Sci Fi & Fantasy / HARBINGER (Analysis)
It was a slow night. There hadn’t been a customer in the diner for almost an hour. At this time of night, there wouldn’t be much business until the bars closed. Fortunately, Jared wouldn’t be here when that happened. His shift was over. He was just waiting for his relief to arrive. He sat in the booth closest to the kitchen, and stared out the windows. He watched the bum that he had, recently, ushered out of the diner stand in the parking lot waiting for someone to pull up in their car. When someone did, he would pounce and begin to beg. It was something that anyone who lived or shopped in this part of town had to deal with. You felt bad when you had to run them off or turn them down when they asked for money, but one had to remember that most of these people were junkies and drunks, and could not be saved. “You can’t make a diamond out of shit” as Jared’s mom used to say.
When a car, finally, pulled up, the bum started towards it but stopped when the person who came out of the car was wearing a cook’s uniform. It was Jared’s relief, late as usual. At a dead end job like this, there was little motivation to show up on time. This was a place where people came who felt they were trapped in their miserable lives or had no ambition. Jared had always thought of this place as temporary, but after two years, he was starting to feel like the rest of his coworkers. In this day and age, a high school diploma meant nothing. College was a place for kids with trust funds, and single moms. Someone like him couldn’t afford to go unless he worked two jobs while attending. The best he could hope for was a management position in a restaurant, which is a nightmare. He had tried once in another restaurant and quit because of the stress. He drank more during that time then he could remember.
He stood up from the booth and went back into the kitchen to check over things before he clocked out. He greeted Pete, his relief, who, merely, nodded and began to get his things together for the oncoming bar rush. He left the diner and began his long walk home. It was only ten blocks, but it seemed long when he thought about the cold beer waiting for him at his little apartment on 3rd Street. During the day, all the passersby could see downtown was the office buildings, the little shops, and memorial parks. But when the sun went down was when you saw the true face of the city. There were predators at almost every street corner, and the potential for death and disease was everywhere. Those who wished not to be a part of it stayed in doors or, simply chose not to live there. If you, absolutely, had to be out on the streets at night, you kept your head down and hurried to your destination.
As he walked to his apartment, he passed by some gang members who sneered at him and called him names, trying to provoke him, but he kept walking and ignored them. He was a, fairly, big man, and could hold his own, but chances were that at least one of the punks was carrying a gun. No one believed in fighting fair
anymore. Besides, as much as he hated being called a cracker or devil, it wasn’t worth fighting for. He was relieved that they had not decided to follow him. Otherwise it would have proven to be a long night. His mother, a waitress and a drunk, never had much to teach him, but one thing that she did beat into his head was that you never let them know where you live. Home was sanctuary. One night, he had to walk for hours when a group had followed him. He kept telling himself that he was going to buy a gun, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Guns made him uncomfortable. It sure didn’t save his mother when her boyfriend used her own gun to kill her.
When he, finally, made it to his apartment, he wasted no time in changing out of his uniform and into a tank top and shorts. He grabbed a six pack out of the fridge, and headed back outside to sit in his lawn chair on his tiny little porch. Before he could open his first beer, the door next to his opened. He smiled the moment he saw the face that peeped outside. “Thought I heard you come home. Want some company? “ she asked as she slinked her way to sit on his porch.
Her name was Dahlia. There were few things that made Jared smile. If fact, some people might question if there was any life at all behind his eyes. That all changed when Dahlia was around. Her presence alone made him light up inside. He could never understand her interest in him or what she wanted from him. With her long dark silky hair, ice blue eyes and porcelain skin, she could have any man she wanted. She could do anything she wanted. She had a son, five years old. He was quiet, and didn’t talk much, but when Jared was around he stuck to him like glue. Another mystery that Jared couldn’t figure out. He guessed that having a kid could hold someone back, but he didn’t think that would be a problem for Dahlia. And yet, she stayed here, and waited for Jared each night. She was the one thing that he looked forward to in his life.
She leaned over and laid her hand on his arm, and smiled. He looked back at her, and returned the smile. “You know we have been hanging out almost every night for the past six months. You have never once asked me out or made a pass at me. Why is that? You chicken?” she teased.
A wave of nervousness washed over him. He wasn’t expecting this. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, not knowing what to say. Her smile broadened when she saw his reaction. “Yep. . .chicken,” was all he could force out of his mouth.
“That’s too bad. Who knows. I might have said yes, “she said as she moved closer.
“Ok. . .How about,” was all she let him say before she kissed him. The rest of the night was what he considered to be the happiest moment in his life. In the years to come, it was this moment that he would think about when times were bad and he needed to escape.
There are several kinds of lovemaking or inner course for a man. There is the raw animal lust that his raging hormones demand of him. There is the sex that is a sign of affection to someone he cares about or loves. Then, there is that amazing kind that every man doesn’t know he wants until he has it. The kind he has longed for with someone he would give his soul to. In truth, at that moment, he does. This was what Jared was experiencing at that moment.
She led him into her apartment, and into her bedroom. He stood still and watched as she stepped back from him and slowly untied the little straps to her sun dress and let it fall to the floor. He couldn’t help but stare at her beauty. Every curve, every imperfection of her made his blood boil with passion. She stepped forward and began pulling his shirt off. She ran her hands down his chest and stomach to his pants. Unfastening them, she pulled them down and pressed herself against. She pulled herself away and lay on the bed, pulling him on top of her. Neither of them slept that night. After each passionate intermingling of their bodies, they would lay there in each others arms; never saying a word. When they regained their strength, it would start all over again.
It was nearly noon when Jared woke up to find her already out of bed. She left a note saying how much she enjoyed their night together and that she would see him tonight. He stretched and got out of bed. He was famished and felt like going out for lunch. He thought about getting take out and bringing some food to Dahlia in the office where she worked as a secretary, but decided not to. Maybe it was too soon for something like that. So he went to a nearby El Fresco restaurant and had a meatloaf sandwich while watching the people walk back and forth on the sidewalk. Usually, he enjoyed this, but this time he could do nothing but think of Dahlia. These were all new feelings for him. He didn’t understand them, and he was a little frightened and exhilarated at the same time. He found himself thinking of all the things he wanted to do for her, and wondering if she would like them. Then the macho part of him would make fun of him and dismiss them, and still he would go back to it. It was all very frustrating,
Growing up, he had learned to suppress his emotions. Watching his parents work themselves to death, while the rich got richer standing on the backs of the poor. The anger and hopelessness this caused made people do desperate things. He had seen too many people end up in prison or worse because they let their emotions control them. Keeping your feelings inside and staying focused seemed to be the best way to keep yourself out of trouble. Now, his entire being seemed to be flooded with nothing but raw feeling. And he couldn’t control it. He wondered if this was what crazy felt like.
He could have gone back home after lunch, but felt too jittery and full of energy. It was like he had been cooped up inside his house for days and needed to get out. He didn’t have to go to work today. So all he had to do was wonder the streets. The great thing about living close to the downtown area was that there were tons of shops to peruse, anything from book stores to pawn shops. If you were a collector or were looking for something to occupy your time, you would find if you knew where to look.
By the time he was done hitting the shops, it was late afternoon. He had bought a few books, and got some groceries for dinner with Dahlia and her son, tonight. As he was walking back home, he noticed a huge black cloud of smoke coming from the general direction of his apartment complex. He started to walk a little faster. He really didn’t think it was his home that was on fire, but a part of him wanted to make sure. A few seconds later, two fire engines blew past him.
Ten minutes later, he arrived on his street to find, to his relief, that it wasn’t his home that was on fire but the complex across the street that was ablaze. He walked over to the crowd of people gathering to watch. Nothing like a little destruction and death to attract a crowd. He noticed a man being held down by two paramedics while he kicked and screamed to get away from them. He didn’t appear to be injured. “What’s wrong with him?” he said out loud to no one in particular.
“His family is in there,” said one of the onlookers. “They said it is too dangerous to go in there after them until the fire has died down a little. I think its bullshit.”
“Yeah, so do I,” said Jared. And in that instant, he made his decision. He didn’t know why he thought he needed to do this. He did know that no one else was going to and someone had to.
He pushed through the crowd, and began to run towards the burning building. The firefighters ran after him and tried to catch him, but he just shrugged them off. He was running too fast for them to get a good grip on him, and he was determined to do this. No one was going to stop him. He covered his nose and mouth with the collar of his shirt. He didn’t know where to start, so he went to the first door and called out to see if anyone was there. On the third door, he heard coughing and squealing from a child. He tried the door but it was locked or stuck. He took a few steps back and slammed his body into the door. The door gave and he was met with a wall of fire. He could see a little girl kneeling beside her mother who was either unconscious or dead. If he didn’t get them out, now, they were both dead.
Something in the back of his mind told him to run through the fire. He knew it was suicide. But that same feeling that brought him here in the first place was urging him to do it. He didn’t understand why, he just knew it had to be done. So he held his breath as if he was going to dive in a pool, closed his eyes and ran. When he opened them again, he was through the fire and his clothes were burning. Amazingly, he felt no pain. He, quickly, pulled off his shirt and stamped out the fire on his boots and pants. There was no burn marks on his arms or chest. He didn’t have time to dwell on this. He had to get the people out. Obviously, he couldn’t get them out through the front door. A window would have to be the exit. Thank God, the apartment was on the ground floor.
He grabbed a small side table, and ran to the back bedroom. The fire had not reached here yet. He smashed the bedroom window, and then ran back for the mother and child. He picked up the mother in his arms, and urged the child to follow him. He eased the mother out the window and helped the child out. Just as he was about to climb out himself, something very large and hard hit him. That was all he could remember before he lost consciousness.
He awoke in a hospital bed. There was a rather attractive Asian nurse checking his blood pressure. “The girl and her mother?” he murmured.
The nurse jumped in surprise. “You’re awake!! Great. I’ll go get the doctor,” she said as she hurried out of the room.
Before he could say anything, he was being smothered with kisses from Dahlia. “What were you thinking? You could have died. I waited all this time to have you, and then you try to kill yourself. Why?!” she shouted. Tears were running down her face.
“The girl and her mother, are they alright?” was all he said. It broke his heart to see Dahlia like this, but he had to know if he saved those people.
“Yes, you idiot, the mother woke up hours ago, and the girl is fine. This was why you did this. To save them?” she realized.
“Yes, I had to. No one else would,” he said with conviction.
“Well, I don’t know whether to slap you for being an idiot, or hug you for being a hero,” she said with a smile. Her realization seemed to calm her. She wiped her eyes and sat next to him on the bed. “How ya feeling?” she asked.
“Fine. Like I just woke up from a nap.”
“Well, the doctor’s are freaking out because you walked through fire and had a ceiling fall on you, and you came out without a scratch. They have been doing a lot of tests. Maybe you just got lucky or maybe you’re superman,” she teased.
“I’m not superman,” he said with a grin.
“Oh, come on, I could be your Lois Lane,” she said, poking him on his chest.
The doctor came in. Jared could see from his nametag that his name was Stern. He was a middle aged man who looked like he hadn’t laughed or smiled in years. “Mr. Harbinger?” he said referring to Jared. “You seem to have survived a miracle. How you managed to get most of your clothes burned off and have several hundred pounds of debris fall on you with being injured, baffles me. Even when you were unconscious there were no signs of a concussion. You seemed to just be asleep. How are you feeling?”
“Fine, hungry, mostly,” said Jared.
“I’d like to keep you another night to run more tests,” said Doctor Stern.
“Look, is there anything wrong with me?” asked Jared.
“No, that is what intrigues me. There should be”
“Then, I’d like to go home. There is no reason for me to stay,” he said, pulling himself up out of the bed.
“Ok, it is your prerogative,” said Stern and walked out of the room, looking a little disappointed.
Dahlia pulled out some clothes and shoes from a bag she had gotten from his apartment. He put them on and gave her a long passionate kiss. “Let’s go home. I want to cook you dinner.”
‘Geesh, save the day and then cook me dinner. Will your wonders ever stop?” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
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wow!! that story was an awesome story i cant wait till more. u had my on the tip of my sit the hole time. ur story flowed really good and i loved every min of it wonderful wonderful wonderful job. i love the story of it.
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I would love to hear more of the story to accurately grade the Sci Fi/Fantasy category, but what I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed. I feel there a too many commas throughout the piece, but this is easily remedied. Other than a few spelling errors, i.e. inner course vs. intercourse, it is an easy read. I look forward to reading more of your work! Thanks for the opportunity to review this.
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