Danny turned the channel to ESPN and finished his stretches. There was no time for nonsense like that on such a beautiful day.
Finished, he cooled down for a minute or two, and then took a warm shower. He put on his work clothes, nice jeans and collared shirt, tennis shoes on his feet. Once done, he made his way to the kitchen for food and coffee, his stomach was growling – no screaming – feed me now! Danny was wise to listen to it. He ate, surfed the net, and read the blogs he followed while the morning passed.
What he didn’t know, as he sat there, was that he was being watched. Someone was in his house just inside of the shadows, monitoring him, making sure he was the right one for the job.
*
Danny was sitting outside, enjoying the warmth of early spring, writing a haiku just after class had finished, which was one of the better times for him to write. The creative juices always seemed to flow best for him at this time. A voice pulled him out of his poetry thoughts.
“Busy?” The voice asked.
Danny looked up at the voice in front of him. This voice was attached to Barry; the one person Danny could call a friend, maybe even a best friend. Barry stood about six feet tall, a little pudgy, with light blonde hair, and lines on his face of a 40 year old man. He was dressed in a suit and tie, his everyday attire.
Barry was another professor at the school, and he taught business-related subjects. An unlikely pair, but both of these guys loved movies. They could talk movie stuff all day long; and, to the detriment of their wives, they did. Luckily for the wives, they had each other to talk to when the men were rambling on about the cinema.
“Not really. Trying to get this haiku out, but it isn’t happening.”
“That’s that funky Japanese style of poetry with seventeen syllables.”
“Yeah, 5 syllables for the first line, 7 for the second, and 5 for the third. Tough part is making it work. I have this great line in my head, but it is 8 syllables and not 7, but that 8 syllable line works best in the middle of the poem.”
“It sounds kind of tough.”
“It is. So what’s up?”
Barry took a seat beside Danny and adjusted his suit so he could sit comfortably. “Just wondering how class was going? Day to day bullshit, you know the drill.”
Danny took notice of this uncomfortable shift, and he didn’t let the moment pass. “You know, you don’t need to wear a suit. Kids will respect you just fine without it.”
“I like to keep it classy, gives off a great image.”
“Kids don’t care about it these days. Too jammed up in whatever it is they can get jammed up in.”
“It works for me. Okay.”
Danny let it drop and moved on to another subject. “I’ve been going through the B-Movie classics. We’ve been discussing The Evil Dead trilogy.”
“Can you call that a trilogy? The second movie is just a re-make of the first, and Army of Darkness is so different that it is almost a stand alone.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but in my mind it is still a trilogy. Same people working behind the scenes, same concept, same evil beings, and Ash, don’t forget Ash.”
“How could you? Bruce Campbell is the man in those movies.”
“I wish he had a bigger role in the first one, because he really shines in 2 and 3.”
“The hand scene alone in the sequel is B-Movie gold.”
Their conversation lagged for a moment as they watched some college girls playing volleyball in clothes they shouldn’t have left their house in.
“Something isn’t it,” Barry replied.
“Yeah, they seem to get sluttier with each passing year.”
“Where were they when we were in college?”
“I know what you mean,” Danny replied, smiling.
“Switching subjects, have you heard the big news today?”
“No.”
“I started running or jogging I should say.”
“Really?”
“I started yesterday after work, abandoned the cigarettes over the weekend. I didn’t run far, but I did try it. I have to lose this,” Barry replied, smacking his belly.
“I wish I would have known. I have this great way to get started.”
“I wanted to go by myself for the first time. In case I made an ass out of myself. You understand.”
“Did you like it?”
“I hated it, but I plan to keep going.”
“How about we run together?”
“I was going to ask you if you would be up for that.”
“You know how us runners are. When we can bring another lamb to the flock, we are all about doing just that.”
Barry looked at his watch. He had a class to teach in about fifteen minutes. “I guess I should go. How about this weekend we try to run together?”
“I have the 5K on Saturday, but I should be a go for Sunday,” Danny replied.
“Sunday it is then.”
“I’ll call you on Saturday, and we can figure out the time and place.”
“Sounds good. See you Danny and keep yourself focused.” He motioned to the giggling girls playing volleyball as he left.
Danny smiled. “I’ll try.”
Barry waved as he crossed campus, heading on to his class.
Danny eyed the volleyball girls a moment longer and then returned to his haiku as the day slowly passed.
*
Danny was listening to the radio as he drove home later that day. While he was driving, a news broadcast came on – one of those quick ones to just give you an update about the day’s events.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
. . . Talks stalled today between The Middle East Nuclear Arms Association and various members of the United Nations. The president of the United States had this to say earlier – “The world will not stand for people with this kind of aggression and hatred towards others. We will not stand idly by and let these rogue factions destroy the peace and sanctity of this world” . . .
“You won’t allow violence, but at the same time you are about to create violence by destroying them. It seems kind of backwards, violence for violence.” Danny said this to himself as he flipped around on the radio for some music, garbage, nothing out there on the radio these days. Frustrated, he reached for his Hammerfall CD and pushed it into the CD player. Powerful vocals along with screaming guitars and thundering drums flooded his ears as he started to jam, not so much in a youthful agile way, but one that reflected his middle aged status. Things popped and creaked as he head banged along, and thunder shook his fist.
The light at the intersection turned red, and he stopped to wait it out. While he sat there, he saw a guy on his right, carrying one of those signs. You know the kind, the ones proclaiming the end of the world is near. Danny watched him for a moment. While he watched this guy – old, at least eighty, scraggly beard, unkempt hair, unwashed – the guy’s face blurred out, and in its place was a smiling demon. This demon’s face was jet black with crimson colored eyes and lips, ruby red, whore’s lips. The face flashed out and another one appeared. This one was angelic, light brown, with warm blue eyes, and pinkish red lips. This face flashed out as a car horn caught his attention. Danny looked up into the mirror to see the driver behind him giving him several unpleasant hand gestures. Danny ignored the driver and pushed the car forward. As he drove away, he took one last look at the guy on the corner. The old man was back to normal, and he was carrying on just like nothing had ever happened. Danny turned his eyes away, cranked up the music, and made his way home.
*
Danny lived in a small residential community, one of those where there were a lot of homes with a lot of kids. Tonight it looked like most of those kids had decided to stage a baseball game in the round circle of the cul-de-sac he lived in. Johnny was part of this game, and he waved to his dad as his dad pulled the car into the driveway. Danny waved back and then reached into the glove compartment for the garage door opener.
He paused in mid reach.
Lying
on top of the garage door opener was a white business card.
Danny picked up the card and looked at it. On one side it was blank and white, slightly yellowed, and on the other, there was a hand written phone number, written in neat black ink.
Danny punched the button on the garage door opener, and the door started to rise, clicking upwards on its metal track. When the door was open, he could see his wife’s car sitting in her usual spot. He pulled his car in beside hers, and turned it off.
When you get married, you become a creature of habit. You sleep on one side of the bed, either left or right. You have your favorite spot on the couch, and usually, your car is always parked in the same spot when you arrive home. Danny’s wife always parked on the left side so she could be closest to the door to the house while Danny always parked on the right, and tonight was no different. The routine, the day to day, was still clicking along like it was supposed to.
Danny pushed the button on the garage door opener, and sat there a moment staring at the card. The garage door closed behind him, the small light above, holding the darkness at bay momentarily. It wouldn’t last long.
This odd card had him perplexed. Who in the world had put this in his car? How had they gotten in? Both of the car doors had been locked when he went out to his parking space after his last class. He was sure of it.
He sat there a moment longer – thinking. He could hear the kids outside screaming and playing. He could smell the odors of the garage seeping in through the car windows. He could see everything in this room, the tools, the yard equipment, and the decorations for all the holidays, which were stored nice and neat in their containers. He was safe and secure at home, but for some reason this card made him feel uneasy. It said danger was lurking, and he didn’t know why he felt this way. This was a simple card with simple writing on it, but it had a big fat invisible warning light flashing across it like a bright neon sign.
Danny reached for his phone just as the light shut off; the windowless room fell into pitch black. He punched the button on the garage door opener; the one that would turn the light back on, and when the light came on, a man was standing in front of the car. Danny jumped so hard he about wet himself. His heart raced, and his pulse quickened. First it was the card, and now a stranger was in his garage. The routine, the day to day, just fell off a cliff and exploded.
“I’m sorry if I frightened you, Danny,” the man replied.
He was a short guy, maybe five feet in height, wearing jeans and a buttoned up shirt. He had red hair and a small round belly. He wasn’t terribly obese, but Danny thought the guy could stand to lose a pound or two.
“I guess you’re wondering about the card.”
Danny looked down at his hand and the card he was holding.
“Nice house by the way, and I like your choice of cars. You have the Subaru Forester on one side – practical, great family car, your wife’s of course. Then you have your flashy number.” The red haired guy eye balled Danny’s car. “A 1970 Chevy Chevelle, black of course, white racing stripe, and enough horse power to erase the fact you are forty years old.”
“What are you doing in my garage? How did you get in my car?” Danny said this through the windshield as he realized he was still strapped into his seat by the seat belt.
“I’m designed to be a human cockroach, getting into places most people can’t.” The man didn’t move. He just stood there and talked. “I’ve been assigned to you.”
“Assigned, to me?”
The garage plunged back into darkness, and this time Danny didn’t bother with the small light. He opted for the big guns, the fluorescent light that was attached to the light switch on the wall. He unhooked himself, got out of the car, and walked over to the switch. He flipped it up and flooded the room with light.
The man was still there when the light came on. He seemed unfazed, staring at Danny, just standing there like a statue, unblinking, cold, and calculating, something about him screamed harbinger of doom.
“That number on the card.” Danny looked down at it. “You should only call it once it is all over. We’ve selected you for an important role.”
The man paused as Danny’s mind raced with questions, unfrozen from their state of shock. How did this guy know his name, where he lived, his car, where he worked? So many questions Danny wanted to vomit out of his mouth, but he couldn’t because the man was speaking again.
“By the way, before I go. Remember this. We got into your locked car and your home without an issue. It wouldn’t be so hard for us to make sure whoever you talk to doesn’t talk to anyone else about our meeting. It would be best, for now, if you just kept it locked away nice and neat. Mum’s the word, Danny, got that.”
After the man said this, Danny felt a small prick in his neck – someone else in the garage he didn’t see. He felt dizzy, and he had to lie down.
That’s exactly what he did.
He first went to his knees, gently, and then onto his side. He could see the red haired guy standing in his spot, watching. Danny fought the closing of his eye lids for only a moment, because they were closing whether he liked it or not. He curled up in a fetal position, and slept.
*
Danny opened his eyes and looked up into the face of his wife. She was gently shaking him awake. He was confused, still clutching the card in his hand. “Barbara?”
“Are you okay?” She asked, obviously concerned.
Danny sat up quick – quick enough to see giant stars. He was groggy, and he was dizzy; but his male instinct wanted to protect his family from the strange intruder. He leaped to his feet, eyes darting around the room, fluorescent light piercing them as they tried to adjust from sleeping darkness to harsh unnatural light.
The intruder was gone, and those stars he was seeing when he first woke up were now as big as the ones in the galaxy. He leaned on the car to steady himself. “Where did he go?”
“Who?” Barbara asked as she stood in front of Danny, making sure he wasn’t going to fall over.
“The man in the garage.”
“There’s no one here, Danny. Are you okay?”
Danny shook the cobwebs free and pushed the card deep into this pocket, eyes still searching, not wanting to give up. He looked in every corner, but there was no one there but the two of them. The red haired guy was gone.
“I heard the garage door open, and then I heard it close. I figured you were finishing up a song you were listening to, so I didn’t want to bother you. I got busy and lost track of time. I noticed it was an hour -”
“An hour? I was out for that long?”
“Yes. I didn’t realize it because I was busy with dinner.” She took a moment to look him over. He seemed fine, nothing bruised or broken from the fall, no signs of head trauma. “So what happened exactly?”
“One minute,” he paused and thought of the card.
She looked at him. “One minute, what?”
He thought of the red haired guy and his subtle threat -“It wouldn’t be so hard for us to make sure whoever you talk to doesn’t talk to anyone else about our meeting.”
“Never mind, it’s not important. I’m okay. Let’s just leave it there.”
She studied him, still not buying what Danny was selling, but if he said he was feeling okay then she just had to trust that he was. “Well, dinner’s ready. I was just going to call Johnny in from his game.”
“What about Michael?”
“In his room, sulking, playing video games most likely.”
“Did he give you a lot of trouble?”
“No more than usual. Come on. Let’s get us fed,” Barbara replied, as they both made their way into the house.
*
Danny walked into the dining room, and looked the table over. It was laid out to perfection with the dinner plates, the silverware, napkins folded in nice rectangles, food staying warm inside covered dishes, and glasses in the right spot – full of water. It reminded him of the time when he stayed home, taking care of the boys,
a stay-at-home dad. The job market at the time was terrible, so he just decided to stay in and raise the kids. It was cheaper than day care. During those times, Danny always tried to have a meal on the table for his kids and working wife to eat. That was before he went back to school and finished his degree.
“This looks nice.” Danny lifted one of the covers, and hot steam came rushing out at him. It was Broccoli, healthy, and sometimes okay for eating. “It reminds me of the time when I stayed home.”
“You never made a spread like this,” Barbara replied, walking into the dining room with bread in a basket. She put the basket on the table, completing the meal.
“No, guess not. I’m just saying it reminds me of the time when the kids were young, and we would have dinner together in here. A family eclipse, if you will, blotting out the world around us.” Danny took her in his arms, gave her a thank-you hug, and then kissed her, deeply, like when they were first married many years ago. He could feel that runner’s body underneath her clothes, could smell the shampoo in her soft brown hair, and he could feel those first signs of stirring below his belt.
She seemed to read his mind and returned the kiss, pressing her hips against his, allowing him to have this moment and to let him know without words that tonight it might be possible for them to do something together. She then pushed him away. “Okay stud, dinner’s getting cold; and you better get rid of that.”
Danny looked down at his crotch. At his age, it was easier to turn off than to turn on; so he took a moment and let it go limp.
“Which one do you want?” She asked, munching on bread, lips still moist from the kiss.
“I’ll take Michael. You get the easy one tonight.”
“When he’s with his friends, he can be almost as difficult.” She turned to leave and stopped. She turned back to him. “Did I tell you that I love you today?”
AWOL: A Character Lost Page 14