by Jon Gerrard
Dimitri had to work later than he planned to at the supermarket the next day. He had a part time job at the local Grocery Barn where he unloaded pallets and stocked shelves. Usually he worked after dinner for a couple of hours every night. This Tuesday however, one of his co-workers called in sick. That meant he had that much more to do before he could go home. So instead of being done by eight, tonight he ended up staying until ten-thirty. His paycheck for the week would be fatter, but at the moment that was little consolation when he would rather be relaxing in his room.
On top of everything else he was going to have to walk home. His car had broken down unexpectedly that evening. It had been running fine that afternoon but for some reason it wouldn’t start for him after dinner. Reed said he would take a look at it for him tomorrow but that still left him with no ride home. His older sister had been able to give him a ride to the store, but she was at her job out in Suffolk County now and her shift wouldn’t end until well after midnight. His younger sister didn’t drive and his parents were out of town. They would be gone for a couple of days and had taken the other car with them. That left Dimitri with walking as his only choice.
After punching out, Dimitri turned off the lights in the storage room and headed for the main doors. He passed the store manager on his way out and nodded briefly. His boss grunted in return and went back to inspecting the shelves. He always checked behind Dimiti to be sure he had stocked the aisles correctly. As usual he couldn’t find anything to complain about, however he did make a point of straightening a few cans just as Dimitri walked past. Dimitri pretended not to notice. Instead of thanking him for staying longer than usual to do the work of two people, the manager had been riding him all evening for taking too long. That was typical of the man and Dimitri had learned to ignore him a long time ago. The truth was that Dimitri was one of his best workers and he knew it.
The main doors slid open as he moved within range of the sensor and Dimitri stepped out into the night. Zipping his hoodie against the night chill, he started off. Normally he would have plugged his ear-buds into his phone and listened to music while he walked but tonight he wasn’t in the mood. Matt hadn’t shown up for school again today and Dimitri and his friends were really worried. He could only imagine what Matt’s family was going through.
It was quiet as he made his way home. Most people were already in for the night and there were few cars on the streets. In many of the houses he passed he could see the telltale blue flicker of televisions. The rest were already dark as people turned in to be ready for the following morning.
Dimitri sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. It had been a long day and he couldn’t wait to get home. He trudged on for a while letting his mind wander. After several minutes he looked up. The section of Woodfield Road that he was walking along had remained largely unchanged for decades. Saplings which had been planted along the street in the 1950s had grown into mature trees, their branches stretching across the road in many places to create a dense canopy.
As he looked along the street something struck him as odd. Several streetlights were out up ahead. With all of the leaf cover blocking out the moonlight, the stretch of road he was coming into was very dark. He’d gone nearly halfway into the dark section when he saw someone step onto the sidewalk ahead of him. He could tell that it was a man, but that was all. In the darkness the person was only a silhouette. As soon as he saw him Dimitri felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong. He stopped and stared at the stranger who seemed to be watching him. Dimitri started to turn around but sensed someone coming up behind him. He hadn’t passed anyone on the sidewalk and he had no idea where the second person had come from.
He glanced back and saw that a second man was indeed behind him. That man was holding one of his hands in an odd position and it suddenly struck Dimitri that he had something in his hand. A gun! Even though he couldn’t actually see it in the dark he had no doubt that the man was armed.
Then the man in front of him started walking toward him.
“Demetrios Apostolos,” the man said. The stranger’s voice was soft but full of menace. “You will come with us.”
“What do you want?” Dimitri demanded. He felt his pulse beginning to race.
“No questions. You will come with us or we’ll shoot you.”
There was no compromise in that voice. Dimitri had no doubt that the man would do exactly as he said. He started looking around desperately. The section of street they were in was so dark that he doubted anyone could see what was happening even if they were looking out their window. Dimitri’s eyes darted around the street looking for—there! The house across the street was dark, its yard cloaked in shadow. As the men closed in on him Dimitri focused on that yard and disappeared.
He popped behind the thick trunk of a tree in the darkened yard. Crouching in the shadows he peered around the tree and watched as the men who had been stalking him charged the spot where he had been standing moments before. He couldn’t hear them talking but he could tell by their frantic movements that his sudden disappearance had surprised them. As they began searching the area where they had last seen him, Dimitri decided it was time for him to leave.
Looking further down the road he picked another dark yard and popped from where he was to a new concealed place behind some low hedges. He continued jumping from yard to yard always keeping himself hidden until he had made it all the way home. By the time he reached his own yard he was panting with exhaustion but the strangers were nowhere in sight. As he crouched behind the shed in his backyard Dimitri looked up toward his bedroom window on the second floor. Although the window was open the light was off and he couldn’t see inside. He thought about making a dash for the back door but didn’t want to leave his hiding place and step out into the open. He would have to teleport. Although he was more tired than he could ever remember having felt before he thought he had enough strength left for one last jump.
For a moment he worried that he might not be able to make it. He would have to jump into a space he couldn’t see. But the encounter with the strangers was making him freak out and he didn’t want to risk moving in the open. He focused on the window as he knelt gulping air and trying to get some of his strength back. He took several deep breaths, readied himself, and disappeared.
He reappeared in the middle of his room, relieved that he had been able to form a clear picture of his destination so he knew exactly where he was going. Weariness overtook him then and he collapsed onto his bed, his limbs twitching with fatigue. He lay panting for a while as his heart hammered in his chest. He had made it. He was safe!
He lay on his bed for a long time while his strength gradually returned. As he replayed the incident in his mind he kept coming back to one thought.
The stranger had called him by name.