Alt Life by Michael Darrow

Author:Michael Darrow
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2022-10-27T04:00:00+00:00

…Vessel. Wake up…

It watches and keeps the secrets of the world safe and secure from those who are without vision. It is my greatest ally. It is my life. ​

Somehow, I know it will be my eternity. ​

The house built decades ago is tucked away at the end of the street. All the lights are off. The front door is locked. The side door is also locked. I hop over the wooden fence, more cosmetic than practical, to the back yard. There is a small, neglected garden patch in one corner, and an open shed with various tools in the opposite corner. An out-of-place patch of grass tries poorly to connect them. The back door is unlocked and slides open without a sound. ​

The house smells like peppers and cigarettes. The people who live here live like squatters. Nothing is clean. Garbage covers the floors and the countertops are occupied by junk. Nothing is decent. The energy is low, everything living or not is asleep. The refrigerator’s purr obscures my footsteps. I grab a large knife from the counter and head upstairs. ​

There are several rooms, half of them empty. In one room, a young woman sleeps on an old, stained futon next to a baby’s crib. Some of its toys are piled in the corner. The window carries in a nice breeze. It helps to lessen the smell of sweat and smoke.

​Across the hall is who I need. She tosses in her sleep. I put my hand on her forehead. Worried thoughts possess her. They come on strongest at night. When she manages to sleep, they become nightmares, waking her up again. ​

The recent, tragic suicide of her friend. The second one to do it. The first one when she was just fourteen. It rattled the whole town where she was from. Too much pressure at that age to do well. Why didn’t someone help her? She cried herself to sleep off and on for months. This led to her rebellious nature: breaking the rules, lack of respect for authority, promiscuity, stealing, self-hatred, running away from home to a new home with the same kinds of people. Lost, frightened girls who needed money any way they could. ​

Her blanket is already mostly on the floor. I pull it off entirely and use the knife to cut strips. I work slowly, as the fabric is relatively expensive and strong. I tie around her ankles first. ​

Something makes noise in the next room, interrupting me. A baby crying. The target slowly wakes up, removes her eye mask, and sees me. I know you… Before she can scream out, I wrap my hands around her neck. She is caught off guard, half asleep, and does not fight back. Just another bad dream. She is soon unconscious. ​

I grab a sock from the floor and put it in her mouth and tie around that. I tie a strip around her knees next, then roll her over to tie her hands behind her back. The woman comes to as I tie around her stomach and arms several times.

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