With the sun low on the horizon, it had little influence here. The forest was in almost complete darkness. The gates again lit with green light, an electricity that possessed the gate and made it glow. Entranced by the light. It made Leo feel like he was on the Vegas Strip. In the middle of the forest, everything was touched in green like neon.
A beam of a light flashed on the other side of the fence, followed by one on his side somewhere behind the trees. Seconds later the gates went dark and they began to open. At last, close to being on his way, Leo pulled through the gates, the posts a deep green. On the other side he saw a red laser’s beam reflect off his hood and move up, stopping on his chest. Only the Phantom would take things this far.
“Halt! You’re not rolling out of here that easy.”
Oh great, here we go again.
“How did your chat go with Mrs. Sullivan?” Fox One asked.
Before he could filter himself he cleverly said, “I thought Mrs. Sullivan’s appointments were none of your concern.” Did I just say that? I’m trying to leave, not get harassed or punched.
“I didn’t peg you as a smartass. You don’t want to get on my bad side, Krueger.”
“Mrs. Sullivan and I had a brief conversation and I didn’t see her face to face.”
“Hmm, okay did you receive any materials from her?” the guard asked.
“I didn’t receive the book I came for.”
“Book? I better sweep you over anyhow.”
Fox One approached the vehicle but kept a ten-foot distance. Now that he was close, Leo could see the Phantom’s bulk. He had to be 6’6”, bulging arms, all black camo, muscular but not impedingly so.
He pulled out a wand with a screen on one end and pressed some buttons and swept the wand slowly as he walked the perimeter of the vehicle. He was almost done with his sweep when he was passing the driver’s door. The device pinged and beeped. He moved his focus from the wand and onto Leo’s face. Fox One grinned showing his teeth.
Leo’s grip tightened on the wheel, his other hand resting on the gearshift.
Instead of finishing his scan, Fox One turned off the wand, slipped it in his pocket and approached Leo’s window. Leo hesitantly rolled his window all the way down.
“Mr. Krueger, you’re absolutely sure you aren’t carrying anything extra?”
“I told you, no.”
“Nothing perhaps entered your vehicle without your knowledge?”
“What is this airport security? No, no one put anything in my car without my knowledge!” he said firmly, trying to hide his anxiety.
The Phantom’s demeanor changed, “Right Mr. Krueger…well my apologies for troubling you. Certainly, you would have told us if you had something of interest,” Fox One stepped back. “Proceed.”
Leo was leery that Fox One was so understanding but he did not care. He loosened his tight grip on the wheel and put his car in gear. More nervous than he thought, he rolled all his windows down to cool off. As the gate cracked shut, it caused him to glance back to see the illuminated eye and script. He also saw the Phantom speaking into his comms.
It felt good to be clear of the house. Now if he could just navigate the muddy road. Leo wondered what the overbearing guard was discussing and with whom. It didn’t make sense he would let me leave after making a fuss. In addition, the eye on the gate, Leo was now convinced it looked nearly identical to the entryway into Halaby.
* * *
Fox One watched Leo disappear.
“Sullivan this is Fox. Package is out in the open; please advise.”
A brief pause then, “Fox One, is the package with cargo?” could be heard from Fox One’s comms.
“Package is positive for cargo. Should I shake him down?”
“Negative, I anticipated this. It will work for us in the end,” was the reply.
Fox One, slightly perturbed said, “Very well. I was looking forward to teaching him a lesson though.”
“Fox One, please send your sweep scans to me now,” instructed the voice.
“I’m on it, I’ll send those to you ASAP, Mr. Sullivan.” The Phantom sprinted into the woods leaving the area in complete darkness. He wondered why Mr. Sullivan would let company property be smuggled out, and by a nobody, a green horn. Leonard seemed delicate, weak, a smartass. Leonard did not fit in at this property, but Fox One was not the boss. He would not ask questions, for now.
Chapter 10
Mud spewed and flung high in the air, down the sides and over the top of Leo’s Vette. It smacked his windshield hard and mixed with rain as his wipers struggled to scrape off this thick muck. He plowed on, determined to break free of this dark forest and get back on the smooth paved roads.
His iPhone chimed, and despite the hectic road conditions, he looked at the message from Sarafina, Hey Leo, heading out in a few minutes. See you soon
Oh boy, I better tell her I’m running late again. He put the phone down, determined to reach the forest edge first, hanging on the low horizon.
Reaching the paved road, Leo spoke as his iPhone dictated his message, “Hey I’m running late, very late. We might have to catch a late dinner. Sorry.”
Sarafina’s reply played over the speakers, “Whaaaaat!?”
“I know, I know. You have no idea. I have quite a story,” he replied.
“I’ll bet you do. OK text when you’re close. I hope it’s not too late. If my hair isn’t still curly you’re in big trouble, LOL.”
He smiled for the first time in hours and pulled out onto the smooth pavement. Accelerating quickly on the open road, mud and dirt flew off his tires and wheel wells. The engine roared.
Determined to get to his date, he tore through the countryside, the light fading in the sky. His tires gripped the asphalt and he pushed his car, speeding across the Pennsylvania border.
Leo was getting close, but he really did not feel like going out. He was sweaty, dirty and tired. At a red stoplight he texted Sarafina, “Hey where are you? I was thinking maybe I would just pick you up. Pizza at my house?” Man, I hope she’s okay with this.
“Pizza!?” she texted. “I got my hair all curled, and makeup done for pizza?”
Leo thought about how to respond, she seemed to have a lot invested in this dinner.
“LOL I’m kidding Leo, I’d get dressed up for you anytime. I’ll be standing outside waiting. See yah soon. “
Leo grinned at the smiley emoji. “OK, got to warn you though, this car and I are a mess.”
“You messy, now this I have to see.”
He put his iPhone down and finished the drive into the outskirts of town. He made his way through the maze of her apartment complex, and saw her standing out front, all dressed up looking quite stunning. Now he felt even more ridiculous showing up dirty. He pulled up in his now-brown roadster.
“Howdy, Leo. Geez, you went mud romping without me? Being late I can forgive. Romping without a call, that’s messed up.”
Sarafina wore a tight blue tank top, tight black boot cut jeans, and a pair of gray boots. He liked her southern girl accent especially when she said, “Howdy.” Sarafina bent over cautiously to avoid the mud and peeked in the passenger window Leo had open.
Her long curly hair streamed in and bounced as she said, “Well look at you all messy. Are you sure tonight’s okay?”
“I’m game if you are I mean if you’ll let me clean up?”
“I suppose I might. Well cowboy, let’s get movin’.”
She popped open the door and sank into the passenger seat. She smelled of sweet peas. He loved that smell.
Leo navigated out of the parking lot maze and through town. They listened to the radio and talked. It was a short drive, but they relaxed and chatted along the way.
Sarafina called to order pizza while they were driving so they would not have to wait. He crossed over the covered bridge as darkness fell and the crickets and bugs began playing their symphony with an occasional ribbit from a lonely frog, amplified inside the bridge.
&
nbsp; “Wow you live out here? This is great, Leo,” Sarafina said in amazement.
“Thanks. Wait till you see the grounds.”
“Grounds? Dang, did you sell that thing you were working on already?”
“Nope, I’m on scholarship and this place is my award.”
“Oh awesome, I can’t wait to see it.”
They turned at the arched entryway. Leo paid close attention to the gargoyles, script and eye. He slowed as he passed through and Sarafina exclaimed, Wow, in excitement.
Leo found similarities in the script, gargoyles, and of course, the eye to the Sullivan gate. The only exception was the eye which is blue not green. He made his way to the hedge parking spot and Sarafina’s mouth opened in amazement.
“A hedge maze? Are you for real? This is cool. “she quipped.
“I know, definitely the coolest spot I have ever parked a car in.”
“Where do you stay? I don’t see anything.”
As he turned the car off, the lights slowly turned on in the maze, highlighting the spitting light falling rain.
“This is so secluded I love it,” she said.
“Give me a minute. I’ll come get you.” He pulled out the umbrella, opened his door and quickly popped open the umbrella.
He walked around and signaled for her to exit and they both walked down the path under the safety of the umbrella. When they exited the maze, she saw the cottage tucked away in the woods.
“Wow, Leo this is awesome. Why are you keeping this all to yourself?”
“I’m not. I share it with Willy.”
Sarafina laughed as they walked up the steps, he folded and shook off the umbrella. Leo fished through his keys and before unlocking the door, he paused. He had a strange feeling he could not quite figure out. He unlocked the deadbolt and it clicked. He realized he had forgotten his tablet. Damn he was tired! He really did not want to get it but with all the fuss, he did not want to leave it in the car.
“Hey Sarafina, I left something in the car. You go ahead and make yourself at home. Just don’t let Willy out,” he smiled as he grabbed his umbrella and made his way back to the car. He opened the door and reached under the seat, locating the tablet in the dark.
It was warm to the touch as if it had been running. He stowed it under his shirt and scurried back down the path. He dried his feet and stepped inside. The cottage was quiet and dry. There were a few lights on but otherwise the lower floor was dark.
“Sara? Sara?” he called out.
Leo checked the kitchen expecting to find her there. No one was there. He heard a creak from the next room but no response to his calls. He took the tablet from under his shirt, as it was quite warm.
He rounded the corner just as he noticed the screen was on and a message read, “Leonard is that you” followed by a blinking question mark. He was confused. Why would it be on and why would it say that? He was about to touch the screen.
” Leo, there you are, I love your gallery.”
Startled, he nearly dropped the tablet. Sarafina straddled a chair backward her elbows on the back, peering at the wall in the nearby office.
“This one’s my favorite,” she said as she pointed to a large print of a sailing ship in full sail on the open sea.
“Yeah, I like that one too. I still need to frame more of my prints. Hey, I’m gonna go upstairs and hop in the shower. See yah soon.”
He put the tablet down and headed up the stairs. Willy meowed loudly, protesting Leo’s absence, and went straight to the window that Leo noticed was cracked open slightly.
Figuring he must have forgotten to close it all the way, Leo hopped into the shower. It felt so good to clean up. He quickly toweled off and dressed. He could not resist sliding on the banister and thudded at the bottom.
Leo went into the kitchen and, of course, Sara was brewing a pot of coffee.
“I hope that pizza is here soon, I’m starving,” he said. Leo looked to see what she was doing. She had something in her hands. The tablet was lit up and glowing.
“This thing is crazy, Leo. It is asking where you are, and is saying I’m invalid?”
“Oh yeah, this is part of my crazy day. I’ll tell you all about it,” he said as Sara’s phone rang.
She answered not knowing the number and spoke for a moment then hung up.
“It’s the pizza guy, he’s at the gate, but says he can’t enter.”
“Dang, all right, I’ll go,” Leo sighed.
“No, you just got all clean. I’ll go. Keys?” she said as she held out her hand.
Leo handed his keys over.
“Just take it easy, okay?” Leo warned.
She laughed and said, “You’re the one that made it all muddy Leo.”
He grabbed two sodas from the fridge and went outside to sit at the outdoor table. He heard his car fade away and all that was left was the sound of the rain. He heard Willy throwing a fit at the screen door and he looked over to see the squirrel from earlier, still warm and dry on his porch. Doesn’t this squirrel have an acorn stash at home or something? Amused, Leo watched the gray squirrel scamper around rubbing and cleaning his face.
Leo looked out to the maze, the lights burning since he arrived. The breeze blew at the wind chimes hanging from the porch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He snapped out of his daze and saw Sarafina returning with a pizza box atop one hand like a server.
Sarafina gracefully walked up the steps and stopped in front of Leo, “Your pizza Mr. Krueger.”
He smiled at her gesture and laughed. “Hey, want to eat out here, it’s so nice. Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” She pointed to the squirrel. “I’m not sharing with that guy though!” The squirrel looked at her, analyzing her with caution, his nose sniffing all the smells of the warm pizza.
“I’ll get some plates. You guard our pizza,” Leo said, going into the house.
He made sure Willy did not escape and returned with the plates, and napkins. They divided the pizza slices and began to eat.
“Oh, hey. I went to get the food and found out why the pizza guy couldn’t get through the archway. It had bars extruding out of the ground preventing his entry. You’re locked in here at night Leo?” she asked curiously.
“No, that’s weird. I’ve left at night before and never even knew it could close.”
“Yeah, he had to pass it to me through the fence. Is it electrified? It was glowing blue. It almost burned up the box on the first try. We both had to use our hands like we were playing a real-life Operation game, but instead of a buzz, it might give a jolt, definitely the adult version.”
“What did you say?” Leo sounded confused.
“Operation, you know—” Sarafina started to clarify.
“No. About the gate.”
“It was glowing blue, Leo. Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Nothing,” he said, his voice trailing off.
Sarafina raised one eyebrow as Leo asked, “So how did you’re first day go?”
“Pretty good, I have some of my core nursing courses this semester. It’s exciting. What about you?”
“I’m enjoying it so far. I have a full schedule this semester. I’m really enjoying the Geology course a lot. It’s so different than my others.”
“Geology, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s with a Mr. Lyndumn. In fact, it is the cause of my adventure today,” he told her. They enjoyed a few bites of their buffalo chicken pizza and took a drink to cool their hot mouths.
“So, your adventure, explain.” she asked.
“Oh yeah I almost forgot I did some shopping today. I bought a potential energy coaster and a cool pendulum clock,” he explained.
“A what, and a clock?”
“Well, simply, it uses the potential of a metal ball, i.e. its weight and gravity. It glides down a track and is able to travel up and down even, due to its momentum.”
“Is that so? Just like a normal roller coaster then, huh?”
“Exactly.”
>
“That was your adventure then?”
He laughed, “Oh no, my adventure was… interesting. The book I purchased is on a tablet to my surprise, and the mansion where I received it from in Pennsylvania was anything but warm and fuzzy, more like dark and scary. My car is covered in mud due to the road I traveled on to get it.”
“Sounds like you needed a buddy.”
“Whatever!” they both laughed.
“So, what do you think about a fall trip?” he asked. “I was thinking a train or horseback excursion.”
“Either one sound’s awesome. By horse would be cool, I miss riding horseback. I haven’t done that in forever.”
“Sound’s good. I’ll text Tyler and Anabelle. Anyone else you would want along?”
“No, that crew sounds good,” she said. “Oh, and we could kill two birds with one stone as we could do the Geology assignment while we’re out. We’re bound to find interesting stones or gems. Maybe we’ll even find a cave to explore. I’m always up for spelunking as long as I get one of those head lamps,” she laughed.
Leo looked out to the view from the porch, the usual squirrel sat still on a nearby branch and it seemed to watch them. It finally broke Leo’s gaze and ran up the tree limb and out of sight. Leo was still uneasy about his visit with Mrs. Sullivan, but Sarafina’s presence had calmed him.
Maybe the feeling of eyes watching me, are just that incessant squirrel, waiting to steal my food.
Chapter 11
Willy would not stop meowing while they were enjoying their pizza. He wasn’t at the door, but they could still hear him. Leo figured he was playing with a spider and ignored him. They worked on finishing the pizza and relaxing.
Leo was tired from the day’s activities but re-energized by the food he just ate. The lights on the porch were bright and he could see Sarafina’s face better. She had a full set of lips, pink eye shadow blending to a cream color below her eyebrows and chocolate eyeliner running down her eyelid edges.
Dawn of Tomorrow Page 4
