Crown of Vengeance fie-1

by Stephen Zimmer

  Janus knew that the last thing that Kent wanted to do was to wreck Mr. McNeeley’s boat. Each passing second invited that possibility.

  “Keep talking. Keep it slow. Keep listening,” Kent repeated again.

  Janus did not argue with him, as his eyes strained to look through the shrouding fog.

  ERIN

  Erin, as was usual, slumbered lazily until it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon. There were no classes or work to be concerned with, though such things ultimately mattered little. Neither of those issues would have obstructed her intended pursuits for the coming evening.

  It took about another half-hour to rouse herself sufficiently awake to take a shower, eat, and check up on her messages. By phone and computer, the messages were the typical kind, of a largely vacuous content.

  It did not take her long to sift through them, responding to some and deleting most.

  Time slogged onward, until Lynn finally arrived to pick her up for the planned excursion. Almost as an afterthought, Erin left a brief message behind for her parents that she was going to be out for the evening, camping with friends in the woods.

  Slinging her large backpack over her shoulder, she locked the front door on the way out.

  At a mini-mart near the main highway bypass, Lynn and Erin made their rendezvous with Razor, Uli, and the others that would be going on the camping trip. The group took a few moments to fuel the vehicles, and to procure an assortment of drinks and snacks, before finally setting off for their intended destination.

  In total, the entourage consisted of a convoy of ten people situated in three different cars. The two-hour trip passed by quickly enough, the travel broken up by various antics as the cars took turns passing each other on the highway, the occupants giving each other obscene gestures.

  It seemed like only moments before they were unloading the vehicles within an official national forest parking lot. Packs readied, and hiking boots laced, the ten started off together in a loose column onto the trail.

  About two miles inward and upward, they broke off of the trail to find themselves a suitable spot for the evening. The park rangers required a minimum distance from the trails for overnight camping, but they elected to go well beyond that limited requirement, with Razor in the lead.

  Eventually, they found themselves on the summit of a small hill, surrounded by thicker growths of brush. It was far away from any of the main trail paths, and required a little effort to reach.

  It was not likely that the place would be disturbed by fellow hikers or park rangers. Razor, Lynn, and Uli quickly set to making a clearing for a small campfire, as the others staked out their camping spots.

  A few tents were set up, three suited for single persons, and three larger capacity ones to accommodate the others, with two couples each claiming a tent.

  It was not very long before the drinking and festivities began to get underway. The frivolity grew as the afternoon dipped into night, the sun tucking itself away below the hills.

  As night drew onward, the group started to fragment as the flow of libations continued. A few of Erin’s friends opted to go farther up the hill to get a grander view of the area, while one of the couples headed in the opposite direction to find some space for privacy.

  Erin, Lynn, Uli, and Razor were the last four remaining around the campfire. Erin was simply glad that the quartet was not sitting in Uli’s cluttered living room.

  “Dissipation. Always happens on these trips,” Lynn said, laughing in a carefree manner as she looked into the flames of the campfire.

  “Dissipation, like this,” Uli repeated, as he blew out a puff of smoke from the tightly rolled joint that he was taking deep inhalations from. The mind-numbing herb left a sweet smell hanging in the air, a scent that Erin had become quite accustomed to. Uli laughed hysterically.

  “Surprised that you even know what that word means, Uli?” Erin teased, laughing, though her words had an intended jab within them.

  “Don’t care much ‘bout words, but this will do,” Razor said, carefully accepting the rolled herb from Uli.

  He held it reverently, as he closed his eyes and inhaled upon the end of it. The others could see the flaring red of the other end as it burned down towards its stump. Razor held the smoke inside for several moments, before finally exhaling in a broad puff.

  “So good to be here,” Erin observed, without a trace of sarcasm. “Could do this every day, all day.”

  “Wouldn’t you get bored?” Lynn asked. “I mean, I want to figure out something that makes me happy.”

  The others gave her strange looks in response, as usually occurred whenever Lynn invoked realities in the midst of a carefree party. Erin found such moments annoying, noticing that Lynn was bringing them out with greater frequency as of late.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I won’t leave nights like this out of the equation,” Lynn added, having recognized the sudden hesitation in the others.

  Lynn laughed as the others relaxed. Erin refrained from expressing her personal irritation with Lynn, as there were other aggravations to express.

  “Getting nagged to death, working for nothing, or wasting time at school… those are the options life offers, if you want to get real about it,” Erin said. She rested her chin in the cup of her right hand, propped up and braced by her arm, looking as if she were deeply contemplating the matter.

  “World isn’t changing anytime soon… So, after some careful… thought… I’ll settle for the herb. It’s a lot easier on the stress levels,” she then added, replacing the mock seriousness of her expression for a wide grin.

  Accepting the remnant left from Razor, she took a deep inhalation of it, held it inside her lungs, and then slowly exhaled. She could feel her anxieties ebbing already.

  “Got that right, ‘bout that part, ‘bout after some thought… I mean. That is… cuz after the herb, there is no thought,” Uli said, stammering through his words and barely making any sense. He guffawed in laughter, and the other three laughed heartily with him.

  For the moment, none of the four had a care in the world. Erin was freed, and did not have to worry about school, work, or any other type of mundane activity. It was almost too good to be true.

  The thoughts of that consuming liberation were embedded in the forefront of her mind as she excused herself from the group to attend to a call of nature. She fumbled about in her backpack for a flashlight. She clicked it on and a strong beam emerged. She was glad that she had just replaced all of the batteries.

  Walking slowly to keep her balance, as she was feeling a little lightheaded, Erin made her way over to the far edge of the campsite. She carefully navigated the brush just beyond it until she deemed herself to be ensconced in full privacy.

  Glancing around, she noticed some cool tendrils of vapor crossing over her. The silvery mist outlined the beam of her flashlight.

  Looking about, her heart gave a flutter as she observed a significant amount of mist rolling swiftly in towards her. The light of the moon through the trees cast an eerie glow on the advancing fog, giving it a ghost-like aspect as it flowed through the depths of the dark foliage.

  The strange phenomenon fully captured her attention, taking her mind instantly off of the task that she had left the campsite for. It was a few moments before she came out of her momentary stupor, and hurriedly finished her intended business.

  Her nerves had started to rattle inside, for she had never seen a fog moving with such a fluid rapidity. Pulling her shorts and underpants back up, and taking a moment to compose herself, she hastened back to the campsite and implored Lynn to come back with her to see the eerie fog.

  At first Lynn was reluctant to the overture by Erin, as she had gotten into a very relaxed, sleepy mood, seated close and comfortable by the warmth of the campfire. At Erin’s very insistent urging, Lynn finally pushed herself up to where she could get her feet beneath her, and stood up.

  She walked over to where Erin stood at the edge of the camp, with a look of m
ild irritation. Lynn’s expression changed to one of curiosity as she noticed the utterly serious countenance upon her friend’s face.

  “What’s going on?” Lynn asked her.

  “You have to see it,” Erin replied emphatically. “Just beyond here, not far at all.”

  Erin headed back into the woods, gesturing for Lynn to follow her. Her flashlight led the way, the beam soon being outlined again by the fog that it increasingly struggled to push through. She did not have to direct Lynn’s attention to the rising density of the fog, as Lynn noticed it clearly enough upon their arrival.

  “Wow! I wonder where all that is coming from. Up on a hill too? Shouldn’t fog lay low in valleys and such? Think that it will come in to cover the camp?” Lynn inquired with evident amazement at the aggressive behavior of the mist.

  “Probably so,” Erin replied, sharing the incredulity voiced by her friend. “Looks like it’s coming in pretty quickly. Never seen fog behave like this.”

  “Yes, it is coming in quick, and no, I haven’t seen anything like it. We should probably make sure that the others can find their way back to the camp, or there is a chance that they will get lost in this.” Lynn remarked, looking down at the growing slivers of the vapor starting to envelop her own body.

  Just a few feet beyond them, the density of the mist had formed into the beginnings of an impenetrable wall of fog. The full beam of the flashlight could not pierce the opaque mass at all.

  Even more disturbing, the wall of fog seemed to creep closer with each passing second, swallowing the feeble attempts of the flashlight to cut through its relentless advance.

  Within just moments, Erin could see that they would be fully surrounded.

  LEE

  Lee Chen attended diligently to his duties, enduring yet another exhausting day of managing the restaurant that bore his name.

  He had arrived even earlier than usual that particular Saturday, to work on a valve problem in one of the restrooms after getting only four hours of sleep. Lee did not think much about how little sleep he had gotten, as it rarely reached even six hours on normal days.

  The early morning maintenance was soon followed by a full afternoon and evening of almost constant activity; Clearing and cleaning tables, bringing out orders, cooking, passing out coupons, driving deliveries, taking orders, making schedule adjustments for employees, and all of the usual trials and travails of a restaurant owner-operator.

  While never doing poorly, in terms of customer traffic, the restaurant’s business had never seemed to grow enough to a point where he could hire the amount of help that was truly needed. Even with as much pressure as he constantly felt, he still could not ask the three employees in his hire to do any more than they were. They currently went above and beyond the call of duty on a regular basis. Lee was very grateful for their extra resilience, as quality workers were becoming something of a scarcity in his observation.

  The pressures of what needed to be done, in contrast to the resources available to him, resulted in Lee’s own efforts being stretched beyond the limits. Neither customer nor employee could often tell the full extent of the strain, for Lee held neither bitterness nor frustration within him.

  His regular, friendly countenance, and stalwart perseverance on the most frenzied of days, was what had won him a core of regular customers and loyal employees. Though he did not take credit for it, it undoubtedly elevated the performance of his small, but earnest, staff.

  When closing time finally did arrive, the most prominent desire in Lee’s mind was simply rest. He looked very much forward to the following day, as the restaurant closed early on Sundays. He was eager to indulge in a few hours of blissful recreation, even if it was only to have Ryan over to drink sodas and watch movies.

  Calling up a little extra resolve, he attended to the closing duties with Ryan and two members of his regular staff. They stacked the chairs on the tables and set about mopping up the floors. They cleaned the kitchen, including the woks, dishes, and the rest of his array of equipment.

  At the very end, Ryan bagged up the trash and carried it out to the dumpsters, while Lee tallied up the register receipts and prepared a deposit bag.

  Lee paid his two staff members a little extra bonus in cash, and thanked them for their sincere, solid efforts that day. Their job finished, they thanked Lee, wished him a good evening, and left for the night.

  Circling around Ryan, Lee bolted the front door behind them and returned back towards the main counter. At last, the restaurant was silent and still, his work for the day finally at an identifiable end. The weight and tension dissipated from his shoulders at that moment, a feeling that he had come to savor at the culmination of a long day’s work.

  Ryan extended a can of cherry-flavored citrus soda to Lee, not having to ask as the soft drink was well known at the restaurant as being Lee’s favorite. Lee gave Ryan a tired smile as he accepted it.

  Taking a deep breath, and following it with a long and gratifying draught of the beverage, Lee set it down and looked wearily towards Ryan.

  “Good job tonight, Ryan. I appreciate your help a lot, I really do. It was a very hard day today, more than usual” Lee observed.

  “No problem Lee. Did good biz today, from what I saw, didn’t we?” Ryan replied, taking a sip out of his own can. He raised the can in a saluting gesture towards Lee, “To a good day, Lee!”

  “Above average, I am happy to say,” Lee replied. “Campus brought us a few more deliveries than I expected. You must have gotten some extra coupons out.”

  “I’ve passed out quite a few for the cause. But must have been giving them to all the wrong folks, because Bob wasn’t too happy about the tips today,” Ryan replied with a chuckle, referring to Lee’s tried and true delivery driver.

  The man had grumbled throughout the day about the frugal nature of the campus students. The language that he had used back in the kitchen had often been quite colorful. Lee and Ryan had laughed heartily at some of the creative and very descriptive anatomical suggestions that Bob had for the cheap students.

  “Oh, he made us aware of that. But I made sure Bob got a little extra tonight,” Lee said, a hint of worry on his face.

  Bob was indispensable to his operation, knowing every optimal route and planning his deliveries to the height of efficiency. He did the work of two, maybe even three, mediocre drivers.

  “I saw that. And Bob looked pretty happy about it. He’ll stay around. Griping is natural to him, don’t worry,” Ryan said encouragingly. “And about those students. Just have them all work one day and night like this, and they will learn to tip really quickly. They should make it mandatory for cheap tippers.”

  “Very good point. I think that would work too. So, I noticed that you haven’t bolted yet. Is Pamela busy tonight?” Lee asked him.

  “Yeah, she sure is,” Ryan replied at the mention of his girlfriend. “Says she is just going to stay home and get some rest tonight. You know what that means. But I’m not too worried. She plays a bit, but she knows who the real man is. Nothing else will compare. She’ll learn!”

  Lee chuckled as Ryan’s youthful cockiness emerged. “I’m sure she’ll realize who the real man is.”

  Ryan smiled. “Hey now, that better not be sarcasm. Don’t you get in on disrespecting me.”

  Lee laughed heartily. “You worked well tonight, so I’ll give you a break. Have you thought about what we should watch for the film festival at my house tomorrow evening, if you are up for some movies?”

  “You need to get a game system, some day, Lee. And not a used one at the pawn shop. Get a cutting-edge console. But movies don’t sound bad right now. I could do with just about anything at the moment, except some boring drama or silly chick flick,” Ryan remarked.

  “We’ll figure something out, either on satellite or download,” Lee replied, finishing off his soda. He crumpled the can in his hand and pitched it into a freshly lined trash bin that Ryan had prepared towards the end of the counter. “Well, there’s the fi
rst start on tomorrow’s trash load. I am about done here. Time to get some rest.”

  “And you are just going to leave me stranded facing a boring night. I’m not ready to go to sleep yet!” Ryan commented, as he started towards the door. His steps slowed as he approached the glass-faced door. “Looks like there is going to be a thick fog cover tonight!”

  “Fog?” Lee replied in curiosity, coming out from behind the counter and walking down its length towards where Ryan stood gaping.

  “Yeah, come over here. I could see it even as I walked towards the front door,” Ryan said, turning back towards Lee while gesturing at the restaurant’s entrance.

  Lee walked past Ryan, his eyes fixated through the glass of the front door. He slowly unbolted the lock, and swung it open. Ryan followed close behind as they walked outside together.

  As Ryan had observed, a rolling fog bank was gradually invading and conquering the city streets. The fog had already become an impenetrable mass just across the street from where the restaurant was located.

  The tall street lamps near his restaurant cast a cramped glow, one that was visibly shrinking. The advancing vapors were steadily wafting in their direction, part of an enormous, rising tide.

  “This is just plain strange. I don’t understand it,” Lee commented, staring at the unusual mists.

  Enraptured, Lee continued to stand just outside of the unlocked restaurant with Ryan close by. The near proximity to the front door comforted him, as his eyes could not see more than twenty feet ahead of him.

  The fog mass seemed to progress as if it had a mind of its own. It continued to engulf the area around them, as the density increased swiftly in the immediate vicinity of the restaurant.

  “It is just fog, Lee, don’t get too carried away,” Ryan remarked.

  He waved his hands about in the misty substance as it encircled them.

  “It is, but I still haven’t seen fog move like this,” Lee commented. “Have you?”