Narrator

                     

The Narrator

     Jack Porter stood up from the edge of his bed like he does every morning at 5:30 am. He's a creature of habit. But aren't we all? Hops in the shower. He makes his coffee strong and eggs scrambled. Looks at a picture of his family and thinks about that morning he had with them. He gets the Paper that is resting at the bottom of the front door, reads it long enough to pour a cup of coffee and have a few bites of egg, and then heads out to his shop.

     He and his wife started the shop a few years back. She was ready to get back to work and Jack was ready to get out of his shit job and start something he can call his own. The Plan: (a) Jack fixes cars (b) Katie does the paperwork and payroll (c) Little Sammy goes to college like they planned.

*

      It was a beautiful day, more or less, besides the blood on the road. Their day started out normal. Jack woke up at 5:15 am and rolled out of bed at 5:30 am. Gave his wife a kiss before he got in the shower. She got up and put on some strong coffee for Jack. They all ate scrambled eggs with buttered toast and milk for little Sammy. Sammy just turned 6 a few days before. She still wanted to wear her little birthday cone all the time. Katie somehow managed to make her take it off the past few days before heading to school, but she would put it right on first thing when she got home. They ate, they talked and they got in the car. Jack drove, Lovely Katie got in the passenger seat after putting Sammy in her booster seat behind her. Jack backs out of the drive way, slowly, so his front bumper doesn’t get ripped off in the process. That’s when a stolen truck plowed into the passenger side, instantly killing the two girls. Jack had a broken jaw and his orbital eye socket fractured. Cops were far behind the truck.

"Katie!" He yelled. "Sammy!"

   He didn't get a reply. Cops took the drunk 20 somethings out the truck and off to jail. Paramedics took Jack to St. Peter Hospital. The Coroner came to pick up the girls.

*

     Mr. Porter came home at 6:18 pm. Fast food bag in hand as he walks to his door. Sits down in his dark living room, turns on the lamp next to the couch and eats his meal. He looks blankly at the picture of his long gone family for an hour, then heads to his liquor cabinet and drinks himself to sleep.

*

     His eyes are rapid through his eye lids. He is dreaming about his wife when they met at a record store. Jack was there looking for old Doors venal. He heard a small voice from behind him asking if he seen any Doors records.

"Not yet. That's what I'm looking for, so if you find some first, you let me know." He said.

"Finders Keepers, stranger." She whispered as she walked away slowly.

     He ended up talking to Katie for a few hours in the store. They got a few Doors and Pink Floyd albums. He got her number, they went on a date, fell in love, moved in together, learned how to cook together, read tons of books together, made love often, laughed often, fought very little, got married, moved into a house and had a daughter named Sammy. But, where there is love and happiness, there is tragedy.

*

     Jack Porter stood up from the edge of his bed like he does every morning at 5:30 am. Went straight to the shower and took a cold one to wake up. Still half drunk, he put on coffee (extra strong), scrambled eggs and toast. He wasn't interested in the world this morning so he didn't bother with the paper. Jack sat at the table staring at the empty chairs, slowly eating his breakfast and sipping his Arnold strength coffee until it was time to go to work. Blinking away tears, he walked out the door.

*

     When Jack and Katie first moved into their house Jack was a busy man. Going out of town regularly, bi-weekly. Katie was bored and lonely most the time, so she would do yard work and go for long walks. She met a nice guy on her street and started talking to him when Jack was out of town. He kept her company and made her feel good. Jack was too busy, even when he was home he was off in his work. After a few months she started sleeping with Mr. Nice Guy. Only when Jack was out of town, was the rule. It lasted until Jack got a job on the higher floor and didn't have to go out of town anymore. Well, rarely.

*

     Its 7:12 pm. Jack came in his house with two paper bags of food in his arms. Put his food away and poured himself a drink. He finished up work for the week, so he decided to make a home cooked meal for himself. He made fried chicken legs, greens, mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. He ate at the table. Gazing at the empty chairs, chewing his food slowly.

     "Why didn't I look before I pulled out the drive way?" He asked the chairs.

     He waited for an answer before swallowing his mouthful of food..... It never came.

     Jack put the dishes away and leaves them in the sink. "I'll wash them tomorrow." He thinks, as he grabs a beer and pours a splash or two of gin in his fancy glass and sits in the living room.

     Jack sat in his living room drinking his beer and gin slowly (at first) until 3am. He went into his room and laid down. He fell into a deep sleep instantly.

*

     Its 5:30 am and Jack is hanging in there at the moment. What Jack doesn't know, and will never know, is that Little Sammy wasn't his daughter. When Katie was seeing Mr. Nice Guy they never used protection because she was on the pill. The funny thing about pills are, if you miss a day, there’s a great chance for them not to work. Katie never told Jack and Mr. Nice Guy never thought of anything until he seen that Little Sammy looked just like his mother. Katie and Mr. Nice Guy didn't see each other anymore after she had the baby, because Jack got that stay at the office gig. So they lived the perfect little lie..... Until Jack got them killed.

*

     Its 6:00 am and Jack is still swinging by his neck from the ceiling fan. I put crushed Ambien into his booze last night before he got home. I hid in Sammy’s room until Jack passed out. I knew he wouldn't go in there. From the look of the room, he hasn't been in Little Sammy's room since he got her killed. He didn't look before backing out onto the street. I always seen him every morning pulling out his drive way without looking. He killed my girls, now I killed him. Though the cops will think he just drank too much last night and decided to hang himself. I put pictures of the girls all over. On the table, living room and all over his bed. I’ll take the ones I like so I won't forget my babies' faces.

     Me? I'll go back to my life knowing I gave my girls the justice they deserved. But, who knows. This was fun. Maybe I'll narrate your life one day.

With Love,

The Narrator aka Mr. Nice Guy

THE END

The Glass People

                                                                                                        

The Glass People

     Fuck, I can't think tonight. Been awake for 11 days now. My body is taking micro-naps. That's probably the only reason I'm alive. I been seeing things that aren't there. I keep seeing these, "Glass Beings," is the only way I can describe them. They are all over my house sometimes. Other times, I will only see one. They never seem to notice me. They don't really notice each other, either. Some are Translucent, others Transparent but most are Opaque. Colors tend to vary on the day, time, weather, my mood and other factures I haven't figured out yet. Maybe it’s all in my head.

     I watched one today that was 12 feet tall. Long skinny legs, long skinny arms, big hands with long digits, average man sized torso, small head with barely there shoulders and a small head. No eyes that I could see, but I noticed a big open mouth with sharp 3 inch teeth. He... It was transparent. The large ones tend to be.

     I was midway through my bowl of cream of mushroom soup when my body decided to take a micro-nap. I woke up to this sound coming from behind me. You know the sound when you rub your finger on a clean plate when you're done washing it, that squeaking sound? That's what I heard, but through a tunnel and muffled. With every movement, it made that sound. It stood looking over my shoulder for ten minutes. I finished my soup, got up and went toward the sink. I wanted to walk through it, but I couldn't pass through. I walked real slowly, so I didn't hit it that hard. Just took a side step and washed my bowl (I hate dishes. Every time I dirty one, I wash it straight away). By the time I turned around it was in the front room, looking out the window. I sat down next to it as it stood tall. Squeaking and sheening, it swayed back and forth for an hour until it shrunk away. It sucks into itself from its chest. This is the first time I watched one do so. Fuck, I need a full night’s sleep.

*

     Going on 23 days now. Nothing but micro-naps so far. I been drinking for 3 days straight, thinking that I would pass out and get some fucking sleep but it's not working. One of them noticed me tonight...... Yea, tonight, it's 3:30am right now. It was dark out when it happen. Time been slipping from me lately. I was fixated on my Vodka Glass since day light, when I heard them by me, I looked left, right, and then straight across the living room and noticed the street lights were on and I heard the moths bumping against my front door, as well. I need to remember to shut the outside light off during the day. *Squeak Squeak Squeak* I heard very faintly around the living room. I finished my drink, got up and bumped into one very hard. This one was maybe only 8 feet and solid with no light what-so-ever coming through it. Its teeth were like tiny thin crystal needles. Looked like thousands of them in its huge mouth. Small glass eyes peered down at me and it screeched so loud I thought my ears were bleeding, I even checked. I took a drunk step back, it came forward, louder, darker, and then it abruptly stopped when I heard a knock at the front door.

     "Were you been?" The small sweet gothic girl said.

     "Been? I never leave the house. The outside world is a big illusion to me since I haven't been able to get sleep. Who are you?"

     "Who am I?! You fucking kidding me?!" she said as she pushed through the door. "Who am I, huh? I'm the bill collector, give me money." She joked.

     Fuck, she's my girlfriend. I really am losing it. "You're lucky they're gone." I said.

     "Who's gone? It's just me and you, baby. What are you talking about?" She said.

     "Nothing. Why are you here?" I asked.

     "You haven't been answering me, Silly. I tried getting ahold of you, I called, texts, Facebook, twitter and still didn't hear shit from you. What have you been up to?" She asked.

     "I've been busy, Mama." I said.

*

     We talked the way couples do. She didn't believe a word I said, basically. She told me she felt a strong vibration on her shoulder, but burst into a red mist before I had a chance to take a breath. I was covered with wet bloody gore. Standing behind her was the thick, dense, glass man.  8 feet tall, thousand sharp teeth tore her to bits. It was looking right into my eyes. It didn’t have a spot of blood on it. I put my hand on it to run past and my hand was taken off from the wrist. I fell to the ground and passed out.

*

     I woke up seemed like days later. My left wrist had a rubber tourniquet on it right above where my hand use to be. A hatchet was in my right hand and I was covered in blood. Vicky was on the floor. Barely anything left of her. I must have hit her over 300 times. I think I'm going to take this tourniquet off and get some sleep. The Glass People want me to go with them.

The End

    

The Floor Guy

The Floor Guy

     "How do you get these floors so clean?!"

     "It's my Special Wax." The Floor Guy said.

     "Where do you buy it?" Gina asked

     "I make it."

     The Floor Guy walks away and heads to his maintenance room. He has a fresh body in the tub ready to tear down to make his 'Special Wax.' It's Pam in the tub. She started a few months ago. She didn't have any friends or family here. Mr. Floor Guy thought she would be perfect for his plan. So he took her one night after she closed. She was the last one that left for the night. He got her in the darkness of the parking lot. She been in the tub for a few days. She's getting ready. He thought.

     He cuts open her body at her belly button, takes the insides out and takes the skin off. He saves any fat he can get for his Wax, He'll eat the rest. I need another body for this next batch of wax, He thought. There's the new girl, I'll get her in a few hours. It's soon, but I have to do it tonight.

     The shift was out for the night and Gina is finishing the paper work in the boss's office. I'll get her when she's done. Gina walks out the store looking at her phone when she feels pressure behind her ears.

     "Where am I? What did you do?!" Gina screamed.

     "You can yell all you want. The stocking crew is off for the night. The trucks will be here tomorrow night to drop off the load because of the storm. They'll be walking on you tomorrow night, Gina."

     "What do you mean? Let me go!"

     The Floor Guy moved to his right and revealed the gore in the tub. Gina's face went pale and she gasped.

     "I need you, Gina. You're going to do more for this store dead than you did alive. You're going to make this place sparkle. Don't you want to do that? Don't you want me to make you have a fucking purpose in your shit life?" The Floor Guy asked.

     Gina screamed until blood filled her mouth. He took her by her hair and forced her head in a 5 gallon bucket full of bleach. He waited until she quit kicking to look at her milky white eyes.

     "Now the real work starts. This is going to be a good batch." He said to himself.

     The morning girls got to the store. They walk passed the Floor Guy as he walks around his windowless van and head inside.

     "Why does he do that?" The new girl asked.

     "What, walk around his Van?"

     "Yea. He walked around it like 10 times already."

     "I don’t know. He does it once a month, sometimes twice. Maybe He's checking his tires." The cashier said.

     "It freaks me out. I don’t know why, but I'm scared of him." The girl said softly.

     The cashier had the wrong idea. He walks around his van for every batch of Special Wax he made.

     And now, one more lap for Gina. The Floor Guy thinks.

THE END

    

The Man in Black

The Man in Black

     I went on a walk today. After the surgery I had low motor function and they said taking daily walks would help with muscle memory. I had a brain tumor removed and left me with a bad limp and almost no movement in my left arm. If there is a hell, I was for sure in it, and it's not pretty.

     I left the house around 4:30 am so I would beat the heat. It wasn't too bad this morning. 72 degrees and no humidity, yet. I put on the walking shoes my wife got me and went out the door. In pain every step of the way, I made it to the paved path. Beautiful view. Thick wall of trees on the sides of the path. Morning dew on everything. Sun just coming up and licking the clouds. No need for sun screen. I plan on being back before the sun gets too high. Great morning. Going to be a good walk.

     Limping and struggling to keep my balance, I slug down this path. 20 minutes into my walk I see a man in a nice black suit. Thick black hair with grey by the ears. He had a long black and white goatee. Tall thin build. Maybe 6'1''. He stopped on the track, pulled out some rolled up paper, looked at it and put it back in his suit. He turned and looked at me with sharp intelligent eyes.

     "Hello, Tim." The man said.

     "Umm, Hi. How can I help you?"

     "Help me? I'm here to help you, Mr. Morgan. I can make the pain go away. Would you like that?" Man in black said.

     "How do you know my name? And what are you trying to sell? We're on a walking trail, and its 5 in the fucking morning."

     "That tumor took a lot out of you, Timmy. I can make it as if it never happen, and will never happen. You can be as healthy as a horse for the rest of your life. Just for a little price is all."

     "I'm not sure who you are but I had enough of this." I said.

     "Just say the word and I will make that happen for you, but I would have to take two people with me. Two random people. What do you say?" He asked.

     "If you can make everything go away? Sure, I'll entertain you. What do I do?" I asked

     "All you have to do is mark this paper and I will tell you what to do...... What do you say?" Man in black asked.

     I took the paper, spat on it and asked him what’s next. Thinking that would make him go away. "There. What now?"

     "Close your eyes, and take a slow deep breath, then open them and everything will be peachy-keen for you, Timmy."...

     He looked taller, maybe 6'4'' now and had pure black hair. Eyes intense and almost completely black. I closed my eyes and thought about my wife and daughter, how if I was healthy, I could be able to do so much with them again. I opened my tired eyes slowly and The Man in Black was gone...... I turned to look behind me and my body moved like I was 16 again. I lifted my left arm and touched my head. No scar and my hair was back thicker than ever. I jumped a few times and felt like I could clear a 6 foot fence in one bound.

     I thought of the girls and felt my heart drop. I ran home as fast as I could. What took me 20 minutes to walk took me only 5 minutes to run. I opened the door and the house looked empty. Everything that belonged to the girls was gone. I went in the baby's room, and it was empty save a gun in the middle of the floor..... With tears filling my eyes, I picked it up.

                                                    The End