Waking Up Dead
J.A. Cunningham
Copyright 2011-2012 by James Cunningham
SmashWords Edition
Cover art: J.A. Cunningham
SmashWords Edition, License Notes
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
~~ ENJOY ~~
Jake Bradclaw started his day just like he has for the past ten years. When he woke up, he could smell the fresh brewed coffee. It was always refreshing to smell the sweet aroma of a good Colombian blend. His wife, Lara, had always gotten up early to get it brewing for him. She knew it helped get him up every morning. Jake got up and headed out to the kitchen. Coffee, oatmeal, morning news, then off to the shower. That has always been his routine. As he was heading down the hall to the kitchen, he noticed that something just didn't feel right. The house was too quite. He knew something was wrong.
Upon entering the kitchen, he noticed his wife was not at the table. Lara had always been at the table. She would have a glass of orange juice while he had his first cup of coffee. They would talk about what they were going to do that day. She liked to tell him what she thought would happen at work. Lara works at the local retail store as a customer service manager. She was always dealing with customer complaints about prices or faulty merchandise. Jake had recently been laid off from his construction job so he would tell his wife where he was going to apply each day. But for some reason, today she wasn’t at the table.
Jake finished his first cup of coffee very slowly, hoping she would show up before he was done. That didn’t happen. Jake was starting to get a little worried. Especially when he noticed that he didn’t even hear his daughter. Shyan is 5 years old and she just started preschool. She was very excited about going to school. Today would be her third day. Jake looked at the clock; it was 7:30 a.m. She didn’t need to be at school until nine. “Wonder were they are?” Jake thought.
As time passed, Jake thought maybe Lara had to make an emergency run some where. “But why has she not called me?" he wondered. “She knows I’m up because she knows my routine.” It was now going on 10 a.m. so he decided he would call her on her cell. When he picked up the phone, he heard nothing but static. “Can’t get a freaking dial tone!” Jake exclaimed. Next, he tried his cell phone. To his surprise, he got the same results, just static.
Jake figured since he couldn’t call her, he would just sit around and wait for her to come home. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something just was not right. While sitting on the couch, he decided to watch the news to see if anything was going on. Maybe he could even find out why the phones weren’t working. Jake grabbed the TV remote and pressed the power button. Yet again, nothing but static.
“Now this is really getting old!” Jake shouted. He was really getting tired of all the freaking static. With no TV and no phones, Jake had nothing else to do but wait. He had considered going to find them but didn’t really know where to start. It was best just to sit at home and wait. They would show up soon, he knew they would.
The time now is 5:15 p.m. and his wife and daughter still have not come home. He was really concerned now. This was totally out of character for Lara. “Why has she not called me?” he asked, as if someone was there to answer him. Jake immediately knew the answer. If he didn’t have a working phone, he couldn't receive a call. He started thinking about what could have happened, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of anything. “She didn’t leave me a note or anything! What the hell is going on?" Jake shouted, with a voice full of frustration.
As more time passed, all he could do was think about how much he loved both Lara and little Shyan. Lara is a very beautiful woman. She stands about five foot seven and has curves that would stop traffic. Jake always wondered how he got so lucky as to land such a trophy. She has light brown hair streaked with blonde highlights and always wears the top half pulled back into a pony tail. Jake loves how that little pony tail flops around as she moves about. Not as much as he likes watching her breasts bounce around though. Lara loves to dance. Jake would dance with her but he loves to watch her dance alone and loves the way she moves her body to the music. She loves to dance seductively for him in the privacy of their home. Sometimes, she even strips for him when she feels frisky. God how he wished he could hold her against him right now. Having her in his arms is the most wonderful feeling in the world, it really makes him feel alive. Oh, and to kiss her; her lips are always soft and wet. 'One kiss from her could send a man into orbit' Jake always tells everyone.
Sweet little Shyan; oh how he wished she was here. She is his little sunshine. Every morning while he was sitting at the table having coffee and talking to the wife, Shyan would come out of her room and Jake would say ”It must be morning, my little sunshine has risen.” That always got him a giggle and a sloppy raspberry on the cheek. Shyan loves to give raspberries. She has her mothers' beautiful brown eyes and light brown hair. Always wanting to wear her hair like her mother as well, Shyan tells everyone that her blonde streaks will grow in later. Jake and Lara are always telling her she isn’t old enough for highlights, so Shyan thinks that means they will grow in as she got older. Shyan likes to be what she calls 'mommy's tiny twin'. She is neither a mother's girl nor a father's girl. She is their girl. “I hope she didn’t miss school today.” Jake thought out loud to himself. “She really likes school."
Jake had a sudden thought. "What if Lara left me? What could I have done to cause it?” They have never had a fight. As far as he knew, they always agreed on everything. He has been unemployed for a while. Maybe Lara was mad at him for that, but she knew he was trying to find a job. She reassures him every day by saying 'Today could be the lucky day.' None of them have been though. “Oh god, has she left me?” Jake barely got the words out of his mouth. As he was starting to choke up, tears started running down both of his cheeks. Jake thought of them as the perfect couple, never dreaming that they would split up. "But what if she has left me?" Jake wondered. "What could I have done? Could it be my lack of employment? Why didn’t she leave me a freaking note?"
Jake suddenly got a whiff of fresh brewed coffee, followed by the scent of Lara’s perfume. The sudden smells caused him to sit straight up. Jake quickly turned towards the kitchen, hoping to see Lara standing there. There was no one. He noticed that the coffee pot wasn't even on. "Lord, I must be losing my mind now." Jake blurted out in a slight panic. When he turned back around, the clock caught his eye. It was 7:10 a.m. The next day had already started. Jake, no longer keeping his thoughts to himself, spoke freely. "I must have spent a lot of time thinking about my girls. I haven't eaten anything. Hell, I'm not even hungry. Can't say that I'm tired either."
As Jake sat there, trying to figure out what to do next, he thought he heard Shyan's voice. He strained to hear more, as it sounded almost like a whisper. "It is my little sunshine." Jake said, kind of excited. "But why am I hearing her? I don't see any one?" Jake sat there, listening. He could make out what sounded like Shyan's voice say "Mommy, I want daddy. When is he coming home?" Jake heard her say, full of tears. Jake even thought he heard Lara answer Shyan. "Oh darling, I wish there was a good way to explain it to you. Daddy isn't coming home.” Jake thought it sounded like she was sniffling, maybe even crying as well. “God, I am losing it. I need to get out of here and find them before I go crazy.” Jake blurted out.
Jake got up and headed towards the door when all the sudden, a breeze blew by. He even felt a tingle. It kind of felt like when one gets the goose bumps. The scent of Lara's perfume was a lot stronger at that moment as well. “Wow! What the hell was that?” he questioned. He could still here little Shyan crying but it was getting fa
int. “Time to get out of here. I've got to find them.” he thought to himself. Jake opened the door and noticed how the sky was a perfect blue. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Jake kind of wished there was though. It was very bright out. He ran back inside to find a hat to help shield his eyes. “I must be sick or something. The sun has never hurt my eyes like that before.” Jake said as he grabbed his ball cap. The ball cap helped somewhat, but the light still bothered him. It felt as if someone was shining a pen light in his eyes, but he had to find them so he kept going.
As Jake walked along the sidewalk, he noticed that he didn't see anyone. There were no cars on the street and no
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