15. It Is Time
It Is Time
He stood waiting. Waiting and watching. He wasn’t hidden exactly but he was hiding. He didn’t want to be seen; he wanted to do the seeing. It was time and he knew what he had to do.
If he had been a character in a movie he would be smoking. Smoking was sinister in this day and age. In a movie he would be smoking a dropping the butts on the ground where he was standing. The police would find the butts and that would lead to his arrest.
But it wasn’t a movie. It was his life. He didn’t smoke and he never had. He believed that smoking interfered with the eternal moment and his ability to become part of it. Besides it smelt bad and he couldn’t stand bad smells.
It was early afternoon and the sun filtered through the trees where he stood waiting. Where the sunlight touched him he felt a deep warmth but most of his body was in the cold embrace of the shadows. The cold seeped into him as he stood perfectly still waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
Sometime later—it could have been a minute or an hour—a bell rand not so far away. His body tensed slightly but he didn’t move. This was the first thing he had been waiting for. A sign of things to come. The beginning of today’s work.
He heard them before he saw them. Babbling and squawking like a flock of budgies. Twittering and calling out to each other. Sometimes he could catch their words but he didn’t try. He just let the sound wash over him and focused on what he was seeing.
Dozens upon dozens of students burst out of Atlantis High School heading home for the day. They travelled in ones, twos and a few larger groups radiating out from the school. They had a relaxed air about them, a happy freedom and a belief that life was theirs—until tomorrow morning at least.
From behind his shield of trees he watched them. They were the key to the lock that kept him from the eternal moment. They would help him unlock the door and step through. They were the ones.
A few minutes after it started the river of students began to slow. A few students trickled out and ran to catch up with their friends. Ten minutes after the bell the river dried up. That was usual; students didn’t hang around school more than they had to.
Still he didn’t move. He knew there were still students in the school. It was Tuesday. There was an after school class for senior students who were struggling with maths. And he knew that one of them would pass by him after they’d finished.
So he waited.
The sun no longer fell on his body as it slunk towards the horizon. While he waited it slipped behind the mountains and vanished. The light left in its wake faded quickly until only a memory of the day was left.
Just as night was claiming the town a pair of students walked out of the school. They stopped and talked together for a moment then they turned and walked in opposite directions.
Behind the trees he watched as a boy walked towards him. The darkness made what he had to do next so much easier. Last time it had been light and he’d panicked. But tonight things would be easy.
The boy passed close by his hiding place without knowing what was waiting there. The watcher slipped out of the trees behind the boy. He didn’t make a sound. The boy didn’t know.
The watcher lunged at the boy. He slapped his hand across the boy’s mouth before he could think to cry out. The boy struggled hard but the watcher held him in such a way that he couldn’t get any leverage.
Still with his hand around the boy’s mouth the watcher slipped a knife out of his belt and held it up in front of the boy’s face.
“Do you see it?” he whispered to the boy.
The boy stopped struggling as soon as he saw the knife. He saw it and he knew what it could do.
“Good,” the watcher whispered. “Now don’t make a sound, or you know what I can do to you. I want you to lie face down on the ground. Make one sound and you’ll never make another one.”
The boy nodded to show that he understood. The watcher smiled. This was too easy.
The watcher helped the boy to the ground and held the knife at the back of his neck. Once the boy was on the ground the watcher pulled off his school bag and put it aside. From his own bag the watcher pulled some rope, which he used to tie the boy’s hands and feet. He also used a bit of cloth to gag the boy. Finally he shoved a pillowcase over the boy’s head as a blindfold.
Once the boy was unable to see, speak or move the watcher stood back to admire his work. It was a nice job. Much better than last time he’d tried.
After glancing around to check that the two of them were still alone the watcher put on the boy’s backpack and slung his own bag over one shoulder. Then he picked up the boy and threw him over the other shoulder.
Within minutes the watcher had the boy hidden in the back of his car and was driving away from the school. It had all gone according to plan. He was one step closer to the eternal moment.
He stood waiting. Waiting and watching. He wasn’t hidden exactly but he was hiding. He didn’t want to be seen; he wanted to do the seeing. It was time and he knew what he had to do.
If he had been a character in a movie he would be smoking. Smoking was sinister in this day and age. In a movie he would be smoking a dropping the butts on the ground where he was standing. The police would find the butts and that would lead to his arrest.
But it wasn’t a movie. It was his life. He didn’t smoke and he never had. He believed that smoking interfered with the eternal moment and his ability to become part of it. Besides it smelt bad and he couldn’t stand bad smells.
It was early afternoon and the sun filtered through the trees where he stood waiting. Where the sunlight touched him he felt a deep warmth but most of his body was in the cold embrace of the shadows. The cold seeped into him as he stood perfectly still waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
Sometime later—it could have been a minute or an hour—a bell rand not so far away. His body tensed slightly but he didn’t move. This was the first thing he had been waiting for. A sign of things to come. The beginning of today’s work.
He heard them before he saw them. Babbling and squawking like a flock of budgies. Twittering and calling out to each other. Sometimes he could catch their words but he didn’t try. He just let the sound wash over him and focused on what he was seeing.
Dozens upon dozens of students burst out of Atlantis High School heading home for the day. They travelled in ones, twos and a few larger groups radiating out from the school. They had a relaxed air about them, a happy freedom and a belief that life was theirs—until tomorrow morning at least.
From behind his shield of trees he watched them. They were the key to the lock that kept him from the eternal moment. They would help him unlock the door and step through. They were the ones.
A few minutes after it started the river of students began to slow. A few students trickled out and ran to catch up with their friends. Ten minutes after the bell the river dried up. That was usual; students didn’t hang around school more than they had to.
Still he didn’t move. He knew there were still students in the school. It was Tuesday. There was an after school class for senior students who were struggling with maths. And he knew that one of them would pass by him after they’d finished.
So he waited.
The sun no longer fell on his body as it slunk towards the horizon. While he waited it slipped behind the mountains and vanished. The light left in its wake faded quickly until only a memory of the day was left.
Just as night was claiming the town a pair of students walked out of the school. They stopped and talked together for a moment then they turned and walked in opposite directions.
Behind the trees he watched as a boy walked towards him. The darkness made what he had to do next so much easier. Last time it had been light and he’d panicked. But tonight things would be easy.
The boy passed close by his hiding place without knowing what was waiting there. The watcher slipped out of the trees behind the boy. He didn’t make a sound. The boy didn’t know.
The watcher lunged at the boy. He slapped his hand across the boy’s mouth before he could think to cry out. The boy struggled hard but the watcher held him in such a way that he couldn’t get any leverage.
Still with his hand around the boy’s mouth the watcher slipped a knife out of his belt and held it up in front of the boy’s face.
“Do you see it?” he whispered to the boy.
The boy stopped struggling as soon as he saw the knife. He saw it and he knew what it could do.
“Good,” the watcher whispered. “Now don’t make a sound, or you know what I can do to you. I want you to lie face down on the ground. Make one sound and you’ll never make another one.”
The boy nodded to show that he understood. The watcher smiled. This was too easy.
The watcher helped the boy to the ground and held the knife at the back of his neck. Once the boy was on the ground the watcher pulled off his school bag and put it aside. From his own bag the watcher pulled some rope, which he used to tie the boy’s hands and feet. He also used a bit of cloth to gag the boy. Finally he shoved a pillowcase over the boy’s head as a blindfold.
Once the boy was unable to see, speak or move the watcher stood back to admire his work. It was a nice job. Much better than last time he’d tried.
After glancing around to check that the two of them were still alone the watcher put on the boy’s backpack and slung his own bag over one shoulder. Then he picked up the boy and threw him over the other shoulder.
Within minutes the watcher had the boy hidden in the back of his car and was driving away from the school. It had all gone according to plan. He was one step closer to the eternal moment.
posted by Supermarez at 11:31 am
1 Comments:
Argh! This is exactly what I want to hear! The inner evil in me loves the dark character and a good abduction. I really liked this one, the dark descriptions and such and I think it's when you are writing your best. Oh and umm...yeah...who was the kid? *Feins concern to hide fact he cared about the cool abduction rather than the student*
Nick =p
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