One hundred and two miles per hour. Had been for the last twenty miles. The Driver had been on the road for two hours, keeping that speed when he could. The road was empty. Not even the occasional other lost soul, flitting in and out of the light. The roar of the wind ringed in his ears. It whistled and rattled through the window. It was angry, determined to enter, violate the car. Get Inside. The car was too hot to shut the window; the whole area was undergoing an Indian Summer. Even the cloak of darkness failed to relent the heat. It was a hindrance the Driver could cope with.
The scenery was nothing. Just five cat's eyes in front, five cat's eyes behind. The Dark ate everything. The Driver looked at the speed-o-meter. Like the road, it never changed. His attention was elsewhere. Stuck on the Passenger. It was all he could think of. He tried once more to catch a glimpse in the mirror. Once more he failed. The Driver reasoned with himself that the lack of light was to blame. The Driver hadn't even seen a face. If he had, then he had forgotten. He told himself, deep down inside, he had not.
No reflection. No face. The Driver wondered if he was imagining the Passenger. No. He had heard. He remembered a voice. The door had been opened. He remembered the click of the lock as it shut, the handbrake warning light burning into the world. The air had changed, he had felt it. Move and settle, a sensation only a small world could offer. The Driver was aware of the presence, even now. A voice had said, "Dyson." And here they were. No questions, no thinking. Just driving. The Driver hoped he had remembered to put the meter on. A quick glance drew signs of relief. Ninety-Five, climbing. Something told him the fare wouldn't be a problem. He stared out at the road. The Dark began to eat his thoughts.
The rain began life as drizzle. Falling lightly on the windscreen. It was tiny, nothing, invisible. The Driver hadn't even noticed. Now it was raging. The windscreen wipers tried to no avail. Valiantly they swung from side to side, sweeping away rivers and torrents. But still the flood came. It had been five, now he could barely see one. Behind him, the Dark licked the bumper. The world was out of focus. If there was any world left. Surely the Dark had it all by now. The speed slowed. Seventy-Five. The Driver knew he would have to slow again.
"We are near."
The voice crawled from the darkness of the back, spreading its grip across the seat. It clasped his neck with cold hands, penetrating his ears. Raspish, cruel and contemptible. It filled The Driver's heart with joy. Serenity was his for he was not alone any more. The rain was cleansing the world, cleansing the car, cleansing him. One Hundred and Sixty-Five dollars.
The exit came, and the car left the Freeway. The lonely cat's eyes, blinded once again, winked a final farewell. The town of Dyson lifted into the heavens. The rain faded. Light filled the Driver's gaze. His heart began to rise.
The building was a remnant of the town's heyday, two centuries ago. Its design was gothic, the brick jet-black. From its perch it surveyed all before it, a thousand eyes staring bright, cold, distant. The rain had left its cloak, now dripping and shining on the grimy black stone. Already the merciless heat was at work. The rising steam choked the air. The cab pulled up. Its yellow design far removed from Dyson's own. The Driver looked up at the huge building. His bones froze. Only the nearby ambulances waiting patiently gave away its identity.
The air moved and settled. Sly and delicate. Sharp and hard. Strange. Travelling deep. Once. Twice. The finger was darkness once more. Sly, delicate. Instinctively the Driver looked at the meter. One Hundred and Ninety-Four. The air filled his lungs swiftly. The journey had been expensive. Too expensive. The eyelids fell slow. Something moved. The delicate crunch of crisp paper opened him. A gloved hand, as one with the darkness, held out a wad of neatly folded notes. Nervously the Driver snaked the money. His world almost complete.
The world grew smaller. The whole universe shrank. Darkness everywhere. The star burned brightly, glowing across his eager face. His lips curled upwards. Five Hundred. The world was big again. He turned around swiftly, the gratitude already on his lips. The seat was darkness. Disappointment filled The Driver. He looked around unsure. Then he smiled. He could see Him, walking through the doors, basked in the holy glow.
The Light. The Pain. Numb. The Passenger knew it would come. Angry and volatile, ravaging his soul, seeking its penance. But it was nothing, it was weak. It left him swiftly, without a word. The thoughts and preparation of the last hour had stood him well. One enemy fell, another rose. His legs were stiff from the cramped confines of the cab. His mind dulled by the dreariness of it all. But The Passenger was strong. He walked tall, elegant, and proud. His clothes, his manner alien to this world of the sick. Alien to this world of Dyson. Lined against the walls, the sick and wounded. Strapped tight in, hands out-stretched for forgiveness, for relief, for repentance. All but decoration. The Passenger knew his purpose.
He stopped at reception.
"Maternity Ward?"
Cruel, cold, callous. She, they, nothing. They were all beneath him. The smile hurt his face. The Passenger waited patiently as The Receptionist managed to tear herself away from the celebrity gossip magazine long enough to lazily point towards a corridor, before being pulled back between the glossy covers. She did not have the energy to look at him. He decided he did not have the energy to thank her.
The Passenger moved quietly. Screams and cries filled his soul. The reluctant future, the impending past. He ignored them. They were not real. A large woman in white approached, her frame filling the corridor. Her skin a gentle black. She too was not Dyson. She was in his way. She stopped, forcing him to mimic.
"Can I help you, sir?"
The tone carried the same underlying threat her body language was screaming at him. Forties, maybe Fifties. Weak. The Passenger looked down one and a half-foot. He had the edge, she was nothing. Nothing!
"I'm looking for Miss Franklin"
The Nurse looked him up and down suspiciously. His greying hair suggested mid-Fifties. Old enough for her? His face was thin and drawn, the life sucked dry. Lips thin and pale, ready to split with the slightest touch. Skin smooth and pampered. Pale. Sick. He could see all of this in her. In all of them. So quick to judge, so quick to dismiss. Meaningless. Nothing. Thoughts so insignificant. Their opinions obsolete. Hatred flowed. The bile rose.
"You the father?"
Red. Blurred. She thought nothing of him. Anger. Perhaps it was his age. After all - Miss Franklin. The taste on his lips. The Passenger nodded. He was already staring past her. There was no love in his eyes. The Nurse looked him over again. He felt the air move. Crimson. The wait. Nothing. He opened his eyes. The Nurse had passed. Without sound The Passenger moved on. He stopped at a door, and listened. Terrified screams flowed from within. Joy. The black leather fingertip brushed the door open. His nostrils flared. Disinfectant raged within.
Judy Franklin lay on the table. A beautiful star. She shone bright, even in this incarceration. The world slowed to a timeless waltz. Everything fell silent. The Passenger smiled.
Piercing and Hurtling and Vicious. The scream smacked him hard. More followed. Pain and Fear and Anger. Piercing. The Passenger felt the freeze. Inside, his world revolted. Outside - Too real. No romance. The waltz ended.
Judy Franklin's tiny frame heaved and wretched with the pain. Eyes rolled white. Sweat swamped and drooled. Skin pale. A planet spun around her head, offering temporary relief. It could never be enough.
The Passenger's heart sank. He had loved this thing. Now he hated himself. She was purity embodied. An eternal ray of light. Warmth and beauty. He gave her this. Something eclipsed. White. Clean. Moving quickly.
"You're not allowed in here, sir"
Unknown words flowed. Correct. The Passenger watched. The eclipse passed. And Judy Franklin saw him. Seconds of Joy, Hope and Love. Piercing.
The room was cold, medicinal, clean. Judy Franklin lay on the table, her legs thrust in the air. Screaming. Sobbing. Retching. Writhing in agony. Hair matted to greasy face. Fat and bloated. Judy Franklin did not belong.
The Passenger stood at the doorway, refusing to enter. The Passenger did not belong. He stared coldly. Judy Franklin was weak. Judy Franklin was pathetic. Judy Franklin was banal. Judy Franklin was nothing. A waste of time. A screaming waste. And yet Judy Franklin knew. They always knew
It began in her left nostril. As it always did. Tiny. Smaller than a tear. Falling down. Gliding. Spreading its sickly bitter taste. Polluting inside. Another would find its way out. Exposed with a nervous curious crawl. Growing and expanding, blackening. Snaking its way to the lip. A fleeting glance. Horrified realisation. The planets spinning madly. Pouring. Storming. Devouring.
Judy Franklin could taste it. Flowing thick and fast down her throat. Pain gone. Time the enemy. The Four-Minute Death. Confused worried voices calling out to each other. Frantic. Tense. Chaotic. Flesh blue. Eyes white. Lids humming. Breath struggling. The blood churned and bubbled. Alarm.
The Passenger turned and closed the door. He had seen what he had come for. It hurt. Every time. More surged past into the room. A hand pressed against The Passenger's chest, pushing him against the wall. Tiny, serenely looking up. She held no power, yet the pressure was enough. Crimson lips moved calmly, soothingly. Staring attentively. Full of sorrow, regret and hope. The world slowed to a timeless waltz.
Susan Connelly hated this part of the job. Always felt responsible. She was beautiful. He wanted to listen, hear her kind words, hear her soft voice. But they meant nothing. He knew the outcome. He relished the outcome.
The Passenger sat, cherishing the instant mechanised hot drink. It tasted foul. He waited. The room was empty. Waited for her. He wanted to see Susan Connelly again. Feel her warmth. Sense her innocence. Watch her tired eyes swell with tears. Her voice would break. The guilt would pour. The Passenger had seen Judy Franklin's eyes. They gave him hope.
The Passenger looked towards the window. Dark blinds shutting out the night. He could hear the wind lash against the glass. Hear the rain. It had never left.
Susan Connelly stood silently at the door, watching The Passenger. Judy Franklin had watched him too. Susan Connelly felt guilt. The Pity. The Responsibility. She hadn't done enough. The guilt dug deep. She wanted to reach out to him.
Gentle. Warm. Cautious. The Passenger smiled, for she had come. He turned to face Susan Connelly, her hand already retracting. The Passenger smiled anxiously. Outside - Sadness. Sorrow. The Act. Inside - The Joy of the Outcome. The Inevitable. The Rush. The Hunger. The Passenger looked up at Susan Connelly, searching for a glimmer of hope. Susan Connelly's heart shrank. The air filled her lungs.
"Mr Franklin, I'm afraid there was nothing we could do."
The Passenger turned away. The smile roaring across his face. He knew what he was. This was his moment. This was his Joy. This was The Passenger.
"I'm sorry, Mr Franklin. We're all sorry".
The Passenger turned back to Susan Connelly. Tears welled in her eyes. She was purity embodied. An eternal ray of light. Warm and beautiful. The Passenger extended his arms, embracing Susan Connelly. Embracing his eternal ray of light. Susan Connelly felt joy, warm, and safe. She held The Passenger tight.
THE END