"YOU'RE FIRED!"

Thunder boomed through the city, as it almost seemed to agree with the two most dreaded words of a hardworking employee.

"B-bbut sir," Howard Smith stammered.

The boss turned around his huge leather chair to face the city skyline as if he didn't even notice his hard-burdened employee. He really had a way in dealing with people.

Howard realized that his life was over, or at least his working days in a huge company was. He dropped the papers he was carrying onto the carpeted floor and his head followed its direction. He turned around, knowing that begging and pleading won't bring his job back. He was so angry, though, as any man would be, but considering the reason why he was fired, he would be entitled to being a little more angry than the others. He was simply fired for submitting a journal without the $ sign. He was really in a hurry then, trying to meet the deadline, and he always made it. Howard was a wonderful employee, but this kind of thing could happen to anyone.

He packed his things in his office in a little cardboard box. As he was doing this, he was thinking about this day. This day was a mess for him. He just felt that this was just one of those days were everything could go wrong.

Howard pressed the down button on the elevator, but as he'd already expected, nothing happened. He kept cursing to himself as he walked down the stairs. He counted each floor as he descended, with his heavy box in his frail, tired arms.

"Thirty-five�"

"Thirty-four�"

"Thirty-the-"

**CRASH**

He stumbled down the stairs and the glass sculpture in his box shattered to pieces, almost cutting him. Howard's face ran red with disgust.

"GODDAMMIT!"

Howard quickly got up stormed down with anger. He was disgusted by himself. He could have killed himself, but then again, that would be much better. Death. But he never had the guts to commit suicide, though. So he thought the easiest way out was death; then again, what would his family say? What would his wife and children say? That he couldn't handle problems? But thinking these thoughts led him to realize that it was all so true; he was a coward. A yellow-belly, chicken, sonofabitch.

"What's with the box, Mr. Smith?" The old, bald headed security officer asked curiously. He had reached the ground floor.

"It's a god-damn box that you put things into, Jerry."

"OK." Realizing that Howard was having a bad day, Jerry backed off, and continued reading the newspaper.

Howard went out through the main entrance, not minding the people getting inside. He coldly bumped into his boss' executive assistant. Of course he knew who he was!

"Watch where you're going, moron!" The assistant yelled, while stopping to take a look at the bastard, hoping to report him.

Howard disregarded the remark, but paused for a short while to get his right hand free. Without staring back, he waved his hand in the air and flashed a middle finger. The assistant regretfully turned around and continued his walk.

"Conceited bastards, that's what you are."

When he was out of the building, the sky just turned dark and he could feel the strong winds blow.

**RUMBLE**

The rumbling sound of thunder echoed throughout the city as the skies opened and poured out rain. Howard ran hysterically to a shed to keep his expensive suit from being wet. But the wind was blowing the opposite direction.

"Fuck" he whispered to himself.

"Fuck." The cursing slowly became louder, disturbing his neighbor.

"FUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!" He shouted like mad. The man on his side, about his age stared at him in aversion. Howard noticed the sick-stricken man and said,

"What the HELL you looking at??!!" Howard yelled at the man, his eyes bulging, wanting to get out of their sockets.

The poor man turned away.

Howard realized that he was already wet, so what was the fuss in staying in the little, crowded shed? He stepped out, feeling the heavy drops of the rain, and went to the street, hoping an empty taxi would arrive. To his luck, a yellow cab was visible. He stretched out his hands and whistled.

"TAXI!"

The cab pulled over, but to his disdain, mud landed on his pants. He looked at his pants in contempt, daring something else to go wrong. It did.

A couple, a man in his late forties, and woman, about thirty, rushed to open the cab door, as if he wasn't even there. Without further hesitation, he hurled his heavy fists towards the man's face.

***THUD***

Howard felt the bones in the man's cheek shatter in his fist. The man knocked his head at the door and fell down. The woman shouted hysterically as if her purse has been stolen.

"HELP ME! THERE'S A MANIAC WHO STRUCK MY HUSBAND."

Howard was about to enter the cab when he felt a nerve twitch. His fist was tempted.

***SLAP***

The woman fell down, facing the dirty mud. Howard looked at his fist and smiled menacingly.

He entered the cab and closed the door. But he could not be comfortable in the cab because all eyes on the street were upon him. Howard rolled down the windows and waved his middle finger as an appropriate salute.

Howard was so filled up with thoughts that he decided to close his eyes, hoping that it would relieve the tension. But he was so confused that his mind drifted off towards sleep.

Time passed by.

He woke up.

He looked at the meter to see how much he had to pay. But he realized that he didn't even tell the driver where to take him.

"HEY!" Howard looked at the speed the cab was taking up. The dial showed 90! It was fine when they were on a freeway, but they're in a freaking' traffic jam! Howard looked at the other cars as they passed by.

"HEY YOU!" He yelled to the driver.

"SLOW DOWWWWN!!!"

They were about to hit a bus when�

"Huh?" He wondered in confusion.

They had missed the bus but in fact, they were barely a second towards collision! It was as if they had passed through the bus. Howard turned his head backward.

The bus is now at their tail.

"How� wha-" Howard could not find words, they just came out randomly, without making any sense.

"You almost KILLED us, you SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I almost fuckin DIED!"

The driver frowned, but he didn't reveal his face to Howard. But he seemed as though he was frowning.

And he laughed. The laugh seemed to echo inside the car, but also, it seemed to echo inside Howard's head.

"Oh, but you don't understand, Mr. Smith," the driver declared. The voice resonated deeply into Howard's head, giving him chills. Howard was confused. How did this stranger even know his name?

The driver continued.

"I couldn't do that because you already did." And there was the laughter again.

Howard felt like he wanted a scream.

Why did Howard suddenly become violent? Who was the mysterious driver? Stay tuned to Miedo...

The End

Copyright 2001 by Dominic Sanchez.

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