As It Seems...: Short Stories Read online

  “I told her.”

  “How?”

  “That, my boy, is very hard to explain.”

  Duncan waited and the old man sighed.

  “I can project my thoughts to people. It is a very simple thing to do, but as I said before it is difficult to explain. All I can tell you is that she was wondering what we wanted, and she began to walk towards us, but before she got here I put the order in her mind, and she turned back around to place it for us.”

  “So, how did you know what I wanted?”

  “Lucky guess. That is all that was.”

  “Bullshit. Can you read minds?”

  “Only if it pertains to me. Every question you ask, I am ready for ahead of time. But if you had a question for the waitress, I would not know it.”

  “What else can you do?”

  “There is a lot of explaining in the answer to that question. Too much, really. I can, however, keep it simple and tell you what I cannot do. I can manipulate people and objects at will, but I cannot go so far as making a person kill their self or others. I cannot make people fall in love. I cannot make someone think they can do the impossible. I cannot interfere with God’s plan. And I cannot enter a church.”

  “Well, if you can’t interfere with God’s plan then how can you do anything? Are you saying that the things you do are in God’s plan?”

  “Yes. I create chaos. Chaos is needed in this world. Balance is needed. If I did not create chaos, there would be no peace. No serenity. I am the closest thing to an angel you will ever see.”

  “What, so I’m not going to heaven?”

  “Heaven and hell are not the things that humans believe. They are far different from any description ever given. And there are no angels in heaven. They have work to do in this world, so they are here, but you cannot see them, for they are not to be seen.”

  Duncan, confused, squinted at the man in front of him and for the first time since they met, he looked him in the eye.

  “How do I know you’re not just lying?”

  “Boy, I am far too old to play games. I am trying to save the demon inside of me, and at the same time, trying to die. I cannot do either of these things alone. If I die by natural causes, it will only be my body that dies. I, as long as I am connected to him, am immortal. However, once my soul, and his, leaves my body, we cannot find another. We will float eternally here and there and around this world. It is the worst form of torture and I will not bear it.”

  “Why don’t you just find someone else, then? I told you I don’t want to do this. I’m not doing it.”

  Rodrigo smiled and rose from table. He did not say a word, but he motioned for Duncan to follow. The old man passed up the cash register, and Duncan followed, having no money to spend either way. When they stepped outside, a taxi was waiting for them.

  The taxi took them to the Cannery. Duncan stayed silent, not knowing if he trusted the man, and all the same not knowing what they were doing at the casino. The old man knew he had no money, so what was the point?

  They entered the casino and Rodrigo sat down at the first slot machine he saw. Duncan, having no funds to play, stood behind him. Then the old man spoke, breaking the silence between them.

  “I will show you how your life will change, then you must make a decision.” The man placed a single dollar bill into the machine and spun. On the first spin, he hit the bonus and was awarded ten free spins. Duncan watched as the free spins awarded him 100 dollars here, and 200 dollars there. When he pulled his ticket out, it was over 500 dollars.

  “Bet you can’t do it again.” Duncan challenged as the old man cashed in his ticket. Rodrigo turned around, smiled again, and began on his way back out the door. Duncan followed, thinking of what he should do. Should he take this demon into his self, he ran the risk of losing his own identity. If he did not, he would spend the rest of his life on the streets, not knowing where his next meal would come from.

  Outside, the old man headed back to the hotel and Duncan followed from a distance, still thinking. He needed money, but he did not need a demon. Hell, he did not even fully believe what the man had told him. But he needed money. The old man was crazy, and crazy lucky, so he could just take the money from him.

  Duncan fell back a bit more and watched the old man walk across the street and enter his room. What he needed was a plan. A plan to get his hands on the money the man had just won. And he had one that had seemed to be waiting in the back of his head, just for a situation like this.

  The young man went back to his hotel room and waited. While he waited, he called O’Reilly again.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Working. Had to make some money.”

  “I bet. You gonna drop back by?”

  “Nah, man. I’m still out in the streets.”

  “Well, I got a quick 250 for you if you bring your ass back.”

  “For real? Gimme twenty minutes and I’ll be there.”

  “Alright.”

  Then it was time for another shower.

  Chapter 8

  Once Duncan got out of the shower, he put on his old tattered jeans and t-shirt. The new clothes he bundled up and shoved in the trash can. He located his room key and sat it on the table by the door, then waited. He spun the old man’s story through his head over and over trying to find the holes. It could all be a set up. The old man could have been following him for a long time, and seen him order the pot roast at IHOP. He could have known, somehow, that the machine he sat at was hot. On the other hand, it could have been pure luck. He could have paid the waitress ahead of time and the restaurant itself. But why? Why would anyone go through so much trouble? The only thing he could think of is that the man was totally insane. If that were the case, he would be in the clear once he did what he was planning to do, as long as he left Las Vegas.

  Where would he go, though? Duncan knew he would have to relocate, and quickly, for the old man seemed pretty sharp. Plus, his eyes. His terrific, creepy black eyes. They could be contacts. The old man might have made the whole thing up, but he may also truly believe everything he had said. There was no real way of finding out. Duncan just had to go with his gut. The problem was that his gut was telling him to do what the man said. That was the scariest part of the entire thing. He refused, however, to be played as a fool. So he decided; there was no proof to be given because there was nothing but a crazy story to be proven.

  Just as Duncan was making his final decision, there came a knock at his door. Expecting it to be O’Reilly, he answered it without looking out the peephole. Standing a couple feet back from the door was Rodrigo, and he was smiling.

  “Your friend is in jail.”

  “Bullshit, old man. I just talked to him.”

  Reacting more than acting, Duncan pulled the old man into his room. He pushed him up against the wall and smiled himself at the surprised look on the man’s face. He knew now that the man was simply crazy, and not possessed. He had not planned what he was doing, and stood staring at the man he had cornered, deciding what to do next. Not knowing, he turned the old man around and put him in a chokehold, taking the chance to say, “Go to sleep. Just go to sleep,” as he had always wanted to. The old man did not fight, as Duncan had expected him to, and after a few moments, he fell limp in the younger man’s arms.

  Duncan dragged him a few feet back and laid him gently on the bed, then checked all of his pockets. The only thing he could find was Rodrigo’s room key, so he snatched it up and hurried over to the room next door.

  Once there, he tried the key, with no luck. He tried again, and the little key box flashed red again. So he kept trying and trying, cussing every time the door refused to unlock. He did not notice the flashing red and blue lights behind him, nor did he notice that the door he was standing in front of was suddenly brightened as if it were the middle of the day.

  “Excuse me, sir” Duncan started and turned to see a uniformed officer standing just out of arms re
ach. The officer took a baby step forward, then continued, “Is this your room?”

  The young man stared at the officer, mouth moving but no sound coming out.

  “Sir, I asked you a question. Is this your room?”

  “Uh, no, sir. No, it’s not. It’s my friend’s room.”

  “Really? Because it seems that key you’re using isn’t working. In fact, after we got the call we checked and no one is actually staying in this room. Is your friend around?”

  “Sir, before I answer that, do you mind telling me what the call was about?”

  “Disturbing the peace. You were out here banging and cussing at this door for quite some time now. So, where’s your friend?”

  “Oh he’s next door,” Duncan, prayed he was still sleeping, “in my room.”

  “Alright. Do you mind if I ask him a couple of questions?”

  “He’s actually sleeping off a hangover. We were partying for quite a while.”

  “Well, why don’t you let me check in on him, just to make sure everything is alright.”

  “Yes sir. No problem.”

  Duncan walked back to his room with the officer hot on his heels. It was then that he realized he did not have his room key. He began to sweat as he turned and told the officer that he had left his key inside the room.

  “Well, we are gonna have to wake up that friend of yours, aren’t we.” The officer reached up and knocked hard on the door three times. They both waited a short while, then Duncan took his turn and knocked on the door. They waited again, but heard no noise behind the door.

  The officer sighed and turned to Duncan. Okay, sir, I’m gonna go ahead and cuff you. It doesn’t mean you’re going to jail. We just have to take precautions. Can you face the wall for me?”

  Again, Duncan was speechless, and made no move to comply, but the officer was patient. “Sir, just turn and face the wall and put your hands behind your back.” The young man began to shake his head, fearing that he would land himself in jail.

  “Sir. I’m going to ask you one more time to turn and face the wall, and put your hands behind your back.”

  Finally, the young man did as he was told, as silent tears began to roll down his cheeks. He felt the cold metal against his wrists and panicked. He took off running, in no particular direction. At least he tried to. He had barely taken one step before the officer tackled him faced down and tugged his arms behind him.

  “Kid, what are you running for? I have to take you in now. See what you just did to yourself? Now, stand up.” The officer tugged on his arm and helped Duncan onto his feet. Another officer came, seemingly from nowhere, and gripped the young man firmly on his bicep, guiding him to the back of one of the cop cars.

  Duncan watched as the hotel manager approached the officer who had tackled him and spoke to him briefly. Then the two of the entered the room that had been his and just as quickly came right back out. Duncan half expected to see the old man exit with them, but he did not. The room, from what he could see, was dark, and empty.

  The officer who cuffed him walked over to the police cruiser and opened the back door. “Where do you live, kid?”

  “I’ve been staying here for the past couple of days.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yes sir. All of my belongings are in that room you just went into.”

  “Okay, kid. You’re gonna have to stop lying to me. We just went into that room and not only is there no one in there, but there is no evidence of anyone staying there. The owner of the hotel says both of those rooms have been vacant for a couple of weeks. Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on here?”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, sir. I’ve been staying in that room for the past couple of days. All of my stuff and my neighbor should be in there. I even had a friend with me one night. Can I call him and get him to vouch for me?”

  “Okay, why don’t we give him a call then? Step out of the car,” Duncan stood, “Okay, now face the car and spread your legs. I need to go ahead and search you. Do you have any sharp objects I need to know about? Anything that might poke me?”

  “No, sir.”

  The officer proceeded to pat him down, then he slid his hand across his front pocket, gripping and grabbing here and there.

  “What is this in your pocket?”

  “Nothing, sir. I don’t have anything on me.”

  Gripping his pocket again, the officer gives another huff. He thinks about asking Duncan one more time about what he has on him, but decides that he has given too many chances. He slips his hand cautiously into the pocket and wraps his fingers around the only thing in there. He pulls from Duncan’s pocket a tiny little baggie containing two tiny clear rocks. The officer instructs the young man to get back into the vehicle and hands the bag to his partner. A few moments later, the officer opens the back door and informs Duncan that they have found drugs on his person and he will be booked. His rights are read to him, and the officer gets in the car to transport him to jail.

  Chapter 9

  Once there, Duncan is booked and placed in a holding cell. All the man can do is shake his head. How did the old man disappear? How did that bag of rocks get in his pocket? Why wouldn’t the key work? He laid down on the hard bench and closed his eyes, rubbing his head vigorously to try to rid himself of the headache all of the commotion had caused. What got to him the most, though, was not the headache or the previous unanswered questions, but the fact that the hotel owner acted as if he had never seen him before. How does a man forget another so quickly? He had just allowed him to stay at a discounted rate. They had just stood less than a yard away from each other bartering over a night’s stay. How could he not remember?

  Eyes still closed, Duncan heard a distinct, “Ahem,” coming from within his cell. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to the right, only to find Rodrigo sitting on the concrete floor across from him. Duncan hopped up and grabbed the old man by the front of his shirt, then, thinking about what he was doing, he let him go and took a step back.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  The old man smiled and said nothing.

  “I said what the hell are you doing here?”

  “No, my friend. If I am not mistaken, you actually said, ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’”

  “C’mon, don’t bullshit me. Just answer the question.”

  “I will tell you when you calm down.”

  “I am as calm as I’m gonna get.”

  “Another untrue statement.”

  Duncan could not hold his composure and stepped up again, getting in the old man’s face. “Tell me what the fuck I need to know or fuck off!” He said the words slowly and deliberately. He knew the Rodrigo, and or the demon had played him and the game had landed him in jail; a place he had been avoiding with all of his might.

  The old man smiled and said, “Okay. I will tell you what you need to know. Sit down.” Duncan sat and the old man spoke, “I am to die tonight. I cannot live another day. The demon inside me knows, and he told me so. We need you. We need you to accept him so that he can live on. We knew you planned to steal the money, so we waited, and set you up so that we could get what we needed.”

  “I told you I’m not doing it. How dense can you be?”

  “I assure you I am not dense at all. It is you that is missing the big picture here.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You are in jail right now. We can see to it that you never make it out of here.” The old man smiled again. “We can put you in prison for life.”

  “So you’re blackmailing me?”

  “If that is the way you would like to think of it; yes, we are.”

  Duncan began to play with the hem of his shirt. He was trapped and he did not like it. He would do anything to get out, and he knew that this demon was his only way. He was, however, still hesitant. “Does this demon have a name?”

  Another smile from Rodrigo. “He goes by no name that you could pronounce. So he g
oes by the name of the body he has possessed.”

  “Can I speak to him?”

  “You are speaking to him right now. I am two in one.”

  “You keep saying that. Does that mean...”

  “We have very little time. You must make your decision now, for I am growing weaker by the second.”

  “Okay, so, what do I do?”

  “You do nothing. You have accepted him already.” Rodrigo laid down on the concrete floor and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, and every exhale let out a puff of black smoke. Then his body began to disintegrate as if he were being cremated. The black smoke curled and drifted like it was the old man’s very own rain cloud.

  Duncan watched the cloud gather itself and then it was gone. So was Rodrigo. The floor was empty of the body that had just laid there. The young man was confused. He thought possession would hit him hard, letting him know when the demon was inside. Once inside, he thought the demon would take over and take action to get him out of jail. Instead, there was an eerie silence that was so thick Duncan felt as if it would suffocate him. It was quiet like that for almost five minutes. Duncan sitting on the hard bench wondering what would happen next.

  “Go to sleep.” Duncan almost jumped out of his skin when he heard it. A hissing voice within his head. He did not argue, though. He was suddenly exhausted and thought sleep was a great idea. He laid himself down on the bench and drifted off faster than he had ever done before.

  Chapter 10

  Duncan blinked his eyes a couple of times, taking in the light shining through the curtains and wondering where he was. He sat up in the bed and realized he was back in his hotel room. He smiled and laughed realizing it had all been a crazy dream. He turned his head to the clock on the bedside dresser and saw that it was two o’ clock in the afternoon. He wondered why housekeeping did not wake him up, but decided it was no big deal. In fact, he rolled over and went back to sleep, slipping into slumber quickly...

  He woke again five hours later, groggy and feeling bogged down. He stood from the bed and ran some bath water for him to relax in. He took off his clothes before the tub was full and flicked on the television to Cartoon Network. He was enjoying Johnny Test and forgot about the running water. Even after the show was over, he continued watching commercials, totally distracted by the television. It took a commercial about body wash to remind him of his running water, and once he remembered he jumped up and ran to the bathroom only to find a full tub. The water was off.