On a wing and a prayer, I started my car. This was one of those times I wished I had a smaller, quieter car. My groaning engine most definitely worked against my efforts to remain a chameleon in the night. I kept my headlights off and crept into the foggy forest. But the moment I started my slow slither out of the officer’s view, he blasted his spotlight on me, completely illuminating the interior of my car. Then he chirped his siren and commanded me to stop my vehicle over the megaphone within his squad car.
“Turn off your engine now and remain in your car!” Instead, I stepped on the gas and blasted into the nearby thicket, still keeping my headlights off. His spotlight was on me every inch of the way as I rocketed through the tall pine and aspens, almost completely blind. I reached a depth where I thought it was safe to hide. His spotlight lost me momentarily, so I darted through a handful of trees, noticing a series of them lined up in a row, side by side. They created a thick, black cover that made for a perfect hiding spot. I slid to a stop and backed up, pulling behind the trees, killing my engine. His spotlight cut through the forest fog as he tried to locate me, slashing light from side to side around the area he last saw me. I could tell by the erratic way he was using the spotlight that he’d lost me. I remained motionless, watching him drive a little further into the trees, still darting the spotlight everywhere.
“You need to come out, young man, before we come in and find you! You’ll be in serious trouble, son, if you don’t come out now!”
I ignored his warning, confident that I wouldn’t be discovered. No sooner did I think that, when a few more spotlights lit up the forest. My hope of them only being there to disperse everyone faded; they wanted to crack some heads and my fleeing was something they weren’t putting up with tonight. I remained defiantly still, daring them to come find me.
It was apparent they were coming for me on foot. The sight of handheld flashlights bouncing through the fog confirmed their actions. Under the circumstances, things looked dire, but I wasn’t worried; I would do what I needed to avoid getting busted.
But something I hadn’t prepared for was hunting me as well. The cops pulled out the K-9 unit; they really aren’t messing around tonight.
The sound of the dog barking in the distance sparked some concern in me. One thing was for certain; I couldn’t hide from animals, their senses were way too keen.
The dog’s paws pitter-pattered on top of leaves while it sniffed through the forest, growing ever so close to where I was hiding. The policeman encouraged the mutt on by saying, “Get ‘em, boy,” every time the pooch got worked up into a frenzy over a scent.
I could see them approaching in the mist. The dog barked in a fury, pulling the cop straight toward me. The snarling dog could see me now and I could see him. I paused for a moment and marveled over the silver, light-reflecting pupils that this beautiful black and brown German Shepherd had fixated on me. Luckily, the cop was not yet aware of my presence.
Just when it seemed my cover was blown, I met the dog’s stare with one of my own. The Shepherd growled and barked even more aggressively. The cop squinted through the fog; he was looking almost straight at me.
“Hush, puppy, leave me,” I whispered.
I sat motionless in my car, fixated on the dog. All of a sudden, he quit barking and started to whimper. He backed up hesitantly, like the pooch ran into something he didn’t expect, something frightening. The officer kept asking the animal what was the matter, but all the dog did was cower, occasionally peeking around his legs in my direction. The officer took one last look and slowly backed up, as if he, too, detected something amiss. The two of them gingerly walked backwards, keeping a watchful eye out into the woods.
“No need to come any further boys, we lost this one!” the nervous cop shouted to his fellow officers.
Very slowly, they went back to their squad cars. I knew they were off my trail for sure now because that dog was barking way off in the distance away from me, like he regained his courage now that he was no longer close to me.
A good while went by. Finally it looked as if they were giving up. Then, piercing the dense night air, the crackling of voices came over their shoulder walkie-talkies, announcing to everyone to call off the search. Their jumping, handheld flashlights turned off one by one. Squad car doors closed and searchlights flashed off. This was followed shortly by police cars pulling away, although two officers stayed behind to tend to the few people they had rounded up at the scene.
I waited patiently until I knew for sure that I was alone in the woods.
Finally the remaining cops left, setting the few stragglers free with a warning before they turned off their emergency lights. The ground crunched under their tires, echoing throughout the forest.
One cop, possibly the one who hunted me, lingered behind briefly. He switched on his searchlight and took one final look into the woods, slashing it here and there before he slowly left Miller’s Hill.
I was completely alone now. Stillness was the only sound.
I smiled in victory and reveled in my witty maneuvering, holding out for a few more minutes before I attempted to leave. While waiting in the silence of the night, the air grew even thicker. It felt like a darker presence was infiltrating the environment. I surveyed the pitch-black area, seeing nothing that would warrant raising a red flag…yet.
Disregarding my senses, I started my car. Out of the corner of my eye, something among the trees pulled my attention. Although it was totally dark, no lights anywhere for miles, something chrome, or bright silver, shimmered—almost glowed—in the darkness. It was closing in on me.
I was on high alert now, watching this reflective object float closer and closer. The orb wafted through the bushes and trees, until it stopped in front of a large pine tree a few feet away. A figure came into view around the hovering, reflective ball. The air became almost choking with a stench, like burnt ash.
I was confident I now knew what was coming at me. An all too familiar, deep sadistic voice chastised me, alerting me to exactly whose presence this was.
“Are you proud of yourself? I bet you think you’re cute,” the annoyed voice belittled me.
There is no doubt in my mind as to who had arrived. Christian.
CHAPTER 5
MOTIONS
The disgruntled Christian glided up to me. He always looks the same, very distinguished and proper in his dress and manner.
He sported a tall, black top hat, one with a look similar to a magician’s or Abe Lincoln’s style, and a long black trench coat. Underneath the coat his attire remained suave: black dress pants with a black long sleeve silk dress shirt, a long white tie relaxes perfectly across the center of his chest, not a notch out of place to the left or right. Everything from his exquisite long blond hair precisely cut the same length all the way around, to the shining dress shoes that reflect like mirrors, not a speck of dirt nor a wrinkle is ever in his clothing. The finishing touch to his fashion was the shiny bulb that came ominously at me just moments before—the tip of his black-leather walking cane.
Christian didn’t need the cane to assist him in walking; he strolls just fine without it. I assumed it’s more for that extra touch of class in complimenting the rest of his gear, another aspect of his self-image and authority. It also served as a brilliant disguise for something he hid within that cane. On the top of this cane was that round, highly-reflective cue ball. Even his voice has an English accent, which adds the finishing touch of elegance to his demeanor. Overall, when it comes to being distinguished, Christian takes the donut.
Moving past his fancy wardrobe, two very strong physical attributes separated him from normalcy. His skin was so pale, as to almost be transparent. If the light hit him just right, you could see the deep blue of his veins within his translucent face and hands; the only visible parts of his flesh due to what he wears. It makes the natural colors on him, like his lips or eyebrows, seem all the more pronounced in red and black.
But his most intimidating feature was his eyes, whi
ch almost matched the tip of his walking cane. Christian’s stunning pupils were unnaturally bright silver, like fine crystal. When he glares through me with those eyes of condemnation, I feel my insides burn with his disapproval. All I know is that I don’t wanna feel his wrath if I come up short on this job. I know how powerful he is. But much to my dismay, I was again the recipient of one of Christian’s unholy stares.
“Come out of hiding and show yourself, Leo!” Christian demanded.
I materialized and stood before him in silence with my head pointed toward the ground.
“You make a mockery out of the process, and out of me, by behaving like a fool.” He deliberately circled me like he was sizing me up. “Did you think this ludicrous scene would go unnoticed?” He stopped in front of me.
“I’m sorry. I…”
He leaned down till we were face to face. “You screw this up and I will put you before the council and let them decide your fate. You dare take the chance of disobeying me by frolicking around with the prospect? What if something happened, altering my hard work…huh?” Christian ran his ghostly hand across my shoulder, like he was snubbing my clothing.
“I apologize, Christian. I was out of line. Darryl challenged me directly and I felt I needed to—”
Christian grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into a thick oak tree a few feet away. My back hit it with great force, knocking me senseless for a moment. “You only respond when I tell you to!” His pale, clammy hands applied pressure to my throat, holding me up off the ground and against the tree. “If you do not do what I wish, I will be sure the council sees to your demotion. Then I will personally destroy you.” In perfect timing with his statement, he smashed the back of my head against the tree before releasing his grip on my throat, allowing me to fall back to the ground upon my feet.
I remained silent.
“Your actions could have ruined everything.” He turned his back to me and rested his eyes to the ground as he walked away, clasping his hands behind his back. “Show-boating for a slew of putrid humans. Embarrassing.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You know what needs to be done. Stop screwing around and see that you finish what has been asked of you. We do not want to take the chance of losing such a fine specimen.” His oppressive silver eyes rapidly scanned over me like an open book.
“Yes. Yes, sir,” I humbly answered.
Coming at me again, with his hands still interlocked behind his back, Christian moved to within inches of my face. I avoided eye contact.
“You only advance yourself through my good graces. If you blow it tomorrow night, I will send you back into the fires. Do not disappoint me, Leo!”
I merely nodded.
“Good. Good. No more shenanigans. See that my wishes come to fruition.” He lightly smacked my cheek. “I will be watching your progress.” He grabbed me around my mouth with one hand and squeezed my cheeks together, making my lips puff outward. “Do. Not. Fail.” He raised his eyebrows, making sure I understood.
I again simply nodded in agreement.
“Now…get out of my sight. Go back to your dwelling and get ready for tomorrow.” Christian walked away, tapping his cane on my car. Suddenly, the bumps and scrapes my car had acquired in the race began to fix themselves. My Mustang transformed into the flawless beauty it had been before.
As I was opening the door, Christian reminded me again. “Leo. Remember…I’ll be watching.” He smirked and chuckled, moving the top of his cane from my car to the brim of his top hat, tapping it as well. I merely acknowledged him with a nod and got into my car.
I started my car and pulled away. I looked into my rear view mirror and saw him, with his cane resting on the ground between his legs, casually watching me drive off. The only thing I could see after a while was the sparkling silver ball at the top of his walking cane. It hovered, seemingly glowing in the distance. Eventually, it too faded into the darkness when I approached the paved main road.
The whole way back, and all through the night after arriving at my place, all I could think about were the consequences of falling short of Christian’s expectations. A nagging feeling continued to haunt me. How would I see this thing through when Darryl’s target, not to mention an innocent victim in all of this, Shade, was someone I was really starting to care for? Maybe even love. Even more perplexing; why was I feeling this way about her to begin with? These thoughts, this battle raging within me, made it harder to have a clear conscious for completing Christian’s mission. I couldn’t shake the guilt. Why were these thoughts, these feelings, still within me?
Before I knew it, Saturday reared its ugly head. I had suffered through another restless night.
The birds chirped in harmony as rays of sunlight lit up and warmed a chilly, foggy night. Like every night, Shadow had spent it next to me. Before leaving for the day, I put out extra food and water for him because it would be very late before I returned. I knelt and patted him while he ate, putting my face just above his head. He turned away from his nibbles to lovingly rub the top of his head against my chin, displaying his odd trust in me.
“You bizarre cat, why are you so different towards me from every other cat, or for that matter, from every other animal?”
I returned his affection with a long stroke down his back. He glanced up and gave me a high-pitched meow. I grinned and stood back up as he concentrated back on his food bowl. It sounds ridiculous for someone like me, but Shadow’s affection made me feel like I was a part of something, like I was real, almost whole again, kind of like the way I feel looking at Shade. Maybe it’s just my need to be desired by something living. Whatever the case, Shadow is the best friend I have, my only friend. No offense to Scruffy, I know I’m merely playing a role when it comes to my involvement with him.
Speaking of Scruffy, I decided to head to his house early to see if he made it back okay from the events of last night. I spruced myself up, bid Shadow goodbye, and took off, stopping at a nearby hot spring to wash the stink off my shell. The events of the day were soon to be set in motion, there would be no more waiting now. It was time to put up or shut up. The time had come to prove my worth.
I pulled up to Scruffy’s place and caught him just as he was taking the trash to the end of his driveway.
“Yo, what’s up, Leo?” Scruffy waved to me as I parked before hopping out. “What are you doing here so early, bro?”
“Bored as hell, man, just thought I’d get an early start on the day.”
He slammed the trash into the bin and approached my car. “Man, your ride isn’t banged up as bad as I thought it would be. It isn’t banged up at all. Darryl’s car was pretty messed up. How…” Scruffy paced around, inspecting it.
“Did I get it fixed so fast?”
“Uh…yeah.” Scruffy looked me over suspiciously.
“I didn’t have any damage…that’s how.” I smiled.
Silence fell between us.
“But…how…” He shook his head in confusion. “Forget it. Well, anyway, I’m glad you’re here. You hungry?” He extended his hand in greeting for another bro handshake, brushing off his suspicions for now.
Even though I wasn’t hungry, I gratefully accepted his offer and shook his hand.
“Yeah, I guess I could chow down on some grub.”
“Cool. My mom and dad whipped up a late breakfast, a little bacon, some eggs, and hashbrowns. They love when you come by and eat; gives my mom an outside opinion on her cooking. Personally, I think she’s a little liberal on the salt, but I would never tell her that, and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t, either.” Scruffy laughed as he waved for me to follow him inside his parents’ home.
“You don’t have to worry about me saying anything. Her food is great. Anyway, how did you get home last night?”
Scruffy stopped at his front door and put his finger to his lips. “Dude, be quiet,” he whispered. “I’ll get grounded if they found out we were at Miller’s Hill. Especially if they find out I ran from the police.” His hand slow
ly turned the doorknob. “I jumped in with John Riley and his friends and we all went back to BNB’s. I waited for you to show up and you never did; I thought you may have gotten busted.”
“Nah. I just hid in the woods until everyone left.”
“Why didn’t you come to BNB’s? You knew we’d go back there, right?”
“Yeah, man, but since my car was the other half of the main attraction, I thought I’d stay on the safe side and call it an early evening. I was concerned that maybe the cops would show there, looking for certain cars, if you know what I mean. Plus I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself.”
Scruff patted me in the chest encouragingly. “You have that part right, you certainly were the talk of the town last night, my friend. I guess it was a good thing you didn’t come by the hang out. Some cops pulled through, so good thinking.”
“Yeah, well, be that as it may, I was content with getting the best of Darryl, anyway. No need to gloat any further, right?”
“Oh yeah, right.” Scruffy rolled his eyes.
Sticking out his hand, pointing at the floor, he signaled me to keep our discussion on the down low as he shut his front door behind us as we walked inside.
“I will say one thing, you certainly did get the best of Darryl. It was killer.” He smiled in approval. “Mom, Leo is here for breakfast. Is that okay?”
“Yes, come on in, Leo. Join us,” his mom called from somewhere in the house.
We rounded the corner into the kitchen and there she was, leaning over the kitchen table, setting food on blue placemats. His father was reading the morning newspaper. “Hello, Leo, good to see you. Sit down and eat up. You know Momma Spears always makes plenty.”
Drift (Drift Series) Page 5
