Michael Robertson - New Reality - Truth

Putting himself away a little too soon, he felt a warm trickle run down the inside of his thigh. Sitting back down on the slab, Jake curled over and rocked in the cold wind.

After sitting cross-legged for some time, Jake closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

In. Pause. Out.

In. Pause. Out.

The distant barking of a fox rode on the wind. The sting of grit pattered against the side of his face. The smell of decomposition filled the air. The smell was always there, but he was so accustomed to the reek, he now had to focus to notice it.

In. Pause. Out.

In. Pause. Out.

With everything settling down, his heart stabilizing and his muscles relaxing, Jake let his shoulders unwind.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the dark night through the soft lens of meditative calm. The last of his tension had vanished. Everything was going to be okay. Maybe it was just a bad dream. That must have been it, just a—

Scraaaatch.

Continuing to shape her fingernails, she ran them across the rough surface. Scraaatch. Scraaatch. Scraaaaaaaatch.

Jake wouldn’t sleep tonight.

But that was all.

Hopefully his fear would drive him from the city. That way she wouldn’t have to deal with him.

When Jake opened his eyes, the diluted daylight burned them and sent sharp pains tearing through his sinuses. Snapping them shut again, he let out a long groan. The last thing he remembered was sitting upright, shaking from the cold as he strained to hear over the howling wind. After being sat like that for a few hours with no sign of the creature, he must have drifted off again.

Lying on the cold slab, he reopened his eyes slowly. Remaining on his back, Jake stared up. The grey clouds above churned like the cogs of a giant machine. Drawing a deep breath, he released another exasperated sigh. How much more of this could he take?

Finally finding the motivation to move, Jake sat up. Crossing his legs, he scratched his head and continued squinting. The sunglasses seemed ineffectual, but he wasn’t prepared to take them off to test that theory.

Running his tongue around the inside of his mouth sent an electric buzz straight into his jawbone. Wincing, he clamped his hand across his face. Three or four teeth in the back left corner of his mouth had turned so sensitive that he couldn’t eat on that side now. It was at its worst when he first woke in the morning, and it was getting worse every day. How long would it be before the other side felt the same? Swallowing back the stale taste of halitosis, the bitter tang of decay now a permanent resident on his tongue, he wondered if he’d be sucking his food by the end of the month.

When he looked around and saw the disturbed rubble from the previous night, his stomach tensed. Last night had happened. It wasn’t a hideous nightmare, regardless of how much he wished it was. Glancing across at his friend, he saw Tom was still sleeping. The long hike had taken a lot out of both of them.

Standing up, his muscles aching in protest, Jake looked down and froze. Rubbing his eyes, he reread the headstone’s inscription.

The other date was illegible. Deep scratches tore through it, scratches that looked like claw marks. Shaking where he stood, Jake continued to look at the headstone. Why was it crossed out? What date was on there?

Stood staring at the tombstone, Jake wobbled as he was battered by the ragged wind. He tilted his head to the side, narrowed his eyes, and rubbed the date with his foot. None of his actions helped him read it any better.

When he looked at the line of raised rubble again, his eyes following it away from where he stood, he searched for movement. Seeing nothing other than storms, he dropped into a painful crouch, his legs aching and knees popping. Picking up a handful of the finer bits of ruin around him, he took the small pebbles of brick and shards of masonry and covered his name over. Tom didn’t need to see it. He already had enough on his mind.

Standing back up, he glanced at the vending machine. The supplies could wait until both he and Tom were ready to load up.

Arriving next to his sleeping friend, Jake prodded him with the toe of his boot.

When Tom’s eyes yawned open, bloodshot and out of focus, Jake scratched his head. “You look like shit, man. Are you okay?”

Lying still, his normally tightly tied hair dancing in the breeze, Tom groaned and rubbed his face. “My head hurts. I’m not sure I can go anywhere yet.”

“We have to keep moving.”

Pulling his hands away, squinting as he looked up at his friend, Tom sighed. “Just give me five minutes.”

Glancing behind again, Jake shook his head. “No.”

The fog lifted from Tom’s features, and he craned his neck to look behind too. “What did you see?”

“Nothing.” The reply was quick. Too quick.

Every trace of tiredness had left Tom at this point. “What did you see?”

“Nothing. We need to find Rory, don’t we?”

Swallowing, Tom nodded and sat up, grimacing with the movement.

Handing him a can of Sprite, Jake shrugged at the distaste on Tom’s long face. “There are other choices in the machine.”

Taking the drink, Tom looked at the tower. “They purposefully took the water from that vending machine. I know it. They did it to fuck with us. That’s all they seem interested in doing. Arseholes.”

The end of Tom’s sentence barely registered when Jake looked down and saw he was lying on a similar slab to the one he’d been on. Looking Tom square in the eyes, he clapped his hands. “Right, come on, man. Let’s go.”

Draining the can of Sprite, his face twisting, Tom showed Jake the palm of his right hand. “Chill out, yeah? I’m moving.”

As he watched Tom get to his feet, Jake winced in sympathy. If Tom felt anywhere near as bad as he did, then he was going through hell right now. “So what did you dream about?”

Looking up, Tom scowled. “What?”

“What did you dream about last night?”

“My wife and son.” The anger left his voice. “I dream about them every night.”

Not knowing what to say, Jake put an arm around Tom’s shoulder when he was fully upright. “This is going to be the day, Tom. I can feel it. We’re going to find Rory.”

“Don’t play with my emotions.”

“We’ve got to be positive. Law of attraction and all that.”

“Law of what?”

“Like attracting like. You manifest what you focus on.”

Scoffing, Tom shook his head and slipped away from Jake’s half hug. As he walked off, he called over his shoulder, “Whatever.”

Holding back, Jake looked down.

The letters blurred and Jake swallowed the lump in his throat.

Staring at the headstone, she smiled and rubbed her hands together. It wouldn’t be long. “What a wonderful birthday surprise!”

Snapping from his daze, Jake lifted his head to see his friend walking away. Looking down at the headstone one last time, he cleared his throat. “Tom, wait up!”

The long man stopped and turned around.

Jake pointed towards the vending machine. “We need to take supplies.”

Although Tom hesitated, after a few seconds, he gave Jake a somber nod.

“I’m not excited about living off that shit either, but what other choice do we have?”

The same somber nod answered Jake. At least it was an affirmative response.