Hope Falls Season 2 - Eagle Valley (2 page)

There are certain things that happen to people in intense, dangerous situations. They fall in love, for example. It was only natural, in the situation they were in, that Susan and Derrick would turn to each other, both having lost a loved one. Susan had lost a friend. Derrick had lost a lover.

And it was natural that they would feel something for each other. They felt a bond; in a way, Miriam's death had brought them closer. After six months on the road they were lovers. It happened so naturally, neither of them had ever commented on it, but just enjoyed it as much as possible.

Cleo, though, was still alone. She felt even more alone while living with her daughter. It was odd, trying to form a relationship with a daughter who was different than when she had left her. But she would have one to love too, soon. Cleo could feel it deep into her bones. The fact that a loved one would be coming for her helped Cleo take on the day. It also helped her with the knowledge that this was not over.

This was not over. They would continue to be tested. Her bones told her this. She could feel it's cold gnawing at her insides. The warmth of her lover to be was the only thing that kept her sane.

She stepped into the kitchen of the cabana and cleared her throat. If she didn't, those two would go on kissing the whole damn day. "Is there coffee on?" She said, smiling.

Chapter Two

Susan stopped kissing Derrick when her mother came in. For whatever reason, the woman's presence made her nervous. She didn't know why it was, but having her mother back in her existence, back from the dead as it were; it just didn't sit well with her. She had so many unanswered questions. There were so many things that didn't add up.

Where was her father? For example…She had so many questions. She wanted to ask her mother so much, but didn't know where to begin.

Shaking her head, Susan stepped away from Derrick, but not before pinching his butt. She smiled at her mother. "Hello Cleo, how did you sleep?"

She still insisted on calling her Cleo. Cleo smiled, noting this. "I slept fine, baby. The warmth of
New Mexico
does my bones good."

“Here, Ms. H, take a seat." Derrick Cleo a chair at the table. Cleo accepted gracefully. "I'll get you a cup of coffee."

“Two sugar two milk, please, Derrick." Cleo smiled. The man was so intent on pleasing her. She rather enjoyed it and would miss the attention when it would end. "You sure you don't mind me staying with you?" She asked.

Susan smiled and sat down beside her mother. She felt distant from her, as if she couldn't relate to the woman she had loved all her life, as if this woman was a different person from the mother she had loved. "No, we already told you we don't."

“I could stay in a hotel, it wouldn't be a problem…"

“I wouldn't hear of it mother." Susan said.

“Don't be silly Ms. H." Derrick said. He was mixing up pancake batter at the sink. "We like having you around." He paused. "Don't we Susan."

Susan blushed slightly. "Of COURSE I love having you here, Mother." She said, touching her mother's shoulder. "Besides, we're all safer together. Howard could be looking for you too."

“We spend so much time afraid now." Cleo said sadly. "Tell me," she said, switching the subject, "Have you heard anything?"

“There was this in the paper today…" Susan passed Cleo the clipping from the newspaper.

Cleo tutted as she read it. "So, it continues."

“Seem to be." Susan said. "I don't know how we can put a stop to it. There has to be away."

“Things were better when you didn't get the paper." Derrick said. "I didn't mind being cut off from the outside world."

“I couldn't stand not knowing what had happened." Susan said. She sighed and flopped into a chair. "If I saw Howard Kowalski now, I'd tear off his balls and feed them to a dog and make him watch while I was doing it." Cleo spit out her coffee in a fine spray all over the breakfast table. "Sorry Mother."

“No problem," Cleo said, chuckling.

“They say that ignorance is bliss. They're right. Hiding here, not knowing what is going on in the outside world, walking along our own private beach every day. I admit, it's been pretty swanky."

She took a sip of her coffee. "For two years, we were in bliss, ignorant of what had happened. But didn't a part of you want to know? I mean they were making SNUFF films for fuck sake." She took a breath.

“They ARE making snuff films,
Hope
Falls
is still in action, still going strong. Could either of you really live with yourselves now knowing what was happening? Knowing we're the only ones who can do something about it?"

Both Cleo and Derrick both looked down and said nothing. Neither wanted to admit that they, too, had been curious. Susan smiled. "You're both just as restless as I am. For god sake, Derrick, you wanted to go on a trip! That's the WORST thing we can do, because where ever we go, we'll be seen. I KNOW you're tired of hiding, but I couldn't go on not knowing…." She said.

“We can't stop hiding but I couldn't go on not knowing, no matter what it would cost me…" She reached for a pack of cigarettes, took one from a pack and lit one.

“I wish you would stop that." Derrick said.

“Bite me." Susan replied sweetly.

There was silence for a few minutes while Derrick handed out pancakes and they poured syrup. They listened to the wind play outside, to the birds in the trees that lined the beach. If Susan tried hard enough, she could pretend that they were just a normal family, mother, daughter, lover, all sharing a morning breakfast. Sometimes, in quiet moments like this, it almost felt normal, as if none of the past had happened. She wished for the quiet to go on for just a moment longer.

And then the doorbell rang.

* * *

Susan went to answer the door a smile plastered to her face automatically. It wasn't often they got visitors in
Eagle
Valley
. Their nearest neighbor was four miles away, so they were well hidden. But occasionally people stopped by, friends from their new life, after
Hope
Falls
. It was always good to answer the door with a smile; people asked less questions that way.

You learned a lot of survival tricks in three years. So the smile just came naturally to Susan when the doorbell rang. The smile vanished a second after Susan opened the door, however. She gave a loud shriek, mumbled something unintelligible and fainted onto the front stoop.

Derrick and Cleo, hearing the noise, came running from the kitchen and stared in shock when they saw why Susan had fainted.

Standing on the front step was Sophie.

Chapter Three

“Hi." Sophie said.

Cleo looked at her with amazement. Her mouth gaped open and she wasn't really sure what to say, if she could even say anything…the last time she had seen Sophie…oh Goddess. The last time they had seen Sophie, it had been that night, when everything went wrong.

The night their lives changed forever…

FLASH!

IT IS AS IF WE ARE STARING AT THINGS THROUGH THE FABRIC OF TIME. GOLD GLITTERS AROUND THE EDGES….

Sophie stayed listening for a while. "Where have you been? How do you know about what is going on?"

“Oh, darling girl, I've done some terrible things. I've done some horrible things. I couldn't live with myself, I just couldn't. We were so poor and you see, you were wanting a job on the television for so long. I cant' tell you what it was like, we never told you..."

“Mom, what are you saying?" Susan studied her mother intently.

Sophie took this moment to leave the room. The conversation was getting a little too intense. She wanted to give the mother and daughter space to talk amongst themselves. It had been two years since they had had privacy.

Walking down the hallway towards the back of the house, she took a cigarette from out of her purse and headed out the back door of the small farmhouse. She knew she shouldn't smoke, but to hell with it.

Stopping for a moment, she turned and went back inside, pouring herself a glass of wine. If she was going to relax, she was going to do it right. The whole day had been weird. She was starting to feel as if she were right into the middle of a soap opera. Sophie knew from reading Oprah that drama was not good for a healthy life style. She wished that it would all stop soon.

She walked out into the tall sunflowers that grew on the edge of the yard. They reached towards the sky and it's early dawn grayness. She inhaled and exhaled, enjoying the play of the smoke in front of her. She took a sip of her wine and smiled. It was the last thing she did before she died.

It was done in a flash. A knife blade across the throat, her own blood running down her front. She saw the blood running down her shirtfront and tried to scream but could only gurgle.

She gaped, not making a sound. Looking down she saw that blood had collected in the curve of her wineglass, staining her wine to a nice rose color.

The last thing she thought, before she fell backward into someone's strong, hard arms, was that she was finally getting her wish. She smiled.

FLASH!

EXT: ANOTHER SCENE PLAYS OUT IN FRONT OF US. THE SCENE IS DARKER THIS TIME; SHADOWS ARE PLAYING IN THE TREES…

Sophie lay sprawled on the ground. Her throat had been slit and her mouth slashed to ribbons. Only her eyes and her lips had been left unharmed. She looked out from a face of blood.

Her arms and legs had been slashed to and fro. She had bled to death, her blood forming a protective circle on the sunflowers that surrounded her. Her skin was a pale white and her hair a dusky red that looked like blood flowing onto the flower petals.

Derrick heard a sound then. It was long and loud. It took him a moment to realize it was him screaming, a deep painful cry…

FLASH!

INT: SUSAN AND DERRICK'S HOME.
EAGLE VALLEY
,
NEW MEXICO

THE HAZE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM OUR EYES AND THE PRESENT HAS RETURNED…

Cleo looked at Derrick. His face mirrored her own.

“My God, Sophie…" Derrick whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Chapter Four

Sophie smiled. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" She laughed softly and stepped into the house. "I live here, don't I?"

Cleo and Derrick looked at her with open mouths. "Darling girl," Cleo said, "What are you doing here? You can't be here. You just can't be."

“Why not?" Sophie said. She tilted her head. "I mean the house is well hidden and I had a little trouble finding the place, but I knew I'd find you eventually. Why can't I be here?"

“Sophie?" Derrick said. "Don't you remember?"

“Remember what?"

“You died, Sophie." Derrick said.

“What?" Her face was ashen.

“I found you." Derrick said. "I found you in the grass; they had slit your throat…"

“I don't know what you're talking about!" Sophie yelled. "Why are you talking nonsense, Derrick?"

“It's true." Cleo said. She could not look at Sophie; the sight of her hurt. "I saw you myself. We buried you beneath the ground." Cleo sighed. "I was at your funeral."