the empty road - 23. the lot

by bofa xesjum

part twenty-three of forty

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calm. stay calm. do not panic. just stand up slowly. do not look behind you. pretend you do not recognize them. and hope they did not recognize you. john took a deep breath and stood up. he did not look at daggett and the director. he placed one foot in front of the other foot. daggett kept watching john as john headed to the front door. the director realized daggett was watching john, sighed inwardly but said nothing. john opened the door and stepped outside on to the black parking lot. the hot air hit him in the face like the breath of life itself. he walked as quickly as he could without running to where delilah was welcomingly parked. if he had turned around he would have seen daggett watching from behind the glass door. i should have turned delilah around for a quick exit, john thought as he opened her door. daggett continued watching as john now turned delilah around, left the parking lot and hit the westbound highway. daggett had, of course, committed the vehicle's license plate number to his highly trained and merciless steel trap memory. let's go, daggett told the director, picking up the cardboard tray with his two black coffees and three egg mcmuffins. next

the empty road - 22. the menu

by bofa xesjum

part twenty-two of forty

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men. strange men. always coming in. sometimes they scared allie. this one was really scary. but he had a normal voice. three large black coffees, please, he said. he looked up past allie at the menu. he took his sweet time reading and absorbing it. finally he ordered three egg mcmuffins with cheese and bacon. he did not go and sit down to wait for them. he turned and stared at the man who had come in earlier. the earlier man was sitting with his back turned to the scary man. the early man might see the scary man in the reflection in the window. the scary man's companion was staring into space - he was a little bit scary too. finally the mcmuffins and coffees were ready and the scary man took them to the table. i was getting all nervous for nothing, allie told herself, i know i am always imagining things. i thought i said i didn't want anything , the director said, when he saw the three egg mcmuffins . they are all for me, daggett replied, and picked one up and bit half of one of them off. yes, of course, of course, the director started laughing as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. next

the empty road - 21. the moment

by bofa xesjum

part twenty-one of forty

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daggett. the director. both of them. right outside the window. john thought they looked familiar. faces from a forgotten past life. they had given him his first assignment daggett taught him everything he needed to know. which he had forgotten all those years - until now. suddenly daggett stopped, said something to the director and pointed. daggett stopped , said something to the director, and pointed - at john! john realized that his whole life hd been leading to this moment. but what could they do to him , here, in broad daylight , in mcdonalds? daggett and the director passed out of john's vision, heading for the front door. no, the director said to daggett, he did not look familiar to me at all. the director wondered if daggett was losing his grip and seeing things - that would be unfortunate. the director sat down at an unoccupied table on the other side of the room from john. daggett asked the director what he wanted and he said, just coffee, you know how i like it. john heard the words, you know how i like it, you know how i like it, i like it... behind the counter allie johnson and becky church watched daggett approach them with his long stride and strangely savage countenance. next

the empty road - 20. the malcontent

by bofa xesjum

part twenty of forty

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the director was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, and a profound sense that he was being cheated. he. grew up in a lot of stately houses, most of them high on hills, others on sandy beaches. he did not take kindly to discipline or education, and was marked by his elders for diplomatic service. he evinced talents for treachery and subterfuge, especially against his peers, and flourished in his assigned environment. despite what others might consider his success and rapid advancement, he was solitary, unsatisfied, and embittered. his chosen companions were horses, and then his lowest minions, whom he treated like dogs. he did not like real dogs, or cats, or children, or women - especially women. he moved steadily down the polished halls of power - with no particular goal. but he was not immune to fate, and fate suddenly struck him. in the person of the messenger from the chairman - the chairman! whom he had never trusted - but who could he trust? the chairman had always been keen to foil him. such was life - he had always known that. it was no less easy to accept. so far daggett had proven faithful. the operative words - so far. they approached the mcdonalds. suddenly daggett stopped. and pointed. where? next

the empty road - 19. the circus

by bofa xesjum

part nineteen of forty

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daggett was born under a bad sign, and raised in the hills by wolves who were loyal to no man. when he was old enough to walk , he walked into town and was picked up by a traveling circus. he was billed as the world's youngest geek, by the maestro, shady ray meadows, a hardened con man. ray meadows taught young daggett everything he knew about playing chumps for suckers, and suckers for chumps. daggett was a quick learner, especially in the art of the double cross, to ray's cost. there was a hoochie-coochie dancer with the circus, named lily, and she belonged to ray. little willie, as dagget was then known in the circus, began following lily around. lily laughed, as did most of the performers and roustabouts, but ray didn't. ray could not stand to be crossed , even by a little kid. lily was his girl, see, and it was no laughing matter. but daggett had learned a few things from the wolves. they found ray one morning with his throat cut. or maybe torn out - so some folks said. little willie was gone - so was lily. they kept it in the family. ray's brother sam took over. the show went on. town to town. nobody talked. circus! next

the empty road - 18. the ant

by bofa xesjum

part eighteen of forty

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the rain stopped and the sun suddenly came out, and john blinked and remembered an incident from many years ago. he had somehow escaped from james and eileen and was waking down a cracked sidewalk all alone by himself. a big blade of grass stuck through up one of the cracks - the biggest john had ever seen. he heard a dog bark somewhere but did not see any dog or any other living creature. he realized he was all alone in the universe, and was being watched all the time. that was all very well, but who was watching him, if he was all alone? then he saw an ant , and everything was back to normal, just like before. the ant then crawled away to its own destiny, leaving john to his. john never mentioned his experience to james or eileen or anyone else. now the sun was in his eyes through the mcdonalds window. daggett and the director were walking across the parking lot. the director had his eyes fixed in the ground. the ever vigilant daggett looked left and right. suddenly john saw both of them clearly. just like the blade of grass. so many years long ago. in the bright sunlight. blade of grass. dog barking. grass. next

the empty road - 17. the mall

by bofa xesjum

part seventeen of forty

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the morning had been sunny, but it started to rain just as daggett turned the limousine on to highway 66. the director was in the back seat, and the body of the unfortunate redheaded messenger was in the trunk. having escaped, for now, the minions of the directory, the director was pondering what new identity to assume. a wandering minstrel, perhaps, or an old salt shipping out on a tramp steamer. he discounted becoming an assassin again - the commission would be expecting him to do just that. and besides, he told himself, he was tired, so tired, of the whole killing game. a somewhat less violent occupation might, perhaps, be more suitable to his advancing years. his doctors had been telling him for years to reduce his stress level. this reverie was interrupted by daggett, as they approached a roadside mall.. it might be a good idea to get something to eat. i suppose if we must, we must, the director sighed. you can’t go wrong with mcdonalds, daggett assured him. you can go in, i will wait here. you should eat, keep your strength up. yes, you are right as always. so what will it be? get me a sandwich. and black coffee? black coffee. look! next