by A. E. Lucky
Chapter 7: Another Peek at Doctor Red
And now, back to Dr. Red and his mysterious invention!
The nefarious doctor of evil was soldering wires to the strange machine when his stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten for several days and he was currently in the mood for crispy, juicy chicken.
“I’ll need a disguise though,” he said to himself as he walked to the old abandoned shower room in the old abandoned factory. “Something the law would never see through.”
He showered the grease and dirt off of himself. Then he changed into a suit and tie and a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his eyes—all of which he found, oddly enough, in one of the old abandoned lockers. His stained lab coat lay abandoned on the old abandoned bench.
Finally, he climbed into his slapdash vehicle—which looked more like a skeleton than anything—and abandoned that old abandoned lair of his for a more populated environment where he could get some grub.
When he arrived, he parked his vehicle inside a junkyard three blocks from the restaurant, which was perfect. No one would give his rather distinctive vehicle a second look. From there he walked to the restaurant, counting his steps. He really didn’t give a hoot and holler about exercise or the 10,000 steps per day challenge… he just had nothing better to do.
At the restaurant, he ordered a bucket of chicken and mashed potatoes. The cashier took his order and gave it to the cook. Then he turned back to Doctor Red with a curious expression on his face. He bent slightly and titled his head, trying to get a glimpse of the evil doctor’s face under the wide-brimmed hat.
“Hot weather, eh?” he said.
Dr. Red grunted.
The man rocked on the balls of his feet. Then he nodded at the hat. “Smart. Keeps the sun out of your eyes.”
“Thanks,” the evil doctor murmured from under his hat.
The man nodded and let his eyes fall to the counter. He spotted Dr. Red’s hands and let out a quiet exclamation. “Wow. That looks like one mean sunburn! Is that why you’re wearing a hat?”
Dr. Red automatically lifted his hands and inspected them.
“What have you been doing?” persisted the cashier. “Working in the sun a lot? Vacation? Maybe you fell in the fireplace?”
“Sensitive skin,” the diabolical doctor finally muttered, “burns easily.” He did not want to get into the real reason for his skin color. His business was his business and any fool who decided to stick his nose into it would find himself sneezing out the wrong end… at least, under normal circumstances. Where the mad doctor was a fugitive, that would be too brazen. But he studied the man’s pimply face—just in case the opportunity presented itself.
An awkward silence stretched between the two. It finally broke when the cook arrived with the order. Dr. Red took the bucket of chicken, the smaller tub of mashed potatoes and the smallest cup of gravy with a gruff, “Thanks” before he turned and hurried out of the restaurant.
The smell of the chicken, potatoes, and gravy tantalized him as he made his way back to his vehicle three blocks down. It also attracted a loud and obnoxious dog that ran out of an alley and attempted to jump on him, reaching for the food.
“Bark! Bark! Bark!”
“Get off of me, you dirty mutt!”
“Bark!” The dog stood on its hind legs and pawed the air, whining.
Dr. Red pulled out something that resembled a misshapen tazer and aimed at the dog. “I said beat it!” he snarled and pressed a button.
A bolt of amber-colored electricity struck the dog, which leaped away with a yelp. Then it yelped again when there was a loud pop. And again when there was another loud pop. And then it bounded all over the place as there was a series of pops that sounded like firecrackers going off.
Dr. Red watched in fascination as the mutt danced, for he noticed that the popping sounds came from the hairs that were exploding off the dog. It wasn’t long before all the hairs had popped and Dr. Red was looking at a naked dog trembling.
It looked up at him with pitiful eyes.
The malicious doctor brought his gadget up again. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The dog immediately took off, whining mournfully. Dr. Red smiled evilly and continued to his vehicle. From there to the old abandoned factory where his diabolical machine awaited to be completed he drove—the delicious smell of his midday sustenance tantalizing him all the way.
