AWOL: A Character Lost (19 page)

“Okay, you get some rest too.” She gave up her suspicions, closed the door, and left.

After the door closed, the red haired guy stepped up to the bed and talked a little softer this time. “We need to talk about so much stuff before the big day arrives, but we can’t do it here.”

“How are the others? The ones you’ve already notified.”

“I think most of them are in some form of disbelief. Others have passed out like you, and unfortunately a few of them took their own lives.”

“Nothing you guys can’t handle, right?”

“I know we may seem a little cold, Danny, but this goes beyond just individual people and lives. We are talking about the human race and the way it will survive. There are going to be missteps like this along the way. It is unfortunate and inevitable, but it happens. We can’t let it derail the plans we already have in place. Why don’t you get some rest and we will talk once you are better?” The red haired guy replied, as he nodded towards one of the shadow guys.

The shadow guy stepped up to the bed, and pushed a syringe into Danny’s neck. Danny passed out instantly and woke up with the red light of the morning sun casting its maroon rays into the room. It was a doomsday-looking light.

“Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning,” Danny said this to himself, as his stomach let out a large growl. He was ravenous, and his head was throbbing with a massive headache.

Barbara couldn’t wake him when she came to bed so she just let him sleep, knowing that his bladder or his stomach would eventually wake him up. The bladder was the winner there. He got up and made his way into the bathroom, almost peeing himself before he got to the commode.

When Danny was done, he walked back into the bedroom and slid on his pants and shirt. Today was Tuesday, so he didn’t have a class to teach until tonight. He had all day to get in a run and to kind of process the previous day’s events.

He left Barbara sleeping, stepped out into the hall, closed the door behind him, and made his way down the stairs.

Danny met Michael as he was trying to quietly make his way into the house. It looked like he had been out most of the night, clothes disheveled, eyes droopy and tired, a few stains on his shirt; and he had that look on his face, the one that says:
“I have just been caught red handed and I hope my lie holds up.”

“Are you just getting home?” Danny asked, anger seething, pushing forth, trying to stay calm.

“I just slipped out to get the paper before school.” Michael had the paper in his hand. “I thought you would need it when you got up.”

“Cut the crap, Mike. I know the look of someone who has been out all night. Where were you?”

“I was just out, okay.” He tried to push past his dad while his dad tried not to wake the rest of the house with his voice.

Danny grabbed Michael on the arm, stopping him before he could climb the stairs. “You’re not old enough to be out like that, and besides you have school today.”

“It’s the end of the world, dad. Haven’t you heard? Paris got hit last night. That’s why we went out. What’s the use going home or to school or sleeping for that matter when the world is obviously over?”

“That still doesn’t mean, wait, what, Paris?”

“It’s burning just like L.A. It’s a fucking inferno.”

Danny, stunned at this news, let go of Michael’s arm. He pushed past his dad, heading towards his room, ascending the stairs with rebellion in his stride. Barbara appeared at the top of the stairs just as Michael closed the door to his bedroom.

“What’s all the commotion?” Barbara asked, wiping sleep from her eyes.

“I think Paris is burning.” An old Dokken song came to mind when Danny said this. He quickly made his way to the TV.

“What are you talking about?” Barbara made her way down the stairs, following after her husband.

Danny was engrossed in the TV when she arrived moments later. His son’s discipline would have to wait for now because Paris was indeed, burning.

There weren’t fifty bombers this time. There were two hundred, at least, according to the TV news reports; there might have been more. The bombs, when they were detonated, circled the city, one right after another, encasing the people and everything within the city limits in a burning ring of fire. There was no way in and no way out as the fire burned towards the city center.

“My god Danny, what is going on?”

Danny looked up at Barbara who was standing behind him. They watched the scene unfold before their eyes, the same scenes the world was currently watching. Churches, homes, buildings, famous land marks and museums, all of it, burning to the ground.

“Should we be concerned?” She asked, trying to process what she was seeing.

Her hand was on his shoulder, so he reached up and grabbed it. “You mean here, in little old Apex? I’m sure Raleigh isn’t a big enough place for them.”

“What if it is though? What if it is our turn? We have the nuclear plant nearby.”

“Why don’t you make us some coffee? We will have breakfast; maybe go for a run together once the kids go to school.”

“I have to work today.”

“Call in.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. Trust me. It won’t matter if you work or . . .” Danny stopped himself. He hadn’t told Barbara a single thing about the red haired guy or his doomsday warnings; and in a blink of an instant he almost did. It was so easy for Danny to talk to Barbara that he rarely put up a filter. He just let his words flow. However, with this bit of news, he wasn’t sure she was ready for the knowledge he had in his head. He wasn’t sure anyone was ready for it.

“Can you finish what you were saying?” Barbara was standing there with a confused look on her face.

“Not sure where I was going with it. I just think we need to take a day together. We need some “us” time.”

“It’s a work day, Danny. We’re not teenagers skipping school.”

“I know, but it’s important, for me, please.”

“I’ll think about it.” Barbara left him alone in the living room and made her way into the kitchen. She now had a decision to make about the day. With all that had been going on in the world, as of late, she really didn’t feel like going into an office and punching keys on the keyboard. She didn’t miss work though, and even when she had the slightest of colds, she went into the office. So playing hooky to her was a big deal, but she wanted to be home, not only with Danny, but with the kids as well. She wanted them all to be together just in case today was the day the world ended; and from the looks of it, that was a real possibility. She made coffee and looked out at the dying maroon sky, which was nearly back to its normal morning color.

Danny entered the room and wrapped his arms around her. “Have you made your decision?”

“Not yet. As much as I feel like being home I know they need me at work.”

“You’ve got a good back up.”

“I have a meeting and a couple of major things to wrap up today. I just can’t drop everything on a whim.”

“If you can’t do it, then don’t. I just thought it might be nice for us to have some time together for a change.” Danny opened up a pack of pop tarts and tore into them. The hungry beast in his stomach needed to be satisfied, and sugary pop tarts would be enough for a start.

“Don’t start with an attitude about this. How about I give them half a day?”

“It won’t be. You’ll get there and this B.S. and that B.S. will keep you at work. Then before you know it, you will have worked a full day. I’ll be at class, and it will be like every Tuesday since this semester started.”

“You took on the night class for some extra money. Don’t throw me under the bus over it.”

“I know, and I’m fine with it. I just feel like we need a day together.”

“How about we do it this weekend?”

Danny thought about it. Would there even be a weekend this weekend? There were supposed to be three warnings, and that was it. Two had come in the matter of hours and not days or weeks. Tomorrow they could blow up another city, and then the next day set the world on fire. Danny couldn’t pass up today. He couldn’t pass up this Tuesday just in case tomorrow the world ended.

“It has to be today,” he replied, still hopeful.

“What are you not telling me?”

“What do you mean?” Pop tarts done, now onto cereal. Danny couldn’t believe how hungry he was.

“Finding you passed out, strange situation yesterday at work, sleeping all night. I know how much you like food; and you sleeping through a meal, that isn’t like you.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’m your wife, remember?”

“Yeah I know, but it’s complicated. Trust me.”

“What’s that saying we had when we first got married and we were trying to learn all this stuff about each other?”

“Spill the deal.”

“So spill it already.”

“Okay, but can we have some coffee first? Get the kids situated.” He thought about telling her about Michael and didn’t, best just to leave that alone for now.

“Sure.”

Danny leaned in and kissed her, she returned it. While they were kissing, Johnny entered the kitchen and began searching for his cereal. “Get a room guys.”

They stopped and went back to their business.

“How are you today, Johnny?”

“Fine dad,” Johnny replied, rolling his eyes. He made cereal and then took it with him when he went to watch TV.

“Keep an eye on the time,” Danny replied.

Johnny ignored him, as he went crunching into the living room.

Danny turned from Johnny to Barbara. “I have something I have to do. Can you just think about taking the day off? It’s important.” He kissed her again, and left the room.

Barbara resumed her morning routine as Danny took the walk up the stairs to the room of his oldest. He wasn’t sure about how to approach Michael this morning with all he currently knew. The kid was right; the world was ending, so what was the point of school or staying out all night or sleeping for that matter. On the other hand, Michael had disobeyed the rules and end of the world or not, he still had to be punished.

Danny tried to push the negative thoughts out of his head, as he knocked on his son’s door, deep breath, trying to control himself.

No reply.

Danny trained his ear to the door. There wasn’t a sound coming out of the room. He tried to knock again, still nothing. He reached for the handle and found it unlocked this time. “I guess he didn’t want to add that to his current list of things I screwed up on,” Danny thought, as he turned the handle and quietly opened the door.

Michael was lying on the bed sound asleep. Danny watched him for a moment, as he flashed back in time, back to the days when Michael was just a baby. When his son would be lying in the crib sound asleep and the kid seemed so perfect in every way. He couldn’t believe that little angel had turned into this current kid.

Danny walked across the room and took a seat on his son’s bed. He shook his son’s leg and waited for him to wake up. Good news of the day, Danny could smell no pot or alcohol coming off of him. So, Michael either disguised it well or he had been clean and sober all night, which probably wasn’t the case. When teens stayed out all night, they did one thing, and one thing only, party. What else was there to do at the time of night?

While Danny sat there waiting, Johnny came charging by the room, rushing to get his things, trying to beat the bus. The kid always pushed the time before he had to leave for school, but somehow Johnny always caught the bus on time.

Danny looked from the doorway to Michael’s phone on the table. That device would tell him so much about the previous night’s events, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t force himself to be one of those parents. You know the kind, the ones who invade every ounce of privacy their son or daughter has. Danny trusted his son, trusted that he had been raised right, and he just had to hope his son had enough sense to stay out of trouble.

Michael slowly came to, as Johnny raced by the door, book bag in hand. The bus could be heard chugging up the street, and Johnny was just going to make it, just like always. Danny smiled as he heard Barbara say something to the youngest about being more prepared next time and turning the TV off sooner. The front door opened, and then slammed closed.

“Dad? What are you doing in my room? I’m trying to sleep?”

“Just answer me this and you can stay home from school and sleep it off.” Michael waited. “Where were you all night? What were you doing?”

Michael lay there a moment and thought of the answer. “With friends.”

“The ones I’ve seen you hanging around with?”

“Sometimes.”

“Were you drinking?”

Michael thought of his answer. “I’m up shit creek anyways, whether I did or not, right?”

“Pretty much and don’t use that language.”

“Yes. I was.”

“Did you do anything else?”

“Just a little pot, okay,” Michael replied, sounding defeated.

Danny drew in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m going to let you stay home today and sleep it off, but this isn’t a pass. You will be punished.”

“Danny, is everything okay with Michael?” Barbara asked, from downstairs.

Danny could hear Johnny’s bus stop near the house, and a moment or two later chug on down the road while he tried to think of an answer.

“He’s not feeling good today. I’m going to let him sleep in.”

“Do you need me to come up there?”

“He’s fine. I’ve got it handled.”

“Does this make us best friends now because you covered for me?”

Danny was surprised by the tone and the words, but with Michael these days anything was liable to come out of his mouth.

“I’m doing this because I think you are in no condition to go to school. Now get some sleep. I’ll check on you later.” Danny got up and left the room. He closed the door as Michael turned over and fell back to sleep.

Barbara was watching TV when Danny found her downstairs.

“How is he?” She asked.

“He’s just feeling a little under the weather.”

“Does he need me?”

“He’s fine, Barb.”

Danny watched the TV for a moment, images of Paris as of this day and time, just after the bombs went off. It was a nightmare world in that city, twice as bad, maybe three times as bad as L.A. It looked like whole city blocks were gone with just one big explosion, and everywhere they pointed a camera something was either on fire or had burned all the way to the ground. Other images showed people crying, screaming for loved ones. Camera shots of the hospitals showed burned victims, limbless victims, dead victims, the images were just horrific. The few reporters who were able to get into the city fed their footage raw and uncut to the news; and to show the true horror, to illicit true rage, the news had no choice but to show it all.

Barbara turned off the TV so they could talk. “I think I’m going to do a half day today.”

Danny walked around the chair and knelt down in front of her. “I’m sorry if I have scared you lately, with the issues I’ve been having.”

“What’s going on, Danny? Spill the deal, remember.”

“Yeah,” Danny replied, as he drew in a deep breath and exhaled.

“Just tell me, please, don’t shut me out.”

Danny thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out where to start. After a moment or two, he found the starting spot and told her everything he knew so far. When he was done, she did something he didn’t think she would do. She laughed, and it crushed him.

Danny got up off the floor and stared at her in disbelief. “You don’t believe me.”

“Come on, Danny. Sure, these terrorist attacks are scary, but the end of the world, that this is the sign of an oncoming apocalypse that will re-arrange our entire population. I’m sorry, just not buying it. Sure, I’ve had my end of the world thoughts too, but they passed. There’s no way it is even possible.”

“What about the red haired guy and me passing out? How do you explain that?”

“Maybe you were tired or in the process of passing out and you think you saw someone. I’m not buying that he can just slip in and slip out of our house without me knowing it or you for that matter.”

“He’s made to be that way. Like I said, he’s a human cockroach.”

She stood up. “You’re tired. You need to sleep some more, and I need to get to work.”