The Smiths

Sunday 6:30 am

The sun finally rose over the hillside turning the barn doors from a granite to a crimson color. With each phase of the morning, more and more animals would begin to stir, from the chickens to the pigs to the cows.

Johnny pulled himself from the comfort of his bed and found his way to the kitchen to begin the dark roast that would get him through the rest of the day. He had finished putting on the worn brown boots that once belonged to his father and his black coat as the coffee sputtered to a stop.

He finished pouring his cup and stood looking out the window at the animals as they awaited their breakfast. A smile touched his lips and faded as the right side of his head flared for a brief moment. He muttered to himself about the dust collecting on the shades and with another flash of pain he set off to feed the animals.

The pigs oinked gleefully as Johnny filled their trough with a mixture of corn, soybeans, and wheat.

He had always loved to feed the animals, ever since he was a child. His mother would stand with him and watch as he struggled to lift the bucket of food into the troughs or sprinkle scraps in the poultry house. His excitement would always make her smile. He loved his mother and had been devastated when she passed away a few months after his 13th birthday. His father had always told him to let her go and that it wasn't healthy for him to pretend she was still with them. But Johnny couldn’t help it, he kept a part of her with him even at the age of 25.

Mr. Smith was hard on Johnny since he was little and after his mother passed there was no one left to stand up for him. Up until his father passed away from lung cancer a year ago.

Johnny looked past the pigpen toward the barn, the barn where his father would slaughter the pigs and make him watch. Where he would get yelled at for crying as the life drained from the pig's eyes.

Johnny ripped himself away from the barn and went to collect the eggs from the chickens, bringing them back inside the house to scramble.

With two plates of eggs and bacon, Johnny made his way to the barn, passing the ruckus of the animals and the bristling of the wheat and corn in the wind.

He jammed his boot in between the barn doors and pried the door open. The only light illuminating the interior of the building came from the cracks between boards, the open door, and a single lightbulb that hung in the center of the room. He had always been unsettled by the eerie darkness of the barn, only being filled with fluorescent lighting and the faint remnants of screeches.

Johnny set a plate down under the light and sat down beside it with his own plate.

“Breakfast,” Johnny shoveled a bite of eggs into his mouth, “sorry, got cold fast.”

In the corner of the barn, a small bundle shifted.

“S’okay, he ain’t here. You can come out now,” Johnny scooted the plate closer to the dark figure, “I ain't gonna hurt you.”

“Please, I want to go home.”

“You need to eat somethin’.”

“Please...”

“‘S pretty good! Got the eggs fresh this mornin’!” He smiled as he shoveled more food into his mouth. Another spark of pain flashed to his head.

“Don’t scare the poor thing, Dear. She has been through quite a bit of a scare, now hasn't she?”

“Sorry, Momma.”

A rustling came from the corner of the barn as the figure edged closer to the wall.

“It’s okay sweetheart,” Johnny stood and brushed dirt from his pants. He bent down to pick up his plate and held it out with one hand, leaving the other to fall softly on his stomach. “I’m going to leave your plate right here Dear and we are going to give you the privacy to eat. No lady should be feeling watched, now should she?”

The light swayed softly as the wind entered the barn, illuminating the face of a young girl curled up in the corner of the room. Dirt caked her fair skin and clothes. She had long black hair that had been tangled into a ratty mess of hair and hay and dark brown eyes turned red from tears. On the pavement surrounding her were patches of blood from the cuts on her bare hands and feet from clawing and punching the doors and walls.

“We’ll be back in a little while.” Johnny smiled and left the barn, locking it behind him.

***

Sunday 9:45 am

Maggie wasn't sure how long she had been in this barn. A few days, weeks maybe? Although that didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that she needed to get out.

Once the door had closed and locked she pushed her way to her feet and searched for exits, like she did every day for God knows how long.

She limped to the door, checking the handle, knowing it wouldn't budge. After leaving a red handprint on the ice-cold handle, she moved to the windows which had wooden boards and wire nailed around the frame, letting only a sliver of light in.

She closed one eye and pressed her face to the slit in the boards. Outside she could only see the corn waving in the wind, and if the corn moved just enough, a speck of blue sky would appear. A tear escaped from her eye, pushing back more dirt that had collected on her face through the night.

She slid down the side of the wall, clutched her knees, and stared back at the yellow pile of eggs that lay in the middle of the room.

***

Sunday 12:45 pm

Johnny felt another pang of a headache approach as he sat in his father's lazy boy recliner in the house. Anger flushed over him. He sat up and stormed to the barn, busting the doors open. What greeted him was a soft cry and a plate of eggs and bacon untouched in the center of the room.

At the sight of the food, his anger bubbled over. The girl shrunk and cried as he marched toward her. She tried to claw and scream as he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the plate of food.

“Where did you get this?” he roared.

“What are you talking about?” her sobs and gasps disrupted the dirt laying around the dish.

“Did my ass of a son give you this?”

“Who?” He picked up the plate of food and smashed it on the concrete opposite where her head was lying, shattering the white dish into hundreds of pieces.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. “Don’t cross me, child,” he muttered and stormed out of the barn.

***

Sunday 2:10 pm

Maggie had known the Smiths from around town, seen them in the grocery store or dropping meat off at the butcher shop.

They seemed like a normal family. His mother was known in town for making the best pies. Everyone would go crazy buying her apple pies in the late harvest season. She was a bigger woman and Maggie’s ma had always warned her, “Don’t eat too many of Mrs. Smith’s pies, or else you'll find yourself lookin’ like her”. Maggie’s mother wasn't known for being the nicest, but, around town, Mrs. Smith was as sweet as her desserts. His father on the other hand was a quiet, brooding, fellow. He gave the town their meats and crops but was never known to show pleasantries.

She had never been close with Johnny. He had only been the quiet kid that she would see dropping off corn with his father or picking fruit with his mother, but in a small town, everybody knows everybody.

She never expected to find herself waking up in the middle of their barn one day, tied up like a hog, begging to see her Ma and Pa.

***

Sunday 4:20 pm

Johnny crept into the barn to see the broken plate and the young girl crying in a ball under the light.

“Oh no,” he whispered under his breath. The girl, startled, clung to her knees and cried harder.

“Please don’t hurt me.”

Johnny slowly moved closer to her, “My papa come in here?” He sat down a foot from her bundled body and stared with sadness in his eyes.

The young girl lifted her head up to meet his gaze. “Y-you’re Johnny, right?”

“‘at’s me! Johnny Smith.”

“You’re the one who brought me the food, right?” Johnny smiled and nodded.

“Sorry 'bout my papa.” he looked at the glass shards scattered on the ground.

“Was that who was in here earlier?” She began to sit up a little more, studying the face of the man who sat before her.

Another nod.

“I’m Maggie.”

“I know.” He smiled and sat up.

“Are you hungry? I could come back here and give you dinner! I think mommas makin’ ham.”

“Momma?”

“Yeah, she was in here with us for breakfast.”

Maggie looked at Johnny for a moment, “T-that sounds nice Johnny,” She inched closer to him, “But maybe I could join you all in the house for dinner, maybe clean up a bit?”

Johnny shook his head, “Papa wouldn't like that. He says animals stay outside.” He stood up and glanced back down at her.

“Please Johnny...”

“I can come back later with ham.”

“Johnny!”

“Bye Maggie.” He smiled and went to the door, locking it behind him.

***

Sunday 5:45 pm

The kids in town would talk about how odd Mr. Smith was, how he would never talk and always seemed to stare for a little too long. Rumors were spread about how he probably kept children in his big red barn. But that’s what all kids think about the creepy man in town, they’re always hiding bodies.

Johnny had taken over his father's farm when he turned 24 because his dad had gotten sick and wasn’t able to move past his bedroom and the kitchen. The whole town had heard about his condition and had a funeral for Mr. Smith when he died a year later.

Maggie wanted to give her condolences at the ceremony, but Johnny never showed.

***

Sunday 6:04 pm

Johnny came back to the barn with a plate of ham, mashed potatoes, and corn and set it down on the concrete under the light.

“Maggie.”

A rustling in the corner of the room let him know that she was still there. His friend. She picked herself off of the ground and made her way carefully to the plate of food and sat down. Johnny smiled and began to make his way toward the doors.

“A-aren't you going to stay with me?”

“But my papa will be wond’rin' where I am.”

“Just for a little while? Please, Johnny.”

He looked into her pleading brown eyes and started making his way back when his head began to pound. Both hands flew to his head as he wretched in pain and then it was gone.

“What did I say about being ‘round the animals boy?” Johnny’s head snapped back up and looked at Maggie with disgust. Except this wasn’t Johnny anymore.

“Who said you could eat right now girl?”

She pushed herself away from the food and tried to crawl away but Mr. Smith was too quick. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her down on the ground again.

“Look what you're making me do boy!” his hands flew up and clung to his head once again.

“Don’t you talk to him like that you pig!” Johnny's body straightened as his hands fell to his hips. “He did nothing but be a gentleman to this young lady here.” His face wretched in pain once again.

“Gentleman?” he roared, “To her? She’s nothing but another slut! An animal!”

His face curled into that of a scared upset little boy.

“Momma! Papa! Please...”

“Shut it, Boy! I should have done this a long time ago.” Johnny moved to the far wall, unlocked a box, and pulled out a shotgun.

“Don’t you hurt him, Bill!” Johnny cried.

Maggie sat on the floor in horror as the man in front of her neared her. As he got closer he stopped and clutched his head once more.

“No!” Johnny hoisted the shotgun up, pulled the trigger, and fell to the ground. Maggie sat, staring at Johnny's limp body lying on the spilled corn in front of her. It was finally over. They were all gone with a bullet to his head.