Well here it is. I ended up adding and changing a few things as I put it into the cpu from paper, and I like it much more now.So hereit is...the begining of a "Dream". Please like with all the fiction place your thoughts, comments or what have you about this in the fiction chat threads.
I hope you like it.
-- Edited by snootch2danootch at 03:15, 2006-10-22
Forever I have longed for nothing more than to find a place to belong. It seems an eternity since I last felt like I was a part of something. Anything. So why is it that now I feel like I should run, hide, and be alone?
With the heavy rain pouring down on his head, and making an already tough task even harder. The fair skinned man with light blue eyes, and fawn brown hair continues chopping away at the tree. With his efforts for the day having already yielded enough wood to keep the fireplace burning over the next few days. This day’s hard labor has also netted him some very fine pieces of oak that will be perfect for whittling.
The next swing cuts through the tree and it begins to fall. No sooner does the tree hit the ground than the ax is put to work again. After a few swings the man abruptly stops swinging. He lifts his head, and wipes the rain and sweat from his eyes. Looking around he doesn’t see who was calling his name.
“ I’m over here.” There’s no reply to his call. “I said I’m right here next to this pile of fallen oak trees.” And again there’s no answer.
Am I imagining things? Could it all be happening again? No…the doctors assured me that I was fine, and even my wife believes I’m doing better. So good in fact that her and my son have moved in to the new lake house I bought during our separation.
She had left me when I started having those damn dreams, and the voices kept me up at night. I had believed in my heart of hearts that it was real, but after some time alone I realized that it just wasn’t possible. How could the dreams be real? They were just dreams. I would wake up in the middle of the night chilled to the bone, but sweating profusely. My heart would be racing, and as I would open my eye’s I would half expect to see that I wasn’t really in my bed. So after a short stay in a small private mental health treatment center in northern Minnesota I felt ready to give life another try. So that’s when I bought my new lake home up in the same area as the treatment center. I found that the fresh northern air not only helped heal my mind, but my body as well. It was only after another year of working on finding and fixing myself did I think I was getting better. Mind you the medication from Dr. Storner seems to have also helped. I sleep much better now than I have at any point in my life.
Only then, and with a big helping of humility and hope did I approach Beth and David about giving it another try at being a family. My wife’s initial reaction was as I expected. There was no way she was going to up and move to some god forsaken Podunk town in the middle of nowhere not knowing if my issues were resolved. However she did agree to come stay a week to see how I was, and to let David spend some time with me. They have been here ever since. This place is magical. It healed me, and my family.
“Resse what’s wrong?” “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “Come sit down, and I’ll get you a cup of hot tea and a dry sweater.” “You don’t look well at all.”
“Honey when did you… I mean how did you know that I had gotten better?” “ Tell me what made you believe that I wasn’t the guy you had left, and never visited in the looney bin.”
“Well I had a talk with Dr. Storner, and he explained to me what had happened to you when you were younger.” “He told me all about the accident, and how your brain had reacted to it.” “Then there were the talks with you on the phone, but most of all it was David.” “ Reese he was the first one to notice that there was something wrong with you.” “Therefore when he came out of the boat house three months ago after you had taken him fishing, and he had a smile bigger than if it were X-mas morning.” “That my dear husband was how I knew you were better.”
Well it would seem that this little nothing town has more for us than we could have ever imagined. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take David to town for an ice cream. I think I owe the kid that much now that I know he helped save my marriage and my family.
“Get down!” “Reese, get your ass down!” “God damnit…. will someone please grab his dumb ass and pull him down before he goes and gets himself shot, and we have to wipe his brain jelly off of our fatigues!”
“Come get some you god damn son of a bitch!”
I continue yelling and firing clip after clip into the underbrush. Even after first Sgt. Storner tried grabbing my gun from me. Now he’s sitting next to me nursing a busted lip for his efforts. Those gooks killed Tom, and I intend on making them all pay for it. Right down to the very last slant eyed commie bastard I find while I’m in this pit of hell.
When I finally run out of ammo, and as I slide down into the trench to find another clip or two. That’s when I notice that there’s nobody else shooting. It’s quiet, and that’s when I see Tommy boy lying next to me in a pool of his own blood in the trench. There is a pile of spent shell casings, and magazines from my M-16 strewn all around and on Tommy.
“Oh Tommy boy I’m so sorry.” “It should have been me on watch.” “You traded shifts with me just so I could go see Bob Hope and the girls on tour with the USO.” “That sniper would have to be..”
“Reese…. Reese honey did you want to go with David and I into town?” “We’ll be leaving in a few minutes to go do some shopping.”
“No thanks dear, but if you could please stop and pick me up a twelve pack of beer that would be great.” “Also if you want to look and see if there’s a special on those hot wings I like.” “I’ll need something to munch on during the hockey game tonight.”
She leans over to give me a kiss goodbye, but instead of that wonderful perfume I bought her for her birthday I smell something else. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I know that smell. Now as she is walking away I realize what that smell is. I will never forget what gunpowder and burnt flesh smells like.
I lower my head into my hands and start to cry. My mind is tangle in up in knots like a boy scouts rope. It’s been all I can do to keep myself sane around them, and not let them see me like this. I can’t loose them again. My heart tells me that they love me, and they’ll be here to help me. Then my mind reminds me that they left the last time, and I know I wouldn’t survive that again. As the tears continue streaming down my face, and I can taste the salt from them on my lips I am shocked to hear the doorbell ring. I think to myself... “I wonder who that could be?” As I get up out of my recliner. Maybe Beth forgot something again? But why would she knock?
I open the door expecting my wife, and find a man in a bright blue sport coat and cheap aviator glasses instead. “Mr. Jaines?” He asks as I open the door. “Yes” I reply while I slowly check to see if David’s baseball bat is still in the corner behind the door.
“Mr. Jaines Control would like to speak with you.” “It seems we may be in need of your special services again.”
At this time he puts his sunglasses back on, and hands me a plain grey envelope. As he’s walking back to his car I look quickly at the envelope. The only writing on the envelope is my name, and the number twelve placed right below it. As he’s getting ready to step into his car I yell at him. “Who are you, and what the hell is Control.” He turns and smiles at me as he closes the door to his silver BMW, and then proceeds to drive away without giving me the smallest of answers.
As I close the door I begin to wonder if I should call the police or at least bring this package to them seeing as how I have no idea who it was that gave it to me or what’s in the envelope. As I am thinking about what to do I feel myself start to get lightheaded, and I hear that voice again.
“Gawhatesisojdoneflcantiubeswundonemi”
I slowly open my eyes, and as I do the first thing I see I s my mailman staring back down at me. “Mr. Jaines are you ok?” He asks as I try to sit up. With a bit of assistance from him I manage to get to my feet. Apparently I passed out as I was closing the door, and my shoe got caught in the door. When he noticed my foot in the doorway, and there was no reply from me when he called my name out he checked to see if I was alive, and he had just contacted the E.M.S. on his cell phone, and was about to give them my address when I started to come around. “I’m fine.” “It’s just a fainting spell.” “Tell them thanks, and that I’m sorry for the scare.”
After a handshake and introduction to my stellar mailman Thomas Clark. I sit down on the stairs to get my head straight.
A silver, Lincoln Navigator pulls into the Shop-Smart parking lot as the driver of a tan Buick Century tries to stay out of site. When the young woman and a boy get out of the car and head towards the store entrance. That’s when a dark haired man slips out from the Buick, and quickly slides under the Navigator. Within a minute the man is back in the Buick and the car speeds out of the parking lot.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news Reese, but we’re going to have to let you go.” “The company is going through some major cutbacks, and you don’t have enough seniority in your section to stay on with us.” I’m sorry buddy, but you have ten minutes to collect your personal belongings.”
“Man you’ve got to be kidding me?” “I’ve got a wife and kid at home with another on the way.” “How can you expect me to live without this job?” “I’ll do anything to keep my job man.” “I just can’t go home and tell my pregnant wife that I lost my job.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.” “A security officer will be here shortly to escort you off the premises.”
“ikillaseveryonepcinluthebsplaceti”
My cell phone rings just as I see the Thomas the security guy walking down the hall. I answer my cell anyways. “Hello?” “Hi Deb what’s up?” “No I don’t have time to talk right now, but give Spud a hug and kiss from me.” “Make sure you tell him I love him also.” “I’ll always love you sweetheart.”
***click***
I hang up on her. She doesn’t need to hear or know what I’m about to do. I look up to see him stepping into my office. Man this is going to be better than I thought. This clown is nice enough to offer to help me carry my stuff out. It’s to bad he has no idea what’s about to happen.
As he comes over to grab the box I quickly reach over and grab his gun from his hip, and “Blam” I fire one round into his chest before he knows what hit him. I retrieve his extra clip amid the screams of panic ridden co-workers, and proceed to empty the first clip on them as I head to the stairs. I quickly climb the two flights of stairs on my way up to my objective. On my way up I re-load, and prepare for what could be a bloody end to either me or someone else.
My legs propel me out of the stairwell, and I hit the office waiting room at full speed with gun raised. When I get into the main hallway I spot two security guards standing there totally unaware of the storm approaching them. In mere seconds I empty the gun into the guards. I begin to head to the board room to obtain my target, only stopping to grab both of their guns, and extra ammo on my way. For a split second I stop to look back at the two bloody heaps sprawled across the floor. “I told them I would do anything to keep my job!”
“Well Mr. Foster it seems that the company has indeed been doing some downsizing.” “The home office has informed me that very soon your job will be extinct, and so will s like you.”
That’s when I pull the triggers on both guns again and again until the only thing I hear is the slight ringing in my ears, and the click of the trigger being pulled on an empty gun.
“tiyousohavebedoneprwellca”
“Dad will you wake up?” “Mom wanted me to come tell you if you don’t come to the kitchen soon you’ll end up late for work, and I’ll also be late for school.”
“Ok David I’m coming.” “Tell your mother to hold her horses, and that I’ll be right down.” “Oh and son… ask her to get me a cup of coffee with some toast for the road. I’ll eat breakfast on the road in the Navigator.”
As my son walks out of the room I head for the bathroom, and my medicine cabinet. I yank the top off of the bottle and pour out two little blue pills into the palm of my hand. The Doctor tells me these should help, but I’m not so sure. Maybe he needs to double check, and if need be maybe he should up the dosage. I can’t keep living like this. What is it going to take for me to get my head straight?
As I step into shower I stand in the hot water and steam, and lower my head in thought.
The streetlamps are turning off for the night, birds are begingin to sing, there are cars moving along on the foggy streets of small town USA. Alex begins his morning run through the soup like fog. It’s so thick this morning that he can barely see his hand in front of his face. As he nears the end of his jog he waves as he passes two young boys standing on the dock fishing. The man thinks to himself as he continues on. “ You can’t get this anywhere else.” While on the home stretch of his run he looks to the left and sees the green grocier opening his store for the day, and as he looks to his righta young lady turns the sign on the door to the ice cream shoppe to “Open”.
After a hot, steaming, and relaxing shower hegulps down some half cooked eggs, and kisses his wife and baby girl on the way out the door. “Remember to pick up some steaks for dinner on your way home from work.” His wife yells as he’s getting into his truck.
****ATTENTION…. ATTENTION…*****
A loud voice comes onto the intercom system of Nezra Corp.’s main headquarters. “All employees are required to get their new I.D. badges by the end of their shift today.” “ Those who don’t comply with this shall be docked a half days pay for every day they do not have it.” “ Thank you, and have a pleasant day.”
Alex turns to face the guy behind him. He looks directly at him as he reaches his hand into the pocket of his schmock. He quickly pulls out his hand, and points it like a gun at the man.
“Badges… we don’t need no stinking badges.” Both men begin to laugh out loud. As do a few of their co-workers that are nearby in line.
“Alex that’s one of the best lines ever in a movie.” “ I think the only other two lines that come close would be.” “ Say ello to my lil’ fren, and Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
The day for the two men passes slowly, but lighthearted in that line. The mood is much more somber on the other side of town at the Dminion General Hospital. An ambulance arrives followed closely by two squad cars with their lights on, and the sirens still blaring.
“No mam we still have no idea on her condition, but as soon as we hear anything from the doctors I’ll have one of my officers contact you.”
The scruffy and weatherworn cop closes his cell phone. No sooner does he set it down on the dash of the car, and it begins to ring again. “What is it with these people?” “ Don’t they understand that I don’t know anything more than they do?” He says to his partner as he looks at his phone, and notices that it’s his home number. The man throws the phone on the seat of his car as he jumps out, and follows the E.M.T.’s into the hospital.
“See he’s not answering it again.” The young boy told his mother as he tied the laces on his shoes. “Why does he always have to work when I have a game?” “ He’s only made it to one game this year, and the season is almost over.
Looking at her son as only a mother can she says. “ You know that he’d love to be at every match if he could David.” “ However things happen in this town, and when they do he has to be there to help.” “ Being a police officer is a huge responsbility, and he has to be there.”
She smiles at the boy, pushes away a couple strands of hair from his eyes, and kisses him on his forehead. “ So are you going to scorstraightens himself up he asks, “I winder what caused that guy to go all nuts at the Nezra Corp. Building?”e a goal today?” his mother says as she pulls the car out of the driveway.
“So what’s the verdict chief?” A young man asks while holding his small tape recorder close, and patiently awaits a reply.
“ Right now all I can tell you about the woman we brought in today is that she’s in stable condition, and that she’s concious.” “All of you reporters probably know more about her, and what’s going on than I do.” “However I will let you all know anything else we find out when I deem it fitting.” “ Now if you’ll all excuse me I have a soccer match to attend.”
The police cruiser pulls into the parking lot and stops, and the man looks at his haggard reflection in the rear view mirror. The police chief says to himself, “Wow do I look like hell.” As he
