| THE SILENT MYSTERY |
| Where is everyone? This is weird. Greg thought to himself. Houses all around had lights on inside, yet not a single shadow passed by any of the windows. There were no cars going down any nearby street that they could see. Heading down the main road, they came across Dunn�s Gas Station. The neon sign was glowing inside the office window, �Open,� but there was not an attendant to be found. Greg walked inside and shouted out but received no reply. At this point, Greg wasn�t about to go into any �employee only� areas to look for someone, but he really questioned himself if everything was all right in this town. Coming out of the gas station office, he met back up with his family. �There�s no one in there,� he informed them. �What? Are you serious?� Elizabeth questioned in disbelief. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up. �Yeah. No one.� Greg turned back around and stared into the building. �I don�t know. Maybe they stepped out for a moment or something. �Well I hope they come back, so we can call somebody and get back on our way. Mary-Ann is expecting a call from me later tonight, when we were supposed to get back. Maybe I should call her and tell her what�s going on.� �Yea, not a bad idea. Think I saw a pay phone inside. And maybe we should...� Greg halted his sentence because he noticed that Harmony wasn�t nearby. �Wait a minute, where�s Harmony?� Elizabeth turned to look to her side, �She�s right heeere...� She noticed that her daughter wasn�t where she thought she was. �She was just here a moment ago.� Simultaneously, they called out to her. �Harmony! Harmony! Where are you?� �Harmony, honey, where are you?� They spun around, desperately looking for her. �Where do you think she could�ve gone?� Elizabeth asked Greg pleadingly. Panic began to strike her. �Don�t worry, we�ll find her,� Greg assured her. He looked down and saw tiny footprints heading off towards the back of the gas station. �Look. We�ll just follow her steps. Come on.� They followed the path at a quick pace, eager to find her. It didn�t take them long. Once they circled around back behind the station, they saw her standing by the road. Her parents both called out to her again, relieved to see her. �Harmony!� They ran over to her. �Harmony, you shouldn�t run off like that,� Elizabeth said to her, �You made Mommy worry.� Greg approached her and took her hand. She seemed rather distant and quiet, which was unlike her rambunctious self. He looked at her face. �What�s the matter, honey? Why�d you come back here?� She didn�t respond. Greg knelt down so he could see her eye to eye. �Everything okay?� She shook her head up and down in response. �Well, good. Now come on. You still gotta go to the bathroom?� She shook her head again. �Okay, then let�s go.� They let themselves in so Harmony could use the restroom and Elizabeth could call Mary- Ann. There would be no harm in doing so; the open sign was lit and the doors unlocked, anyway. �I�ll take Harmony to the bathroom. Here. Why don�t you call Mary-Ann and tell her we�ll be late.� Elizabeth reached into her purse, which was secured over her shoulder. She searched for her address book and then handed it to Greg. �Okay.� Elizabeth disappeared into the unisex restroom with her daughter. Greg walked over to the vending machines. The payphone was hanging on the wall between the snack and the soda machines. He began flipping through his wife�s address book, whispering to himself, �B... D... G... H... Hall... Hank... Henderson... Hill, Mary-Ann & Joseph.� He picked up the phone and before he even got it to his ear, he was already putting money in, but soon he noticed that there was no dial tone. He depressed the silver tab a couple times to try to get the phone to work, but it did nothing. Hitting the change return also did nothing. �Just great,� he muttered. He placed the receiver on the cradle with a little bit of force, disgusted with the turn of events. He walked back over by the restroom to wait for them to finish. Leaning his back against the wall with his left foot raised and pressed also, he crossed his arms in front of himself, waiting silently, sighing to himself. Elizabeth walked out with Harmony. Greg uncrossed his arms and looked over at her. She wasn�t paying attention to him, yet. She bent down to fix Harmony�s coat. �Let�s get you bundled up, shall we?� �But it�s hot in here. Can�t I leave it open?� Harmony whined. �Alright. I guess it�s okay for now.� She finally looked up at Greg. �So, you get through to Mary-Ann?� �Nope,� Greg replied. He dropped his foot to the floor and pressed away from the wall with his shoulder. �Phone�s not working.� �Are you kidding?� Elizabeth responded, somewhat surprised. She stood up and turned to face him. �Figures. Just our luck.� She looked over toward the main desk. There was a store phone on it. �Well, why don�t you try that one over there?� She motioned with a jerk of her head. �What phone where?� He asked after he turned toward the direction she was gesturing to. He was expecting another payphone on the wall. �On the desk there,� she replied. �Oh, that? That�s their phone, though. The call�s long distance.� �I think they�ll live, Greg. It�s an emergency. And if they have to... then they can bill us. Just use it.� �Okay, okay.� Greg walked over to the desk. �Mommy, I�m hungry.� �You are?� Elizabeth lightened her tone with her. She spotted the vending machines across the room. �Well, let�s go get something out of the machine.� As they walked over, Greg said loud enough for Elizabeth to hear, �You�re not gonna believe this, Liz.� �What�s that?� She turned to face him. He held the phone up and slightly away from his face. �What!? No... are you serious?� �Dead too.� �Well, that�s just great. What�s going on around here?� �I don�t know. Maybe everyone is at a town meeting or something.� �And they wouldn�t close up their shops!?� Elizabeth retorted, not meaning to snap at him, but she was just so frustrated. �I don�t know. Who knows? I don�t know any more than you,� Greg replied, half defending himself. She remained quiet for a moment but then apologized. �Yeah. I�m sorry. It�s just... this is so strange and... you know Mary-Ann. She�ll worry if she doesn�t hear anything from me.� Greg walked to her side and gave her an assuring hug. �It�s gonna be okay, Liz. I promise.� They held each other tightly for a while. ~~~~~ They tried knocking on a few doors of some nearby houses. Their lights were on and their cars in the driveway, but no one answered. House after house and nothing. After an entire street of disappointment, Elizabeth turned to Gregory for comfort. �Oh, Greg, something�s very wrong here. I just wanna get out of here.� �I know. I know. It�ll be all right, hun. No need to panic yet. We�ll find someone or a phone that works somewhere. No need to worry.� She looked up into his eyes. Her own were moist with emotion. A smile slowly slid across her face. As long as he, her champion, was there with her, she�d be okay. �We�ll just try somewhere else. There�s probably a grocery store around, I�m sure. Gotta be someone there if they�re open.� Leaving the residential area, they walked into the �business district.� It wasn�t much of one, though. The major affiliations consisted of a locally owned grocery store, clinic, community center, elementary school, and a hotel. There were also a few small gift shops, diners, and general stores - nothing of particular significance. The only attraction the town �owned� was the concept that one could truly get away from the pressures of life and come there. Towns came no more quaint than Vagrant�s Hideaway. Gestino�s Grocery, the major food and housewares supplier for the residents was open every day from 9:00 to 9:00 except Sunday from 10:00 to 6:00. Apparently not this Saturday, though. True, the open sign was lit and the sliding doors, well... slid open when the Urbanics approached, but the store wasn�t occupied by another soul. Roaming up and down the aisles, Greg spotted a few shopping carts that were abandoned. A couple were filled to the brim with groceries. The place was incredibly quiet, which was certainly strange for a grocery store. The radio was faintly playing over the speakers, however. Greg recognized the song that was currently going, but it wasn�t until some of the lyrics popped out to him that he realized how �suitable� that particular track was for their situation. �...Going down to Lonesome Town, where the broken hearts stay. Going down to Lonesome Town, to cry my troubles away. In the town of broken dreams, the streets are filled with regret...� He scoffed at the song, though, with a slight chuckle, despite the obvious ominous touch it gave. At the checkout counter, a couple carts were lined up, the register was open, and a gallon of milk was resting on the counter, double-bagged. Greg was curious as to how long it had been since the customers vacated the place; there was no better way than to test the temperature of the milk on the counter. Approaching it, he slipped his hand into the bag and pressed his hand to the container. It was warm without any hint of chill. Apparently, it had been a few hours since the people had fled. �It�s warm,� Greg told Elizabeth. He sighed and looked around the store again. There were items left on the floor near some carts. Whatever it was that drew the people from their shopping sure made them do it in a hurry. �I wonder what scared �em off.� �Greg, this isn�t right.� Elizabeth stated, feeling even more paranoid with the situation. �I know. But don�t worry. I�m here.� Greg�s words reassured her somewhat, but she couldn�t shake the creepy feeling completely. �Look. I�ll go try to find a store phone. Why don�t you try the payphones on the wall over there?� �Okay. You want to take Harmony or should I?� she asked. �Why don�t you take her for now?� �Alright.� �Okay, I�ll be back as soon as I can. Be careful.� Greg kissed her on the forehead and then headed towards the back of the store to enter the �employees only� area. Elizabeth took Harmony by the hand and approached the payphones. She took in a little breath and held it. Slowly, she chose a receiver and put it to her ear. Nothing. Then, she tried a second one. Nothing. She didn�t have high hopes for the final one, but she picked it up anyway. It wasn�t a dial tone she heard, but this one did have static. She depressed the tab but it did not birth a dial tone. She was going to hang the receiver up in disappointment, but something about the static entranced her. Concentrating closer on the sound, she swore she heard a voice. And then, unmistakably, she knew that she was hearing something. �E...liz...a...beth...� The voice was light in tone and sung to her. It was a male voice. It repeated, but louder this time. �Eliz...a...beth...� She couldn�t believe what she was hearing. �Hello? Someone there?� �E...liza...beth..� Again, the voice increased in volume. �What�s going on? Who is this!?� Elizabeth snapped at this �prank caller.� �ELIZABETH!� The voice on the other end snarled at her. Stunned by the ferocity of the voice, she dropped the phone. The receiver fell and the cord jolted it back upward and it clanged against the booth. Elizabeth, also, jumped a few steps backward. She gasped. �What is it, Mommy?� Harmony asked, concerned. She couldn�t respond right away. She continued taking tiny steps away from the unit. Then, she turned to Harmony. �Come on. We�re going.� She ran over to her and took her hand and began to walk briskly toward the back of the store. Harmony, nearly getting dragged, followed after her. �Where we going?� �To find Daddy.� ~~~~~ Pushing open a door, he let himself into what appeared to be the manager�s office. The office was plain looking, certainly not that of one who held a high importance in society. A rather cheap wooden desk took up most of the area. On it were some family portraits, a phone, and a stack of paperwork that was three inches high. The owner�s chair was away from the desk, turned sideways. A couple dingy filing cabinets were snuggled in the corner of the room. Immediately, Greg walked over to the desk and tried the phone. The result was frustrating. �God. Not this one too.� Disappointed, he headed toward the exit to get back to his family. A noise, however, diverted his attention back to the office. It was a high-pitched creaking sound, something in dire need of WD-40. Anything could have broken the silence, but this... this brought things to an edge and made hairs stand up. Startled, he turned and gazed back in. He didn�t spot anything that was too obviously out of the ordinary, but he did notice something odd about the office chair. If he recalled correctly, it was turned in a different direction than before. The moment left his nerves slightly taut, but he pushed the emotion away and headed back out of the employee area. Right as he pushed through the swinging doors, he was suddenly met by Elizabeth, who was dragging Harmony behind her. �What�s the matter?� he asked. He could easily spot that she was more pale than usual and there was a tinge of fear in her eyes. �The phone... it... a voice.� The words coming out were extremely labored. She hadn�t grasped a sense of security enough to enable her to regain her normal speech. �What is it? What happened?� He stepped up to her and grabbed her hands, which were cold and trembling. �I... I picked up the phone... and,� she gulped, �There was a voice. It... it called my name.� A tear trickled down her cheek. �And then I dropped it and ran here.� �Oh, Liz.� He hugged her securely. A strange story indeed, but he figured it was just paranoia and not worth hammering her about it. He gave her a moment to relax in his arms and then he told her the bad news on his end. �I found a phone back there. Didn�t work either.� �I want to get out of here, Greg.� The grocery store left a rather unpleasant effect on her. �Alright. Yeah. Let�s leave then.� On the way out, it was inevitable that they had to pass by the payphones. The dangling receiver was a remembrance to the oddities that were taking place here. Greg respected Elizabeth�s feelings enough not to comment about the phone until they were safely �away� from it. Elizabeth�s eyes were transfixed as she whisked by. In her head, she heard the voice again. �Eliza... beth...� She swore it wasn�t just in her mind, though. She stopped and gripped Greg�s hand tighter. �You hear that?� He looked over his shoulder at her. �Hear what?� �The voice. It called my name again.� �No. I didn�t hear anything at all. Maybe you�re just imagining things.� She was not imagining it. Or at least she didn�t think she was. But as pointless as it would be to elaborate on the subject with him, she let it go and continued her way out. To add to the bizarre events that occurred in the store, three cars in the parking lot were loitering in the aisles. Greg and Elizabeth had seen the vehicles upon entering the store, but felt it more important to find someone than to investigate into that matter at that moment. But, after having experienced what they had inside, their curiosity crept back into play. The cars� headlights shone through the downfall of the snow, which dispersed their beams. One of the car�s lights were dim. The battery was probably weak in the first place and remaining on for a few hours didn�t help. Greg was audacious enough to hop into these unattended automobiles to try to get them to start, but not a single would. So, not only were all the residents mysteriously gone, but their cars were all broken as well. ~~~~~ �Wanderer�s Retreat� The enormous sign hung just below the apex of the two-story log cabin. Greg assumed it was a hotel from the aura emanating from the premises. The entrance doors were inviting as the right side was swung inward, leaving a crack of light to shine through. Whoever exited or entered last did not do a good job making sure that they shut it properly. Assuming, also, that no one would be inside to properly greet them if he knocked, Greg let himself in and shortly thereafter �invited� Elizabeth and Harmony to join him. The warmth inside was soothing, to say the least. Unlike at Gestino�s, where the furnace wasn�t operating on a high setting, the hotel actually was. Of course, no one was working the front desk. There was a phone placed on it. Greg humored himself by trying the phone; it would be something he�d get very used to doing during his �stay� at Vagrant�s Hideaway, despite the lack of actual progress that humoring himself did. Greg removed his gloves and shoved them into his coat pockets. Then, he began taking his coat off. �Things may be weird around here but I think we�ll be safe here. Least it�s a place where we can crash for a while and keep warm �til we can find a way to get outta here.� He threw his coat onto the front desk. As Elizabeth removed Harmony�s coat and her own, Greg snuck behind the desk and looked at the rack of room keys displayed on the wall. Realizing he had over ten rooms to choose from, he pondered the choice for a bit. Available were rooms 101 through 110 on the first floor and for the second floor only 202. The rest were taken. Strangely though, there was no hook for a room 208. But, not truly caring what room he chose, he decided on the closest, room 101. Placing their coats next to Greg�s on the counter, she looked at her husband, who was taking a key off the rack. �What�re you doing, Greg?� She didn�t think it appropriate to steal a room, even under these circumstances. Sensing her disapproval, he shot her a cocky glance. He used her own tactics against her. �They can bill us,� he said, dripping with sarcasm. She couldn�t think of a clever enough retort, so she didn�t respond at all. In an attempt to save face, she tended to her daughter. Bending down, she brushed Harmony�s hair off to the sides of her face and behind her ears. �Your cheeks are so cold, Harm. We need to get you warmed up.� �I�m fine, Mommy.� She was all too used to her mother paying unwarranted attention to her when things got argumentative between them. Her parents cherished each other dearly, but like any juxtaposed couple, there were bound to be plenty of moments of disagreement. Half the time, when Elizabeth felt she had a surefire platform or was in a riled up mood, she�d not end the heated discussion until her point was fully received. The other times, when her suit was weak or if she was under the influence of emotional distress, she�d drop the subject and immediately find a chore that she could start or one that needed finishing; or often times, to Harmony�s disadvantage, the poor child would become somewhat of a scapegoat. She�d get extra attention which was almost always a punishment. This particular instance was not that, but many times in the past, that chore that so desperately needed started or finished was partly placed into her undeserving hands: cleaning her room, emptying the kitty litter box, or other odds and ends. �Well, I�m gonna go check out the room.� He said nothing more and headed down the carpeted hallway to find 101. Elizabeth, suddenly panicking, called out to him. �Wait! Wait for us, Greg!� The thought of being left alone petrified her. What if something else strange happened to them? And she�d not have him around to guard her. She grabbed Harmony�s hand. �Come on. Let�s go,� she whispered to her. Quickly, they caught up to Gregory. He was waiting for them, to serve and to protect. He�d be damned if he let anything happen to his family. Pushing disagreement aside, he embraced his wife once again. �Shall we check it out then?� He asked it half seeking permission, wanting to patch things up with her. �Yeah,� she replied. He slipped the key in the lock and turned the knob. The door creaked upon opening, but other than that, the room was still and fine. A tiny bathroom, a dusty television set sitting on a rather wobbly wood table, two twin-sized beds with the ugliest olive green colored covers imaginable, and room decor and design that was a throwback to the conservative side of yesteryear - this was the luxury they were given. It was free, though, for now, so they couldn�t complain... too much. They rested in the room for about an hour. Elizabeth and Gregory talked their worries away and tried to lighten the mood for Harmony�s sake. The last thing they needed was for her to start panicking. Oddly enough, the television set worked, so Harmony was easily able to stay relaxed and entertained. Looking at a clock, Greg noticed it turned 10:00 moments ago. They had already spent an entire evening here. And he was beginning to get hungry. �I gotta get something to eat,� he announced. �I�m starved.� �Me too, Daddy! Me too!� Harmony exclaimed, looking up from the TV. She had been watching some program about dinosaurs. It fascinated her greatly. �What about you, babe?� he asked Elizabeth. �Yeah. I�m hungry too.� �Well, I�ll try and go find something. I�m sure they got room service here.� He headed toward the door. �Are you leaving?� Her comfort level, which had been built up over the last hour, fell into a critical stage. Why would he leave us? She questioned herself, terrified of the notion. �It�s okay, Liz. Everything will be fine. You�re safe. I�d rather you stay in the room and watch Harmony. I�ll only be a sec. Okay?� She flashed a look of discern for a second but then replied, �Alright.� Greg opened the door and took a step out. �I love you,� she called out. Greg turned and smiled. �Love you too. Be right back.� And then he disappeared and locked the door. This way, they�d be safe from outside intruders... if there even were any. Walking back to the lobby, Greg saw a red door with a sign that read, �Employees.� He opened the door and went inside, figuring that if they had a kitchen for room service then it probably would be back there. Immediately, he noticed a change in atmosphere. What guests saw from the other side was a drastic change from this side. The hallway reminded him of some run-down hospital. It was dingy and grimy and he saw cockroaches scuttling across the stained tile floor. The white walls, or more accurately, what used to be white, were disgustingly discolored and streaked with orange-brown colored runs. Also present was the putrid smell of decay. "God, what the hell?" He mumbled to himself. Investigating further, he peeked into the first door on his left. It was a small office of no special interest. Continuing on, he checked out the door up ahead on the right. That was a cleaning crew laundry room. There was no reason for Greg to pry into that room neither. Finally, farther down the hallway on the left, there was an entrance with black swinging doors. He had found his kitchen. He wasn�t sure if he wanted to eat from a place so gross in interior and pungent in smell, though. But, he dared to venture inside for the good of his family�s stomachs. If the food seemed inedible, he could always pass on it. Stepping inside, the rank odor increased in vulgarity. Whatever the source of it was, it originated from within this room. Appearance wise, the kitchen looked even more foul than the hallway. The metal appliances and cabinets were rusted horribly. The walls were greasy and completely brown. If they once were snow white, one could not tell; it was that bad. Greg questioned what he was seeing. The rest of the hotel looked rather decent, save that of the dated decor of the bedroom. But this kitchen, it would have taken years to rust and stain this badly. How could they not care to keep it up? He saw no food in sight, or at least nothing he�d dare ingest. There were some non-perishables sitting on a counter, mostly canned vegetables. They looked rather unappealing, though, because the cans themselves were in an un-stately shape, the aluminum crushed inward and the labels faded. Plus, who�d care to munch on canned goods anyway? So, without consideration, he passed on that delectable delight. Giving up hope on finding any edible food here, far before even searching the rest of the room, Greg followed his nose and his curiosity to the source of the nauseating scent that haunted the air. Tracing the back wall of the room, he came across an oven. The hinged door was flung fully open. He dreaded to find out what was inside. Creeping up to it, he peered inside. His eyes were transfixed on it momentarily, but then a wretched feeling shoved him away. He turned and leaned his back against the wall and covered his mouth. �Oh God!� He gurgled, having to choke back his own vomit in the process. A pile of dead cats - they were skinned and bloody and one had it�s head ripped off; it was utmost appalling. Who cou......why? Greg didn�t want to know the answer to that one. Quickly, he ran from the room and headed out of the nightmarish hallway to the side of his family, who, as far as he was concerned, did not need to know of what he had seen. Even as disturbing as the image was, he felt they were not in any present danger. Whoever�s hand caused this inexplicable act was not around anymore. No one was around anymore. The lock of the hotel room was acting up and Greg had trouble getting in. He jerked his wrist back and forth and applied additional force until the key turned and released the lock. Slipping inside, he greeted his family. �I�m back.� He shut the door and reached for the knob so that he could lock the door from the inside, but there was no device to do so. It could only be done from outside. How bizarre, he thought. A question from his wife would distract him and he�d forget all about that little detail. Harmony looked up from the television set to respond to her dad�s entrance. �Hi, Daddy.� She didn�t wait for a reply back. Immediately, her focus returned to the adventures of the dinosaurs. �You find anything?� Elizabeth asked, even though she saw nothing in his hands. She was sitting on the edge of one of the beds and flipping through a pamphlet that discussed Vagrant�s Hideaway. The town was founded in 1886. His wife�s question made him recall what he had seen. He did find something but not what he was looking for. Choosing to spare the gruesome details, he replied, �Nope. Not a thing.� �Great,� Elizabeth said back. She could feel her stomach rumbling from the hunger building. �What are we gonna do?� �I don�t know. Might just have to live off vending machine food for now,� Greg suggested. Elizabeth reached for her purse and began sorting through her change. �I�m all out of ones. Not gonna be able to do that.� �Well that�s just..... crappy,� Greg stated. Even as much as they had already �borrowed,� they weren�t about to steal money from cash registers just to get junk food from the machines. The idea had crossed Greg�s mind, but he quickly dismissed the notion before suggesting it to his spouse. �We�ll just have to manage a while longer.� ~~~~~ �Elizabeth... Elizabeth...,� Gregory whispered into her ear as he tapped her on the shoulder. She moaned and rolled onto her side toward him, but she didn�t wake up. Again, he whispered her name. �Elizabeth...� �What is it?� She mumbled. She had just fallen asleep a little bit ago. The darkness of the hotel room was urging her to fall back into dream. She gets grumpy when someone wakes her. �Can�t it wait?� �I can�t sleep. I�m gonna go take a walk.� His words took a while to register in her brain. She was phasing in and out of a sleep state. It was so hard to keep focused. Greg just thought she wasn�t going to respond so he slipped himself out from underneath the bed covers. As he was nearly off the bed, Elizabeth reached out and touched his back. �Greg,� she groaned. He climbed back in without fixing the covers back over himself. Then, he got his face close to hers so they could converse in a low voice as not to wake Harmony. �You�re going where?� She asked. �What time is it?� �Shhhh...,� Greg said, �Not sure. Probably a little after 2. I�m just gonna go walk around the town for a bit. Too wound up to get any sleep.� It suddenly got quiet. As much as she objected to him walking off by himself at this hour, she knew she probably wouldn�t be able to get him to change his mind. Plus, she was much too tired to put up a fight. Closing her eyes, she rolled onto her back once again. �Be careful,� she whispered to him. �I will,� he said back. He leaned over and kissed her cheek and then got out of the bed and walked over to the door. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and removed the key. Locking the door, he left the hotel room and his family behind. ~~~~~ The snow had finally stopped. It had already done its damage, though. A small drift pressed against the door, and as Greg opened the door, it caved in and covered his shoes. But that was only the beginning. Sidewalks, streets, yards - one big pile of snow as far as the eye could see. It wouldn�t be fun taking a walk in these weather conditions but he didn�t let that stop him. Pacing his way across the road, he went over to a shop across the way. �Lapin�s Antiques.� The snow was knee-deep in some places where the harsh wind had whirled it up into small dunes. �Geez,� he muttered to himself. �This is crazy.� He had a difficult time getting up the steps to the antique store�s door. This place looked more like a standard house than a place of business. Greg grabbed the handrail and hoisted himself up. There was a hand-written sign taped to the door. Bold, black magic marker posted the store hours. They were closed, naturally, at 3 o� clock in the morning. He knocked to be �courteous,� just in case someone was home, not that he expected an answer. After a minute or so when no one had come, he tried to open the door; it wouldn�t budge. Without Elizabeth around, he felt himself becoming more audacious. A thought popped into his head: he would search the perimeter for another way in. The ultimate objective was to check their phone, besides the obvious futility of that action, but it was something he had to do. He found a small window on the back side of the house. To his advantage, it was already open. The snow on the ground was not built up very high, for the roof overhung and blocked the precipitation from gathering there. The snow was dyed brown here. At first glance, it appeared as if someone dumped some beverage out the window, possibly cola. The liquid had frozen and adhered to it. Greg peered inside but couldn�t discern any of the interior. �Well...,� he said to himself. Then, he jumped up and launched himself over the windowsill. The plastic runner rammed into his stomach. His heavy weight pushing downward didn�t help any. �Ugh... shit...� Greg kicked his legs and tried to get a foot-hold so he could climb inside. His wet shoes kept slipping on the ice-covered vinyl siding. Eventually, he got a grip and shoved off with his foot and he went careening inside, landing very hard onto the wood floor. �Ugggh.� His shoulder was throbbing after having been smashed on the floor. �God...ahh...� He brought himself to a sitting position and rubbed his shoulder. Gazing around the room, he could tell that it was a bedroom. He didn�t fear disturbing any peace. It was his arm that worried him. That�s gonna leave a bruise. The injury wasn�t that bad, though. He stood up and crept out of the room into a hallway. He followed the hall towards the front of the house. He came to a big room which he believed to be the entrance room if he were to enter through the main door. He felt for a light switch along the wall and found one. Flipping it, he illuminated the area. There was junk everywhere. Or at least he thought it was junk. It was an antique store; it was expected that there would be many useless items displayed about. Of course, that�s all opinion. Greg quickly assayed the contents of the room, curious as to if there was anything interesting about. He didn�t spot anything offhand. Returning to the hallway from whence he came, he looked for a phone. It didn�t take him long. Entering a living room, he crossed the carpeted floor to a coffee table in front of a sofa. He picked up the receiver to �discover� that it did not work. What a coincidence. Greg returned to the display room with intentions to turn the light off before he exited the house, but something caught his attention when his eyes quickly surveyed the �junk� once again. He walked over to a table alongside the wall. It was covered with an assortment of weaponry, mostly that of daggers and pocket knives, half of which were rusty. He wasn�t that interested in most of them, yet one item in particular jumped out to his desires - a decorative samurai blade. The scabbard was ornamental in design, with a gold dragon emblem on the edge. The blade guard of the sword itself was that of dragon wings that fit perfectly onto the back of the creature when sheathed. The handle was polished leather, shaped to look like reptilian scales. The theme of the samurai blade impressed Greg. He had always been fascinated by swords and especially those of the medieval and oriental style. This, indeed, was quite the catch. The price tag labeled it being worth $150. He couldn�t resist. The crafty thief inside him was burning and aching to be liberated. Who would catch him? Who would know? Certainly no one was around that could stop him from stealing this possession. So why not? He gazed around the room instinctively to make sure no one was watching, and then, he went in to seal the deed. He picked up the sword and shuffled across the floor and turned the light off. Then, he exited the front door and stepped into the cold once again. Crossing the yard to the road, he made sure he was away from the house. Somehow, he felt safer once he was off the property. He looked down at the sword and grinned to himself. Hmmm... He did it for the safety of his family, right? He could protect them with this. ~~~~~ Greg didn�t wander too far away. He passed by the grocery. The lonely cars still had headlights shining, except the one that was dim before. It was dead now. He kept on walking and reached Dunn�s Gas. The overhead lights lit up the area well. They were humming loudly and flickering. The door to the office was being blown around by the wind, smacking open and shut, making a rather annoying racket. Everything compiled produced a definite creepy feeling. For some reason, Greg felt compelled to check the station again. Walking over, he stood between the two rows of pumps. He remained a moment, reflecting on the events of the day. Then, he noticed the chill of the air finally getting to him. The fleece jacket he bore did not block out the cold air very well. �Brrrrr... It�s so cold. I�m gonna freeze my nuts off,� Greg said aloud. He was shivering badly. Also, he had made the mistake of leaving his gloves behind at the hotel. One hand was snuggled in his jacket pocket, but the other, which was firmly grasping his newly acquired sword, was stinging badly from being exposed. He needed to warm it up, desperately, lest frostbite settle in. Deciding to take a break, he entered the station�s office and took a seat on a bench outside of the restroom. He propped his sword against the wall and began rubbing his hands together repeatedly and breathing onto them. After quite a while, a sense of feeling returned to his previously frigid digits. Greg felt greatly relieved. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Weariness was closing in. It was late and the day certainly had its share of stressful moments. Wishful hoping found himself back at home in front of the fireplace. Harmony would be over a friend�s house and Elizabeth would be cuddled up next to him on the sofa. They�d be sharing a bottle of wine. And their current nightmare would be long behind them and replaced with a romantic evening. It was a pleasant fiction; and it brought a smile to his face. The daydream came to an end when the howling wind picked up and slammed the rickety door against the frame. His eyes bolted open and shot over toward the disturbance. And then he saw something that made him question his vision. A person. From what he could tell, it was a lady, with dark hair. She stood between the row of pumps, looking directly into the building, even at him perhaps. Suddenly, she cut across the lot and disappeared from sight and headed to the side of the gas station. Greg was in shock but then, when his senses returned, he hopped up to chase after her. He stopped before he reached the door. His sword - he almost forgot it. He ran back to retrieve it. Can�t forget my precious. After getting it, he darted out the door and instantly turned around the corner of the station. �Hey!� He shouted out into the night air. He saw her standing by the road, exactly where Harmony had run off to earlier in the evening. She was facing him. Elizabeth? What�s she doing here? And what is she wearing? Then, she turned and walked along the road and disappeared behind a grand pine tree. Gregory ran over to the tree. She was no longer there. Furiously, he searched all around, calling out her name. No response. He then looked for footsteps but there weren�t any but his own. The hell...? He saw Elizabeth; there was no doubt. It was her. However, she was wearing a black dress and had no shoes on. She didn�t even have such attire packed in the truck, not to mention she brought nothing of the sort with her on the walk to town. It was bizarre beyond imagination. Unless...she took it from a room in the hotel. But why? Even so, that wouldn�t explain her being barefoot. Why would she do such a thing? This is crazy. As he made his way back to the hotel, the scene ran through his mind dozens of times. It couldn�t have happened. I imagined it. That�s what it was. Yea.... There was no answer that could�ve justified it for him, so he let it go. He ordained it a figment of his imagination. The stress that he was under caused him delusions. That�s right. ~~~~~ Quietly, he slipped into the room, trying to be as silent as possible. He didn�t want to wake either of them. He removed his shoes and placed the sword against the wall by the head of the bed. Pulling the covers up gently, he let himself in and joined Elizabeth. She moaned and turned away but did not wake. As he rested, reclined and gazing at the ceiling of darkness, he convinced himself not to tell either of them what had happened. They don�t need to know. And so it was, and he fell asleep. |