A more reasonable wake up time and thankfully the bird outside the window seems to have departed for other window sills. which is nice. So the world is nice and quiet and I didn’t wake up thinking evil things about demon birds. So let’s go on with the writing prompt and see what comes up.
I am going to be thinking about what he is hiding from for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, October 5th: He knew it would be his last trip in.
He knew it would be his last trip in. He drove into town and parked in his usual spot. He made certain that nothing looked ordinary. He smiled and was polite to all of the people he was normally polite to. He made the general small talk. He avoided those he usually avoided.
His goal was to make this last trip look just like any other. To make this trip unmemorable. He didn’t think anyone would come here looking for him, not after so long. But then again he hadn’t thought he would get that call. He wanted everyone in town to think of this as just another day. If asked “Did you see Marrick?” he wanted his neighbors to say “Must have done, it was Saturday he always comes in on Saturday.”
This last trip was something that should stick in no ones mind. As he gathered his usual fare, the same Saturday stockpile he gathered every week, he hoped that nothing else happened. He wanted no traffic accident, no child choking on a plastic toy from the vending machine. No heated public arguments. Just a nice quiet visit.
Merrick got his wish and he strolled through his errands like the ghost of his regular self. He made it back to his truck and began the long drive out towards his place. He knew once he passed the Ferguson farm his place was the last before the highway. He already had everything he needed from the house. All he needed to do was make it past the Ferguson place and o one would be watching. No one would see that he wasn’t turning into his drive but continuing on, driving out to the highway and taking it through the mountains, joining the interstate and hopefully losing himself in the mix of traffic. He would change his vehicle out once he got To Evans.
He thought he had enough time to do that. Once at Evans and in a new vehicle, he would be able to lose himself again. He wasn’t going back. He made that decision when he left. Nothing in the years since he had been gone made him reevaluate that decision. He left and he wasn’t going back.
‘Anywhere but there,’ he thought. ‘That’s a good enough place for me.’
Merrick kept his speed slow and even. He wasn’t known for racing through town or hurrying himself on a Saturday afternoon. He saw another car approaching and recognized the Fergusons. All five of them were piled in their SUV and heading into town. Marrick lifted a finger off the steering wheel as they passed and Harrison Evans did the same. They each continued on their way.
Merrick let out a small sigh. With the Fergusons gone there was no one else out this way. No one who could possibly notice he wasn’t going home. His one fear was that one of the family would be working in the fields and see him. Now that worry was gone. He passed the turn off for the Fergusons. It looked as it always did. He passed the turn off to his own place. It too looked like it always did. No one had caught up with him yet.
He was tempted to stop by one last time but he didn’t. There was nothing there for him anymore. He enjoyed living here, but that time was now over. He kept driving.
Ten til Midnight 