Chapter 8 (Leo)
I had fucked Elaine a week ago and still, the thought of her lithe body on the hood of my car was enough to drive me absolutely insane. Work made it impossible for us to have any more fun after that night, but that didn’t mean we didn’t sneak in the occasional break time treat. Even yesterday, she had been in my office, sucking me off underneath my desk as I took a very important conference call. It had been difficult to keep my composure, especially when she started to fondle my balls, but somehow, I managed.
She was definitely getting better and in time, she would be the perfect little pet.
I glanced at my watch. It was already 11:30. Hoping to catch Elaine before she went down for lunch, I got up and headed for the seventh floor. I navigated through the maze of cubicles until I reached Elaine’s. The one beside hers was now empty since I had discharged Freddie shortly after he snitched on Elaine. No one liked a snitch.
To my surprise, her workspace looked untouched, like she hadn’t come in. I walked over to a neighboring cubicle. “Excuse me, has Elaine come into work today?” The older man looked up in surprise. He quickly minimized something and tried to appear professional in front of his boss. It was obvious he was looking at porn. Half the traffic in this department was for porn sites.
“Uh… Elaine?” There were beads of sweat on his temples.
I rolled my eyes and left, heading for the fifth floor instead. There, I knocked on Mrs. Kilroy’s office.
“Come in!” She called.
I walked in to find her in her usual colorful attire.
“Oh, Mr. Jacobsen…” She said, scrambling to tidy up her desk in my presence. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here until Monday morning. I haven’t finished those reports yet… but they will most certainly be done on time.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh?” She asked, looking confused.
“Can you check if Elaine Warren clocked into work today.”
“Of course.” She logged into her computer, using a fancy pen to type. I always thought her typing method was strange and impractical, but Mrs. Kilroy was a good worker and I wasn’t about to judge. “It looks like… she hasn’t.”
“Has she called in sick?”
“Not from what I can tell.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“Certainly!” She called out, watching me leave.
Outside her office, I grabbed my phone and dialed Elaine’s number. I started to walk down the hall, but by the time I reached the elevator, she still hadn’t answered.
“Hello!”
“Elaine –”
“You have reached my voicemail! Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! Bye!” Her voice was high-pitched and strange-sounding in the recording like it was a younger version of herself.
I shook my head and dialed again, starting down the hallway once more.
For a second time, I was sent to her voicemail. Why wasn’t she answering her phone?
I called the elevator and rode back up to my office. I had access to all my employee’s information so I quickly looked up Elaine. I dialed her home phone number, hoping to reach her that way, but had no such luck.
Where was she?
In the pit of my stomach, I felt the weight of worry. What if something had happened to her?
I remembered the military ball. What if…?
No.
It couldn’t be.
***
I drove as fast as I could to her home. She lived in a decent enough neighborhood where the lawns were green and most houses were fenced-off with white picket.
“124… 126… 130…” I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Where was 128?
I put the car into reverse, thinking I had missed something, but it was like Elaine’s house didn’t exist.
So, I entered the address into my phone’s navigation.
You have reached your destination!
Growing frustrated, I parked the car and decided to go on foot. As I did, I noticed a small, narrow driveway that led to a house hidden behind the others.
128.
I jogged up to the door. Elaine’s white Camry was in the driveway. Maybe she was home after all.
On the porch, nothing looked out of place. The rocking chair needed a little varnish and the coffee table had a stain on it, but nothing looked broken. Even the windows seemed to be untouched. Maybe I was worrying over nothing.
I rang the doorbell, hearing it echo through the home.
I waited and waited and waited.
Nothing happened.
I reached for the handle, but the second I did, the door swung back like it was already open. “Elaine?” I called out, slowly pushing the door back all the way, revealing a dark hallway. I crossed the threshold slowly, my military training coming to the forefront. There was obviously some sort of a break in. A very sophisticated one at that.
I ground my teeth together, already thinking the worst, but I couldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Maybe Elaine was just sick… and had accidentally left the door open.
Once inside, I grabbed an umbrella from a holder behind the door, planning to use it as a weapon if need be. It wasn’t much, but if used correctly, it could cause quite a bit of damage with its steel tip. I tip-toed slowly, keeping to the shadows in case the intruder was still inside.
I crept along the wall, heading toward the back of the house. “Elaine?”
There was no answer.
I walked into the kitchen, but there was still no sign of her anywhere.
As I stopped by the window, glancing into her backyard, I heard a soft buzzing noise.
It sounded familiar. Too familiar.
Swapping the umbrella for a kitchen knife, I headed outside, keeping my guard up.
Scanning the area, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.
The buzzing, however, continued.
I looked up to find a drone perched on the roof. One of my drones.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The drone moved, angling its camera toward me. Whoever was operating it was obviously watching me. My fingers tightened around the knife’s handle, my anger growing. Someone had gone after Elaine to get to me. I had put her in harm’s way.
“I always knew you were a coward, Anthony,” I shouted at the small aircraft. “That’s why you can’t face me like a man. You have to hide behind a drone.” Uttering those words felt wrong in a way, memories springing forward from the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind.
***
We were in the middle of Afghanistan. The sound of military artillery was a constant background noise. Men shouted at each other. Bombs went off. Whole buildings collapsed to the ground.
Nearby, a mother held her daughter tight against her chest, trying to shield her from all the debris. When I had first enlisted in the army, I had tried to help the civilians, feeling sorry for their state of affairs. Their misfortune touched my heart in a way I couldn’t quite understand.
Then one day, a little girl stabbed me. Luckily, I was wearing a protective vest so I wasn’t badly injured, but from that day forward, I was no longer so quick to trust.
“We have to stop them before they level the whole camp.” My partner joined me behind the overturned tank I was using as cover. “I just got word they’re sending in suicide bombers. If we don’t do something now, we’re all dead.”
I nodded, trying to pick up my gun, but my fingers were shaking. I had been awake for 48 hours, trying to stay alive. The danger of being shot or even blown to pieces was lurking around every corner. I had seen it happen to my comrades, their body parts flying in different directions. I had pressed my hand to gaping bullet wounds, my hands turning crimson, only for them to die in a matter of minutes. I had dug more graves than I could count, one of my vest pockets filled with dog tags that would hopefully make it back home to their families.
“You can’t go out there.” Anthony placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it slightly. He tossed a heavy box in my lap. “Stay here. Fly the drone. I’ll cover you.”
I shook my head. “You can’t. You’ll be killed. Let me do it.”
Anthony just smiled. “Nothing can kill me. Do you know how many times bullets have whistled past my ears and I’m still standing to tell about it? Don’t let me down.”
Without another word, he got up, charging into the heat of battle.
I gulped, knowing I had no choice but to man the drone. I opened the control pad and started it up. I had only flown a drone once before and it was in a controlled practice field. With my fingers still shaking, I guided it in the right direction, determined to wipe out the threat with one well-aimed blast. That’s all we needed.
Boom!
A grenade went off no more than a dozen feet away from me.
I ducked for cover, covering my head with my arms, cowering in fear. My ears were ringing, my body shaking.
“What the hell are you doing?” Anthony grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt. “You idiot!” He screamed, grabbing the control box, but the signal was already lost, the drone crashed into the side of a mountain. “That was our one shot at getting out of here alive.” He threw the box down in frustration. “You fucking coward.” He kicked me as hard as he could before taking my gun and abandoning me by the tank.
In the end, I was the only one from my platoon who survived the shootout. I had stolen a gun from a fellow soldier, using it to force my way back to safety. My mind was numbed by my own failure, functioning like a suicide bomber with nothing to live for now that I had lost my pride and valor.
I didn’t care who was in my way, as long as they weren’t American, I shot them down, trying to make up for what I had done, but no amount of bloodshed could ever bring back the dead.
***
I shook my head, trying to chase the memory away.
I had been so sure Anthony had died that day. He never came back to the platoon and he was pronounced MIA shortly after. It was only logical to believe he had perished. But now, he was back from the dead, punishing me for the mistake I had made so many years ago.
The drone flew down, hovering beside me. Attached to it was a piece of paper.
I pulled it off, reading the note in a familiar hand.
Leo,
So, we meet again. I guess you thought you would never hear or see me again. I bet you thought I was dead, like all the other men you murdered with your cowardice, but like I said so long ago, nothing can kill me – not even you.
I think it’s about time you pay for your crimes. Hell, the American government deemed you a war hero, but they don’t know the truth. They don’t know that you’re nothing more than a dirty coward.
I’ve been watching you. For longer than you can imagine, waiting for the perfect chance to exact my revenge. And that day is finally upon us! You seem to be rather fond of this girl. Can’t blame you. Pretty. Might have some fun before I dispose of her. Don’t worry I’ll make it quick and painless. If she stays with you much longer, she’ll end up dead anyway.
But, if you want to see her one last time, meet me at the docks immediately, and maybe we can work out your redemption.
See you soon,
Anthony.