by Aris Jameson

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: April 03, 2010

The Vagrant

Tuesday, October 20th: Driving to work

Murray pulled out of his driveway and turned left onto Wellesley Road at 5:30 p.m. The sun had already ducked below the trees surrounding that winding, country road, making its narrow, northbound lane more difficult for him to see without his glasses. His headlights were on, and when the driver of a southbound SUV saw them, he turned his on as well.

Murray's heater was set at eighty-five degrees because the night was cold, and he increased the temperature to ninety degrees while turning left onto Route 219 westbound at 5:33 p.m.

Route 219 had recently been paved, and the in-road reflectors that were imbedded along both sides of the double-yellow lines delineated the curving road ahead. The smooth, black tar underneath his tires and the endless line of reflectors dividing the wide, two-lane state highway made him feel like he was driving on a runway.

Murray accelerated to sixty miles per hour and set the vehicle on cruise after climbing a steep grade and entering a long straightaway at 5:37 p.m. The pink and orange sky in front of him was striated with thin bands of wispy, gray clouds, and the tiny outline of an airplane passed through them before fading into the horizon.

Half a minute later, two cars pulled out of a service station and into the westbound lane a few thousand feet in front of his vehicle, forcing Murray to disengage the cruise control function. The two cars were traveling slowly and his vehicle came upon them quickly; he did not want to tailgate so he pressed the brakes to increase the distance between his vehicle and the cars.

While descending a small hill, Murray noticed a tall man walking westbound in the eastbound shoulder. The man stood still, his head turned sharply to the right as he watched the two cars in front of Murray's vehicle go by. He wore an oversized, black trench coat, and his long, blonde hair flowed out of his beige fedora, stopping just below his broad shoulders.

Murray momentarily took his eyes off the road in an attempt to analyze the man's facial features, but the fast speed at which he was traveling prevented him from doing so.

Wednesday, October 21st: Driving to work

Murray left his house at 5:29 p.m. The rain fell steadily and the green numbers on his control panel indicated that the temperature was 55 degrees. Seconds later it began to downpour, and he ratcheted his windshield wipers up to a faster pace while turning onto Route 219 westbound. The road

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