Billy felt the phlegm in the back of his throat begin to rise in panic, then suddenly a calm came over him as he focused on the shoulder only forty feet ahead of them. Not so much a flash but he sensed a violet tinge to his vision and the Bronco was resting on that shoulder. As the big truck went shooting past them, a near miss. He turned the key and the engine turned right over.
Billy looked over at his dad, his eyes were closed. Before Billy could say anything they fluttered open. “Whaaa”, he startled. “What happened? That truck was headed right for us then my vision got hazy. I think I passed out. Strange.”
This time, Billy knew that somehow he had moved them, in the truck, to the side of the road out of harm’s way. Still, he had no explanation how this was all happening and his dad apparently hadn’t really seen anything out of the ordinary, so he faked it. “Truck started just in time. It was close.” He felt something in his gut similar to when he had ended up in the tree house. Just then they heard a crash further down the road. Billy put the Bronco in gear and raced in that direction towards the overpass.
As they crowned the small rise they saw smoke rising in front of the overpass. His dad exclaimed, “Watch out, there’s a man sitting in the road.” He pulled the Bronco over onto the side, ahead of them the eighteen wheeler had careened into the supporting structure of the bridge and the engine compartment was in flames. Billy and his dad ran over to the man in the road.
Billy noticed that he was sitting, legs bent, as if he were sitting in front of a steering wheel. “Are you okay mister?”
The man appeared dazed and a bit confused. “I almost hit you. Lost my brakes back there and then my steering wheel locked up just a moment ago. I tried to bail but the door was jammed. Next thing I knew I was sitting here watching my truck crash into the bridge abutment. I must’ve gotten the door open somehow and jumped out, though I can’t remember.”
“We should get out of the road. Can you stand up?” His dad extended his hand to help the stranger. Billy reached out for his other arm and they helped the man up.
“My boss is going to have my head.”
“At least you’re okay.” Dad helped him to the side of the road, the man was still clearly flustered. They heard sirens coming from above and saw flashing lights appear on the bridge above.
The paramedics were puzzled that the driver appeared to have nothing wrong with him, not even abrasions which would have been expected if he had jumped out of the truck and rolled on the road. Regardless, they would bring him to the hospital for a more complete checkover.
The driver had thanked them for stopping to help before he was taken away in the ambulance. Then after the police had taken their story and contact information, they were told they could leave but they might be contacted for a follow up within the next day or two.
As they were driving away, Billy looked back over at the scene again. He remembered the feeling he had in his gut just before they heard the crash, feeling momentarily the same as he had when he had ended up in the tree house. He didn’t know how, but was certain that somehow he was responsible for taking this man out of danger and placing him safely on the roadway. That was why the man was sitting there as if he had been driving. Could his life get any stranger?
When they arrived home Billy recounted the day’s events to his mother. “You were very lucky Billy. The two of you might have gotten hurt”, she paused, “or worse. You should get that truck looked into, make sure you don’t get caught again. Maybe it’s time to replace…”
“Aww mom. That ‘ol truck has served me well, there’s a lot of life left in her yet. I’m going out tonight to get tuneup parts and I’ll check it over completely tomorrow.”
“Well okay, but please be sure you’ve got it fixed.” Billy’s mom took Ralph’s hand, “You okay my love?”
“I’m fine, other than the strange accident, Billy and I had a great day together.” He didn’t mention passing out in the truck. Turning to Billy, “Thanks son. I truly enjoyed our time today.”
Billy smiled, “Yeah, me too Dad. I’m going to head off to Alvarez Auto now to get those parts. I think I’ll stop at the Willows after. They’re showing a double feature. The original “Star Commander” and it’s sequel, “Andromeda Falling”, with Malcolm Wade. They were two of Joey’s favorite movies.”
“You okay Bill?”
“Actually Dad, I’m great. Thanks. It’ll be late, don’t wait up for me.”
As he turned for the door his parents headed for the kitchen.“I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee dear.”
It was almost midnight when Billy returned home. There was a light on in the living room, but the rest of the house was dark and his parents had gone to bed. He went up the stairs to the bathroom. He chuckled to himself, a little too much junk food and soda like the old days with Joey. But for the first time in a long time he felt he was at a point of acceptance of the loss of his friend. In his room he stripped down to his boxers and slipped into bed. He was asleep in minutes.
He had been asleep for several hours when he felt a presence in the room. Sitting up and blinking his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the room had that now familiar violet cast to it when something otherworldly was about to happen.
He heard footfalls coming closer, then the sound of his desk chair being dragged away from his desk. He felt the hairs on his arms and neck rise, his skin crawled as if the room had been filled with static electricity.
“Over here.”
C’mon back next Monday. Who is this late night visitor? What do they want?
Episode 9 – 6/07/21
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