Deeply Rooted Dreams by Alexander Mukte

Author:Alexander Mukte [Mukte, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781952030031
Publisher: Three to Five Publishing, LLC.

32

A Sanity Tested

Malik tossed and turned in bed. He peeled the comforter off his body, hoping that would cool him down enough to stop sweating. Why is it so hot? He covered his face with the pillow, shielding his eyes from the sun. The sun. “The sun!” Malik said as he sat up in his bed. Malik couldn’t remember the last time he slept past sunrise. He looked at his phone. 8:03. The first patients should be arriving for virus screening in thirty minutes. He sent a text to let the office know he was running late, then he jumped out of bed, splashed water on his face, brushed his teeth, and hurriedly dressed.

Malik ran downstairs, but something was different. The house was quiet, which wasn’t so much of a surprise. Mom and Dad probably had an early start. He went to grab a cup of coffee, but the pot was empty. The coffee maker was not only empty, but Malik could see streaks of dried coffee at the bottom of the glass. Coffee gets brewed daily in their household. Malik grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and a couple of granola bars, threw them in his bag, and headed for the front door. He grabbed his mask and started to lock the door behind him when he remembered that it was Wednesday. He ran back inside the house and downstairs to the basement. He opened the freezer. Only ten left. “This will have to do,” he said as he put the atomizers inside a cooler and placed several ice packs on top.

Once on the road, traffic was much lighter than usual. It had been a while since he had been driving in the morning rush-hour traffic, but this felt light. It was a sunny autumn day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. With no traffic around, Malik got to appreciate the yellow, orange, and red leaves that painted Olmsted Linear and Shady Side Parks. Malik arrived at the doctor’s office within ten minutes. He checked his watch. “Eight thirty-eight, nailed it.” The parking lot was empty, and the doctor’s office looked closed.

Malik got out of his car, walked to the window, and tried to peek inside, cupping his eyes to block the reflection from the sun. The inside of the office was empty. Malik backed up and noticed the For Sale sign out front. “What the…” he said to himself, but the sudden drop in temperature made him shiver. He looked up to see the clouds confidently roll in and push out the sun. Malik walked back toward his car, still staring at the doctor’s office, looking for some sign of what had happened. Why didn’t he recognize anything? Where’s the name of the practice? Why is the color of the building different? Where are the dogwoods? His train of thought crashed when he felt a firm hand grip the back of his arm. He turned to see who it was but then felt someone else grab his other arm.

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