It was happening in front of him again. Night after night he watched through his dream eyes and see it. Fragments at first, then full eye pictures. Someone being dragged. A woman screaming. Looking up to see a man. Blackness. Another scream. Looking up again to see the man now with a gun. Blackness.. then the gun goes off..
"Do you believe in fate, boy!"
Dennis sits up in his bed soaked in sweat just as thunder claps loudly outside. Breathing heavily his wife sits up with him.
"Honey," she asks and begins rubbing his back. "You ok?"
"No," he says reaching for the night stand and grabbing his asthma inhaler. He shakes it several times before taking and inhale while she rubs his back.
"It's ok. Just try to breathe deep," she says to him calmly. After a few minutes he begins breathing normally. "Was it that dream again?"
"Yeah," he says. "I need some water," he says getting up. Walking into their bathroom he turns on the faucet and quickly drinks a glass of water. "These dreams are getting worse, Tonya," he says looking into the mirror. She gets out of bed and comes in the bathroom.
"You're stressing yourself over nothing," she says standing beside him looking at him in the mirror.
"If you could see what I see, you might understand," he says almost sadly. "It's like I don't want to sleep anymore. Even the pills the doctor gives me don't work."
"You have an appointment with him in the morning," she says to him as he turns to her. "Let him know we might have to try something else."
"Electro shock might be a touch much," he says and they both crack a smile. The two lock arms and go back to bed, but Dennis doesn't go back to sleep. The next day he drives to the city and parks. Finding this spot to his doctors office was a miracle seeing how bad parking was. As he walks he notices footsteps behind him. After a few steps he stops, and the foot steps stop too. He quickly turns to see nothing there. But who was it behind him? They couldn't have ducked away that quickly.. could they? His steps quicken up the slight hills leading to the front door of Dr. Walker's office, without the return of the footsteps.
"Dennis," the doctor says happily. "Right on time."
"Doc, I think someone's following me," he says nervously. Dr. Walker puts his arm around his shoulder turning him around.
"Now, now.." he says, "we can talk about it back here." They walk back to the doctor's main office and Dennis slumps in the chair. "Now, what were you saying?"
"I think someone's following me and possibly tring to kill me," he says then rubs his eyes.
"Have you been taking the pills I prescribed," the doctor asks.
"For two months," he says, "and the only thing that's happened is my paranoia and dreams have gotten worse.. along with my love life."
"You've been having.. problems," the doctor asks questionably. "That's odd."
"So it isn't the medication," he asks him.
"No," the doctor says laughing slightly. "In all honesty you should be making love constantly."
"What about the paranoia, or the dreams," Dennis says questioning.
"Could be some kind of conflict with yourself maybe," the doctor says standing. "Dennis, you're a writer.. and a very good writer. Maybe you've stressed yourself out trying to think of something to write that these demons you've wrote about have become real."
"That makes sense," he says looking at him sheepishly. "I don't write kids stories."
"Exactly, besides," he says helping him up, "most of the things I prescribe are just nerve medication. Some go herbal, which even I practice.. but do me this favor. Do NOT drink alcohol right now," he says to him as they walk to the door.
"What would alcohol do, make it worse."
"With all those thoughts you have, you might act on them," the doctor says as they get through the small office to the front door. "I wrote you a scrip for something that might help relax you." They shake hands, almost like they'll never seen each other again. "Take care of yourself Dennis," the doctor says as the front door opens and another one of his patients. He gets his scrip and goes outside to call his wife. She doesn't answer. Figuring she went somewhere he feels the presence of someone behind him, but turns to see nothing. Walking down the road he feels it behind him again, and the footsteps quicken as he begins to run. Turning around fast he sees the empty street, and a toothless dirty bum sitting against a wall.. pointing and laughing at him.
He needed protection he thought to himself, and remembered a pawn shop not five minutes from where he was. Even as he drove there, he felt the man behind him. Getting out and running in, the man behind the counter looks up.
"Can I help you buddy," the man asks.
"I need protection," he says to him nervously looking around.
"If you're lookin' for the adult book store it's three doors down," the man says and goes back to his paper. Dennis pushes the paper down and looks the man in the eye.
"I need a gun," he says looking at him.
"Cash or charge," the man says looking back at him. Dennis notices that his left eye is blind.
"Cash," he says calming down.
"The only flag, as far as I'm concerned," the man says standing up with the help of a cane. "Do you know what you're looking for?"
".38, or maybe a snub nose .44," he says walking over to the gun counter.
"Good choices, for protection that is," the man says hobbling around to stand in front of him. He lays out a light blue colored rag, almost as if he were changing a baby, and lays the .44 down on it. The black catces the light and Dennis has a quick vision of his dream. It's the same gun!
"How much," he asks looking at it and back at the man.
"This is a Model 629 Smith and Wesson," the man says looking at him. "It's .44 caliber. Six shots.. and unlike the rest of it's stainless steel brothers, this is stainless in a blue." Dennis picks up the gun like he'd found the answer to all his problems. "Do you believe in fate, boy?" The words hit him hard in the brain.
"What did you say," he says to the man in shock.
"I said, the gun is five hundred dollars," the man says hobbling slowly toward the register. "You got that kind of cash?" He walks toward the counter and produces a wad of money. Running through hundred and twenty dollar bills he counts out five hundred and hands the money to the man. He smiles, sits back in his chair, and goes back to his paper. "Take it or leave it, you're going to do what you're going to do," he says a drops the paper down slightly, "reguardless." He raises his paper back up and Dennis walks out, with the money. He tries to call home again, and all he gets is the ringer. Thinking something might be wrong, he hurries home.
As he drives toward his house he notices another vehicle in the driveway, so he decides to circle and park on another street. Walking through he watches the house for activity. Nothing. He fears his wife might be in trouble, creeps up to the house with the revolver in his pocket, and silently opens the door. He doesn't notice anything, until he hears the noises coming from upstairs. Noises of someone having sex. When he gets to the top of the stairs he's horrified to find his wife being made love to by another man. Anger takes over, but not an explosive anger. A passive anger. The calm before the storm, he thought.
He exits the house as the lovers have their time and makes it back to his car.. and waits. Just around the time he's supposed to be home, the man leaves buttoning up his pants. Smiling, he follows him to a bar close by and exits the car before the man does. The man doesn't even know what hit him as he gets out of his car. Dennis smiles as the man moans just by his feet. A man that was just inside of his wife. He drives back to his house, smiling maniaclly, and goes in to greet his wife.
"I was here earlier," he says to her still smiling. At this point he'd pretty much lost it, but not totally.
"What are you talking about," she says acting suprised.
"You're busted b*tch," he says grabbing her by her hair and pulling her to the door. She begins screaming at him and crying.
"Dennis don't! You're loosing touch with reality! Please stop," she yells at him. He drags her out to his car and slams her forehead into it, the spot right above the door. Picking her up, he sits her gently in the passenger seat. They make the short drive to the bar where the man is still passed out in his car, when she wakes up. Realizing where she was, she begins kicking and screaming. he shoves her out of the car and pulls out the gun. "Where did you get that," she asks backing away on the ground.
"I bought it.." he says. "For you." He runs quickly around the car and grabs her. He begins dragging her toward her boyfriends car and she screams. He hits her and she passes out for a second. Getting to the car he pulls the man out and stands him against his car. He holds him up against the car so he'll stay and pulls Tonya over in front of them. A smile breaks his serious face for a second before he walks next to the man leaning against the car. "I wish I could see through your eyes," he says to his wife as he puts the gun in the man's hand. Both of the men's fingers fit in the trigger guard easily, and as Tonya comes to Dennis blows her a kiss.. then pulls the trigger. The blast brings the boy toy now murderer to.
"What did you do," he says in shock looking at him.
"You mean what did YOU do," Dennis says backing up. "Help! Someone help! This man has just killed my wife!" The man draws down on Dennis when lights blind the two.
"Put your gun down," the officer commands. The man is shocked, but Dennis is ready.
"Look out officer," he yells running toward the officer. The man raises the gun and is shot three times, fatally. He and the officer go toward the bodies and he begins to cry. "My wife," he cries. "That son of a b*tch killed my wife!"
"I know this is a bad time sir," the officer says patting his shoulder as another patrol car pulls up. Several months pass, and we see that Dennis has been named Best Seller for his new novel, about a man loosing the love of his life, and finding the life within himself. He sits signing books for people day in and day out. one day, he hears a voice he hadn't heard in a while..
"Do you believe in fate, boy?"