Seeing it, and thinking that, he didn’t want to see anything else, so he turned and left the living room and headed back into his bedroom.
He went straight to the closet at the foot of the bed. It was time to get dressed.
With his light blue uniform on, and his second cup of coffee in hand, he left the living room and headed back into the kitchen. He took his thermos to the pot, filled it with the rest of the coffee, and when he finished, he made himself a turkey and cheese sandwich for dinner. With his hands full, he left the kitchen, headed back into the living room, and took a heavy seat back on the sofa. He then looked back to the clock on the wall and saw that it was now nearly eight. Another couple of hours and it was back to work again. Frankly, he couldn’t wait to go. The apartment sounded too quiet. He started feeling too out of place within it. He started feeling that he had to get out. Being alone with nothing but that emptiness made him start to miss Sally. It made him miss the noises. When ten o’clock came, he stood up quickly, grabbed his keys, and headed out through the door with a bounce in his step. He felt happy that he had somewhere to go. He felt happy to get back to work.
Driving out of his neighborhood and heading east, the night seemed overly calm around him. The moon was out; brightly illuminating the world with a wonder that only it could create. It made everything look magical. It made everything look right. He started getting used to the perfection of night, and it looked like a beautiful night for summer.
The drive only took about a half-an-hour, but it seemed ten times as long. The breeze hit him as he stood outside of the car. The air felt warm. The peace around him felt calming. God, what a night it was.
Making his way through the front doors of the lobby, he relieved Pat Moore, and took his place behind the counter with a glee in his heart. There, he waited for the first hour to go by and for his first tour to begin, and again, he couldn’t wait to start it. Thinking about his belly, he knew that he needed to get back into shape. Sitting there wasn’t going to do it, but the tour, he felt sure, was just what he needed to get started. It ended up not being a long wait after all.
Twelve o’clock came, so he left the desk, made his way up the stairs, and hit all of the chips as he walked. He moved swiftly and with a purpose, and before he knew it, he was back to the entrance of the labs.
Reaching them, he took a deep and solid breath, looked at the double doors, and looked through the windows within them. Unlike the night before, this time, he found the hallway behind them dark and quiet. Seeing it, he became instantly disappointed. It was then, and only then, that he realized why he felt like he was. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to see Rachel. It explained a lot.
That’s why he wanted to go to work. That’s why he wanted to start his tour. That’s why he wanted to get back into shape. It wasn’t his quiet apartment. It wasn’t he missing Sally. It had to be Rachel, and now knowing that, and seeing that she wasn’t there, his heart sank and his mind went to a subtle blankness all too fast. Realizing the thought, and losing the bounce in his step, he turned and left the entrance to the labs and continued his tour. There wasn’t anything left to do, so he finished the tour smoothly. He returned to his counter and sat back behind it with a heavy heart.
Oh well, another one bites the dust. He placed the radio next to the computer screen and leaned back some in his chair. He sat there, staring at the Closed Circuit Television screens, until the sounds of someone coming brought him out of the fog that he felt. Looking up, he saw Collins coming down the steps and towards him.
“Good evening,” Collins said first. He walked with a skip in his stride. He felt happy. He felt content and it showed. He loved moving around. He loved the freedom in his heart. He smiled strongly as he bounced to the last step.
“Evening.” Jimmy almost whispered. He still felt disappointed and completely unhappy and he sounded it.
Collins noticed it instantly. “Why the long face?” He stopped at the counter and placed a solid left hand on top of it with a slap of the palm. He felt so wonderful that it seemed to be nearly impossible to keep himself contained. He also felt happy to see his new friend.
Jimmy shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He gushed, but it sounded more like a wince.
“Can’t be just nothing. Looks like someone stole your puppy or something.” He smiled and chuckled some. He really liked this security guard, and for more than what he did for him yesterday. He had something about him that felt special. He just had to find out what that special meant.
“I was hoping to see someone tonight.” Jimmy leaned in towards the counter. He brought his belly flush with it and placed his elbows to the top of the desk. He bellowed his feelings out to anyone that cared to listen.
“What the hell am I, chopped liver?” Collins leaned in further to the young guard. “I’m someone.” He smiled.
“Wrong sex.” The chair beneath him groaned some. He felt almost convinced that the sound came from his own heart breaking. It felt shattered even. You just met her. Why in the hell are you thinking this way about someone that you just met? He didn’t know and quite frankly, he didn’t care.
“Ahhhhh.” Collins laughed some. “I see.” He now nodded. “Mind if I ask who the young lady is?”
“Rachel.” Jimmy still whispered, almost sounding like he was a small boy who had just lost his most favorite toy.
It all made Collins laugh even harder. “Rachel, huh? You mean Rachel Garland, right?”
Jimmy nodded.
Collins did as well. “She’s a nice piece of meat, I’d say that.” He laughed again. “Why were you looking for her tonight? She’s only here during the day, I thought.”
Jimmy heard only the meat part and that brought his face up. “Don’t call her that. She was nice,” he shot out. His reaction was enough to tell him that he did like her more than he originally thought that he did. Even though, he still didn’t know why. He just knew he did, but none of this seemed to matter now anyway. With her not there, he didn’t know how to go on from there. But, he did feel somewhat angry. His face still turned hot.
“Hey, I didn’t mean it that way.” Collins shook his head forcefully, showing him that what he said, he truly meant. He flared his shoulders as well. “Just that she’s fine looking, that’s all.”
“Yeah.” Jimmy nodded. She was definitely that.
“Why don’t you give her a call?” Collins’ smile faded from his face and a solemn blankness replaced it. “She should be listed.” He pointed with his right hand to the computer screen. He added to that, and slapped the top of it with an open palm.
Jimmy nodded again, but then shook his head strongly. No. I can’t do that. Absolutely not! He knew to what he was referring. Every employee at the labs had their names and addresses listed on a menu in the computer. To look up someone for a personal reason was against the rules. Not only that, but it was wrong as hell to violate someone’s privacy like that too. He couldn’t do it. That wasn’t his style. That wasn’t he. “I can’t do that.” He shook his head even stronger. Who in the hell does this guy think he is? His face grew hotter as the anger only grew within him.
“Why the fuck not? Fingers don’t work or something.” Collins moved closer to the counter and stopped directly by his left side. He bent down, and squatted to his knees. Doing so brought him even closer to his new friend. He had to take a deep breath to smell him right. “All that you need should be in there. Her address, phone numbers, everything is right there. All you have to do is look.” He brought his left hand up and then brought it back down to his knee. The slap seemed to echo all around the lobby as he tried to prove his point.
His smell gripped Jimmy all at once, but he tried to push the thought of gagging out of his mind. He started to like Collins some, and didn’t want to be rude to him. Again, he just shook his head. “That’s invasion of privacy.”
“Who’s going to tell?” Collins stood back straight.
The smell eased some and it made Jimmy happy that it di
d. “You.” He looked up. His eyes seemed to squint.
The look made Collins laugh even harder yet. It made him look like a lost puppy that just wanted to find its way home. “Why the hell would I say anything? I’m just the rat here.” He left the side of the counter, made his way around it to the opposite side again, and turned back around and faced him. “You have to learn to take chances my boy, if you’re going to get ahead in this world.”
With that Jimmy laughed. “You sound like a friend of mine.” Brandon’s face crossed his thoughts.
“Sounds like a good friend that knows what he’s talking about.” Collins leaned on the counter, and smiled a full and hearty smile. His awful teeth shined.
The sight of it just caused Jimmy to laugh again. “Yeah.”
“Well, suit yourself my friend.” Collins shrugged as he left the counter and headed to the glass front doors. There he stopped and spun back around. “You are different aren’t you?” he had to ask.
A question that made Jimmy then look up to him and then stand up. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not suggesting anything really bad, my friend.” Collins shrugged his shoulders and brushed his shaggy hair from his face. “I just feel that you’re different from most people. I like different.” He smiled.
Jimmy shrugged. “I guess.” He sat back down.
“Well I’m off. Have a good one.” Collins smiled and said nothing else. He turned and opened the front doors, and just as quickly, he left and disappeared off into the night.
Jimmy heard him leave and just leaned back in his chair. He looked at the clock and saw that it was now 12:54. He had another few minutes before he had to do his second tour, but he would wait for this one, and this time, the time would end up going by slowly. He had no other reason to do it now so he just sat there and stared at the computer screen quietly to himself. The night didn’t go as planned. He hoped to see her again. He wanted the chance to apologize for scaring her. It felt like the polite thing to do; and besides that, he wanted her to know that he cared. However, it now seemed like something that he wasn’t going to be able to do. Therefore, he sat back, leaned back in the chair, and looked at the screens. He looked at nothing at all.
She probably thinks I’m an idiot. He looked down at the keyboard, and seeing it, a thought crossed his mind. What Collins said, about her only working days, stuck in his thoughts. If she only works during the day, I might not see her again. If he was right, then he may never get the chance to see her again for some time. Knowing that and believing that it was more than likely true, he turned back to the computer and placed his hands to the keyboard, and started typing before he gave what he was doing a second thought.
Her name came up on the screen all too fast.
Rachel Garland
445 Beck Street
Redford Forge, New York
He stared at the information, and suddenly, and quite disturbingly, he saw what he was doing and grimaced. His face glared hot, and shame flew through him like the wind. I can’t do this. He gasped. He felt completely shocked by everything that he did. In feeling so, he quickly removed the menu from the screen and closed it out. The embarrassment for violating her privacy raced through his chest. What in the hell am I doing? I can’t do this. I won’t! How could he have done such a thing? He knew that it was wrong, so why did he do it. He didn’t know, so he stood up from the chair and made his way out from behind the counter, walked to the center of the lobby and stopped. He looked out through the glass double doors, but saw nothing with his mind too rambling to have any real thought. With it all, he couldn’t believe what he just did. It made him feel burned. It made him feel sick. He turned back to the counter, walked back behind it, and looked back to the clock. It was now 12:59. I have to get going. He had to go on his tour. It seemed like the best way to get what he did off his mind, so he grabbed his wand, left the counter, and made his way up the stairs.
He felt like running. He felt almost like he was trying to escape the scene of a crime. In fact, he was doing just that. He headed off down the hallway moving as quickly as he could go.
11
Collins walked back into the lobby just in time to watch the young guard make his way up the stairs. He made it to the counter in time to see him disappear down the hallway to the right on the second floor. He watched him and laughed. He looked like he was running. He looked nervous. He could smell it. Hell, he could feel it. I wonder what got a bur up his ass. He had to find out.
He had an idea, so he walked over to the counter, and stepped to the desk. He knelt down and looked to the screen. On the keyboard, he pushed the back button, and on the screen, an icon came up that simply read Employee List on the main menu, so he scrolled down and clicked enter. The screen then came up.
On the search bar was listed a single name, Rachel Garland, and seeing it, he laughed.
Well, well, well, it seems that he’s not as innocent as I thought. He felt joy erupt in his heart. He never expected that the boy would have actually done it. He wouldn’t have believed it if he didn’t see it with his own eyes. It made him feel somewhat proud. It made him also feel confident. The boy was special; he could see that now. He had something that seemed real. He might just be the one.
The boy is stronger than you thought. He looked strong. He also felt perfect. I’m going to have to pay more attention to the young man. He laughed again. Yes, he would do just that.
12
Jimmy finished his last tour quickly, almost running through it. When he did, he returned to the counter and sat down with a skip in his heart. The thought of what he did was still on his mind. How could he have done it? How could he have made such a mistake? Everything weighed on him like a damp cloth would weigh you down on a cold winter’s day. He felt dirty. He felt—well—wrong.
Before he knew it, it was time to head home. He felt thankful that the time went by as fast as it did. By the time he was relieved, everything felt better. Not much, he still felt sad, but something was better than having nothing at all. In the end, it made everything feel like nothing but a dream. Everything seemed like a haze. He made it back to his apartment in the same frame of mind. He didn’t even remember the drive home. He couldn’t even remember climbing into bed.
He was deep asleep when the sounds of knocking came from his front door. He almost didn’t hear it at first, but when he did, he rolled over in bed and brought his feet to the floor. With heavy arms, he brought his hands up to his face and wiped his eyes with the palms of both of is hands. He tried to get the sleep out of him, but it didn’t work. He stood up, slowly made his way out to the living room, and just as slowly, walked to the front door. He opened the door with an equally heavy weight.
“It’s about fucking time.” Brandon pushed his way through the open door, moved to the sofa, and stopped. “What took you so long?” He felt rushed and knew that he was running out of time. He needed to say what he came there to say, because he had so much more to do, before he too, had to get ready for work.
“I was sleeping.” Jimmy closed the door and turned back to his friend.
“Ah, who needs sleep?” Brandon laughed. “What time do you have to be at work?” He moved towards the kitchen, stopped between both rooms, and turned back around.
“Eleven.” Jimmy left the front door and wiped his black hair from his face. He walked to the kitchen and met with Brandon by the doorway.
“You look like shit.” Brandon laughed again. He looked pale, and he looked exhausted. Watching him like this, always made him laugh.
“Thanks.” Jimmy walked to the center of the room, passed Brandon and headed for the coffeemaker. “What time is it anyway?” His mind still felt asleep. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t concentrate. He needed coffee, now more than ever.
“Four. I wanted to come over and see how things were going. It’s been a while since we last talked.”
Jimmy made it to the counter and yawned some. He tried to blink, but wasn’t seeing anything straight. �
��Things are okay. I’m not used to the overnight thing yet.” He took the glass pitcher, walked to the sink, and began filling it with water.
“That’s cool. I got used to working the graveyard my first week. Sometimes it takes longer for others, but you’ll get used to it.” Brandon walked into the center of the room, and stopped to the right side of the table. “So, do you like it?” he was dying to ask. He felt more than just pride, he felt downright giddy. His best friend and he now seemed closer than ever. Not only was Sally out of the picture, but now they were on the same shift, and that meant that they could hang out more. They could see each other more, and that, he couldn’t wait to start doing it.
“It’s work.” Jimmy nodded as he poured the water into the back of the maker.
Brandon smiled and nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes.” His grin flew larger.
Jimmy turned from the maker after finding a filter and filling it with coffee. When he finished with that, he could now give Brandon his full attention, so he did it. “So, why are you here?” Why are you always here? Why can’t you just let me sleep?
“I just wanted to stop by and say hi.” Brandon’s smile almost consumed his face.
A Werewolf's Saga Books 1, 2, & 3 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets) Page 7