Flash
Cool rain struck pavement that was warmer than air and swirls of mists rose gently upwards toward the moonlight. Rushing cars carried it away with them, whirling down Fifth Avenue like a ghostly parade, daring the nightwalkers to follow.
"We won't have time to walk, you know," Audrey said to her date. Bill's cell phone was still glued to his left ear which left one open for her as a target. She was unhappy with how Bill wouldn't leave work at the office, how dinner had run late, and how little time they had left to enjoy the club before Bill began to exert the inevitable pressure to see him home. "Did you hear me, Bill? It's already eleven o'clock."
He shussed her with his free hand and mouthed the word taxi. Audrey merely shrugged, not encouraged.
As if reading their minds, a cab pulled slowly to the curb in front of them, the driver leaning toward the open passenger side window. "Need a ride?" he asked.
Bill, not missing a beat in his conversation, left the shelter of the awning and strode forward, pulling the rear door open for Audrey. She hesitated, not because of the constant drizzle, but because of something she thought she saw in the driver, a sudden but intangible feeling that made her uncomfortable.
"Bill, I don't think we should--"
He didn't lower the phone or interrupt his sentence. Frowning at Audrey he motioned her inside the cab with his free arm. She saw that he was getting wet and annoyed. Good, she thought.
Without looking at the driver she climbed into the back seat and slid across. Bill plopped down after her and pulled the door shut as the cab surged ahead into the mix of traffic. Audrey heard a mechanical click as the doors were electrically locked. She looked at the edge of the door below the glass and saw that the knob itself had been removed. The same with the one on Bill's side.
The rear view mirror was angled so that she couldn't see the driver's face. The back of his head showed a long mane of unkempt, greasy hair, dark and kinky as though it were thinning and not used to a brush. There was also a rank smell of body odor that was beginning to make her nauseous. She realized that neither of them had told him where to go.
"Bill," she said softly, grabbing his arm.
In the front seat the driver picked up a device that looked something like a cell phone. He depressed a switch as he drove. Instantly, Bill's reception was obliterated and his phone went dead.
"What the-" he said.
"Bill, the driver..."
Neither of them were ever seen again.
"We won't have time to walk, you know," Audrey said to her date. Bill's cell phone was still glued to his left ear which left one open for her as a target. She was unhappy with how Bill wouldn't leave work at the office, how dinner had run late, and how little time they had left to enjoy the club before Bill began to exert the inevitable pressure to see him home. "Did you hear me, Bill? It's already eleven o'clock."
He shussed her with his free hand and mouthed the word taxi. Audrey merely shrugged, not encouraged.
As if reading their minds, a cab pulled slowly to the curb in front of them, the driver leaning toward the open passenger side window. "Need a ride?" he asked.
Bill, not missing a beat in his conversation, left the shelter of the awning and strode forward, pulling the rear door open for Audrey. She hesitated, not because of the constant drizzle, but because of something she thought she saw in the driver, a sudden but intangible feeling that made her uncomfortable.
"Bill, I don't think we should--"
He didn't lower the phone or interrupt his sentence. Frowning at Audrey he motioned her inside the cab with his free arm. She saw that he was getting wet and annoyed. Good, she thought.
Without looking at the driver she climbed into the back seat and slid across. Bill plopped down after her and pulled the door shut as the cab surged ahead into the mix of traffic. Audrey heard a mechanical click as the doors were electrically locked. She looked at the edge of the door below the glass and saw that the knob itself had been removed. The same with the one on Bill's side.
The rear view mirror was angled so that she couldn't see the driver's face. The back of his head showed a long mane of unkempt, greasy hair, dark and kinky as though it were thinning and not used to a brush. There was also a rank smell of body odor that was beginning to make her nauseous. She realized that neither of them had told him where to go.
"Bill," she said softly, grabbing his arm.
In the front seat the driver picked up a device that looked something like a cell phone. He depressed a switch as he drove. Instantly, Bill's reception was obliterated and his phone went dead.
"What the-" he said.
"Bill, the driver..."
Neither of them were ever seen again.
posted by Rick Ollerman at 2:54 PM
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