The Fire Within (Part 1) **Easier to read version** (311 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.5 on 3 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Rillins (View user info) at 2006-09-22 16:18:47 EDT
In a half stupor slumped in front of his computer, Wayne turned around and picked up the fax that had just come through.
"Great."
Wayne said in the dry tones of someone who has a thankless job, a demanding boss, and a lonely life. All of the Purchase Requisition forms needed to be changed from form the current format to a "new" and "cost saving" one.
Wayne checked the clock, rolled his eyes, and sighed. 2:00, too late for a coffee break, too early to go home. It's that stranded hour between the two best parts of the day; lunch and dinner. Fishing the old forms out of the file cabinet, he unceremoniously dumped them into the trash while new ones printed from his crappy bubble jet printer, remnants from the Engineering Department. Pulling old files he began the tedious task of transferring the data sheets. The printer screeched its last line of color, flashing the warning light of low ink.
Dictator heels clicked through the passageways between cubicles, stopping impatiently at Wayne's desk.
"Wayne, I heard you were late today, will we need to have another talk about lateness? Why are all of these perfectly good papers in the trash? Anyway, your boss called me and told me how you were having problems keeping up with the changeover, so I'm here to aid you."
Wayne continued to stare at his desk, waiting for Veronica to finish talking at him and leave.
"What are you doing? Don't fill the forms out like that! Here, looks like I have to do EVERYTHING around here, don't I, Wayne?"
Veronica looked at him from under her lashes and smiled. Wayne really was a nice guy and she had been awfully lonely since her pug Pricilla had passed away in that terrible accident.
Wayne shrugged and sank back into his chair. It was useless to argue, he just wanted to go home anyway. Veronica clicked her tongue as she shuffled through his desk looking for a pen. She rearranged the way he organized his paperclips and post it notes. She scrunched her nose at the accumulation of dust on his monitor and how his clock was 7 minutes fast.
"I mean really Wayne, seven minutes? Why seven? Not ten, or five, why on earth would it be seven minutes fast?"
Veronica said as she manipulated his clock, breaking one of its legs in the process.
"Oh Wayne, I really am so sorry!"
She always said his name, like if she didn't she would forget and call him Judy on accident. Wayne favored her with a half-assed smile and took the clock from her claw-like hands, his smile turning into a sneer as he saw his reflection in the two inch, red painted nails.
An hour of work later and Wayne announced to the air
"I have to go run errands; I will see you tomorrow, bye."
He grabbed his coat in a whirl, turned off his workspace light, and left Veronica by herself in the dark.
"Ok Wayne, have a wonderful evening. Call me if you need anything," she paused longer than was workplace acceptable, "tomorrow."
Wayne did the three pocket check: badge, keys, wallet; good to go! Dodging around people in polo shirts and khakis, Wayne slipped through the exit and began the search for his white Dodge Neon.
Coasting down the street at a comfortable 35 MPH Wayne drummed his fingers on his steering wheel, be-bopping his head to some new tune whose words he couldn't understand.
Wayne saw a group of birds flying and twisting their collective into a new direction. He saw a couple of young, nice looking ladies driving in a red LeBaron. He saw that over a million customers have been served at a fast food place. If only he had seen a black Lincoln with tinted windows pull up behind him.
Not wanting to go home, Wayne went home. There really was nothing to do, and he was sort of tired. Besides, he really didn't have the money now to be doing anything crazy. He grabbed a soda and some chips, letting his brain mush to the sounds and scenes of T.V.
This was the rational of Wayne's entire life. Wayne wanted to be the wild and crazy guy, the guy with all the friends and hot chicks, the guy who could cuss easily and get into fights. But this wasn't Wayne. Wayne thought the wild and crazy guys were stupid. He had only a couple of friends, but they were enough; and who wants a bunch of whorish women with possible diseases anyway?
The phone rang, breaking his conscious effort at unconsciousness. Wayne jumped out of the couch and ran to the phone, leaving a trail of potato chip crumbs in his wake. His hand reached the phone when the doorbell began ringing. Panic seized Wayne and he hesitated. This moment allowed the phone to ring it's last and the answering machine picked up, leaving Wayne to answer the door.
The bell rang again, prompting a "hold on a sec!" grumble.
Licking his lips, Wayne tip toed up to the door and peered through the peep hole. Before he could see who it was, the door burst inwards, cracking and splintering, crushing him beneath its weight.
A woman stepped in, jumping over the debris to help Wayne free himself from under the door.
"Who are you? What do you want? Please don't hurt me!"
Wayne rambled as the woman grabbed his arms and pulled him free of the wreckage. His nose was bleeding from the excitement as his slight belly had protected everything else from injury by the door.
The blood dripped and pooled onto his shirt while the woman checked him over for actual injury.
"I thought that you weren't going to answer, I needed to be sure everything was ok."
She whispered.
The woman wore jeans, a tee shirt, and sneakers. She had brown hair that was pulled up into a pony tail and an athletic looking build. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she wasn't necessarily ugly either.
"So, now that I know you're ok, you got anything to eat around here?"
Wayne was still stunned.
"Look, lady. Uh, I think you should go."
She smiled an honest smile and found her way into the kitchen, talking as she went.
"Listen Wayne, I've come a long way to find you, and am a little hungry. So just chill a bit, and maybe clean up your nose?"
There was nothing in the refrigerator and nothing in the cabinets. Sandra followed a trail of chip crumbs to the couch, where she sat snacking when Wayne returned from the bathroom. The door had been leaned back into place, the splinters swept into a pile in the corner.
Looking the woman up and down, Wayne couldn't restrain himself any longer.
"What the heck is going on here?"
The woman patted the seat next to her, still munching the sweet barbeque chips left in the bag. Used to being bossed around by women, Wayne sighed and plopped down next to the obviously insane woman eating his chips.
"Wayne, my name is Sandra, and I am from the future."
Wayne's jaw hit the floor, his eyes roaming for exits.
Sandra began laughing,
"ok, not really, I'm from Kansas."
Wayne began to pull away from her, looking through the corner of his eye at the phone.
"All right Wayne, there's no reason to drag this out. Just calm down and listen. About a year ago, I began getting strange, uh, feelings."
Sandra could feel Wayne about to jump out of his skin.
"No Wayne, not like that, please just calm down."
She locked his eyes with hers until he seemed to breathe normally.
"OK,"
she sighed,
"I grew wings. Yes, real wings. I can fly and everything. With this new, uh, ability I developed two other, uh, powers? I learned that I could control wind."
She twitched her finger and Wayne felt a powerful breeze emanating from her direction.
"And I developed a powerful sense of a location. Wayne, you are that location. I can feel now that this sense has abated slightly since I met you, which is wonderful, as it was causing nausea. So, here I am. Have you felt anything, uh, odd?"
Wayne's eyebrows were in a race to his hair line. Sure, just like anyone he'd secretly hoped that one day something too cool for school would come strolling into his life, but now? Now, well, this woman was crazy or trying to sell a screen play to the wrong guy.
"Listen lady, I don't know what you came here looking for. But,"
Wayne stood up and pointed to the door,
"you ruined my door, made my nose bleed, ate my chips, and have thoroughly freaked me out. I really think you need to leave."
She looked up at him with blue eyes, slightly reflecting his image
"My name is Sandra, not 'lady'. I was hoping to come here looking for answers. I was worried about you, hence the door. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with me, and you seem to be a link!"
A car pulled into the driveway. It would have been hard to hear except for the door being ruined. Sandra stood away from the door, edging towards the escape of the back yard clutching her stomach.
"Wayne, no, this is bad. This is wrong. We have to go now."
Wayne looked at her curiously, then pulled the door away from where it was leaning against the frame and stepped out onto the porch of his small house.
A thick necked man, as big as Wayne's car, stepped from the passenger door and opened the door to the backseat. A long legged woman began to emerge, using the big man's hand as leverage. Then stood Veronica, dressed to kill in a sparkling red cocktail dress and sharp heels.
Behind him Wayne heard rustling and looked around in time to see Sandra grab him around the middle and pull him to the back door with her. He felt a hard gust of wind and watched as his back door burst from unseen pressures. He heard Sandra grunt as his weight strained her wings as she took flight.
Wait, strained her wings? Wayne's brain finally caught up with what was happening to him. He tried to wriggle free but found that he had been cocooned in air. Sandra had tied him up like a pig, but with magic!
P.S. Ok guys, hope this is easier to read! Han't written in a while so critisizm is welcomed. Thanks!
User Reviews
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2006-09-22 18:43:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked it.
Submitted by retrospect (user info) at 2006-09-22 16:39:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
GOOD FAITH +2
Submitted by retrospect (user info) at 2006-09-22 16:38:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
still didnt read it. HA HA