by Shook, J. E.
"Hmm?" Reginald grunted, looking confused. "No, no, no. I would have gotten much sicker if I hadn't eaten it. What I'm saying is that I really did enjoy it and thanks."
She looked uncertain. "I've been told that I'm a horrible cook."
Reginald smiled. "Really, I loved it."
Rachel returned the smile. "Thanks. Nice to know I've got one fan out there."
A silence hung between them. Reginald began to feel his heart begin to beat quicker. 'Now's the chance,' he thought. 'There may not be a new day tomorrow, so do it.' He opened his mouth and said, "Umm."
Rachel looked at him to continue.
"Umm, I've been meaning to ask you something," he said, trying to keep his hands from shaking.
"Okay, ask away," she said.
He began to continue, but was stopped by her phone ringing. As she took it out and looked at it, he said, "Go ahead and answer it. It can wait a minute."
"This won't take long," she said, giving him an encouraging smile.
He walked over to the refrigerator and looked inside. 'Nice to see it restocked while I've been out of it,' he thought, taking out a green can of Vrrooom. Opening it, he took a quick sip and sat it down on the counter. He took down a bottle of pills from the cabinet and took a couple of them with his drink. He tried to hide his frown as he listened to the conversation going on behind him.
"Hey, you don't have to keep calling so much, Mark. Yeah, I know we're supposed to be at the movies in a few minutes. So what? If I'm late, we'll just go see another one. No, it isn't a big deal. What? You're the one I should be worried about, so just calm down. I know, but I'm capable of protecting myself. Alright, alright, I should be done in a few. Bye, love you."
Reginald stood there calmly sipping his drink. He smiled as Rachel ended the call and put her phone up.
"Sorry about that. What were you going to ask me?" she asked.
Reginald looked up as he wracked his brain. "What was I going to ask you?" He tried to focus. "Sorry, the medicine is killing my concentration," he said, chuckling. "Ah, I was going to ask how everyone at work was getting along without me. Is Mr Davis getting by with me being gone?"
Rachel gave him a confused look. "Yeah, everything thing is fine. We miss you, but it's slow enough that one person can manage anyways. Everyone is just doing a little more."
"Good, I was beginning to feel lazy. I'm glad everything is under control."
Another silence hung between them. "Are you sure that's all you were going to ask?"
"Yes, that was all," Reginald said, forcing a smile. "I'm still quite drowsy though. I'm thinking of going back to bed."
Taking the hint, Rachel stepped to the door. "Alright, I'll let you get to sleep then. Call me if you need anything. I'm serious."
"I will."
"Get yourself better. We all want to see you back at work and back in good health."
Reginald nodded as his smile grew. "Thanks."
"I will be back in a couple days to clean this place up. This mess can't be good for your health. Bye." Before he could put in another word, she had stepped out of the apartment and closed the door.
For several minutes he just stood there looking around the room and sipping on his drink. The kitchen light shone into the dark living room. He could see the television on but noticed its volume turned down. The bed was in a mess as well as the sofa. An opened first aid kit was sitting on his coffee table with most of its contents scattered around it. Various other garbage was littered throughout the room.
"It really is a mess," he muttered sitting down on the sofa. He propped his feet on the table and sat there lost in his own thoughts for several minutes. "I don't know how much longer I can take this." He leaned forward and cradled his head. "I can't take this solitude any longer." He crumpled up the empty can and threw it onto the table, causing things to scatter even worse. Looking closely, he saw a piece of paper halfway pushed underneath the kit.
"What's this?" he asked, taking the paper and reading it. A genuine smile crept over his face as he read aloud. "Hey, Dad. I'm back at work but I'll be back in the morning to check on you. I think you remember me being there, though you've been in and out of dozing all week. I'm going to see about quitting my job in Requiem and moving up there with you. You need me, Dad. Plus I've really missed you. I'm old enough now to handle anything the world throws at us so keep all that crap about it being dangerous to yourself this time. I've restocked the fridge so drink up. There's some blood coffee in there to help build up your energy quicker. It's pig-blood so don't worry about it. Also, yesterday Grans stopped by and left something for you. It's under the bed. I love you, Dad. P.S. I better not find you in another dumpster in the morning."
Reginald fell backwards into the couch laughing. 'What am I going to do with her?' he thought. 'I'm not ready to be a father and wasn't then, but I'm happy about it now. Maybe I can do alright by her.'
As his laughing fit was dying down, he heard his phone begin to ring. He picked it up and almost dropped it again as he saw the name. "H-hello," he said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Hey there Reginald," the voice said on the other end. "Long time, brother."
"It has," Reginald said, trying to find more words but failing.
"How have you been?"
"Well," he said. "And you?"
"Tired," the voice said. "We've been after the Cannibal Killer and I haven't slept since the whole thing started. I'm sure you've heard as much, even from your box up there."
"I have heard," Reginald said. "Have you found anymore leads?"
"Sort of. There were two murders the other night in the other two cities, but we have found no body as of yet in Ottowash."
"Really?" Reginald asked, scratching his head. "Well, that's good news, isn't it, Corey?"
"We hope," was the response. "There was quite the uproar the other night in an apartment building on the other side of town. Supposedly a monster took a woman hostage and was fought off by a stranger. He threatened to eat her, so that may have been the killer there."
Reginald's head jerked to the side. "Yes, it may have been."
"Speaking of this stranger, have you heard anything about him?" Corey asked.
"No, I haven't."
"Hmmm," Corey grunted. "Well, it seems we have a vigilante roaming our streets. He showed up week before last for the first time, and then he showed his face, metaphorically speaking, again last week. He fights robbers and monsters, it seems so far. He appears to have superhuman strength and speed. He does seem only to come out at night."
"Wow, that does sound amazing."
"Not only that, but he has OCD tendencies, like requiring to be invited inside a room even when a woman is tied up. Sounds familiar."
Reginald hesitated. "It does sound kind of like a vampire, but that would be crazy."
"It would be. You are right. It's crazy enough to attract the attention of the president of the United States, who happens to be a vampire. You remember that, right?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Just making certain. Michael contacted me specifically to get this situation under control. The three of us grew up together and he believes he can count on us. I want to prove him right. If this guy is one of us, he's putting everyone in danger. He cannot take the law into his own hands or reveal to the world that we exist. If he continues this path, he will make an enemy of every vampire on this planet and if he lets the cat out of the bag, every human as well. I hope he understands the consequences of his actions if he does wind up being a vampire."
"Yes, I hope he does too."
"Well, I just thought I would call and check on you. I hear Maya is going to be staying with you from now on."
"Yeah, she's moving in soon."
"That's great to hear," Corey said. "If I hadn't proposed to Lilly, I would have took Maya in, but it would be hard to explain how I had a daughter that looked as old as me."
Reginald laughed. "Yes, that would be a tough sell."
"Wel
l, keep a close eye on her. She's a free spirit, and is likely to get into trouble. Don't let her get into trouble, please."
Reginald frowned. "I will do my best."
After another silence, Corey said, "I've got to make sure the kids are sleeping before I report in tonight. I will talk to you soon."
"Okay, talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye."
Reginald dropped his phone onto the table and walked over to the window. He stared down at the street below. He could see cars on the road and people walking on the sidewalk. "There's so many people everywhere," he muttered. "They will all die one day, but they keep up the same routine. They work, they play, they love. Despite the inevitable end, they keep going. I have to try to do the same. I can't back down. I have decided on my path and I must walk it, to whatever end it leads me to."
Smiling he walked over to the bed and reached under it. He pulled out a box he didn't remember ever seeing before. "What did Mother bring me?" he wondered out loud. He opened up the box and laughed. He held up the red and black flannel coat out in front of him. "I can tell that she made it for me." He pulled it on over his head and walked into the bathroom to look in the mirror. "Looks alright," he muttered. He pulled the hood over his head. "Keeps my face more in the shadows. That's useful. With a cap, it would be tough to tell who I am."
Reginald kept staring at himself. "After scolding me like she did, what does this mean? Does she support my decision?"
He walked out of the bathroom and looked around the small apartment. "I can't stay here any more tonight. I have to get out there." Reginald lifted his left arm and slightly winced. "It's much better." He realized most of the pain in his side was gone as well. "I would say that I'm at eighty percent tonight. I won't get involved in anything too big."
Reginald remembered the final words of the monster. "I guess they will be coming for me. I have to get ready. I have to be stronger. If I can kill them, I will save more people." A grim smile appeared on his face. "That is something worth risking my life for."
He threw his clothes off and took a shower. Reginald felt energy coming back to him as the scalding hot water washed over him. The stink of the dumpster disappeared as the room became surrounded in mist. "I'm not as alone as I believed, but even if I had no one, I still would have this city and this city would still have me," he said, laughing out loud as the water relaxed his muscles and he began to feel like a new man.
It was about three in the morning when an SUV came careening through the streets of Ottowash. It narrowly missed hitting another car as it sped along. "Whoow!" a man called from the backseat. "There's got to be a hundred DVDs back here. This bastard's been spoiling his children rotten."
The driver smiled. "Great, just more loot to sell.Check those bags back there. Looks like the fools left some of their shopping in the back. They must have stayed at the mall late last night."
The robber in the backseat laughed. "Yeah, they ought to know that leaving stuff in the car can get it stole." He turned to take inventory.
The driver continued on but slowed down as he saw something flash from one of the nearby buildings. "Hey, Dave, what's that?"
"What's what, Dan?" Dave asked, sticking his head between the seats.
"There," Dan said, pointing. "Looks like there's a big bird falling towards us. Must have hit a building."
"No, that's just a plane passing by," Dave said. "I think."
After another couple moments, Dan screamed and tried to slam on his brakes. "No, it's-" he started to say as something heavy landed on the hood of the car. He had no time to catch his breath as he felt a hand fly in through the windshield and grab him.
Reginald Baxter will return next Spring
J.E. Shook is also the author of the current zombie series Larry the Undertaker
You can find the rest of his works here:
http://www.amazon.com/J.E.-Shook/e/B009UTPTV2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
And for the U.K.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/J.E.-Shook/e/B009UTPTV2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1