Blight Ch. 1

Chapter 01

The Calm

Sun was high, particularly bright on this cloudless hot summer day. Cars zipped by on blistering city streets. Neighbors mowed there lawns, washed their cars, filled there pools. Preppy teens dusted off their bikes and roller-skates and taking to the sidewalks. Everyone was out, enjoying a day that might as well be a national holiday, first day of summer and last day of school.

Not being ones to be left out, we celebrated in our own way, Euchre. In a park full of picnics and basketball games, we were sitting in the gazebo playing cards. From outside it looked boring and silly but I found it relaxing just sitting in the shade and enjoying the game I liked with the friends I enjoyed.

Ferret leaned back in his chair, half looking at his cards, half looking at the volleyball girls. Apart from being on the short and thin side, he was about the most average guy in town. Sporting a pair of transition glasses did remedy this to some extent, now looking like the most average hired killer in town. A single apathetic tap of his knuckle passed the deck on to Richard.

Holding his cards with both hands Richard brushed off any distractions and focused on the game. Richard could be described best as the absolute opposite of Ferret, a heavy set guy with noticeably thick glasses and no problem sticking out in a crowd. With a confident double tap he passed the buck onto Jed.

Jed sat hunched over the table, completely absorbed in the game and eyeing us with an anxious look. The tall young man held his cards with built forearms and prominently large hands for his tall, thin figure. Unusually quiet he passed the deck onto me without looking at his cards.

The queen of clubs looked up at me from the deck waiting for judgment, would she stay or would she go. On any other day, this decision would be made before the deck had gotten to me, but I was distracted today and not just by the cuties playing volleyball. Something in the air, it made me nervous, uneasy, down right jumpy. With a look at my hand and a smile on my face I snapped up the queen and shoved her into my hand.

Silence was broken as Jed cried out in anguish, “Why do you do this to me?! I had the perfect hand! The PERFECT hand!” Shoving his cards in our in faces, a full hand of red face cards, indeed a perfect hand turned perfectly useless.

“I really feel for you buddy.” I said, “Maybe your partner will pull through for you.”

“Hmmm… what?” Turning back to us with an all too confident smile on his face. “Oh yeah… I’m sure we’ll muck through somehow…” Two black jacks and the ace of clubs hit the table blowing us all the way and ending the hand before it began. With an absolutely crushed look on his face Richard quietly dropped his cards on the table and admitted defeat.

I did not go out quite so quietly “You clever jerk. You passed the deck because you knew I would pick it up. You’re getting too good at this.”

“Or maybe you’re just starting to slip.” He laughed.

“The perfect hand!” Jed raved, “A loner for sure!”

“What are you crying about?” Ferret stated, “We won the hand, and the game for that matter.”

“But we could have won with a loner!” Jed insisted, “Let’s play another, I can feel another coming and you won’t ruin it this time!”

“I got to go to work.” I moped.

“Nooo… one more game.” Jed begged, “I promise to beat you quick.”

“Yeah… no.” I said, “I’m off tomorrow so I’ll see you guys then.”

With a quick stretch I got to my feet and made my way across the bustling park toward my car. Everyone was so happy and cheerful that I couldn’t help but smile. This was Osmo, Illinois. I was David Yield, seventeen year old fool.

Making haste to the street my mood turned fowl at the sight of a particular young woman in hot pink sneakers leaning against the hood my car. “There you are. I thought you might be avoiding me or something.” She was clearly waiting for me but looked as if she would rather be somewhere else.

“Me? Avoiding you? No way, not you, Beatrix. Wouldn’t dream of it.” I said sarcastically.

“Good. Have you heard anything?” She asked, “Everyone has already forgotten about her like yesterdays news. You were close, did she...”

“Tell me anything?” I said genuinely irritated, “I don’t know if you had noticed but we were not close, not close enough anyways. Why don’t you ask her parents or something?”

“You know damn well her parents don’t give a shit!” She snapped at me, clearly not in a good mood.

“…Yeah, I know… I have to go to work.” Opening the door I hopped in and turned the engine.

“David…” Beatrix leaned in the window. “I know that you think that I’m just the loudmouth gossip bitch and, well, I am. But this is different, she was… is my best friend and I’m really worried about her.” I looked into her fretful eyes, a sincere side I had never seen before. “Just tell me if you hear anything, okay?”

“…Sure.” Pulling out I left her roadside behind me. At the stop sign I toyed with my cell phone thoughtfully before noticing the time, I was late for work. Donning a plain red uniform and a flimsy nametag, my simple transition was complete, time to put in the hours.


Burger World, a local fast food joint that specialized in, you guessed it, hamburgers. The small building sat in a peculiar spot on the main street just at the north end of town, a mix of houses and local businesses all about it. The diner was decent sized with large glass windows in front and a matching door, parking in front was out of the question. Stopping short I pulled around to the back parking lot, a cramped little space cut short by the neighboring large brick building.

Letting myself in the kitchen door I made for the sink, scrubbing my palms and fingernails before slapping on some sanitizer.

“You’re late…” It was a low all too familiar voice of the manager, leaving an impressive shadow nearly engulfing me. Turning the sink off I turned and faced him, tall and built a regular weight lifter, his face was sour. Behind him the clock showed five minutes past, five miserable minutes.

“George, hi. I got held up.” I said avoiding his angry gaze. “I’m only five minutes late.”

“Five minutes.” He stormed, “That is five minutes that someone else has to cover for you, five minutes that they could be doing something else.”

“Exactly five minutes, next to nothing.” His eyes narrowed, arguing with the manager was never a good idea.

“If it were truly five minutes I wouldn’t bother you but its not. You have been late everyday this week and those minutes build up. If you can’t get here on time I can find someone else who can.” I was not quite so easily replaced, few were as skilled a cook and none as quick, but I caved all the same.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to be on time next time.” Catching a look in my eye he sensed what I had been thinking.

“I think you ought to work tomorrow too.” He said with a grin, “You don’t mind do you.” Apparently, just because he couldn’t fire me didn’t mean he couldn’t make hell for me.

“Yeah, no problem.” With a fake smile and an unseen gesture I quickly got to work. The grill and my basic work station was in the center of the kitchen , the freezer on my right, the counter on my left, the office over the grill directly in front of me.

“Hey, Annie.” I called to the girl at the counter. Annie was a short blond girl with quite a line growing in front of her. Looking back at me she gave relieved smile.

“Hey, David.” She called, “Rush orders coming at you!”

“Bring them.” I hollered. The tiny screen in front of me immediately began to fill with orders. Wasting no time, patties hit the grill, lettuce onions and tomatoes were cut, ketchup mustard were squirted, and mayonnaise was spread. Blinking orders looked to overtake me but a steady flow of food held it at bay, it always did.

Hours would move quickly only slowing during the awkward pauses between rushes. The job I despised going but loved working. At the moment I could have made my love/hate relationship my living. Little did I know, this would be the last day flipping burgers at Burger World.