by Justin Bell
********
Four days ago. Day seven of the Strickland experiment.
Stepping out of the shower, Strickland reached for a nearby towel and dried himself off, relieved to be free of the slick layers of sweat that he'd built up throughout the morning. His early morning run had been invigorating, and he'd made the decision to venture out, taking the car for a change into the neighboring town. He wasn't convinced this would provide him with any answers about his family, but he felt a need to get out and clear his head further.
As the garage door crested to the top of the vehicle cavity, his Toyota Matrix gunned to life and navigated over the gravel driveway, swinging backwards and to the left, spitting rocks and dirt in its wake. Quicker than he realized, he came into downtown Norwood. He glanced over at the small general store that was now familiar, then turned his head left, and regarded the town hall, once again flagging that building in his own personal database. The paved road turned downhill towards a bridge that spanned the local river, and in a second, he crossed it towards the next town.