Chapter 1: From City To Country

The Roadside Shop, Outskirts Of Fallon Creek, Michigan...

  Golden rays from a determined sun had been difficult to get away from as Casey Peterson found himself wincing from the brightness with his hand blocking it's range into his face as his blue eyes took in the vast nothingness that seemed to surround them and the numerous trees that made the surrounding area look the same to someone whom had been accustomed to the big city life. His mother had had enough of the school district and their lack of concern for the well being of her child and after the latest scare in the form of the bully Royce Tanner having nearly drowned the already ailing Casey to death in the toilet of a little patrolled boy's bathroom, she wasn't keen on staying in the city. With a sigh, Casey sat in the passenger seat of his mother's faded red station wagon with all of their belongings packed and stored inside in various boxes and suitcases.

He wasn't in the least thrilled about the new move but had little choice in the matter as his mother had the final say. Typical of a boy his age, Casey was all attitude and teenage angst with his arms folded against his thin built chest, which was covered via a white t-shirt and a denim jacket. He wore faded blue jeans and white high top trainers.

His unkempt dark brown hair curtained about his well rounded and decidedly smooth baby face as he continued to try and avoid the sun's direct light shining in his eyes. He came to the conclusion that he needed to use the restroom due to the contracting of his aching bladder, which had been on the verge of bursting due to the numerous bottles of cola he consumed during their time on the road.

Casey gritted his teeth as the familiar pangs went through his body and he was growing all the more desperate. Fumbling his way out of the station wagon, he managed to reach a row of trees that were a good distance away from the car and the shop his mother had entered upon their arrival to this woodland place.

He'd been in such a rush when he raced toward the woods that he neglected to assess his surroundings, which would have alerted him to the strange pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to hone in on his every twitch of muscle and shift of his body weight.

Casey quickly unzipped his jeans and fished his already swelled cock out to aim at a nearby tree where he began to relieve himself against the trunk of the tree coating the now darkened bark in visible wetness as his bladder appeared to relax causing him to forget for a moment that he'd been in the middle of nowhere as far as the civilization he'd been greatly accustomed to had been concerned.

The unsuspecting lad had not means of knowing that the glowing eyes amid the trees continued to watch him as he shook himself and tucked his wet cock back into his jeans before zipping up and attempting to make his way back toward his mother's station wagon and the old shop that had caught her eye during the drive.

Mrs. Peterson seemed to be having the time of her life as she exited the shop accompanied by an older man wearing a long sleeve white shirt and denim overalls. He was a fairly tall man, with long white hair and a beard which was also white and dangled nearly toward the middle of his chest.

He had dark brown eyes lined with what Casey's mother dreaded in the form of crow's feet and seemed to have been privy to a great many things in his long lifetime. He carried large dark brown paper bags filled to the brim with whatever Mrs. Peterson had purchased during her time in his store.

From the looks of things, it seemed that Casey had returned just in time. As he stood leaning against the side of the station wagon with his arms folded across his thin built chest as he watched his mother and the old man approach before assisting with getting the bags into the left over space on the backseat.

"Took you long enough." he muttered rather bitterly in typical teenage fashion.

His mother smiled at him warmly despite his attitude due to knowing that he'd been alive after all he'd been through and safe in her view and away from that awful city with the twisted school bullies whom has nearly killed him.

"Don't be such a grouch." she said sweetly. "I had to pick up a few things before we got to the new house."

Since they weren't privy to the area, he considered it a good thing to stop off for food and supplies while they were on the road, it was better to be safe than sorry, as his mother often said. She never once hesitated to put her words into practice especially given all she'd gone through with losing her husband and the difficulty of bringing her only son and child into the world.

A cold cruel world at that.

"Casey, I'd like you to meet Mr. Bennet." said Mrs. Peterson. " He's the owner of this fine establishment and was gracious enough to give me directions to the new house."

Casey nodded in the old man's direction out of politeness. He wasn't much for small talk and even less for meeting strangers despite everyone in this new place being a stranger to them since the move from their big city.

The old man didn't seem in the least put off by Casey's lackluster attitude as he'd seen it all before and even had an occasion or two of doing it himself when he'd been the young lad's age. Mrs. Peterson wasn't impressed by her only son's behavior in the least despite being cheerful in the presence of the old man.

"Welcome to Fallon Creek, where the wild river runs and you gotta hunt to eat unless you swing by the corner stores in town." said the apparently amused old man.

Casey got the impression that he'd been waiting to say that for a while with how he chuckled. Mrs. Petersen remained polite looking every bit the city born woman she'd truly been with her dirty blond hair pulled back in something of a rushed ponytail, completely with a black scrunchie. She wore typical casual mom clothes, in the form of high rising badge khaki trousers, long white socks, a white thin T-shirt, light brown boots, and a long sleeve peach colored shirt rolled rather conveniently at the forearms giving her the classic Gracie Allen look.

She had the same blue eyes that Casey had inherited from her and a determination to make a fresh start in this strange little town if only to salvage what remained of her son's innocence after what happened in the city. He'd been silent and withdrawn for much of the time since his recovery, other times he'd been embittered about having survived it due to the constant ridicule and humiliation. She tried her best to get him to see the brighter side of things, but not much had worked for her when Casey had been old enough to get a sense of the world outside of their shared home.

She recalled with a great deal of dread the first time Casey was labeled as a "freak" by one of the neighborhood boys. Apparently, he had heard the adults talking about Casey's special condition and that ended up translating to "cannon fodder" for making the young boy's life a living hell ever since.

Casey climbed into the passenger seat of the station wagon after helping to load the bags in the back while his mother climbed into the driver seat. As soon as they were inside, Casey spent much of his time as he had when they were on the road brooding as he stared out the window watching the world he knew pass them by and give way to a place that had been utterly foreign to him.

As he watched the roadside market disappear amid the trees and the winding road that the faded red station wagon had been heading down, Casey could do little aside from brood as the life he knew and had not been too fond of was getting further and further away via the rear view.