Remedy For The Routine
Teaser
The sun had just hit the horizon and was beginning to disappear as it turned the sky magnificent shades of orange. Frank was driving home from his mundane job debating what to have for dinner. Though there was no reason for him to think about what to eat because all there was at his apartment was ramen. It was the end of the pay period and his last check hadn’t left much after rent and all of his bills. This routine was getting more and more demeaning as days passed. The only thing that kept him going to work was the thought that one day the company he worked for would recognize his genius and promote him, but he knew that was a pipe-dream. Frank sighed and decided to turn on the radio. It turned on a full blast and was on some sort of classical music station, not what Frank had left it on the night before.
Quickly he reached over and turned down the music before beginning to tune the radio to a more suitable station. When he had finally found something that sounded up his alley he turned his attention back to the road only to see a man only feet in front of his car. Seemingly time screeched to a halt as the two men stared into each other’s eyes. He was going to hit him. Of this Frank had no doubt. He was going to hit this beautiful man, with jet black hair to his shoulders and the most dazzling green eyes he had ever seen, with his little beat up Honda. Hastily Frank jerked the steering wheel all the way to the right in a last ditch effort to miss the stunning stranger. But it was too little too late. Frank heard the man hit the car, well more specifically his door, before the car began to flip repetitively until consciousness slipped away.
The car came to a rest after its acrobatic maneuver and the stranger walked over to where the heartbeat was coming from. He then crouched down next to the driver’s door of the car. “Thank god you were wearing your seat belt,” the man murmured to himself as he cut it with his pocket knife. Frank’s body fell onto the roof of the car and the man grabbed his wrist to haul him out of the crumpled Honda. “How did you make it through 4 full flips and not sustain more injuries,” the stranger asked himself as he drug Frank away from the highway. Frank grunted and rolled his head around for a moment before quieting back down.
About an hour passed before Frank’s eyes fluttered open to find only darkness around him. He thought that he had heard a man talking at some point but maybe that was his imagination. Then again the car was nowhere in sight and Frank didn’t remember crawling anywhere. “Hello? Is anyone out there?” Frank’s eyes were almost adjusted to the scenery. He could make out cactuses and cliffs in the distance, but not a figure of a person.
“Hello,” said the stranger in Frank’s ear. Frank jumped slightly and yelped. “I didn’t mean to scare you… yet.”
“I thought I hit you with my car.”
“Correction, I hit your car. When you swerved to miss me I knew the car wasn’t going to clear so I jumped and in the process hit your car. Not that anyone would be able to tell in its current
condition,” the man said with a chuckle.
“Who are you and why the hell were you in the middle of the road?!”
“I’m Gerard. I’ve been watching you for about three months now.”
“You watch me drive home? Where do you sit, behind a cactus?”
“So you think you’re a comedian,” Gerard replied smiling like a Cheshire cat. “I meant I’ve watched you every moment of every day for 92 days. I watch you sleep, eat, shower, shit, and even drive to and from work. Every day is the same Frank. Don’t you wish there was something different, just one little thing diverse one day that would change your life forever? I know you talk to your mom about a promotion, but do you really think your tight ass of a boss is going to give you one?”
“I would think a man in the road is what you are talking about, correct?”
“Sure. Sure, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Did you know that your company is one of around twenty three companies that are funding research?”
“My company funds allot of things. You would have to be more specific for me to know what you are speaking of.”
“I’m talking about viral warfare.” Frank looked up at Gerard like he had grown a second head. “Don’t worry sweetie, you will understand.” With that Gerard bent down and grabbed Frank’s jugular. “It may hurt and it may not. That all depends on how quickly I decide to do this.”
Quickly he reached over and turned down the music before beginning to tune the radio to a more suitable station. When he had finally found something that sounded up his alley he turned his attention back to the road only to see a man only feet in front of his car. Seemingly time screeched to a halt as the two men stared into each other’s eyes. He was going to hit him. Of this Frank had no doubt. He was going to hit this beautiful man, with jet black hair to his shoulders and the most dazzling green eyes he had ever seen, with his little beat up Honda. Hastily Frank jerked the steering wheel all the way to the right in a last ditch effort to miss the stunning stranger. But it was too little too late. Frank heard the man hit the car, well more specifically his door, before the car began to flip repetitively until consciousness slipped away.
The car came to a rest after its acrobatic maneuver and the stranger walked over to where the heartbeat was coming from. He then crouched down next to the driver’s door of the car. “Thank god you were wearing your seat belt,” the man murmured to himself as he cut it with his pocket knife. Frank’s body fell onto the roof of the car and the man grabbed his wrist to haul him out of the crumpled Honda. “How did you make it through 4 full flips and not sustain more injuries,” the stranger asked himself as he drug Frank away from the highway. Frank grunted and rolled his head around for a moment before quieting back down.
About an hour passed before Frank’s eyes fluttered open to find only darkness around him. He thought that he had heard a man talking at some point but maybe that was his imagination. Then again the car was nowhere in sight and Frank didn’t remember crawling anywhere. “Hello? Is anyone out there?” Frank’s eyes were almost adjusted to the scenery. He could make out cactuses and cliffs in the distance, but not a figure of a person.
“Hello,” said the stranger in Frank’s ear. Frank jumped slightly and yelped. “I didn’t mean to scare you… yet.”
“I thought I hit you with my car.”
“Correction, I hit your car. When you swerved to miss me I knew the car wasn’t going to clear so I jumped and in the process hit your car. Not that anyone would be able to tell in its current
condition,” the man said with a chuckle.
“Who are you and why the hell were you in the middle of the road?!”
“I’m Gerard. I’ve been watching you for about three months now.”
“You watch me drive home? Where do you sit, behind a cactus?”
“So you think you’re a comedian,” Gerard replied smiling like a Cheshire cat. “I meant I’ve watched you every moment of every day for 92 days. I watch you sleep, eat, shower, shit, and even drive to and from work. Every day is the same Frank. Don’t you wish there was something different, just one little thing diverse one day that would change your life forever? I know you talk to your mom about a promotion, but do you really think your tight ass of a boss is going to give you one?”
“I would think a man in the road is what you are talking about, correct?”
“Sure. Sure, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Did you know that your company is one of around twenty three companies that are funding research?”
“My company funds allot of things. You would have to be more specific for me to know what you are speaking of.”
“I’m talking about viral warfare.” Frank looked up at Gerard like he had grown a second head. “Don’t worry sweetie, you will understand.” With that Gerard bent down and grabbed Frank’s jugular. “It may hurt and it may not. That all depends on how quickly I decide to do this.”
Gah, this is so good!
1/21/14