Riding into the Sunset (Part 2)

Posted by: gshenoi on: August 8, 2011

• In: Short Story
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When he woke up, he didn’t know where he was. The events of the past were coming back to him, but they were nothing but a big blur accompanied with a lot of noise. His whole body felt sore, as if he had been put through some hard labor. He looked around him. He was lying in what seemed to be an old broken down barn. The old stained mat that he was sleeping on could have served some other purpose than its current, and he didn’t bother to imagine what it could have been. He suddenly got up and rushed to the door. He could hear some voices, none of which seemed familiar.

Instinct told him it wasn’t safe to go out. After all, he had no idea where he was and who he was with! He heard someone approaching the door, and he ran to find a place to hide. The door opened and in came a young woman. That was strange, he thought, for he hadn’t heard a female voice earlier. The woman called out, “You can come out now, no one’s going to hurt you”. “Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here?”, he questioned while coming out of his hiding shelter. “Come on out and we’ll tell you everything”, she said reassuringly.

Slowly he walked out of the room following the woman. They entered another room through a narrow passage. This room was bright with large windows and sturdy wooden furniture. In the room he could see another woman with three men sitting around a round table. They stopped talking as he walked into the room. One of the men who was tall and heavy-set got up and walked toward him. “My name’s Tom Wilson, and these are my brothers Nick and Ryan”, he said pointing to other men, “The woman seated is my wife, Jennifer, and the young lady who escorted you out is our sister, Josie”, he continued. “So who are you? And what were you doing in this town?”, he asked.

“My name is.. how does it matter what my name is? I’m a nobody and I’m grateful that you gave me shelter, but I must leave now”, he said. Tom moved across him blocking his way as he sought to walk out the door, “No, you cannot leave! We believe you are in some sort of danger. Do you remember how you reached here? We found you on the street, bruised, battered and left to die! I don’t think going out would be a wise idea”. He looked amused, his eyes were seeking some distant memory that seemed to evade him. “I don’t remember anything that happened in the past few days. I know I was walking through the desert alone, when I hitched a ride and reached a small town. I was having my dinner at a deli and then suddenly everything goes blank. I need to find out what happened, and If I’m in trouble then I wouldn’t want you people to be a part of it”, he said.

TBC…