55...
Anthony immediately spun around and started following Frank around the narrow back deck. He had a look of concern that would have seemed comical had Frank noticed it.
"What's going on Franky?" his voice cracked a touch. "Is someone after you man?"
Frank spun his head towards Anthony and seeing his own mad, predatory grin bounced back to him in those mirrored glasses not only made him understand the slight gasp that Anthony let out, but boosted his own adrenaline output a little more.
"Anthony, man, it seems like everyone's after me today."
Frank continued on down the cut back staircase that led to the concrete covered back yard of the Victorian. He was almost too pumped up to notice his normal hesitance at descending these precarious steps. He did wince nonetheless when his foot hit that one step that was almost rotted through. The thing gave like a springboard whenever you stepped on it. He glanced back quickly to see if Anthony happened to be following him down.
"Watch that step man," he pointed absently back at the wood.
"I know. Hey dude, seriously... Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Frank felt a mad buzzing in his head, like steel shavings driven in tornado strength winds. He noticed his focus narrowed down to a pulsing spot directly in front of him, all peripheral vision obliterated in a sweet sheen of anger.
He hit the bottom of the stairs at a near run and charged through the wooden tunnel that led alongside the house. The reeking and over-filled garbage cans were not noticed. The decrepit looking energy meters were not noticed. The windows to Anthony’s basement room were not noticed. Frank could only focus on the door ahead, the door getting progressively closer, and that would lead to the front of the house.
Frank hit the door with his arm locked forward. He grabbed the knob which gleamed brassily even in the diminished light and savagely pulled the door open.
The guy stood just outside the door, smiling, as if he knew the whole time how this was going to go down. The sun caught in his short cropped hair and wrapped around to illuminate his smile. Anthony was right, that smile was like looking into the mouth of a tiger.
“Hey Franky, what’s up?”
Frank didn’t even notice the fist coming around, but he felt the connection in his jaw.
If he had a moment to think clearly, he would have thought that this guy would be perfect if someone were casting for a twenty-something Nazi. If he had a moment to think clearly, he would have heard Anthony’s gasp behind him and then the quickly shuffling footsteps away. If he had a moment to think clearly, Frank would have realized that this was the fourth time he was passing out in the last twenty-four hours.
But he didn’t have a moment to think clearly. All Frank noticed was this overwhelming blackness taking over his vision, making the world into a box that got smaller and smaller, until…
"What's going on Franky?" his voice cracked a touch. "Is someone after you man?"
Frank spun his head towards Anthony and seeing his own mad, predatory grin bounced back to him in those mirrored glasses not only made him understand the slight gasp that Anthony let out, but boosted his own adrenaline output a little more.
"Anthony, man, it seems like everyone's after me today."
Frank continued on down the cut back staircase that led to the concrete covered back yard of the Victorian. He was almost too pumped up to notice his normal hesitance at descending these precarious steps. He did wince nonetheless when his foot hit that one step that was almost rotted through. The thing gave like a springboard whenever you stepped on it. He glanced back quickly to see if Anthony happened to be following him down.
"Watch that step man," he pointed absently back at the wood.
"I know. Hey dude, seriously... Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Frank felt a mad buzzing in his head, like steel shavings driven in tornado strength winds. He noticed his focus narrowed down to a pulsing spot directly in front of him, all peripheral vision obliterated in a sweet sheen of anger.
He hit the bottom of the stairs at a near run and charged through the wooden tunnel that led alongside the house. The reeking and over-filled garbage cans were not noticed. The decrepit looking energy meters were not noticed. The windows to Anthony’s basement room were not noticed. Frank could only focus on the door ahead, the door getting progressively closer, and that would lead to the front of the house.
Frank hit the door with his arm locked forward. He grabbed the knob which gleamed brassily even in the diminished light and savagely pulled the door open.
The guy stood just outside the door, smiling, as if he knew the whole time how this was going to go down. The sun caught in his short cropped hair and wrapped around to illuminate his smile. Anthony was right, that smile was like looking into the mouth of a tiger.
“Hey Franky, what’s up?”
Frank didn’t even notice the fist coming around, but he felt the connection in his jaw.
If he had a moment to think clearly, he would have thought that this guy would be perfect if someone were casting for a twenty-something Nazi. If he had a moment to think clearly, he would have heard Anthony’s gasp behind him and then the quickly shuffling footsteps away. If he had a moment to think clearly, Frank would have realized that this was the fourth time he was passing out in the last twenty-four hours.
But he didn’t have a moment to think clearly. All Frank noticed was this overwhelming blackness taking over his vision, making the world into a box that got smaller and smaller, until…
posted by P. B. Nomer | 4:59 PM
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