A Second Chance

Dave Branson has found another place to land in another one-horse town, just a stranger in this town and increasingly in his life as well.  Taking temporary jobs he would never have considered in the past, doing things that step over a line he thought he'd never cross – that is his life these days.  Anger, frustration and fear cloud his judgement and fuel his actions.  And he has good reason to be afraid.

The abandoned cabin he found hidden in the woods on the edge of this latest strange little town serves his needs for now but he knows that could end at any time should someone challenge him.  It's why he leaves no evidence he's been using the cabin, not a food wrapper, not a receipt, nothing to say he's been here.  Even the dog he'd picked up to serve as an early warning signal has disappeared, which worries him even more since she did not escape on her own.  Someone rescued her.  Why and how he would have to figure out.

He knows the powerful money man he works for only by his voice, directing him what to do, where to go and making payments electronically once each job is done.  The jobs leave Dave uneasy and he knows this is not a man to cross. As cold weather settles in, his interactions with some in the town grow confrontational and his mood darkens.  Hunger becomes a very real aspect as another lonely, desperate Christmas nears. 

Then an unexpected phone call from his brother serving overseas jars him from the fog of hate that has settled over him.  His brother reminisces about when they were little, the moments they shared, the moments that set them on the separate paths they took.  When the call drops due to a low battery, he races out to recharge it in his truck and stumbles over an anonymous gift basket of food left by someone who simply noticed smoke coming from the chimney of what is considered abandoned property and was concerned.  Someone concerned about him.  An expression of caring he hadn't felt in years. The people in this region, even the dog he showed so little regard for have had a strange effect on him.  With his brother's comments, he realizes he must take action to try to stop a potential disaster in the making. 

Knowing what he has done, the men he has armed, he fears what will happen to this small town that seems willing to open its heart to outsiders.  The 'arts from around the world festival' they planned to celebrate life and the coming new year seems like a dangerous, open-armed welcome and he fears it will be like catnip to the men he has unwittingly armed these past several months.  

Something about the dog and some of the local townspeople draws him toward a path to redemption, maybe a second chance for himself if he has the strength to take action. He must find a way to stop the carnage before it's too late.