The drive to Denver took two and a half-hours. The speed limit went up to seventy-five on the Interstate, but the Volkswagen would only do sixty at the most. Sally spent a good part of the trip thinking about her father. If she had only left things alone that day. If she had just stayed in her room, he might be alive. But, what kind of life would they have had then? She could only speculate. Perhaps he would have gotten better. Maybe he would have left and not come back. He might have killed himself anyway. All Sally knew was that the circumstances that led up to his death started with her ten-year-old logic. Surely she knew, even at that age, that he would blame someone. That someone was usually her mother. How could she have done that to her own mother? It was quite possible that she wanted them to really have it out. She wanted him to leave. Sally didn’t want him for her daddy anymore. His sickness had spread to the whole family. But why didn’t she think of the consequences of her actions? Why did she have to be the one to push him over the edge? Sally knew that she herself had completed her father’s dark side. And in the process, validated her own. Her nightmares were worse than ever now. She didn’t know how much more she could take. She could feel it all building, night after night. She would have to choose soon. Would she take the dark path, and follow in her father’s footsteps? Would the pain eat at her soul until she made her own trip through the tunnels? Or would she choose something else? Right at that moment, driving down that long highway, she couldn’t imagine anything else.
After a couple of hours watching Sally’s cable TV, Bobby was getting bored. There was absolutely nothing on, as usual. He turned it off and grabbed his jacket. He took Sally’s last Pepsi out of the fridge and walked home. It took him about a half-hour to get there.
When he went inside John said, “Where the hell have you been?”
Bobby jumped, “Shit man, you scared the hell outa me!”
Cindy was there too, and some other guy he didn’t know.
“What’re you guys doin here man? It’s like eleven-thirty.”
Cindy asked, “Have you seen Sally?”
“Yeah. Her an’ some guy were goin’ to Denver.”
“What guy?” Cindy was worried, “Was he wearing a suit?”
“Nah, man. It was just some guy in a black T-shirt.”
“That’s the dude from the bar.”
John stood up. “This is Tom.” The two of them shook hands.
“Did you see any men wearing black suits around when you saw Sally?”
“Um, yeah. I saw some guys in a big black car.”
“Shit!” Cindy was really worried now. “When did they leave?”
“Um, just before nine, I think. What’s going on?”
John pulled his keys out of his pocket and looked at his watch. “That’d mean they’ve got a two and a half hour lead on us.”
Bobby was confused, “What’s going on?”
“We’ll tell you all about it in the car. Let’s go.”
The Volkswagen turned off onto Sherman Street. Sally found a parking space halfway up the block. They didn’t realize how dark it was until they got out. Two streetlights were not working. The black car passed by unnoticed. When it stopped at the intersection, the passenger got out. Sally and Luke gathered up their belongings, and headed for a white two story Victorian. The tall man stood in the shadows of a house at the end of the block, watching. Sally could see the television playing through the window. She knocked lightly on the glass.
When the door opened there was an enthusiastic, “Sally!”
Luke watched as the two girls hugged.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, you know, I was just in town, I wanted to stop by.”
“Come in. Who’s this?” she opened the door wider.
“This is Luke. Luke this is my cousin, Susan.”
The two of them exchanged hellos as they walked in. After they were inside, the man in the suit walked around to the alley. The Lincoln was sitting with its lights off and engine running. He bent down to speak into the open window.
“It’s that one,” he said pointing at the back of the house.
The driver exhaled a large stream of smoke and crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“Good. You got the front, I got the back. When the lights go out, talk to me.”
He handed a Motorola walkie-talkie out the window. The other man took it and walked back around the way he came.
Sally put her armload on the floor and sat down by Luke.
“What brings you to Denver Sal?” Susan was looking through the couch cushions for the remote.
“We were just shopping and stuff. And then we went out to a club and didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
“Do you guys wanna stay here?” Her voice was friendly and warm. “You’re sure welcome to.”
“Thanks. We were kinda hoping you’d say that.” Sally smiled at Luke.
He was uncomfortable in the strange house, lying to someone he didn’t know. He himself hadn’t actually lied yet, but he was sure it would be required at some point. It came sooner than expected.
“Where were you shopping?” Susan was looking at him.
“Um, we went to that mall. What’s its name again, Sal?”
“Cherry Creek?”
“Yeah, that one.”
They talked for about a half-hour. Susan brought in a pillow and a blanket for Luke. He would sleep on the couch. Sally went to sleep in the spare bedroom.
A deep voice came over the radio, “Okay, that’s it. Lights out.”
He set his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up the handheld radio.
“Give ‘em another thirty minutes to make sure they’re all asleep.”
He looked down at his watch, “It’s a go at 12:45.”
Suit number two checked his watch and scanned each window of the dark house, “Ten-four.”
While he was waiting he attached a small global positioning beacon to the inside of the Volkswagen’s bumper.
“Just in case,” he whispered to himself.
John was driving his van down Interstate 25 at eighty miles per hour. He was trying to make up part of the two and a half-hour head start Sally had on them. Cindy was in the back seat explaining everything to Bobby. He sat quietly listening with his eyes wide. Finally he had found a conspiracy that more than he alone believed. He didn’t need to see Tom’s invention to know it was true. Of course he hoped that Sally was okay, but also he couldn’t help thinking how damn cool it all was. He was so happy that his video camera was still in John’s van. Maybe he could get some footage of the laser, or the bad guys, or anything. He would be on the national news. He’d be a hero.
Bob, the man that exposed the conspiracy, film at eleven.
Bobby leaned back in his seat, thinking about his award winning documentary and best selling novel. John brought the van up to eighty-five.
“So what’s with these guys that are after Sal? Who are they?”
Tom was sitting in the front passenger seat.
“The guys you saw work for Charles Thorton. He’s the CEO of Data Technologies.”
Cindy leaned forward to hear him over the motor noise.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a company that designs and builds weapons and equipment for the government. Real high tech stuff.” “Do they always steal their ideas from other people?”
Bobby spoke up. “This stuff happens all the time. It’s standard policy. We have to let people know this crap is going on.”
Looking back, Cindy said sarcastically, “Thank you paranoia boy. Why don’t you count satellites or something?”
Tom watched the cars out the window, “Actually he’s probably more right than you realize,” he paused and then turned back to Cindy. “It’s all about who has the newest and best technology. See, a company that makes the same products as everybody else has to expect heavy competition. I know that in the past two years Data Technologies has lost more than a few of its government contracts to competing companies.” “And their getting desperate,” John added.
“Well, yeah. Thorton is still rich bastard, but even so, he’s getting nervous.”
Cindy scooted up a bit more, “But your laser would put him over the top again.”
“Oh hell yeah. There’d be no competition. Nobody has anything like it. Nobody.”
The van was silent for a moment.
Tom pounded his fist against his leg, “The asshole already has all my notes, my documentation, everything.”
“Say what?”
“Yeah. They broke into the lab at the college two months ago. All my papers were gone. They already have everything they need to build their own laser. I’m sure they just want mine so there’s no evidence at all that I had anything to do with it.”
Bobby had been video taping everything that Tom had said.
“Then they’d have everything.”
“Yeah, and I’d have nothing.”
Cindy noticed Bobby with his eye pressed up against the viewfinder, “Turn that thing off Bobby. This is serious.”
“I’m serious, too. I just think this should all be documented, you know, for evidence.”
“Whatever.”
She tried to ignore him the rest of the trip. The only important thing was to make sure Sally was all right. She just hoped those men hadn’t caught up to her yet. The van was still an hour away from Denver. Cindy said a prayer under her breath. She felt completely helpless. All she could do now was sit and wait. And hope.
“Yes sir,” suit number one said into the cell phone, “Colorado plate, DR1367.”
The house had been silent for twenty-three minutes. Most of the other homes had been that way for hours.
“Yes,” he sounded clear and professional, “Volkswagen, that’s right.”
Another pause, “Yes sir. We’ll have it within the hour.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and pushed the little black button. The light went off.
There was a click sound that came from the front door. And then a squeak. Like uneven wood under some one’s feet. Luke sat up on the couch. Through the window he could see a silhouette of a person. It was a man. A tall man. He jumped up and went to get Sally.
Oh shit oh shit oh shit...
The spare bedroom was through the kitchen and down the hall. His socked feet slid on the kitchen tile, and he almost fell down. Catching himself from falling on the hard floor, he saw another man at the back door. Oh shit oh shit oh shit...
He dove in the room and shut the door. He shook her awake. She would have screamed if he hadn’t covered her mouth.
“They’re here.” He took his hand away.
“Who?”
“The bad guys.”
Sally popped up, “Shit!”
She pulled the black backpack out from under the bed, grabbed her shoes and went to the door. Her and Luke pressed their heads against the wood and listened. They heard footsteps.
Sally whispered, “The window. It’s the only way out!”
The steps got closer. Luke carefully and quietly took down the curtain rod. He unlocked and opened the window.
Sally whispered, “Sorry Susan,” as Luke punched out the screen.
“You first. Go!”
Sally climbed out with the black box on her back. She ran to the car. When Luke’s white socks hit the wet grass he slipped and fell. Inside he heard the bedroom door open. Scrambling to his feet, he ran. The Volkswagen’s engine rumbled to life. Sally sat uncomfortably in the seat, mashed in between the steering wheel and the hard metal box on her back.
“They’re at the car!” the voice called through the static on the walkie-talkie.
In an instant, both men were in the yard with pistols held out in front of them.
Luke slammed the door hard, yelling, “Go! Go!”
The bug revved down the street.
“Goddamn it! How’d they find us?”
Sally was panting. “I don’t know.”
Their feet were cold. His shoes were still sitting in front of the couch at Susan’s house. Sally’s were on the back seat. They drove around for a long time. She turned down one street and then another. They soon found themselves downtown, in front of the governor’s mansion. It was now 1:00 am. Luke looked around carefully. Nobody was following them.
“I think we lost ‘em.”
Sally pulled the car over. “You sure?”
He was still looking, “No. But I think so.”
There was a big green lawn and trees all around the building.
“Let’s get out.”
They walked up on the grass and sat down in the shadow of a big tree.
“I think we should stay away from the car for awhile. That has to be how they found us.”
Sally was exhausted. She slipped the pack off and set it down beside her. The air was cold and wet, and she was shivering. Luke moved over and put his arm around her waist. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled.
“It’s cold.”
“Yeah. It is,” he couldn’t think of anything more to say.
“Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he whispered, just before he kissed her.
When their lips met, everything else disappeared. There was no one chasing them. There were no light sabers or bad guys. It was just the two of them.
Sally stood quietly in the front row of the First Assembly of God Church in Florence. Her mother was standing next to her, holding her hand. Sally looked around at all of the people in the benches behind them. Out of the room full of faces, she recognized maybe six. Each one gave her a sad I’m so sorry look as they peered up from their hymns. The song was what a friend we have in Jesus. The lady directly behind them was singing too loudly for the quality of her voice.
This was so foreign to Sally, the church, the people. She had never even been inside a church before. She didn’t like it, that was for sure. They stood up and sang. They sat down. They stood up and sang. They sat down. They stood up and prayed.
What a bunch of weirdos.
And then they sat and listened. On the stage there was a man in a suit. In front of him was a podium. And in front of that sat a large black casket trimmed in gold. The lid was closed. Sally’s last memory of her daddy would have to be him standing over him in the kitchen, with those blood-shot eyes. The minister went on about what a good man he was. Another man went up and talked about what a good friend he was. Sally just sat there staring at the box. How could he have just left so suddenly? How could she have let him go? If she had done something different that day, they wouldn’t be in this place at all. The casket was so shiny, so polished. It appeared almost glamorous to Sally. It was like they just boxed him up and were sending him to some fancy hotel or something. But he wasn’t going to the Ritz, he was going in the ground. He would never be seen or heard from again, thanks to Sally. The big black box with the gold trim almost looked like a colossal trophy lying on its side. She thought they might call her up any minute to give it to her...
And in appreciation for dumping her father’s alcohol down the sink, and being the sole reason that we’re all here today, I would like to present this award to Sally!
Sally started to cry. She wanted this all to be over now. She couldn’t stand to look at the casket anymore. She wished she could make it disappear.
Oh silly Sally, you can’t move me.
She stood up screaming. Everyone in the whole place stared at her. Their blaming eyes burned right through her. She ran down the isle and out the door. She sat on the sidewalk and cried until the service was over.
The two men went back to the car in the dark alley. The Lincoln pulled out onto Sherman Street and turned north.
“Goddamn it. We should’ve had ‘em.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a solid lock on their signal.”
The laptop computer glowed brightly. A Denver map was illuminated on the screen, and a small red dot was flashing at Governor’s Park.
“Take a right at the next intersection.”
“Susan’s house is on the next block.” Cindy was sitting in the front passenger seat now.
Bobby quickly picked up the video camera off the seat beside him. He began taping. The van drove by the house slowly. It looked like everyone was asleep.
John stopped in front, “I don’t see her car.”
Cindy got out.
“I’m gonna go look. Drive around and see if you can find the Volkswagen.”
Bobby got out and went with her. They walked all around the house. The bent screen from the window was lying in the grass. Cindy got up on her toes and peered inside. The single bed was not made. The covers were half on the floor. Sally’s duffel bag sat in the corner.
“Shit!”
“What?” Bobby was still video taping the metal screen.
“They were here. But they’re not now.”
He held the camera down at his side. “It looks like they got away.”
“Yeah. Or tried to.”
John was waiting when they went back. “It’s not here.”
“Well they were here. What the hell do we do now? It’d be impossible to find ‘em just driving around.” Tom slid over in the seat. “If those guys did get them, they’d take ‘em back to Thorton.”
Bobby zoomed in to close up of Tom’s face, “Charles Thorton, the CEO of Data Technologies?”
“Yeah, and I know where the son of a bitch lives.”
Luke and Sally were lying in the dark shadow of the governor’s mansion. He was on his back and she was close beside him, her head propped up with her hand. She was exhausted. It was showing in her eyes. She was beautiful with her hair flopped lazily down her face. Her full lips were pursed together in a little grin. There was no sign of any lipstick left. That had worn off hours ago. Luke thought she looked better without it.
“So, Sal what do you want from all of this?”
She thought about the little girl that sat in her room at night wishing everything would just stop.
“I don’t know. I guess I want things to work out some how. Just...be okay, you know?”
“So what would be okay?”
“The good guys winning.” She looked up into the tall elm tree, “But it has to happen soon. I can’t wait three years for the sequel.”
“The sequel?”
“Yeah. Do you remember the end of the Empire Strikes Back?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, “Han Solo was frozen in carbonate, and had to wait three years to get rescued. And then of course, there was Luke...”
The leaves rustled in the wind.
“He found out that his enemy was his father. It left him torn between his love for his dad and the fight against evil.”
Luke didn’t know what significance any of that held. “I don’t understand.”
She gave him an unexpected hug. “Sometime I feel like Luke Skywalker. He found out that the universe isn’t such a wonderful place. He barely escaped with his life.”
Luke ran his hand through her wet hair. “But it all turns out okay in the next movie. It was a happy ending.”
“Kind of. His father still dies.” She paused, “I guess I’m tired of just making it through. Just surviving. I want more.”
“There’s always more waiting out there. You just have to learn to see it when it’s right in front of you.”
A car pulled up next to the Volkswagen. Sally saw that it was a black Lincoln.
“And not be afraid to reach out and take it,” she whispered.
Luke saw the two men getting out of the car, “Jesus, they’re here.”
Sally was strapping on the battery pack. She was so tired of running. But what else could they do? The suits had guns. She had a sword. It didn’t seem like a fair fight to Sally. Not fair at all...unless they were at close range.
“I’m sick of this shit,” she grabbed Luke by the shirt. “Let’s kick their ass.”
They were hidden well in the deep shadows. They snuck around to the back of the building and found a corner in the concrete wall to stand in. Sally stood ready to fire up the sword at any moment. One of the suits went around the east side. The other went around the west. Sally heard a stick snap on the ground, and then another. He was getting closer. He walked out into the moonlight with his pistol drawn. Every muscle in Sally’s body tensed up like a rock. She was holding her breath. He was looking the other way, out across the park. This was it. It was now or never. She clicked on the laser and its buzzing startled him. Before he could turn around, she swung the sword straight down at him. He jumped and fell backwards. When he hit the ground he pointed the nine-millimeter at them. They could hear the other one running over from across the park.
Luke was panting, “Oh shit oh shit oh...”
The man on the ground pulled the trigger. The gun was pointed right at Sally’s face. When it went off, it was like an explosion in his hand. When Sally had swung the blade at him, she had cut off the end of the barrel and it had fused shut. A big BANG flashed in his face and he screamed like he was on fire. The moonlight caught him for a second, and they could see the powder burns on his cheeks and forehead. The other man was getting close. They ran and stopped at the place where they just came from. Sally turned off the switch and looked back. The man blasted around the corner at top speed.
When he entered their shadow Luke tackled him yelling, “AAAHH!”
It was a tumbling pile of arms and legs. The gun flew up into the air and then landed in some weeds. The man picked up a big rock and hit the side of Luke’s head. He fell face first into the dirt. He wasn’t moving.
“Luke!” Sally ran over and kneeled beside him. “Oh God please, no...Luke?”
The suit with the burnt face was standing behind her. In his right hand he held a taser gun. The electricity entered her at the shoulder. Her whole body jerked and fell over against the tree. The sleep she had been so desperately needing had finally come.
After the funeral, Sally and her mom started attending church on a regular basis. They went every Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. Sally hated it. No one in that place was real. They all were just so...nice. Sally knew they weren’t really like that. It was just an act so they would look good for God. She didn’t believe in him anyway.
No matter how many times those people told her that her dad was in heaven, she didn’t believe it. She knew that he was in a big black box at the cemetery. Yes, they had buried her trophy with her father inside it and topped it off with a thick stone label. There was nothing left now. Nothing that she, or anyone else, could do about it.
copyright ©2002 Brian Holtz
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