Guessed it right. Not that it helped.
“Well, I live in the woods outside of town, the old Acreage cabin?”
His eyes narrowed. “What road do you use to come in?”
“Dunno, itwinds past the lighthouse—“
“Those are the west woods. No one goes there.”
“Sorry? What does that mean?”
“It means no one will deliver there.” Ralf looked me up and down. “You know you’re not supposed to be there, right? It’s against the town laws.”
I snorted. “Dude, I’ve paid all the taxes, have all the land deeds and permission to be there. It’s my house. I own a chunk of the woods.”
“Well, good luck to you. The closest anyone will come is the mailbox, which is just off the main road. We used to get dared to head up the path when I was a kid.”
I vaguely remembered the dirt road. My map to the place took me on a different route and what was barely passable as tracks, not even proper roads. Maybe this one was shorter and easier on my truck.
“Right…”
What the actual fuck was I getting myself into? How had Malik done any of the work if no one came to the place? How did he get basic things when he was sick? I needed to investigate the mailbox. Since switching on theutilities, like the water, I hadn’t been out there to check if I had any mail.
“Maybe Jeff will deliver there. I’d have to ask him.”
“Okay, why don’t you then?” I suggested, already sick of this shit. How the fuck was I going to make this place livable without help?
Ralf sort of sneered at me, then went scurrying off. Jerk.
I stood there for a while and was starting to think no one was coming when Ralf came into view with a hulking man next to him. If I was going to stereotype, this guy was part troll or a bear shifter of some kind. His band was different from mine, so maybe not. I vaguely wondered why that was.
“Ralf tells me you’re out at Malik’s old place.” He glanced at my inhibitor with a frown.
“That’s right. I’m his nephew. He passed it to me when he died a few months ago.”
Although we weren’t close, I still felt bad about my uncle’s premature death. Shifting sickness was random and incurable. He’d lived a long life with the condition when the general prognosis is death before adulthood.
“Sorry for your loss. He gave the place a lot of business, always fixing up that house.” Jeff at least was a decent guy.
“Thanks. I hear people don’t deliver out there.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Not allowed as per the town rules unless you go in a group.”
“How did Uncle Malik get stuff, then?”
“Oh, he had a shed for deliveries. We have the code on file for the lock. We’d put everything away, food in the fridge, and what have ya, then he’d get it later. Well up until—“ His words cut off. “It’s probably still standing unless some kids got to it.”
I couldn’t see how he managed with it in the later stages of the disease, when he was robbed of his mobility.
Rubbing my forehead, I sighed. “Right. I can check, then could we go back to that?”
“Sure thing…”
Jeff was looking for my name. “Imri. I’m going to give living out there a go.”
“Well, good luck to ya!”
Figured I was going to need it.
