one ever knew what happened to Carmella. She disappeared off the map. No trace of her car. Her boss reported her missing eventually but there was no trail to follow. She was simply gone.