BOOK
I (fiction)
I
have to get out of here as fast as I can. Gotta outrun them. I won’t let them
devour me. Nooooo!!!
Kirk
Mackoy opened his eyes. He just woke up from a bad dream. Somebody’s knocking
at the cabin door. He sits at the edge of the bed shaking his head to clear his
still dulled mind. Then went to open the door and saw Bill, the Sailor on watch
standing in front. “Chief mate wants you to report to him at the control room”
he said and leaves.
He
closes the door. The fearful creatures in his dream are emblazoned in his mind.
Their faces look like the face of a Chimpanzee and they stood like real men.
They had a hairy body like that of a monkey. Those creatures stood straight and
their height is about five feet tall maybe less. He outruns them because
he’s taller. Kirk Mackoy stands five feet and six inches tall with an athletic
body.
He
goes to the bathroom and filled the sink with a mixture of warm and cold water.
Dips his fingers to make sure it is lukewarm and then sinks his face in the
water. The urge to sleep again is gone. He put on a blue t-shirt and tops it
with a company provided cover-all.
I
need a good cup of coffee, he thought. While sitting in front of
a table sipping his coffee, the Chief Officer, second-in-command of the tanker
vessel, appears at the mess room door.”Come on Pumpy! We have to prepare the
pump room” he said in his usual grumpy voice. He put the walkie-talkie on the
table and said, “Call me as soon as you’re down the pump room”.
Kirk
finishes the remaining coffee in the cup with one gulp and proceeded on his
way. As usual, I will open and close valves and make sure that the pumps are
ready to start discharge of cargo. The port harbor will start connecting their
receiving hoses as soon as were docked and our vessel will commence discharging
this bunker fuel that we loaded from Nigeria. He thought.
“I’m
down and ready sir”, talking on his radio.
“Start
preparing for discharge”, Answered the Chief from the operations control room.
“Okay,
sir”. Pumpy begins to prepare.
He
was thinking, I’ve been doing these things for many years and I can even do
it with my eyes closed. Manual closing and opening of the valves has
become, for him, an over-exercise.
“I’m
done, sir’. He reports back to control.
“Come
to control room”, The Chief ordered.
“Coming
now sir”, he said.
He
looks up at the stairs and starts to climb. It’s approximately fifty meters
high until he reaches the control room where majority of the valves can be
controlled automatically. Kirk has to stop at every top of the stairs once in a
while to catch his breath and rest his legs for a little while. The stairs goes
up at the approximate height of three meters and the next group of stairs
changes to the opposite direction to make up for space then change direction
again after 3 meters. It’s like going around in a circle. The pump room is just
about the width of the ship.
“Sir”,
he said, letting his presence known.
“The
Captain wants you to go to the fore part of the ship to assist bosun”. The
Chief said.
“Yes
sir”, Kirk said. By the time I reach the fore part, I would be the most
worked man in this vessel, he thought.
The
vessel successfully docks alongside the Port of Hustonia, in the land of Usa
when he hears the voice of the third officer who is on watch, “Pumpy, proceed
to prepare the starboard manifold. We’ll use 1 and 2”.
“Yes
sir”, He acknowledges the order.
The
manifold is in the middle part of the ship. It’s where the port hoses are to be
connected. The port personnel will do the job. Pumpy has to open the manifold
for them. It has only 4 bolts left. He has taken out the other bolts before
arrival.
The
third officer with a sailor on watch were there when he arrives amid ship. He
goes on to do his job while third looks on like a true officer.
The
hoses were connected. Chief calls on the radio, “Pumpy, go down the pump room,
we’ll change the set-up”.
“Yes
sir”.
This
is unusual. He doesn’t like what they’re doing. How long has this been going
on? And he started counting. Ahh! This has been going on for about five long
years. But why?
He can think of some reasons but he can only sum it up to one, they want him to
voluntarily leave his job. He had spent twenty years at sea and finding another
job on land is really complicated. He’s worried because his legs are starting
to feel the punishment. He will have to stop it. This will be the last”. He
thought.
“I’m
ready sir”, he called.
After
closing and opening the valves, he was really tired. He sits down to rest his
legs which are starting to feel stiff when he hears Chief calls, “Pumpy, come
up we’re starting the pump”. “Yes sir”, he answered.
Everything
seems okay and Chief tells him to take a rest for 2 or 3 hours. Kirk is
secretly annoyed. He thinks that he deserves at least 6 hours rest because he
already knows what’s coming next. When they call him after 3 hours, he will
work or at least be awake continuously for 18 to at the most, maybe 30 hours.
Which he thinks is too much. He will have to stop this.
He
takes permission to go out to make a call. On his way out, Jack the sailor on
watch, search him like wanting to know what he has in his possession. This is
really unusual. That starts him thinking,
Do
they know? I didn’t tell anybody. Kirk realizes that he has to do it
now. He can’t go back to take his passports. The way they search him makes it
impossible. This time he knows that they’re pushing him away and they have been
doing it for five long years.
He
welcomes the thought of taking this adventure trip. Kirk bought a bus ticket.
He will go far north and on his way he will take time to visit a kin whom he
hasn’t seen for nine years.
Kirk
is sitting on the front seat just behind the driver. For the first time after
so many years, he feels real freedom. I’m tired and sleepy, he thought.
He
can feel the hands on his shoulder waking him up. “We’re at fordville sir” the
voice said.
This
is his first destination. He walks out the bus and sits down for a while at a
chair for passengers at the bus station. Kirk turns his head sideways looking
for a telephone nearby. There is one at his left.
“Hello,
Candy’s residence”, says the voice at the other end of the line.
“Cousin,
this is Kirk”.
“Oh!
Where are you”.
“I’m
at the bus station at fordville”.
“Really”,
the voice sounds excited. “Stay there; I’ll come to fetch you”
“Okay”,
he said then hangs up.
Candy,
a good-looking woman who is in her mid-fifties, is walking towards him when he
stands up to greet her. “Hi, how are you”. “I’m fine, thank you”, she answered.
“Come follow me”.
Kirk
looks at Candy opens the door of a brand new red pick-up truck. He opens the
door at the other side and sit down.
Kinland
is where they live. It’s a small town and there’s no bus station. Her husband
Pol is waiting at the porch when we arrive. “So you’re Kirk. I’ve heard stories
about you and I’m glad we met”, says Pol. “How long are you gonna stay here?
You’re welcome here”.
“I’m
just passing by. I just want to take the time to meet you”, Kirk said.
Pol
asks him where he wants to go and he said up north to visit some places and
then go home to his own country, Philipo.
The
City of Pineblu boasts of many fine restaurants. He walks around the City. He
loves walking. It’s both a form of exercise and a way to save money. Kirk
notice a sign saying, Wanted: Dishwasher. Why not, he thought. He
applies for the job. The old lady in her mid-fifties, apparently the owner of
the restaurant, ushered him into a large pile of greasy plates and said,
“You can start now”.
Kirk
Mackoy, sitting in front of a corner table, enjoying the enticing aroma of
coffee and its luxurious,creamy taste think back of the time of how he enjoyed
its taste every morning before he begins to work and in every work breaks. He
love the kind of stimulation coffee brings. His life at sea had ended and his
life on land is just beginning. This is unexpected and he can’t tell for
certain how long will he stay here. One thing is sure; sooner or later he’ll
have to leave. Faced with uncertainties, he decided not to think too much about
it. It's a risk that I must take.
The
restaurant owner is striding towards him until she’s close enough and speaks,
“If you’re finished, you can stay until closing time at 9 pm”.
“Okay
mama”, he said, looking up to her now as his boss, mother and mentor.
She
smiled then talks to the cashier on their own language which Kirk cannot
understand.
It’s
almost 5 o’clock and they’re not busy so one of the waitress sits down in front
of him at the table and they talk. He has this uneasy feeling that he’s being
investigated and he has to lie.
“I’m
living at my cousin’s house in Kinland”, he said. “It’s one hour drive from
here”.
“How
long have you been here”, she inquires.
“I’m
here for almost a year now, How about you”, he said trying to divert the
conversation.
“Two
months, my husband brought me here”. “Prepare yourself, we’ll be busy beginning
6 o’clock”, she warned.
"What should I prepare as a dishwasher", he muttered.
She’s
right, customers keeps coming and going and before closing time, everybody’s
tired almost to the point of exhaustion.
Its
a few minutes past nine when the last customer leave and everybody start
cleaning. Kirk’s part is to clean the toilet.
Everybody’s
set to go when Mama tells him to come back in the morning at 9 o’clock. “You’re
hired. You can work full time. Are you OK with that?”
“Yes,
I like to work full time, but my home is far from here”, Kirk tries to explain.
“You
can stay at my house”, Mama smiled. “You can come with us now”.
Mama’s
house, Kirk found out, is where all the employees stay. He was ushered into a
room where a kitchen helper is staying. There’s an extra bed and he lie down.
I’m so tired, he thought.
Kirk
Mackoy feels his whole body aching. He hadn’t had a good rest since he left the
ship. He slowly raise himself up, turned his head and look at the other bed.
His roommate gone and the bed are neatly arranged. He looks at his watch. It’s
8:30. Shoosh! He rushes to the bathroom to wash his face and
use the soap left lying there. He still has his jacket on when he checks himself
in front of the mirror, take off his jacket and his shirt that is on top of
another t-shirt in his body and take off his pants that is on top of another
pants. It looks cleaner, he thought and smiles.
It
was cold day when he left the ship so he put on two t-shirts and two pants and
now, he’s glad he did. He quickly washes his brief and hangs it in a corner
inside the bathroom and tucks his extra pants and t-shirt underneath his
pillow. He plans to wash it tonight.
Noticing
a bottle of salt, he takes it, what a coincidence, he smiles and dips
his finger in the salt and goes on to rub his teeth with his salty finger. It
will suffice for the moment, and cleans his mouth with a glass of water. He
positioned his palm in front of his lips and “whoosh” breathe out air. It’s
good, he thought.
He
takes a quick check of himself, It is still good. I’ll try to ask permission
to go to the mall later when the restaurant is not busy, in his mind, he’s
thinking of buying things for his personal hygiene and some clothes that he can
wear for work. He slips his shirt underneath his pants, looks at the mirror and
quickly left.
Outside,
he took a glance at mama’s house. It’s beautifully positioned in a corner of
two intersecting road. An excellently designed ‘A’ type two storey house. The
living room provides a spacious interior and the existing alleyway continues
into the dining area and kitchen, and the stairs going up.
He’s
walking his way to work when a car suddenly brakes into a sudden stop in front
of him. The car misses him nearly an inch. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault”. He
failed to stop, look and listen and the car nearly hit him. He apologizes to
the driver for the second time. He’s lucky the car wasn’t speeding at the time.
He
has to hurry,
he thought when suddenly he saw a big dog, possibly a little bigger than him
when standing, coming towards him barking. No time to run. The dog will surely
outrun him anyway. Kirk Mackoy prepares to parry the dog if it attacks him.
Then he hears a loud whistle and the dog stops and goes back inside the gate.
The gate must have been accidentally left open. “Whoosh”! he let out a sigh.
Not
a lucky day,
he thought.
Finally,
he arrives at the restaurant. All the employees are there preparing for a busy
day ahead. “Good morning! Sorry I’m a bit late”, he then proceeds to CR to make
sure it’s clean and napkins are there, clean the mirror and go to the pantry
and prepare all the things that he needs in his dishwashing career.
Not
a bad job,
he smiles while making his cup of coffee. He made a cheese sandwich and sits
behind the cashier who had finished preparing and is now standing there looking
at him.
“Did
you come early? I woke up late. I was tired yesterday”, start a conversation.
“We
arrive just a minute before you did” she said smiling.
“Do
you think mama will give me a little time to go to the mall to buy some
things?”
“I’ll
tell her when she comes”, she said.
Kirk
learned that Angele is the wife of the Chef, who is the trusted man of mama and
in his mind he put off any plans to court her. She’s thin but charming. She’s
not really beautiful according to his own standards but that he felt, the first
time he saw her, that she’s a soul mate. There’s a connection between him and
her that is hard to explain.
Customers
starts coming for their breakfast. The restaurant is strategically located.
Government offices surround it including the Police Headquarters. Policemen are
regular customers of this restaurant and so are the other employees near the
vicinity. Most of them are government employees.
Major
Brickmain, the Chief of Prisons, a friend of Angele is a regular customer. Kirk
watches them hug each other every time they meet and he can’t understand why he
feels pain in his heart each time he see them so sweet. At least Angele can
help me if I go to prison, in his mind he has this uneasy feeling.
He
positions himself inside the pantry and waits to wash the plates and utensils
that the waitress brings there. Noon break is really busy so he helps by taking
the used plates, spoons and others from the table and washes it. This is extra
and not included in his job as a dishwasher.
At
1 o’clock in the afternoon, only a few are left sitting at their tables and
Angele, after talking to mama, gives him a thumb-up signal and said,
“you’re allowed one hour only”.
“Thanks!”
he quickly walks out the door and take a brisk walk towards the mall which is
just a mile away, remembering to walk on the other side of the road for fear of
another canine attack.
Inside
the mall, after buying the things that he needed most, he pass by a burger
stand and decided to order Cheeseburger and coke. Take his time eating and
start walking back to work.
It
was peaceful at the restaurant when he arrives. Only one table is occupied and
the couple is silently relishing their food. He places his plastic bag inside a
drawer and goes to sit at a table where waitresses are sitting and talking and
laughing at their jokes, keeping their voices low. He sits and listens to their
stories while they were waiting for another routine rush hour. All of a sudden,
one of the waitress, Rose, the eldest of the waitresses, with her head down
facing the table while laughing, has her false teeth falling on top of the
table. She quickly grabs it and goes to the CR to probably wash it. Turning his
head to look if anyone notices it, Kirk watches them, with napkins in hand
wiping their saliva from their lips trying hard to control their blissful
moments. Again he turns to see the cashier, Angele, her back turn against them,
with her handkerchief pressed against her lips, trying to be silent in her
perfect happiness. He didn’t hear the joke. Maybe it was told before he came to
hearing distance. This wonderful scenario makes him want to laugh too, but
remembering Rose, he clenches his teeth while laughing, not wanting a repeat.
He too, is wearing false teeth upfront. Rose just appearing at the door of CR
takes a glance at Kirk and quickly pressed her palm against her mouth and laugh
uncontrollably.
Kirk
Mackoy overheard the couple at the other table.
The
lady asks the guy beside her, “Why are they laughing”? “They’re not laughing at
us, honey”, the guy answered.
This
is Kirk Mackoy’s new life. A far cry from what he left behind at sea. He’s
enjoying it while it last. He stays at the Mall on Sundays to break the
routine; his adventurism already starting to eat him. He thinks back of the
time when he had to tie a rope,(he did this by expertly executing a bowline
knot), in a railing along the catwalk which is ten feet above the main deck of
the ship, and tie the other end of the rope around his waist,(here again he
chose a bowline to make sure the rope wouldn’t constrict him when pulled), to
make sure the waves that are punishing the deck won’t take him overboard, then
continued to tie a broken cover to the main hatch with a rope to prevent
seawater from coming in. He made a quick-check to see that it’s done right, not
wishing for a second grueling performance. Job done, he started his way up the
ladder when a wave of seawater hit him and he had to cling tightly to the
railing along the ladder for dear life. He loses his hold and went rolling
along with the waves. The rope tied around his waist save him from going
overboard. He quickly regained his balance and run towards the ladder and up to
the catwalk before the next wave came pounding the deck. The Captain of the
ship and all the officers and quartermaster on watch including the chief
engineer standing ready to give orders to the engine room to change engine
speed when necessary are watching him with binoculars. Kirk Mackoy wave both
hands as a signal that everything is OK. Seeing that the Captain wave his hand
signifying OK, he proceeded to the Mess hall to take a good cup of hot coffee.
He
received his first monthly payment in cash and he’s content with it. Mama is
generous giving him free lodging and food. He reserved his first salary. He
will use it to pay his ticket back home when the right time comes. He must
always be alert of any signs that the immigration officers are already on his
tracks. They’re probably looking for him down south and it will take time
before they can trace him here. He must be very careful not to get entangled
with the police. For now, they seem to have no concern about him. He’s just
another employee who goes to work at nine in the morning and goes home at ten
in the evening.
5
It’s
Sunday morning and Kirk Mackoy put his best clothes on. He will go to the mall
to buy a bike, at least that’s what he plans to do. He’s going out the front
door and down the few steps onto the level ground, and then he changes his line
of sight and sees a car park in front and quickly recognizes it. It’s Pol’s
shiny blue car. The driver’s door opens and Pol, sitting at the driver’s seat
greets him, “Hi! Cindie ask me to fetch you”, and he remembers that he called
Cindie and broke to her the good news that he’s staying for a while and gave
her the address of Mama’s house. “Hello! And thanks for coming”. Kirk’s
inner voice tells him…this is another adventure and he goes on to sit
beside the driver’s seat.
Kirk
close the car door and Pol shifts to first gear and slowly accelerated the car
and then shifts to second gear and put on more gas. “I didn’t know you’re
coming to fetch me. How long have you been waiting out there?” Kirk breaks the
silence.
“I
have been waiting for about ten minutes. The guy, who went out the door before
you, said that you’re about ready to go to the mall and you’re coming out in a
few minutes”. Pol said.
“His
name is Jack, he’s the assistant cook. I could have come out that door thirty
minutes earlier”.
“I
know. My timing is just right. Cindie tried to call you at the restaurant
yesterday evening but the line was busy”.
“You’re
right; we’re unusually busy during Friday night’s”.
We
are passing a busy street so we let ourselves fall into deep silence. I admire
the way he traverses the busy streets, snaking his way through. Outside city
limits he starts to drive faster at almost 70 mph and we arrive at his house in
30 minutes. I follow him in the living room and through the open glass door
leading outside. My cousin Cindie tending her backyard said, “Pol can you
please take this tools into that tool box over there”.
She’s
the same Cindie that I know – the bossy type, Kirk thought with a grin.
“Hello
Kirk! I’m glad to see you again. How’s your work at the restaurant?”
“I’m
doing fine”, Kirk said smiling.
The
garden is fantastically enticing. It has beautiful flowers, different kinds of
flowers.
“I’m
going into the woods to check the house” Pol said to her. She nods her head.
“Do
you want to come with me Kirk?” looking at him.
He
followed Pol into an old pick-up truck. They are driving onto a dirt road lined
with tall pine trees and beside the road, he saw a family of deer running
freely going deeper in the lush forest with tall trees and rotting woods lying
down untouched until they’re completely out of sight. Rabbits are frolicking
around and nobody really cares about them… until the next hunting season when
they would be an easy target for hunters.
He
learned from Pol that those trees were planted on purpose and will be cut down
when they are tall enough for cutting and plants a new set of small trees and
leave them there to grow until the next cutting season. The animals living
there will simply move on to the forest nearby and by the time they cut the
next set of trees, the small trees that was planted will have grown tall enough
for them to move on. Tree cutting is done by sections every 10 to 15 years.
Their
house deep in the woods is about 5 miles away from their town house. It’s a
modest bungalow with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a single room.
The land which is very wide is fenced in barbed wire. There are a few tall pine
trees surrounding the house and tall grasses occupy a wide space suggesting
that it used to be tilled but was left untouched for quite a time now.
Pol
has a pistol tucked in his pants. He explains that it is a defense against wild
cats and big bears living in the area. Kirk realizes that it’s not easy to live
here. It’s giving him the creeps.
They
drive around the property, stopping to see if Pol’s traps caught something. So
far there is none yet. Pol decided to leave and start heading town.
Kirk
notices the unusual noises around the pick-up trucks body so he asked Pol, “You
think this truck’s body will not fall apart?”
“Not
yet”, Pol said.
“Great
adventure”, he muttered.
Cindie
is preparing the food when the two guys come in. “You’re just in time for
lunch”, she said.
“I’m
hungry and I can bet you that Kirk is hungry too”, he’s talking to her. And the
three sits down to relish the food on the table.
They’re
in the back porch sitting on a chair facing the awesomely beautiful flower
garden and Pol is talking about the coming hunting season. “There is a lot of
big game out there”, he said.
“Kirk,
have you gone hunting before?”
“I
never had the chance”, Kirk said.
“Well,
I can take you with me when I go hunting. We can hunt deer, wild boar and big
rabbits”.
“Yeah,
I’m excited to experience the thrill of being a hunter”. I’ve only seen it in
the movies”. This kind of adventure excites him.
Cindie,
being silent up to this moment, said, “Pol don’t you forget to go to the mall
to buy fertilizers”.
“OK”,
he said and looks at Kirk. “I remember that you’re about to go to the mall this
morning Kirk”.
“I’m
thinking of buying a bike that I can use to go to work”.
“Come
with me to the mall and buy your bike, then I will drop you at your place”.
“OK”,
Kirk said.
It’s
already 4pm when they reach mama’s house and Kirk takes his bike down from the
pick-up truck (not the tattered pick-up truck), “Bye, I’ll see you later”, and
Pol drives his new red pick-up.
Kirk
walks his bike to the bike compartment at the far end of the yard and parks it
there with two other bikes. It had been a busy day for him. He went straight to
his room, changes his clothes and goes to sleep.
This
morning, Kirk wakes up earlier than usual and go down to wipe his bike clean
with his handkerchief. Then goes up to his room and made him ready to go to
work. He’s taking a farther route going to work, making a wide circle then
going back and finally he’s at the restaurant door. Looking at his watch and
knowing it’s too early, again, he made a dash around the block and by the time
that he’s back it’s exactly nine o’clock. He secures the bike beside the iron
fence at the back of the restaurant with a chain and a big lock.
As
usual, the same job routine, and now he can perform his work even without
thinking about it. His mind wandered, visualizing how he can make a tour around
the city every morning with his bike. He remembers a park beside a lake that he
saw while riding on Pol’s car and making plans to visit it and in so doing,
he’ll have to rise very early in the morning. He thinks it best to do it Sunday
morning.
But
what if Pol appears at the front door again, is a question that made him decides
to do it on Tuesday, next week, when the restaurant will not be too busy. Not
on Thursday or Friday or Saturday because these are the days when the
restaurant is very busy and they will be very tired and exhausted.
But
Saturday night at closing time, Cindie appears at the door of the restaurant,
“I was at a party in a friend’s house, a few blocks away from here, I’m on my
way home and stop by here to ask you if you would like to come to our house.
Pol is preparing a barbecue party for tomorrow”.
“Please
give me a minute to talk to mama and ask her permission”.
Permission
granted, he takes his bike and load it at the back of the red pick-up truck and
they both drove away.
Pol
is still awake when they arrive at the house. He is cooking noodles. “Just in
time”, he said. “Let’s sit down at the table and gobble this noodle”.
“You’re
an excellent cook”, Kirk said. “Well, thanks for the compliment”, Pol said with
a smile.
Kirk
Mackoy wakes up early and goes out the front porch. He sees Pol putting a few
screws to put the front fender of his old truck in place.
“Can
I help you?” he asked.
“I’m
already finished putting the screws. The fender fell down yesterday. It’s okay
now. Come with me to the woods and we’ll take a ride around the hunting area
and give you some tips so you’ll be quite ready for the coming hunting season”.
“Sure!”
and quickly goes to seat in front beside the driver’s seat. He knows it’s a
lie. He can never be a hunter. It just can’t happen overnight.
Kirk
is enjoying watching a lot of deer’s running freely and seemingly have no fear
when suddenly Pol stops and goes down. Kirk following closely behind saw Pol
looking down…a big snake on the road with its white mouth wide open and wanting
to dig its fangs on his legs just a few feet away. The tires ran over the snake
while it’s crossing the dirt road and crushed its body.
“It’s
a cotton mouth snake. We have to kill it”. Pol handed him a handgun. “Aim at
the head” he said.
Kirk
takes the pistol and aim at the snake’s head and fired. He missed. The head is
moving going sideways. Dismayed, he hands the gun back to Pol. An excellent
shot…aim and hit the moving target right on the head.
They’re
heading back to his house in the woods when Pol stops his pick-up truck and
tell Kirk to go ahead and drive the truck to the house. “I’m gonna check on my
traps. Go inside the house and stay there. Be sure to take the rifle with you”.
The house is already on plain sight. He drives the pick-up and parks it in
front of the door, picks the cal. 22 magnum rifle, checks it if it’s loaded and
entered the house. Warily enters the room and check the windows…seeing blood on
the floor… alert now, a dose of adrenalin rushing through his veins, he
positions the rifle in his hands ready to fire a shot… windows are all
closed…with a quick striding motion moves towards the back door. At first
glance it seems to be closed but a closer look reveals that it is not lock and
somebody can open it from outside with a little push. Locking the door, his
imagination creates a scenario; a big cat could have chase its prey that
happens to run inside the house and the cat finally catch it inside the room
and that explains the blood on the floor. He is walking toward the living
room when he heard a scratching noise at the back door. Walking back to the
door, Kirk listens, trying to discern. No windows in this part of the house…no
way to see what’s outside the door. He hears footsteps going away… go to the
living room to have a peek outside through the window…sees nothing out there.
He waits. And then he saw the head and the upper body of a brown cat skulking
through the tall grasses…looks like stalking its prey. Kirk felt a chill
running down his spine. Slowly he opens the window, enough to fit the rifle’s
nozzle out and takes aim…slowly positions his finger…starts to pull the trigger
when the big cat takes a sudden leap and is out of his sight. Staying inside
the house and looking through the windows, Kirk Mackoy acts like a true hunter,
occasionally wiping the glass with his hand, until he sees Pol coming and he
waits until he’s a few feet away and opens the door. “I saw blood on the floor
inside the room”.
Pol
looks at the blood on the floor and walks towards the backdoor. Seeing that
it’s locked, he turns and asks, “Why did you lock this?”
“I
was engrossed with the possibility of a life and death encounter with a big
cat”, he said with a wide grin.
Pol
is silent.
They
drive around the woods one more time and heads home. It’s a great day for Kirk.
That’s how he feels.
The
three of them sits at the back porch enjoying the beef barbecue when Cindie
breaks the silence, “Kirin (their daughter) and her husband came and left her
car. Said they were going on vacation to Clelan County and will take the two
kids with them…plans to stay there for a month. She said that Kirk can use the
car while they’re away”, she informed Pol.
“Do
you have a driver’s license Kirk?”
“I
have my international driver’s license with me”.
“Okay
then, Kirk if you want to use the car, you can take it”.
“Thanks,
I’ll take good care of it”, he assured them.
An
hour later Pol give the car key to Kirk. “I’ll be back here next week and
starts the car. It’s a one year old red sports car. He’s hoping that as long as
he drives safely, the police won’t stop him.
Kirk
didn’t expect to stay two years in Pineblu. He has earned enough money to start
a small business back home. He’s aware of the fact that he’s being hunted
everywhere he goes by his powerful and influential enemies and they’re waiting
for him. Sooner or later he will have to face them and he’s not getting any
younger. The fight is no longer in the physical realm but its long been
elevated to psychological battle ever since the day when they convinced
themselves that there’s no…way that they could kill him. They wanted to know
his secret. Kirk doesn’t know it either, because in reality there is no secret
but he had intended to let them dwell in their own ignorance. He saw a man
limped after trying to stab him with a knife. And how about the man who fell
down when he tried to shoot him with a rifle and the guy who pointed his pistol
at him, they all seemed to be afflicted with some kind of a disease that made
them weak. Word of mouth told him that they eventually died. What kind of
power could that be? If it’s his power, then why can’t he control it? For
Kirk, It’s hard to believe. He’s thinking of one possibility…maybe it’s
automatic. Whatever they did, well or bad, simply bounced back at them. If
that’s true, then it’s God who is controlling the power. The Lord God Almighty
is protecting him. His enemies cannot accept that fact because they’re simply
Godless. They are proud of their power to take life and get away with it. They
are used to being in control by evil means. After many failed attempts they
deliberately stopped assassinating him but change their tactics. They resorted
to character assassination and smear campaign (so nobody would want to help him
or give him a fair fight and in effect, everybody shall become his
back-stabbing enemy, every ambitious-lesser-mind-talker will be on to him),
harassment (they have the power), sabotage (they’re a big group), and
provocation. Kirk knows that if he gets violent and commits a crime, he’s a
goner. They will let him rot in prison if he doesn’t submit to their evil
aspirations… knowing more ways than one how to use him – and others who
unfortunately fell into their traps – feeding their own greed and ambitions and
wanted him to give in with his imaginary awesome power – sheer stupidity,
his brainwaves insist. Kirk, knowing the truth, can’t surrender…no freaking
way to do that and he will never bow down to them. He has only one
boss…GOD. This abominable group forced him to quit his job but somehow
Kirk believe in his heart that it’s part of God’s long-range plan and knowing
that he has a part of that grand plan gives him the strength to move on without
fear.
Kirk
Mackoy’s moments of reminiscence is cut…he’s looking at a black car slowly
moving in the parking area, and watch it, through the glass window, parks in
front of the restaurant. Two guys in black suit, emerges from the car and find
their way to the door. His heart stops…he quickly made a dash to the pantry
door, and stealthily find his way through the kitchen onto the back door, step
outside and walk normally, heading to a nearby park and sit in a bench where he
can watch the black car and the restaurant’s front door. They already know
I’m here, in his mind he knows…it’s time to leave…the two men in
black suit is coming out…the black car is now heading to police headquarters.
As
soon as the men in black suits entered the police headquarters building, Kirk
walks casually towards his borrowed red shiny sports car and drives away. I
can’t be here anymore…the police is now alerted. He drives the car straight
to Kinland. Pol and Cindie were off to work. He waits…his mind wanders…Kirin
let me use this car for almost two years now. She bought a new car and knowing
that I need this car, she let me have it, saving her daddy from the trouble of
picking me up every week from Pineblu. Kirk is lucky the police never stop
him for any traffic violations…careful to not make anything that will provoke
them and end his evading-career. Now, she can have the car back.
Pol
and Cindie parks their car beside the red car – recognizing it – they see Kirk
emerges from the side of the car.
“How
are you Kirk?” Pol said.
“I’m
not OK. There’s something that I must tell you”.
“Let’s
talk inside”, Pol proceeded to open the front door.
Kirk
told them the fact about how he ran away from the ship – that the immigration
is now on his trail – and the police is now alerted about him. He asks
forgiveness for not telling them early on about the truth.
“Don’t
worry about it – in the meantime you can stay here – tomorrow I will talk to my
friends and see what I can do. Maybe I can get you a safe passage and you can
go home peacefully”, Pol assures him.
All
the while, Cindie is quiet, probably contemplating on all the troubles Kirk
brought them.
Kirk
learned from Cindie that Pol is an ex-marine and he has connections from all
levels. “Don’t worry, he can help you”, she said.
The
next day, when Pol arrives from work, he greets Kirk with a pat on his
shoulders and tells him that it’s all right. “Be peaceful now”, assuring him.
Pol
and Cindie bought him a plane ticket to Cisco City and drove him to the airport
and gave instructions to report at once to his Philipo consulate – they will
provide a temporary passport for him to go back to his own country – then he
can buy a ticket going back home.
Inside
the plane soaring above the thick white clouds, Kirk Mackoy reclines his seat
and cogitate back of that time when Pol took him deep in the woods: riding in
Pol’s beloved-tattered-pick-up truck. Kirk had Pol’s holstered .22 magnum
pistol tied in his waist, feeling like a modern cowboy, ready to draw his gun
in the blink of an eye – he saw it many times in cowboy movies. The night was
dark and only the truck’s two headlights lighting the dirt road ahead, Pol
stops the truck. There was silence… Kirk began to hear a faint sound of moving
water. We’re beside a river, he thought. “Let’s go down and check the
woods, I think I saw something moved over there”, pointing his flashlight at
the side of the road a few meters away - Pol held his shotgun while going down
– Kirk followed him. Pol said in a whisper, “I’ll put off this flashlight. Stay
there and be silent, okay”. He handed him the flashlight and switched it off.
Kirk was standing there in total darkness feeling for any movement and
clutching his pistol in his hips in case he needs it quick. His finger is ready
to flip the switch of the flashlight in a moment’s notice. It’s very dark and
he strives to look at the flashlight in his hands… in vain –darkness won’t
allow him… strained his ear to hear Pol’s voice – there is none. Kirk stood
there tacitly motionless. Is this the way of a hunter? he contemplates.
His brainpower began to question the seeming ingenuity of the moment. What
if a panther is getting ready to attack, or what if a snake is coming to him now
and coils at his leg inching its way up to his belly, what if…there are so many
what if’s… he heard Pol’s voice and felt relieved. “Let’s go back to the
truck. Flip the switch on”, he ordered. We walked back to that old truck and
drove round and round the forest in the dark of the night and only Pol knows
where were going. Until what seemed to be an eternity, we headed towards home.
At least that’s what he said, “We’re heading home”. Kirk had no way of knowing
where they’re at or where they’re going.
At
the consulate office, the guy at the front desk – after receiving his request
letter – tells him to go back after three days to get his passport.
Well,
I have time to walk around and tour the city, he thought but after some
deliberations, he voted against it, remembering Pol’s advise not to wander too
far from his hotel, There are a lot of bad guys there and you don’t want to
get entangled with them. So he stayed at the hotel and not goes too far.
Without
any hassle, they handed him his temporary passport. Whee! That was easy, he
thought… Kirk arrives at the airport twelve hours before his flight and
stays at the lounge area, not wanting to pay another day in his hotel.
Kirk
Mackoy tries to sleep. The plane is now soaring high above the clouds after
completing its ascent…loosen his seat belt…trying to relax. Soon he will enter
the enemy’s lair…
(The whole story can be read after publishing of the book)
