House Bound

Chapter 1

Susan squinted at the sign as she passed it and let out a harrumph that caught Fiona's attention, "What's wrong?"

Susan jumped a little in the driver's seat, "What? Nothing... nothing." the second nothing was spoken in a smaller, quieter voice that let Fiona know that it was far from nothing.

Fiona swivelled her head around and looked out the back of the car, Isabella and Sally both had their noses stuck in their phones, just like she had until a moment ago, but what really caught Fiona's attention was the setting sun behind them.

"Why are we heading east?" she asked accusingly as her head swivelled back around to Susan.

"We're not!" Susan replied with a little bit of panic in her voice, "At least I don't think we are..."

Fiona rolled her eyes and knew she shouldn't have let Susan drive, her sense of direction was the worst.

"How long do you *think* we've been driving west for Susan?"

"Ah, I don't know... maybe half an hour? I kinda got turned around when I got off the highway."

"And why did you get off the highway?"

Susan bit her lower lip before she answered, "Well, there was construction... and a detour... and... and..."

Susan's lower lip started to quiver and Fiona knew what came next if she didn't head it off at the pass, "Well, whatever, no big deal, we'll just check the GPS and we'll get back on track in no time..."

"Hey, where did my signal go?" Sally spoke up from the back seat as she finally looked up from her phone.

"Mine too..." Isabella chimed in as well.

Fiona checked her phone and found no signal as well, "Must be in a dead spot, good thing GPS is satellite-based..." she said as she loaded up the map app and was presented with a blank screen.

"GPS might be satellite-based, but all the map data needs to be loaded from the Internet..." Isabella said with a condescending tone in her voice, like Fiona should have known better.

"Shit, well, maybe we should turn around then. Get back to the highway, or at least a signal." Fiona replied.

"Uhm, the sign back there said that the town of Bucks Ferry was just 2 miles ahead..." Susan said, almost in a whisper.

Fiona looked at Isabella and Sally and they both nodded, "Ok, I guess Bucks Ferry it is. Hopefully they have somewhere to stay for the night, it's getting dark and I could really use a good night's sleep."

"Amen to that!" Sally said.

Fiona turned back facing forward and set her phone down in her purse as darkness continued to close in on them. The four of them were unlikely road trip partners if someone had just met them, but they had known each other since grade school and had remained tight throughout their lives.

The road trip was their annual summer tradition, even now that they were in their second year of university at different schools across the state. Sally had enrolled at the top agricultural school in the state and was on track to graduate with honours. Isabella was enrolled at a prestigious engineering program at the same school that Fiona was taking her environmental engineering degree at. And poor Susan, well, she was enrolled at a local community college taking an arts degree.

Fiona had always been the unofficial leader of the group, but in the last couple of years Isabella had been chaffing at that fact. Between them both attending the same school and Isabella looking down at Fiona's "fake" engineering degree, well, things were not good between the two of them.

Fortunately Fiona had more in common these days with Sally and they got along great. And, well, everyone got along with Susan, she was just one of those happy people that no matter how badly they messed up, you could never stay mad at them for long. And she did mess up a lot in all honesty.

Which was why all three of them had been hesitant to let her take a turn driving. Two years ago, the last time she'd driven during the trip, they'd lost four hours in a maze of back roads trying to find the highway again. But just like people couldn't stay mad at Susan, saying no to her was just as hard and the three of them had relented.

Apparently though, history was repeating itself and all Fiona could do was hope that it would be less than four hours lost this time.

"Oh look! A bed and breakfast!" Susan called out, taking a hand from the wheel and pointing at the large sign at the side of the road.

Fiona, Sally and Isabella all looked at the sign and then at the slightly dilapidated farm house down the long driveway that was beside it.

"You can't be serious..." Isabella said.

"I don't know, it kinda looks like a converted farmhouse." Sally replied with interest.

Which was about the time Fiona noticed the small text at the bottom of the sign that came in to view as they approached, "Last lodging for 50 miles!"

"Ugh... 50 miles!" Fiona grunted as Sally and Isabella read the text as well. Sally just smiled but Isabella shared Fiona's grunt.

"So... uhm... am I turning in?" Susan asked and Fiona just let out a little sigh.

"Yes, looks like it." Isabella interjected before Fiona could say anything else and Fiona shot her a glare.

* * *

Fiona knocked on the front door of the B&B while looking at the peeling white paint that covered it. Isabella was holding the screen door open just behind her and Susan and Sally were looking out from the porch at several of the outbuildings.

It took a minute for the owner to answer the door, but when he did Fiona had an even worse feeling about this particular adventure that Susan had gotten them into.

Standing there, with a toothy grin, was an old man, at least 80 if Fiona had to guess. She would hesitate to call the scruffy white whiskers on his face a beard, but they were certainly too long to be called stubble. He was partly hunched over, wearing a dirty set of blue overalls and a red flannel shirt underneath. His whole vibe was "creepy old guy that lived in the woods" and it didn't sit well with Fiona at all.

"Oh, hello there girls!" the old man said, "Are you looking for a room for the night?"

"Uh..." Fiona started to hesitate, perhaps the extra 50 miles wouldn't be so bad...

"Oh, yeah we are!" Susan replied, pushing her way in front of Fiona before she could stop her.

Fiona just rolled her eyes and sighed again, "Yes, I guess so."

"Ah, well that's good. Come on in..." the old man replied and opened the door the rest of the way and waved them in. Inside was not much better than outside from what Fiona could see, the main living room was set up with a couple of couches and a main dining table, but had old magazines and newspapers littered all over it.

"I see there are four of you. That's perfect, I just happen to have four beds available!"

"Well, actually, we'll just take two." Fiona replied, not yet knowing how expensive this detour was going to be, but not wanting to spend more than they had to.

"Ah, well, I sorry, but all of the beds here are singles..."

Fiona just shook her head and lowered it, "Well, ok. How much?"

The old man grinned, "Oh, 20 dollars each should be fine."

Fiona perked up, "Are you sure... I mean..."

"It's not like I was getting any other customers tonight, and the four of you look like you could really use a good night's rest. By the way, I'm Dave." the old man replied.

"Well, alright, thanks Dave. I'm Fiona, that's Isabella, Susan and Sally."

"A pleasure to meet you. If you don't mind me asking, what brings you all the way out here to the little town of Bucks Ferry?"

"Oh! That's my fault I'm afraid... I kinda got lost..." Susan interjected.

"But we're headed to the west coast to meet up with some friends in a few days, we're expected there." Fiona continued over the confused look on Susan's face. It wasn't true, their road trips never had a destination in mind, just driving around the back country of whatever state they happened to end up in.

"N... ow!" Susan started to replied but Isabella kicked her foot.

"A the road trips of youth! I wish I'd been able to do such a thing in my younger years!" Dave replied and Fiona suspected that cars weren't a thing back in his younger days.

"Well, I guess I should give you the bad news then..."

Fiona brace for it.

"I'm afraid I only have two rooms in the house. The others are in the barn and the shop."

"Shop?" Isabella said.

"Barn?" Sally replied at the same time.

"Yes, don't worry, they're very nice and comfortable. Fully furnished and clean with their own bathrooms."

"I'll take the one in the barn." Sally replied, a smile on her face.

"And I'll take the shop." Isabella said.

"Ok, great, let me show you other two ladies to the room in the house and then I'll take you two out to your rooms."

Chapter 2

Fiona tossed her backpack down onto the single bed and was relieved that it was at least clean and tidy in the room. Even if it was small and cramped. If she had to guess it had been a servant's quarters at one point, converted into a part of the B&B whenever they had renovated the place.

It was on the first floor, just behind the kitchen and she picked it for two reasons; the first was it was closest to her car; the second was that it was as far away from Dave as she could get in the house. The old man still gave her the creeps, even if he had only been friendly and generous. There was just something in his eyes that unsettled her.

Opening her backpack and grabbing her toiletries, she headed across the hall to where the small bathroom was and started to get ready for bed. A quick brush of her teeth, a little flossing, and then tying her long brown hair up into a bun for the night.

When she returned to the room, she pulled out her pyjamas and quickly changed and then put everything else back into her backpack and looked for somewhere to put it. A quick scan of the small room revealed the closet and she opened the door to put her backpack in it for the night.

A small smile crept across her lips as she looked in the closet, a black and white maid's outfit hanging on the single hanger that it contained. Perhaps there hadn't been any renovations done at all she thought with a slight chuckle and then closed the door.

* * *

Susan flopped down onto the bed and let out a little squeal... it was amazing!

The large room held the huge canopy bed easily, and it was filled with stuffed animals and awash in pinks and pastels.

She felt like a princess and couldn't believe Fiona hadn't wanted the room for herself. But Susan wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and perhaps the *slight* mistake she'd made in getting lost would be worth it after all.

It wasn't like she didn't enjoy spending time with her friends, but, well, their interests had changed so much over the years. Fiona and Isabella seemed more interested in one-upping each other than actually having fun, and in all honesty if she had to talk to Sally about farm animals one more time...

Ugh... farms were just so dirty!

Susan rolled over and then cleared the mass of red hairs from in front of her face as she propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her overnight bag on the bed. She frowned a little, there was so little space in the car after the four of them and their bags that she hadn't been able to bring much in the way of her art supplies, but she had managed to get a pad of paper and a few pencils in.

She reached out and opened her bag and retrieved them, opening the pad to an empty page she started to sketch out Dave, the old man that seemed to be under Fiona's skin for no good reason. He'd been nothing but nice after all!

* * *

Isabella and Sally followed Dave as he walked towards one of the outbuildings. It was a cinder block one-story building with a flat roof and a large garage door in the middle and two smaller doors at each end of it.

Dave walked up to the door closest to the house and twisted the knob, swinging it open easily.

"You don't lock your doors?" Isabella asked.

"Gosh no, who would be all the way out here to try and break in?" Dave asked and Isabella looked around, the fields were empty and she couldn't see any other homes in the fading light. She shrugged to herself and had to admit it made sense.

As Dave walked in he flicked a light switch and the fluorescent lights flickered to life just as Sally and Isabella entered the building. Isabella's eyes went wide at the array of equipment inside. Lathe's, presses, milling machines, welding torches, and a pile of other equipment that she would have killed for back home.

"What the hell do you have all this for!?!" she blurted out.

"Huh? Oh, well, this is a working farm. Lots of equipment needs to be maintained and fixed and the closest repair shop is two towns over... so... I have to do it myself." he replied and waved his hand in the general direction of the shop.

"Now, right overhear is your room..." he continued and walked over to the corner where a separate room had been made out of the same cinder block as the rest of the building. A heavy metal door sealed it off from the rest of the building to ensure privacy.

Dave flicked another light switch and inside the room was a hand-welded bed, with industrial furnishings and decorations all over the room. Isabella's smile was from ear to ear as Sally and Dave left the building and she raced back out to the shop to investigate each and every piece of equipment before she turned in for the night.

* * *

Sally just shook her head as she left the shop, Isabella clearly in heaven with all that mechanical stuff around her. It didn't do anything for Sally, but she could certainly understand what Isabella saw in it.

"The barn is just over here." Dave said and pointed his crooked finger towards the large two-story red barn that anyone with eyes could see.

They approached from the side of the building and Sally could see the classic layout of the place. The "lower" level was actually underground on one side of the structure, whereas it was at ground level on the other. This allowed for both levels to have easy access through large doors on each side, to let farm animals in, or whatever else was required.

"Cows or horses?" Sally asked.

"Oh, both actually. Cows on the lower level, horses up top."

Sally nodded as they approached the door on the side of the building on the lower level. She imagined there was a similar door on the opposite side but on the upper level instead.

Dave opened the door and flicked on the light, inside was a modest room that was wallpapered in a black and white spotted pattern that was obviously inspired by a Holstein dairy cow. There were several picture frames on the walls, with different cows, sheep, bulls, and other farm animals in them. The single bed was similarly themed, with a round stainless steel bed frame that almost looked like a milking station.

"Thanks, Dave. This will do fine."

Dave nodded and left, closing the door behind him as he did.

Chapter 3

Fiona rolled over and grabbed her phone, quickly silencing the alarm as she stretched out in bed. Through blurry eyes she looked at her signal strength and couldn't believe she still had none. She was definitely going to have to ask Dave about that before they left this morning.

It was the smell of food that finally got her out of bed and she quickly made her way to the bathroom to have a shower and do her morning ritual. By the time she was dressed, her stomach was growling like a lioness and she left everything in her room and headed out to the kitchen.

There was no one there, or in the living room when she made it that far. It wasn't until she was on the front porch that she saw her friends, and Dave. They were standing by the car, along with a police officer and his patrol car as well. Fiona bolted from the porch and quickly joined everyone else in the middle of a conversation.

"Yes, I'm afraid that's right." the officer was saying. The look of consternation on Isabella's face sent the hairs on the back of Fiona's neck standing on end. Sally looked concerned, and Susan looked as blissfully ignorant as usual.

"What's going on? Officer...?" Fiona asked as the two questions at once as she arrived.

The officer turned towards her and smiled, "Officer Johnston. I was just telling the other guests that the county has been put into a lockdown because of the virus. No travel is allowed for four weeks at least."

"WHAT!" Fiona nearly screamed as her mouth dropped to the ground.

"Yes, I'm afraid the virus has really run rampant across the state and both the governor and our local mayor have declared a stay-at-home order."

"You can't be serious..." Fiona said more calmly, regaining her composure quickly, "We can't stay here a month... we don't live here, the order can't apply to us..." she continued, the last part trailing off with little confidence.

"I'm afraid it does. But I do have some good news for you. I was talking to Dave before you all came out and he's generously agreed to let you stay at the B&B for as long as the order applies... at no cost to you."

Fiona and the other all turned to Dave, his grinning face still sending chills through her even after his generous offer.

"But... but, we have to be somewhere..." Fiona tried to think of a reason, any reason, that might let them leave.

"Well, you'll just have to call them and let them know you're not going to make it."

"Oh, about that, what's going on with cell reception around here?" Fiona asked, the officer's suggestion reminding her about the problem.

"Ah, yes, well we used to have a cell phone company around here, but they couldn't get their equipment working reliably and so they folded up shop and left when nobody purchased a plan from them."

"What about wifi?" Isabella asked, mostly to Dave. Fiona brightened up a bit as she waited for his response.

"I'm afraid we're a little backwards around here, too small for the big phone companies to be interested and too spread out for the small ones to be able to turn a profit. There's a computer at the library in town, but of course with the stay-at-home order, I'm sure it is closed." Dave replied nodding towards Officer Johnston at the last part of his statement.

"Yep, I just came from there myself to make sure it was locked uptight."

Fiona shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh, "Can we at least use your landline?" she asked of Dave.

"Of course! It's in the kitchen, but try and use it sparingly, I'm sure wherever your calling will have significant long-distance charges."

All four friends just nodded as the officer excused himself and Dave slowly walked back into the house.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Fiona said as she leaned back against her car and the others formed a semi-circle around her, "Stuck in the backwaters of timbucktwo for... a month or more!"

"Awe, come on, it's not so bad." Sally replied, "We've got lots of time before school starts up in the fall and this place is kinda cool. I even helped Dave milk the cows this morning, that's practical learning!"

"Yeah, and I found a broken lawnmower in the shop last night and spent a few hours fixing it. That shops fully kitted out!"

"And oh my god, I slept like a baby last night! I haven't had that good of sleep in... forever!"

Her three friends continued to talk about the place like it was Disneyland while all Fiona could think about was how small her room was and how much of a mess the place was.

Chapter 4

Fiona rolled out of bed and hit the floor, pretty much like she had the entire week she'd been stuck at the B&B. She just couldn't get use to the small bed that gave her no ability to stretch out in the morning properly.

"Ouch..." she muttered to herself as she put her hand on the bed and managed to get herself up on to her feet. She walked across the hall, where her toiletries had remained after the first day, and took a nice long, hot shower. It was one of the few things that really relaxed her at the B&B.