48 Hour Short Story Contest

Demise of the Beast

It was a mystery. The strange man turned up one day. He strode into the office and placed some documents down on the desk. Was this unusual? Not really. Every day people strode into the office and delivered packages. They might be big parcels and other times the deliveries would be a single sheet of paper within a standard sized envelope.

Sherrie normally didn’t take much notice of the people who came constantly to her desk. She was always busy. While answering another incoming phone call, she would hastily scribble her signature on the delivery docket. Just a normal day for her. She barely noticed the parade of different faces that only just registered on her consciousness.

Something about that day was different. The phone lines were quieter than usual. It happened sometimes. Deliveries came throughout the day. After her lunch break she returned to the front desk. A man was standing there. Nothing unusual in that, Stacey who was her relief through lunch always disappeared a few minutes early.

A rough sort of character was her first thought. He appeared as if he might have spent a lot of time in a gym. Not an unpleasant face, except for the jagged scar running from below his left eye down to the jaw line. He stood quietly at the desk, a manila folder roughly taped closed. The only sign of impatience was a twitch in the scar and his fingers tapping quietly on the folder.

“For me?” Sherrie held out her hand as she approached the desk.

“Hmph.” The man roughly shoved the folder into her waiting hand. Turning quickly, he strode off. Bypassing the lifts, he kept going towards the fire stairs.

“Strange” mused Sherrie, “no docket”. Shrugging off the strange encounter, she checked the recipient’s name on the front and put it into the correct delivery box.

* * * *

Racing down the stairs, John was concerned with the amount of time taken to deliver the package. Arriving at the bottom, he shoved open the fire stairwell door to the car park. His long strides made short work of the distance and John jumped into the old beaten up utility. His key quickly turned the ignition and it fired up first time. The heavy rumble of the V8 engine belied the rough exterior. Revving slightly, the utility rumbled with a life of its own.

Turning out of the building, John turned left onto the busy main street. It was hard keeping this beast disguised as a puppy in check. The utility wanted to race forth. John had to hold the vehicle in check as he did not want to draw attention to himself. He could not afford to be noticed. Merging into the lane beside him, a screaming screech of metal assaulted his ears.

Glancing over his shoulder, John noticed the black sedan for the first time. It came up again and gave a distinct nudge to the back end of the utility. His foot pressed down and instantly the beast responded, surging ahead. Sirens blared from the side street as the local police joined the chase. Winding in and out of the cars,. swapping lanes abruptly, John and the beast rushed forward. The black sedan drew closer, another beast in disguise. Determined eyes met Johns in the rear view mirror. John’s equally determined eyes stared back. Daring his pursuer to stop him.

An intersection raced closer, the traffic lights turning red a scant 20 metres ahead of him. In front of the traffic, John put his foot down harder and the beast responded again. The black sedan stayed with him and following behind a line of police cars stretching down the length of the main street with sirens blaring.

Trusting in his luck which had been sketchy of late, John and the beast gathered their speed to burst through the intersection. Traffic flowing through from the other street, alerted by the sirens had stopped allowing a small gap for the beast to dive through. A blue flash from the red light camera caught his side vision.

More determined than ever, John floored the pedal. Taking corners on only two wheels, he drew away from his pursuers. The sirens became silent and after a few more turns, John had finally lost the black sedan.

Finding himself down near the waterfront, John gently brought his old friend to a stop. Sadness overwhelmed him. The beast had got him through some tough times and now it was time for them to part. The flash of the camera had torn them apart. It wouldn’t be long before the police would track him through the license plate. They would be on the look out for the beast. Although, he wondered about that black sedan. They should not have been able to catch up to him so quick. Someone had talked. He didn’t have much time.

Fondly patting the steering wheel, John stretched his long legs as he got out of the beast. Reaching around into the back seat, he grabbed a bucket and an old broom. Moving quickly, he did not have much time, John strode down to the water’s edge and filled the bucket.

Splashing water over the utility, John scrubbed vigorously with the old broom. Removing all traces that he might have left. No finger prints – nothing to connect him to the beast. Placing the gear shift in neutral, John released the hand brake. Only a gentle nudge at the back of the utility was needed. Gathering speed quickly, the beast almost gently breached the water. It’s windows down, the beast quickly filled with water and sank below the surface.

With a last glance back, John strode quickly towards the water. A few running steps and he dove into the river. Hardly a splash betrayed his position. Letting the current carry him, John swam beneath the surface. A few more strokes brought him to the opposite bank. Sadly looking behind him, he paid his respects to an old friend. New resolve strengthening him, John strode up the bank and onward.

1,011 words

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