A moment later, a slightly rotund doctor entered the room.
“Hi Doctor Silverstein,” Cindy said, as the physician walked to her bedside.
“And how are you today, Cynthia,” asked the doctor.
“I'm wonderful,” Cindy replied, “and so is RJ, thanks to you.”
The doctor smiled at her, then turned to Robert.
“Bob, I was so sorry to find out you left the hospital,” he said. Cindy looked at her Uncle. She still did not know he had been fired.
“Yes, well, I guess all things come to an end, eh,” Bob said, a little sheepishly. It seemed obvious to him, either Doctor Silverstein was not informed about what happened or did not want to let on. Either way, it was all right with the coroner.
Doctor Silverstein's attention then turned to Johann.
“Excuse me,” he said, adjusting his glasses on his face, “But, haven't we met before?”
“No, I don't believe so,” Johann replied, trying not to act suspiciously.
The doctor stood back a little and studied Johann's face and mannerisms a moment.
“Yes, yes, I remember now,” said Doctor Silverstein, waving a finger back and forth in the air, “Aren't you Mister Berman, from the CDC?”
“No,” Johann answered, as he smiled and extended his hand to the doctor, “You must have me confused with someone else. My name is Johann Gunter. I assume you're Cindy's doctor?”
“Yes,” the physician said, “I'm her new doctor. Her usual one, Doctor Zou, seems to have taken an unexpected indefinite leave of absence. No one appears to have any idea where she is.”
“I'm sure she has,” Johann said, shaking the doctor's hand. “I'm glad you're here for her.”
“Thank you,” Doctor Silverstein said. “You know, it seems odd,” the doctor continued, “But it almost seemed as though she appeared out of nowhere when she arrived, and now she seems to have vanished into nowhere.”
“Huh. Go figure,” Johann said, glancing sheepishly at Robert, “I guess some people aren't as reliable as they should be.”
The doctor again turned his attention to Cindy and her new baby, as Johann walked over to Robert.
“I guess we should be going,” Johann whispered, glancing at his timepiece, “The longer we stick around, the more chance of a, shall we say - 'distasteful' - encounter.” Robert nodded in agreement.
The two said their goodbyes to Cindy, Kenny, and little R.J., and made their way to Johann's car. Johann started the engine and the two sat in the vehicle for a few moments, and listened to the rumbling sound of the engine.
“Ah, that never gets old,” said Johann, smiling. Robert gazed at him like a father would a child.
The back seat of the car was jam packed with all their belongings. They had talked about it last night, and have decided not to return to this town for quite a while. Robert, knowing the people in this village, figured it would be at least several months before people stop talking, and at least a year or two before they can safely return. During the interim, they would reside in Johann's apartment. At long last, Johann put the car into first gear, and they left the parking lot of the hospital.
“I'll really miss this place,” Robert said, a touch of sorrow in his voice. Johann reached over and put his hand on the coroner's shoulder to comfort him.
They drove through town one last time, and Robert tried to take in everything he could. To gain a final glimpse of the life he was leaving behind. Finally, they reached the edge of town. Johann stopped for a moment, to give Robert one last chance to change his mind.
“What are you doing,” the coroner asked.
“Last chance,” Johann answered, “Are you sure you want to join me?”
Robert pondered this for a moment. He was being given the opportunity to resume his life here in this little town. He glanced out his window as he thought for a moment. Finally, he turned to Johann.
“Yeah,” Robert answered, “I'm sure.”
Johann put the car back in gear, and they resumed their trip. Robert took his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Johann glanced at him without saying a word. Slowly, Robert crushed the container, rolled down his window and tossed the crumpled pack of cigarettes.
“It's about time I gave up that nasty habit,” he said, rolling his window back up. Johann smiled at him and made a facial gesture.
“I'm proud of you,” Johann said.
“You know,” Johann continued, and changing the subject, “Last night before I fell asleep, I was reading some of the stuff in those library books you got. Some of the knowledge that the demon destroyed when he took my sister is coming back to me.” Robert turned and looked at Johann, abruptly remembering something.
“Oh, damn it,” the coroner said, “I forgot to return those to the library.”
“I wouldn't worry about it too much, Bob,” Johann said, as he chuckled, “After what you sacrificed and did for that town,” he turned a little more somber and glanced at Robert, “Those books are the least they owe you.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” said Robert, “But, what if something else comes up and someone else needs them?” Johann glanced at him for a moment before answering.
“Don't worry. If something happens, Your brother has our number. He'll call us.”
“Half-,” Robert began to correct, but started to rethink what he was about to say for a moment, “No, you're right. He is my brother.”
Johann turned on the radio, in time to hear a news report.
“This is Steve McClellan,” The reporter was saying, “Reporting from the town of Mountainview. The authorities in this town tell me they have responded to an abnormally high amount of suicides lately…”
Johann and Robert looked at each other a moment, almost as though reading each-others' thoughts.
“Looks like we're off to Mountainview,” Johann said. Robert stiffened in his seat slightly and inhaled deeply.
“Apparently so,” he said, looking at Johann, “Apparently so.”
“I guess we should let Johnny know,” said Johann.
“I suppose we should,” said Robert, as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and began to dial the number.
Johann and Robert continued down the road; both blissfully unaware a few cars behind them was a black, late model, Dodge Challenger.
The End
Johann and Robert will return in
“The Raven Flies At Night”
About the Author
Born in Coledale, PA and raised in NJ. Lived in NYC for about 7 years. Met my husband in 1978 and married in 1985. Have been happily married ever since! Now, we live in beautiful Mesa AZ.
Author of "The Mons Connection" and "Infected and Other Short Stories" as well as short stories in the SciFi / Occult / Horror genre(s) and an upcoming paranormal / occult series.
I was always interested in science fiction, action adventure and comedy. Tried my hand at writing a book back in the 1970's but did not have the direction I needed in order to complete it. The story was going along great until one day while I was sitting at my typewriter (remember those?) and the thought suddenly struck me that I had no idea where I was going with the story or how it was going to end. Now, many years later, I do have the drive and direction to write a complete book. My only regret is that it took me this long.
A lot of my ideas come from "What if?" For example, "What if there were a mountain on another planet that wasn't exactly a mountain?" or "What if we could reanimate corpses and have them perform menial tasks?" The whole world is full of "What if?" we just have to explore it.
Books by Janine R. Pestel.
The Bucktown Babies- The first book in the “Father Gunter, Demon Hunter” series, and a recipient of a “Reader's Favorite” 5 Star Review. A gripping demon hunter thriller pitting a former priest against a demon in a small farming community.
The Mons Connection- The Anunnaki and Human worlds collide. In this epic alien first contact saga, three astronauts and one cosmonaut search for alien l
ife on Mars, and find more than they expected.
Infected and Other Short Stories- Tales of Horror, Zombies and Paranormal. A collection of four short horror stories, each with it;s own twist.
The Visit- A short, but touching, story about a visit a mother receives from her Marine Corps son.
Harry- A short psychological thriller with a twist.
The Servants- Do NOT remove the control box! Madeline was rich and arrogant. She fired her human servants and purchased “ServBots”, with deadly consequences.
Wait at the Rainbow Bridge- The story of Tommy, and the beloved German Shepherd he lost. Read about how they are one day reunited.
Thank You
Thank you for reading my novel. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it. Reviews are very important to authors, so I would be very appreciative if you would kindly leave a review by clicking here.
-Janine R. Pestel
To receive notices of new books, appearances, book signings, etc., please visit my website: http://www.janinepestel.com
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If you should wish to contact the author, you may do so at this email address: [email protected]
The Bucktown Babies Page 14