The Broken Ones: Chapter One

Chapter One: An Unexpected Visitor

(Sarah)
My alarm went off at 7:30 am, usual time, and as usual I turned it off and rolled over. Just a couple more minutes, then I can put on the act I show to my friends and family, that's what I thought.

Shower, breakfast and head out the door.

Pat Harley and say goodbye like every other day, pretend I was surviving...

...when all I was doing was existing! John had been gone for over six months, and I still cried myself to sleep at night! I still sat in my pyjamas waiting for him to come home. Shutting the world out, telling my parents I was fine and then hiding under the covers hoping that this had all been a bad dream.

I returned from work feeling the usual tired and numb, just wanting to retreat into my duvet cocoon. Harley was happy to see me as always, I made a fuss of him for a few minutes then I headed upstairs to revert back into grieving widow mode.

I came back downstairs after changing into my ever faithful slouchy pyjamas, and Harley was growling at the front door, then there was a soft knock and he went crazy, barking non stop...until I answered the door.

(Adam)
I stood in front of the door where John Wallace had once lived, my heart was pounding and my breath was ragged. This was not a good idea! I'd watched the small figure enter the house, and I felt like complete shit!

How was I going to do this? Could I do this? I rapped on the door gently and a dog barked and snarled behind it...great! 

And before I had the chance to even think, the door opened a jar and her petite face peeked out. She looked surprised, like a little rabbit in the headlights. "Hi, um are you Sarah Wallace?" She nodded shyly.

"Yes, wh-what do you want? Did Mark send you?"

"M-Mark? No..." Who was Mark?
"I told him and I'll tell you, I don't need any hippy trippy share your feelings kumbaya shit okay?"
"No, no of course not I..."

"You tell my idiot brother that I am fine and he can stop interfering!" I was speechless, I didn't know how to proceed, maybe I should just go...yeah just...go!
"I...I'm sorry I bothered you..."
"Wait!" she grabbed my arm, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention.

"I really should go..."
"No, who are you?" I gulped down a lump in my throat and coughed nervously.
"I..." Who was I? What the fuck should I say???

Finally I looked into her eyes and replied, "I was a friend of John's, from work!" Holy shit, why Adam? Why?
"From the call centre?" No going back now.
"Y-yeah, I worked there for a few months before I had to er...switch centres!" I nodded unconvincingly, but she bought it.

She stepped aside as the dog behind her, who had not stopped barking the whole time, began to growl menacingly. "Come in!" She nodded towards the door, the dog instantly stopped growling and allowed me to enter.

"So..." Once we were inside, she spoke first, "What's your name?"
"Adam!" I squeaked, what in holy hell was I doing?
"Adam..." She repeated my name, and a cold clammy feeling ran down my spine, "I don't remember him mentioning an Adam..."

"No, we were only acquaintances really. I heard about...what happened in the paper, I'm sorry for your loss!" I really was, she was so young! My heart broke for her, she was still very fragile, still grieving terribly for her husband. Heck I was grieving for the loss of my engagement, and Holly was a raging slut bag who tore my heart out of my chest with her bare hands the night I caught her fucking Billy Docherty!

"Would you like a drink?" Sarah Wallace's soft voice snapped me out of my trance, I blinked at her in surprise.
"Um, n-no I really should get going I..."

"Nonsense!" She waved a hand at me and headed down the hallway.
"...only came to offer my..."
"Tea okay?"

"...condolences!" How could I refuse, after all I had mowed down her husband and left him for dead...actually left him dead! God what an arsehole I was! Standing here, in the home of the man I killed! Some might ask how I could sleep at night, but the truth was...I couldn't! And things were not going according to plan right now!

Right now, Sarah Wallace should have been beating me to death with that umbrella there sitting in the stand by the door! The dog should have been tearing me from limb to limb! But because I was such a chicken shit, neither of them were angry with me at all!

She called back to me, "Sugar? Milk?"
"Um..." I wiped my sweaty hands down my jeans and headed towards the voice.

"Ah!" She exclaimed as I appeared in her kitchen.
"Um just three sugars please, no milk!"
"Sure, so...Adam..." Here we go! "...what brings you to Brindleton Bay?"

"Well I...I've moved here!" Fucking liar! You're here to see her! To tell her you're the reason she's a widow!
"Oh, city life not for you?" I could tell that her attempt at small talk was a way to deflect from John, a subject she seemed to want to avoid at that moment in time.

"Uh...I just...needed a change!" And the lies just tumbled out of my mouth as we sat and talked over tea. I couldn't tell her! She looked so lost, she was making conversation with me but she was looking right through me. It was like she was going through the motions, pretending to mingle in the world...

...but I saw right through the act! She was putting on this brave face, I could tell, I'd done it myself! I wondered how many people who knew her bought it, because I had only just met her and I didn't buy it one little bit!

"So where are you based?" The more she asked, the more I lied. I'd only just moved here that was true, but I was huddled in a small flat that I'd rented until I found a more permanent place of my own. I was tempted to lie so that she didn't know where I was staying...

...but I just couldn't bring myself to go that far. "I've rented a flat for now. I'm actually house hunting!" Her face lit up, and for the first time she looked...alive!
"I'm an estate agent!" She exclaimed, she seemed surprised by this, as if she didn't know what she did  for a living. But I guessed that she had avoided living at all these past six months.
"Wow, um, would..." No Adam DON'T!!! "...would you be prepared to..." NO ADAM!!!

You're going there aren't you? "...um show me some...places? If..."
"YES!" She blurted out before I could finish.
"...you're up for it that...oh! Well cool!" Yeah she'd jumped at the chance. I supposed I was a stranger and she needed a distraction. I was probably the first person who didn't ask her how she was holding up, or if there was anything I could do.

I was the distraction! And at that moment in time I didn't really mind. I wanted to give her a purpose, I wanted to try and begin to make up for my...mistake! I was playing with fire, and I was so gonna get burned!

(Sarah)
I looked at this stranger sitting in my kitchen, blond and blue eyed like a surfer. I couldn't imagine him being friends with my John! But he'd already said that they were mere acquaintances at best. So that's why I agreed to help him find a permanent place in town, because he was new here and he barely knew John.

He was already looking at me like a human being, not the raving loony who locked herself up inside this house for months and refused to come out. I was Sarah, I wasn't John's widow, I was a person in my own right! He spoke to me like an equal, not a fragile little flower...and I needed that!

"You should come by the office tomorrow, if you're free, and we can have a chat about what exactly it is you're looking for!" Adam smiled weakly at me, I think he was uneasy. Despite barely knowing John, and acting normally with me, he probably felt awkward about this.
"Great!" He finally answered.

And he did, he came by the office the next day, Una swooned. "OMG who is that???"
"Oh that's my 12 o'clock!" I replied flatly, then I realised that she was scowling at me.
"Details Sarah, come on spill!"

I sighed and looked over at Adam, "He's an old work mate of John's, his name is Adam and he just moved here. I offered to help him find his own place."
"Is he single?" I honestly didn't know!
"I have no idea Una, but feel free to ask him!" I rolled my eyes, she had a one track mind, she chased all the available men in Brindleton Bay...and the non single ones too. She had her eye on my John at our office Christmas party a few years back. Her face when she saw his wedding ring...and my arms around him! Classic! Adam saw me and waved sheepishly.

"Hi, come on in!" I beckoned him over as Una made a purring noise.
"He.Is.A.Dish!" She mumbled as he made his way over to us.
"Oh please, are no men safe?"
"Oh no!" She shook her head and grinned like a Cheshire cat, "And he is fresh meat! Medium rare I would say..."

"Adam!" I spoke loudly over her, "Hi, this is Una, Una...Adam!"
"Hello there, Una Hanlon!" She outstretched her hand and struck a pose, embarrassing!
"Hi, nice to meet you!" He shook her hand briefly, then looked at me, "So should we get started Sarah?" Una let out a little huff, she wasn't used to being dismissed like that.

Adam was the first guy since my John to be impervious to her charms. He just was not interested at all, and it was hilarious! "Yes, let's!" The atmosphere, you could cut it with a machete!

As we went into my office, I had to ask, "Adam are you...living alone or..."
"Oh yeah, just me!" He nodded blankly, "So just one bedroom would do, one bed one bath as you folks would say!" He chuckled softly, and it was uplifting, I almost wanted to join in.

We sat and talked about all his requirements, and I showed him a few houses we had available that suited him. We arranged to go and look at them the next day. He seemed really keen, and Una was fuming! So I took pity on her. "Would you like Una to show you around?" The look of horror on his face said it all.

"Um, well I'm dealing with you aren't I? And you know what I want...so..." He looked pleadingly into my eyes, and I melted! Never had I ever seen a man more scared of Una! "Please don't do that to me!" He whispered, "I'm so not wanting to go there!" I nodded in amusement, and I took pity on Adam instead.

(Adam)
That colleague of Sarah's, holy shit! And when she almost threw me to that hungry lioness I panicked! Okay getting Sarah to do this was not ideal at all, but that woman...ugh!

I was surrounded by boxes, still not unpacked, and if Sarah could find me a nice house then I wouldn't have to! My stomach would churn at the thought of her, I was being a deceitful bastard and a coward too! I'd come here to do one thing, confess to her what I did to her husband, but instead I was befriending her and getting to know her. But the worst part was...

...I was starting to like her!

To Be Continued...

Previous Chapters:

Prologue