Mel
“Three weeks ago, you might say I had it all. A nice car — a brand new Lincoln. A Town Car, like a truly beautiful automobile. A Lovely wife and two kids. But, I wasn’t happy. There’s some things I have always wanted to do.” Said the man with slicked back hair and suspenders.
“I drove off. I didn’t know where I was going. I just wanted to clear my head. I was sitting in my car looking out over the city and that’s when it hit. Whoom!” He said, striking a man whose arms and legs were tied so tight he felt like he was suffocating so he left out a muffled, “Errrrmmmmm!”
“My job down at the paper. I hated it. Pushing pencils. Wearing checkered shirts. Making up dumb stories when nothing was happening. I’m sure you can relate.” The whites of the bound man’s eyes widened to show a desperate attempt to get through to the man in suspenders. “I like driving. I had always wanted to be a driver. Not like race cars. Just nice cars. For nice people.” He added.
“When I was sitting up there, in my car, I saw a flash and a mushroom cloud. Like I had seen on TV. Out of nowhere. And the whole city… practically gone. Just like that. Right before my eyes. And in a way, that is what I was hoping for. I felt responsible… still listening?“ The muffled and bound man nodded his head, clinging to life but hurting so much he began to wish the man in suspenders would just get it over with.
“Good. I appreciate it.” Said the man in suspenders, with a cold laugh. “I’m Mel. The day this city died is the day I was born. It was good to meet you. Thanks for listening.” And with a thwack, Mel cracked the bound man’s neck and threw him in the trunk of his Lincoln. Mel brushed away any prints and blood splats and kept the Lincoln spotless, ensuring that blood only dripped into the meat wagon of a trunk that could later be sterilized. Wouldn’t want a customer to get a whiff of that.
It was Mel’s third trip down Highway 130 that week. He was a chauffeur, the classiest and most reliable in the New World. And, this being his most profitable route, he had to keep it clean from the bandits and thieves and degenerates that roamed the roads looking for easy prey.
Co-written by Gavin Sinclair
Mirage Insight 