Chapter 13- Darkness to Light

Bzzzzz... Bzzzzzz...

I sat up abruptly, my hand immediately gripping the baseball bat on the pillow next to me. I glanced over at my nightstand where the screen of my phone softly illuminated the room.

"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me, Tracy. I can't sleep."
"What time is it?"
"2am. Will you come over?"
"I don't know where you live."
"546 Opal. Apartment 207."
"Be there soon."

I pulled my jeans on and grabbed a tee shirt from the closet. I had been having nightmares again and was glad for the excuse to get up. When I was a kid my Dad would scoop me out of bed and take me downstairs. He fill a bowl of ice cream and put me in front of some old movie. "Can't have nightmares if you're awake" he'd always say. I grabbed a pint of ice cream and a couple spoons and threw them into a paper shopping bag and opened the door to the garage.

The Jeep roared to life as I turned the key. As I opened the garage I flipped on the overhead lights for extra visibility. The neighborhood was silent.

The roads were empty except for a few staggering drunks leaving the local bars. Their movement played tricks on my eyes and for a second I thought their faces looked scratched and disfigured. Instinctively I moved my foot to the brake, but as I passed the light revealed haggard beards and worn out eyes. They covered their heads with their forearms, blinded by the lights. One threw a bottle in my direction and yelled something about "bright." I pushed on the accelerator and the Jeep lurched forward.

I didn't realize how fast I was going until I saw the red and blue lights. Groaning inside I pulled over to the curb. I didn't have time for this, and my mind raced as I thought of the various excuses I might attempt. I watched in my rear view mirror as the officer sat in his car, looking at something on his computer, probably the history of the plate number on my car. I reached into my glove box and pulled out my registration. He opened his door and climbed out slowly, watching me as he adjusting his belt. I kept my hands in plain sight and stayed still. I didn't want any hassle and thought if I could demonstrate that I was an upstanding citizen perhaps he'd let me off with a warning. "Evening," he said, emotionless. His eyes looked deep into mine as though he expected something sinister. I handed him my license and registration. He glanced at it and looked back at me. "Where ya going in such a hurry?" I explained how a friend had called, scared by recent events. "And which events are those?" he quizzed. His tone sounded less like a question and more like a test, as though he knew the answer already and wanted to see what I knew. "A man killed himself in our office earlier this week. He went into some some psychotic rage and tried to scratch his own face off. By the time we got to him he dropped dead in front of all of us." The officer didn't seem fazed by the news, but perhaps he already knew the story. "And yesterday over on 52nd..." the officer stiffened suddenly. "You saw what happened there?" he stared at me intently. "Yeah, we were stuck in the traffic about 1/2 a block away. We saw the driver get out and..." The officer put his finger to his lips. "Not here" he said rapidly. He handed me back my license and papers and said loudly and purposefully "I'll let you off with a warning tonight pal, but you need to slow it down" followed by an almost inaudible whisper "Text me at dawn." Before I could say anything more, he returned to his car and drove away rapidly. I looked down on my registration and saw a 10 digit phone number written across the page.

I tucked the papers into my pocket and put the Jeep into drive. Pulling up the map on my phone I followed the blue line to my destination, parking in front of a meter with a bag over it. Only a few lights were on in the building. Most people were sleeping peacefully, unaware of the horrors that seemed to be closing in around them.

I stood at the entrance, a big metal screen reinforced with rebar. It was locked. I pulled out my phone and texted "I'm here" and waited in the dark. In the distance a lone figure sat on a curb, head hung down. I watched movement out of the corner of my eye and jumped when I heard the buzzer unlocking the door. I pulled it open and glanced back at the curb before stepped into the dark corridor. The figure was gone.

As my eyes adjusted I saw a wall of mailboxes lining the left side of the hallway. On the right was a dutch door which led into a small room surrounded by wire laced security glass. A sign reading "rent checks" labeled a slot in the upper half of the door. "Hello?" I called out, knocking on the door and glancing through the window. It was small and bare, with a low counter running along the back wall. No one was inside.

I moved deeper down the hallway, and saw a door labeled "stairs" with a dimly lit bulb above it. Opening the door I saw the stairway was lit by a single bulb 5 stories up. I marched up the thick cement stairs, gripping tightly to the thick steel railing.

Arriving at the 2nd floor I pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. 202, 200, 198. I switched directions and looked on the opposite wall. 203, 205, aha- 207. I knocked twice softly and the door opened swiftly, a warm hand pulling me inside. Tracy put her arms around me and held tight. She shook slightly as though absolutely terrified. Her hair tickled my nose, teasing me with the smell of peaches and soap. "Sorry I was late. I got pulled over." She pulled away from me and rubbed her hands together awkwardly. "Sorry about that" she looked into my eyes, embarrassed and vulnerable. I could tell she'd been crying. I looked around. It was furnished modestly and tastefully, conservative without a lot of decoration, but photos of family trips and exotic places adorned the shelves and tables. "Nice place, but your lobby is a bit..." "sketchy, I know" she finished my sentence for me. "I guess the wiring and fixtures are so old they blow the bulbs." She motioned to the couch and I sat down. Before she could explain anything I held up the paper bag and spoons.

We watched a channel that played old black and white movies back to back. Laughing at everything from the jokes to the lousy special effects, we almost forgot about the outside world. Halfway through "Singin' in the Rain" I noticed she had fallen asleep. I pulled the blanket from off the back and laid it over her. "That's just for decoration" she mumbled, without opening her eyes. I smiled and glanced at my watch. 4am. I picked up my keys to leave and she say up abruptly. "I'm awake- don't go!" she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched, her slender form reaching toward the ceiling. I stood in the doorway looking back at her, eyes squinting with sleep but trying to wake. "Well," I said, eyeing her golf clubs leaning against a bookshelf. "If we're not sleeping, we're playing those 9 holes."

There's something amazingly peaceful about being the first person on a golf course. Crunch of the grass under your feet, smell of the morning air. Standing on the tee box of the 8th hole I could see the sun coming up over the hill. It illuminates the flag and shines warmly into my eyes. I line up and take my swing, sending the ball deep into the trees on the left. "That's gonna cost you." Tracy said as she leaned on the handle of her club. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I ask with a smile. She laughs. "Hey, you were duly informed. I TOLD you I'd beat you, so no complaining." She looks out across the course. "Pretty sunrise" she says. She's wearing a pair of khakis and a bright blue golf shirt. Her hair is pulled into a ponytail through the back of a Nike ball cap. Sunrise. There was something... The cop! I pulled the business card from my pocket waved it in the air. "Remember how I said I got pulled over?" Tracy is staring at me, clearly confused. "The cop- he knows something, and I think he wants to tell me." I tap the number into my phone and I wondered what message to send. An idea comes and I quickly type it and press send.

Back at the clubhouse we sat down on the overstuffed couches, placing two heaping plates of eggs, bacon, and toast on the coffee table in front of us. I sat back for a moment to admire the view- out 20 foot window in front of us a foursome was teeing off. As we ate I told her about the cop's behavior and the odd things he whispered. "Makes Jeff's conspiracy theories sound viable, doesn't it?" Tracy smirked as she popped a forkful of eggs into her mouth. I just stared at her. "What?" She asked. I smirked and said "did you just use 'viable' in regular conversation? Who does that?" She punched me in the arm and said "Smart people do, that's who!" I leapt up from my seat and chased her around the couch. She screamed with glee and grabbed a trophy off a nearby shelf, brandishing it like a sword. "Careful!" I said. "I ate a bunch of bath salts!" I lunged toward her and picked her up. She kicked and wriggled until I tossed her down onto the couch. Our faces were inches away from each other. A mix of fear and excitement came over me, and she looked deep in my eyes. "Well Mr. Bath Salts, are you gonna eat my face?" Just then I heard the ding of a text message. We both got up awkwardly and Tracy grabbed my phone. "It just says 'yes'" She looked at me quizzically, her face changing from curiosity to fear as she saw my expression. "What was the question?" Determined I merely replied "We need to leave."