Cryptophobia (Book 1): Outbreak [Fear The Unknown]

by Henderson, G. D.

  Lawyers were paid very well it seemed, especially senior partners. It felt like a privilege just to be able to step into the building, far less approach the door of someone living in the building.

  Daniel’s front door swung open before Terry had even reached it and there stood his fuming ex-wife glaring him down. She was in that navy-blue pencil skirt she used to wear, with her leather handbag at her arm, black stilettos and her hair tied back. The sweet fragrance of Venelisse Eau de Parfum tantalizing his nostrils as he passed her by, the perfume that Daniel had bought for her.

  “What the fuck are you playing at?” She snapped.

  “Look, I got held up”, Terry lied. Somehow, he knew that telling her the truth wouldn’t go down well.

  “What the fuck could have been so important you were late to pick up your own children?” Before he could reply, she raised her hand. “You know what? I don’t care to know. You’re just going to make up some more bullshit”.

  Terry stepped past her into the apartment, a massive open-plan apartment with a stunning view of London. Though there wasn’t a great deal to see on a miserable day like today.

  “Daddy!” Came the voice of his 8-year-old son, running out from one of the bedrooms. A shaggy ginger haired kid, with a freckled baby face his mother always saw the innocence in. He wore a grey and green adidas shirt with long beige trousers and white trainers. He even had on his coat, just to tell how ready he was for the day.

  “George!” Terry replied, kneeling down to embrace him. “How was your match?”

  “If you bothered to show up, you would have realised they lost the match. Fullwood came third overall in the league”, Natasha replied, as she stood over him with her hands on her waist in a condescending manner.

  "Third ey? Not bad. I bet you were a right little star. Might have to see if we can get you into a club”, Terry said to his son.

  “That’s the least of your concern, in case you hadn’t noticed, your son has secondary school to think about and your daughter has her GCSE’s to think about. Has any of that crossed your mind?” Natasha intervened.

  Having left where they used to live, George had begun attending Fullwood primary while Ria, his 16-year-old daughter had begun attending Stratford Girls’ Grammar School. George was born for sports and lived for anything that involved running and kicking a ball, his daughter on the other hand was academic, very sharp and independent. Their different personalities in some ways reflected that of their parents, with George’s happy-go spirit and Ria’s attention to the little details.

  George had always been easy to get on with, never having given any trouble whatsoever, Ria had been a daddy’s little girl up until a few years ago. Since then, her desire to be seen as a respectable adult led her to respect her father less, a man she often considered to be the most useless man in her life. She didn’t have to say it, Terry could always see it in her eyes and cold attitude towards him, an aura of bitter resentment.

  Terry knew he could only blame this on himself, she was a smart girl and she was able to see and understand everything that went on around her, but he knew not how to earn her respect again, aided no further by his lack of a job and Daniel wriggling his way into their lives.

  “I haven’t forgotten”, Terry replied, without looking up at her.

  “Good, I just have to remind you about your priorities, because every now and then you seem to neglect your duties as a father”. As she said that, who should step out from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hands? None other than Daniel, the smug, self-assured son of a bitch who derailed Terry’s entire life. There he stood in his grey suit, slick gelled hair and polished shiny black shoes as though he owned the world, looking down on Terry both metaphorically and literally.

  He was a middle-aged white man, pompous looking with perfect white teeth, perfect skin, chiselled-like jawline and a broad muscular stature. He embodied manliness and that was infuriating. Ria liked him, Natasha was in love with him and only George didn’t like him. Good lad George was, a supporter of his real father all the way.

  “Terry...” Daniel greeted him in a monotone manner, with a simple nod. He didn’t need to say anything more for Terry to know that he was laughing inside. Laughing at Terry’s failures as a father, laughing at Terry’s inability to satisfy his former wife, emotionally, financially, mentally and sexually. The very thought of them in bed together churned Terry’s stomach.

  Believe it or not, but Terry had already attempted to punch the guy in an earlier instance, due attention to attempted, simply because he failed at even that. Daniel partook in boxing as an extracurricular activity, little to Terry’s knowledge at the time, of course until he ended up himself with a broken nose, black eye and a wife who hated his fucking guts.

  If Terry had planned to win her back, any possible hope he had was dashed when faced with this man, the very quintessence of perfection and success.

  “Daniel...” Terry replied, standing up to gain some height and not feel so emasculated. They need not say anything further to each other. The silent sparks between the men was as far as a conversation would ever go.

  “Where is... where is Ria?” Terry asked Natasha, merely glancing at her as though taking his eyes off Daniel for even so much as a second could potentially dent his pride as a man. Natasha sighed and looked around as though trying to escape the question.

  “The kitchen. Though it’ll take some serious persuasion to get her to come with you now, I spent the best part of yesterday convincing her to give you the benefit of the doubt and it’s taken you just the morning to mess things up. As per usual, you never fail to disappoint”.

  “I’m here now”.

  “Yes, and I’m late, so whatever you plan to do, do it quickly”. Terry stood up and Daniel stepped aside to let him by, all the while maintaining that smug look on his goddamn face.

  The kitchen was grand and modern, spacious and light, the perfect example of what a modern-day cook wanted from their kitchen and another reminder of what Terry could never afford. In the middle was an island counter with stools propped up against it and pots and pans hanging above it.

  Ria sat leaning over the counter with her head propped up on one arm and turned away from him. She wore a pretty flowery dress with shorts and her favourite brown boots.

  “Ria”, Terry called out to her, but she didn’t hear him. Convinced that she was simply too pissed off to talk to him, he tried a few more times, all the while approaching her, but she didn’t respond. It was only when he reached her side did he realise that she had her headphones in her ears, flicking through a magazine. Terry tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him, his pretty, brown curly haired daughter with the splitting image of her mother.

  “Hey there, kiddo”, he greeted her, not before she had noticed him and removed the headphones from her ears.

  “Oh, it’s you. Hey, I guess”, she replied. She wasn't exactly ecstatic to see him and that was no surprise if what Natasha said was true.

  “You don’t seem happy to see me”.

  “I’m over the moon, can’t you tell?” She replied, forcing a sarcastic smile to go with her sarcastic reply.

  “How are you?”

  “Fine, not that you care”. She returned to her magazine.

  “Don’t say that, you know I do. I’m sorry for getting here late. I just... got held up is all”.

  “Don’t mention it, it’s not as if I ever believed you’d be here on time or anything. I’m surprised you even showed up”.

  “I made a promise, I just want to spend time with you two today”.

  “Don’t force yourself”.

  “It’s not like that”.

  “Then what is it like?”

  “Like I said, I want to spend some quality time with you both, just us against the world, like we used to be”.

  “What, so you can feel less guilty about being a shit father?”

  “Watch your language and no, it’s because I love you kids, more than you bot
h know”.

  “Whatever, words don’t mean much without action, Terry”. Terry didn’t like the fact she had begun referring to him by his first name rather than dad, but at the same time he didn’t feel as though he deserved the title given how little of it he had been recently.

  “That’s why I’m determined to prove myself. Give me a chance, Ria, we’ll have a good day, the best day, I promise”.

  “Whenever you promise something, the opposite happens”.

  “Well I’ll make sure nothing interferes with our day out together”.

  “Mum, can’t I just stay home?” She shouted pass Terry, disregarding her father completely.

  “Go with your father, I can’t leave you home on your own”.

  “Why not, I’m old enough now, Lacey’s parents let her stay home alone”.

  “It's not about legalities, it’s about trust and before you answer, no, I don't trust you in the slightest”.

  “Aww come on, mum, what’s going to happen? We’re on the top floor of a building with more security than a police station”.

  “You are going with your father, we are not arguing about this, Ria. My patience has already been thinned, don’t test me any further”. Ria sighed.

  “Fine…” She stormed past her father into the hallway of the apartment and Terry couldn’t help but feel hurt by her words and actions.

  Following her through to the hallway, he waited for the kids to gather their things before finally escorting them out of the door.

  “Christ, I’m so late”, Natasha grumbled as she rummaged through her handbag.

  “I’ll give you a lift, sugarcake”, Daniel suggested and locked the door to the apartment behind them.

  Sugarcake? Cringe inducing, also another man calling his ex-wife sugarcake? Anger inducing.

  “But then you’ll be late”, Natasha replied. There was something incredibly uncomfortable about having two people talking indirectly about you. It was clear that their frustrations were directed at Terry and that only aided to further his guilt.

  “I’ll be fine, the client can wait, if he wants the best, he won’t mind waiting a few more minutes for it”, Daniel replied as they all made their way into the elevator and he pressed the ground and basement floor buttons.

  “Are you sure? It won’t be too much trouble?”

  “Stop panicking, I’ll have you at work in no time”. He kissed her in front of Terry deliberately, knowing full well what emotions and thoughts the action would induce in Terry and even though she pulled away to lessen the blow, the damage had already been done.

  Terry’s stomach tightened and holding back his fury was unbearable, he literally wanted to strangle this man. How much of a fucking arrogant tool could a person be? To kiss someone’s ex-wife right in front of them when you know full well that they are still in love with her is a whole different world of cockiness.

  “Thank you”, Natasha replied.

  As they arrived at the ground floor, Terry stepped out with the kids, with Daniel remaining in the elevator holding the door open for Natasha to part ways with her offspring. Natasha kissed them both and warned them to be on their best behaviour before standing upright to face Terry. Her expression changed, becoming more serious.

  “Have them home by six thirty at the latest”, she warned.

  “Aren’t they on half term, I was hoping to take them…” Terry begun but was cut short.

  “Six thirty, Terry. I don’t really give a sh... crap about what your intentions were. You lost that opportunity when you arrived late this morning. Don’t push it, otherwise I’ll make life difficult for you, I promise you that. You are treading on thin ice at the moment, really thin ice”. Why was she treating him like a child? Was this an attempt to embarrass him in front of Daniel?

  “... Six thirty it is then”.

  “Good. No later, I’m warning you”.

  “I heard you”. She gazed back at the kids.

  “I love you both, stay close your father, he’s idle minded, so you both need to be extra perceptive and aware”.

  “We’re not kids anymore, mum. We get the message... well at least I'm not”, Ria protested.

  “I know, I know. But you can’t blame me for being worried, it’s only because I care”.

  “Go, go! Haven’t you got work?” Ria insisted.

  “Yes, yes I do, have fun you two”, Natasha replied, kissing them both on the forehead and running back into the elevator.

  “We’ll try”, Ria muttered.

  CHAPTER 3 - TERRY: 9:39am - 2 Hours, 36 Minutes until outbreak

  Ria had barely uttered a word since they left that apartment block. The extent to which she appeared willing to communicate consisted of short grunts and the slight shake or nod of her head. It was fairly evident she had no intention of making any effort whatsoever today, despite Terry’s persistent efforts.

  Eventually she stuck her headphones into her ears, begun babbadooing her friend - a free messaging app all the kids used these days - and refused to partake in any of the bonding session between her brother and her father.

  In the interest of keeping the calm, Terry chose against pulling the headphones from her ears and encouraging her to at least try to be a little less antisocial, at least for now. He couldn’t deny that the urge to confiscate her phone and possibly break it was overwhelming.

  Passing by a quaint little bakery, the aroma drifting out of the open doors was quite enticing. They were in no particular rush now that he had picked them up, they had the whole day and to be entirely honest, rushing here had pretty much negated any effects eating the toast and fried eggs he had had this morning had done to benefit him.

  “Should we get something to eat first? Have you two had breakfast?” Terry asked.

  “We had cereals”, George replied. Ria didn’t answer and to be honest Terry wasn’t expecting an answer from her, not with those headphones in her ears and her eyes pasted to that screen.

  “How do you feel about hot chocolate and scones?”

  “Yay! I love scones!” George yelped, waving his arms in the air, “Can I have a gingerbread man too?” Terry sighed.

  “Just this once, but don’t tell your mother”. Deciding to play Ria’s game, knowing it was probably the only way he would get a response from her, Terry texted her asking her what she wanted, knowing how silly it felt, considering the fact she was standing right beside him.

  Having read the text, she pulled out a headphone and said “Nothing”.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m fine. Where are we going anyway?”

  “It’s a surprise”, Terry replied.

  “I bet it’s lame”.

  “It’ll be an enlightening experience”.

  “Another way of saying boring?”

  “Not at all”.

  “Whatever”. Her attitude was beginning to bug Terry, it took a tremendous amount of willpower to remain level headed at this point.

  “Not hungry anyway, you two eat what you want. I also have my own money, you don’t need to buy anything for me”. Where did that come from? This was a girl who used to always want pocket money

  They stepped into the little shop and Terry instructed the two children to find a seat whilst he made his selection. The pretty little blonde girl standing behind the till was most pleasant, whipping up his order of a double cappuccino, hot chocolate, gingerbread man, single scone and croissant.

  Whilst paying, Terry made small talk, anything to get Natasha and Daniel kissing off of his mind.

  “Crap morning isn’t it”. The girl laughed.

  “On most days I’d probably agree, but today doesn’t seem so bad. I feel good about it, maybe something good will happen. We tend to get our share of assholes…oops”. She covered her mouth and apologised. It was Terry’s turn to laugh.

  “Ah, don’t worry about it, I spend the majority of the day cursing people”.

  “That was unprofessional of me”. Terry waved his hand.

  “
Forget about it. Why are days usually crap... if you don’t mind me asking. I would have thought working in a bakery with delicious bread, biscuits and what have you, would be somewhat enjoyable”.

  “Yeah, none of which you can eat, so it's like tantalising torture. To top it off, customers in the mornings are right... so and sos. We had a customer yesterday complain about me making small talk and showing”, she air-quoted, “false politeness like a robot. We don’t always get jerks like him, but it really dampens the day, yaknow?” She was certainly the chatty one once you got her started.

  “Well keep that false politeness up, I’m sure most people appreciate it”.

  “Especially the little old ladies”, she laughed.

  “Especially them”.

  “That will be three pounds and forty pence”, she informed, returning to the till after having placed Terry’s orders on a tray. “Are those your children?” She asked as Terry dug through his pockets for the right change, he was never one for wallets, one of the many things that used to agitate Natasha.

  “They are indeed”, Terry replied, glancing towards them.

  “They look adorable”.

  “Thank you, both a handful though”.

  “Going through that stage I guess, better now than later I guess”.

  “Any idea how long that lasts?” Terry asked as he paid up. She laughed.

  “No, sorry. Different personalities and stages of maturity and all that”.

  “Thank you anyway, I guess it’s just one of the many things I’ll never understand. Have a nice day”.

  “You too”, she replied, handing him his receipt.

  Terry left her there and returned to his kids at the table to find the two of them bickering.

  “What’s this about?”

  “George, just being an idiot”, Ria groaned.

  “Don’t call me an idiot!” George replied.

  “Then don’t be an idiot”.

  “I’m not!”

  “Okay, okay, calm down you two, what happened?” Terry asked, attempting to quell the anger.

  “He won’t sit still and almost knocked down my fucking phone”, Ria replied. Two old ladies looked over in shock. Terry apologised and returned his attention to Ria.