Mark McGinnis - The Simpleton

“Fine… but this is getting too much for me to handle. The way you’ve changed, the nuclear accident and now… aliens! Son, I feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s like a bad dream.”

A combined cheer erupted on the other side of the room where people had gathered around a TV mounted high on the wall. Cuddy saw that it was CNN and this time it was Anderson Cooper’s face on camera. The feed broke away from him to what looked like a wide view of the sky. The picture changed and it was clearly a shot of five or six fighter jets flying in formation. Cuddy instinctively knew bringing in the military was the absolute worst thing that could happen. Earth did not want to go to war with the Howsh.

“Have you heard?”

Momma and Cuddy spun around to see Jackie approaching. Her eyes were locked on the distant television. When she joined them she said, in a lowered voice, “We’ve been invaded by aliens…”

Momma nodded, again looking as if she had no words to add to an already crazy situation. Finally, she said, “Your father… how is he?”

Jackie looked at Cuddy and gave him a strange look. She waved off Momma’s question. “He’s fine… they’re putting in a pacemaker. Walking around the second floor last night he kept fainting. He’ll be here for another week.” She looked at Momma… “They say it’s a very common surgery and it’s nothing to be concerned with. I just needed to sign some papers.” She turned her attention back to Cuddy. “You were telling the truth.”

“Yes… and there’s more you don’t know. I need to get back to the ranch… right away. Can you take me?”

“We also need to find Kyle,” Momma said. “I want us all to be together.”

“Stop!” Momma shouted, spinning around in her seat, startling both Cuddy and Jackie.

“That’s my car…”

Cuddy followed the direction Momma pointed at out the passenger window. And sure enough there it was ahead, parked on the side of the road. A Latino man in greasy gray overalls was connecting its front end to the rear of a tow truck.

Jackie pulled off to the side of the road, right behind the Maxima. Even before the ignition was turned off, the passenger door was opened wide and Momma was out, running toward her car. Cuddy, extricating himself from the back seat, exited through the open passenger door. He and Jackie reached Momma and the tow truck driver at the same time.

“…you don’t understand, this is my car. I can prove it!”

The tow truck driver didn’t stop, continuing to drag a heavy set of chains beneath the car.

“Stop what you’re doing, George!” For the first time, annoyed, George looked up and around. “Cuddy?!”

Cuddy nodded. “That’s my mother’s car…”

George finished attaching the chains to the Maxima’s undercarriage then gave Cuddy an appraising look—like he had two heads, or something. “I have dispatch orders… you’ll have to go pick up the car at the impound garage.”

“No!” Cuddy said firmly.

“What do you mean no—?”

Cuddy took a step forward and, kneeling down, began to unfasten George’s work.

“Hey… I’ll call the police, if I have to. Now, let me do my damn job.”

Momma and Jackie stood back, keeping out of it, though both looked apprehensive.

Cuddy tossed first one, then the other end of the big hooked chains onto the pavement. Standing back up, he slapped his palms together several times to remove some residual rust. Then, staring down at George, he asked, “Do you really want to do that, George? Call the police?”

George locked on to Cuddy’s steady stare, then let his eyes move over to Jackie and Momma. Eventually, he shook his head. “This is bullshit… I shouldn’t even be out here. Radiation… fucking aliens. Go ahead, take it; keys are in the car.” Collecting both lengths of chains, he tossed them into the rear bed of the tow truck. Without looking back, or speaking further, he hurried to the truck’s cab and climbed in and started the motor. They watched in silence as he drove off.

Momma moved to the Maxima’s driver side and opened up the door. Leaning in, she peered around, as if looking for something, as Cuddy watched her through the dirty windshield. Her voice muffled, he heard her say, “There’s blood… not a lot, but it’s definitely blood.”

Cuddy focused his attention on the landscape surrounding them, then stared up at the sky above.

“What are you thinking?” Jackie asked.

He looked toward the middle of the road. “See those tire marks?”

Since the two-lane road was void of traffic, Jackie walked over and straddled the double yellow line. He watched her as she took in the skid marks.

Cuddy said, “There are three sets of skid marks going back a hundred yards or so. Looks like three drivers all locked their brakes at the same time. Something was blocking the road.”

Jackie tracked the black rubber skid marks into the near distance then turned around. “Did you see those… over there?”

At first, Cuddy didn’t see them. Five distinct, circular soot marks. “Maybe landing thrusters?” he queried.

“You’re asking me?” Jackie said. “I have no idea, Cuddy.”

Momma yelled, “Get off the road… car’s coming!”

Cuddy and Jackie moved just far enough away so the approaching car could get past them. Instead, it slowed down and came to a stop—the sheriff’s cruiser.

“Sheriff!” Momma exclaimed.

All three leaned down to look inside the car. The sheriff’s wide-brimmed hat sat next to him on the passenger seat. Cuddy noticed the sheriff’s shiny domed head was just about touching the interior headliner.

“Whatcha folks doing, standing out there in the middle of the road? Are you nuts or just plain stupid?” Cuddy could see the sheriff instantly regretted his choice of words as soon as he looked at him. “It’s not safe.”

Momma said, “Kyle’s missing, Sheriff. He left the car here… abandoned. I’m worried.”

The sheriff first studied the Maxima, then his eyes tracked all the skid marks. Cuddy noted the tired resignation on his face before he looked up at Momma. Probably the closest thing to compassion he could conjure up. “He may have been taken. I’m sorry… this is… all… so unbelievable, Dotty…”

Momma, now angry, said, “Oh no, you’re not going to tell me my boy’s been taken by those…” her words died off.

The sheriff let out a long breath before answering: “Earlier, three cars were abandoned here. No one was in them when Plumkin arrived on the scene. But he saw it. A space craft… or whatever it was.” His eyes lifted toward the sky back behind them. “He saw it up in the air… heading off.”

Cuddy, Jackie, and Momma all turned and stared into empty open sky.

“Best you get indoors. I’m sorry about Kyle, I truly am, but I have my own family issues to attend to.”

Momma, who’d begun to wring her hands, looked more kindly at the sheriff and asked, “What’s happened, Dale?”

“It’s my boy… Tony. He’s been badly beaten up. His friend Gary, too.”

Jackie glanced at Cuddy.

“Actually, talking to your boy here was on my list of things to do today.”

Momma said, “Cuddy’s been with me all morning, Sheriff.”

Rolling his shoulders, the sheriff said, “No… since they woke up their story is… they got into it… beat the living daylights out of each other. That’s their story, anyway.”

Cuddy thought about that, but it didn’t ring true. Tony and Gary were both cowards; more apt to pick on the disabled or a helpless dog. Thinking about it, he let a faint, lopsided smile cross his lips. It was Kyle! It made sense. Probably was only a matter of time before Kyle settled things with them… for what they had done to him and Rufus.