Chapter Six
Jake worked on Beryl’s bracket for the better part of the day and into the evening, wanting it to be perfect.
He only took a break when Frederick closed the shop for the evening.
Since he’d been released from the hospital, Jake had made it a point to go out and say goodnight to his friend at the end of each day.
Frederick had stopped being surprised after the third or fourth day, saying he appreciated Jake checking in when he hadn’t done so before The Incident.
“I don’t remember any reason that I would not have said goodnight. I think it’s okay if we start a few new traditions, don’t you?”
“Indeed. I’m delighted to see you at the end of each day.” Frederick seemed genuinely happy that Jake had made a small change.
Jake had also made an effort to get to know his manager’s life beyond Dark Matter Metal & Leather.
Frederick told him he spent the bulk of his time with his wife and two small children, along with his mother and his wife’s mother, who shared a separate space on the family’s property on the eastern side of Alienn.
Jake thought that was wonderful, having a young family and extended family living in the same place. It made him wonder if he had any family somewhere out there.
When Jake had asked, Frederick told him, “All I know is what you told me six months ago when you hired me. While you were not specific, my understanding was that you did not have any close family ties. And you were very clear about not being married, engaged or even dating anyone.”
Jake wondered if that was about to change.
He walked out into the shop as Frederick locked the front door and flipped the Open sign to Closed. He winked at Jake. “I expect you will be working into the night until you finish your special project for Beryl. Am I correct?”
“Yes. You are correct,” Jake said with a smile. “I am almost finished with it, but I want to smooth out a few rough edges.”
Frederick nodded and said, “Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Jake. And I can’t wait to meet Beryl.”
Jake laughed. “And I can’t wait to see her again, so we both have something to look forward to.”
Frederick chuckled softly as he moved through the shop, grabbing his keys and the bank deposit satchel before heading toward the back door, the one not connected to Jake’s workshop.
“Frederick,” Jake said. His friend stopped and looked at him.
“I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me, for caring what happened to me and especially for bearing with me as I navigate a life without memories. I’m happy to report that I’m making some wonderful new ones, and you’re part of them. ”
Frederick looked like he might tear up, but cleared his throat and shook off whatever emotional response he had been about to reveal.
“You are welcome, my friend. I am happy that you’re making good new memories.
At least until the old memories come back, which I hope they will someday.
” He lifted a hand in farewell and left the shop.
Jake heard the distinct sound of the deadbolt clicking into place and knew that Frederick had locked him in. Good.
He returned to his workshop, securing the door behind him automatically.
He went to his computer to see if there were any new online orders.
Those frequently came through in the evenings.
Once he accepted an order and completed the project, he would leave the item and buyer address on the counter near the register for Frederick to pop in the mail.
Quite a few requests had come in while he’d been in the hospital, but he’d been able to catch up with them over the past several days.
Many of the half-finished projects in his workshop had been from online orders.
His customers had been very understanding about the delay when they learned he’d been in the hospital, though he’d not gone into any detail about his situation.
What could he say? He didn’t know anything.
There was nothing to tell anyone, not even himself.
Jake saw that no new orders had come in. Good. Now he could focus on making Beryl’s bracket perfect.
He picked up his phone and texted her.
Jake: Hi Beryl, it’s Jake. I wanted to let you know that your new bracket will be ready tomorrow morning here at Dark Matter Metal & Leather. Let me know when you want to pick it up and I’ll have it ready.
He added the shop’s hours and then watched his phone, hoping she would respond quickly. She did.
Beryl: Thanks, Jake. That was fast. I’ll be over first thing in the morning when you open. See you then!
Jake didn’t bother trying to quash the elated feeling running through him.
He couldn’t wait to see Beryl. When he did, he’d offer to install the new bracket for her.
He was caught up on all his online projects, so nothing would keep him from helping her with the installation.
Once their business was completed, he would ask her to dinner.
He had to think about where he would take her, since he didn’t remember eating out anywhere in town.
He’d had so much food in his fridge, freezer and cupboards, thanks to so many kind people wanting to make his life easier when he got home from the hospital, that he hadn’t even been to the grocery store until today.
Maybe it would be best to let Beryl pick the spot.
If she wanted him to choose, he’d go with the Cosmos Café because it sounded cool and he’d been wanting to try it.
Jake finished the bracket and carefully placed it in a box lined with tissue as if he planned to mail it.
He cleaned up his tools, locked everything up and walked out to his truck.
It was a nice night, with lots of stars in the sky.
He inhaled deeply through his nose, enjoying the rich smell of green things growing, even here in the heart of Alienn’s downtown.
He hopped in his truck and drove the short distance to his place, which didn’t quite feel like home.
As he turned into the cul-de-sac, he saw that the light on his front porch wasn’t on. Odd. He had a special light that automatically came on once it got dark, so it didn’t waste electricity during the day.
He also noticed that a light he always kept on inside his living room was off. Was the power out? He glanced around the cul-de-sac and saw plenty of lights on in the other houses. What was going on?
Jake used the clicker to open the garage door.
Nothing happened. Had his house been the only one in the cul-de-sac to lose power?
More puzzled than alarmed, Jake parked his truck in the driveway and got out.
He approached his front door slowly and carefully, surveilling his surroundings as if a boogieman might jump out and try to scare him.
Before he made it to his front porch, a familiar voice called out from the street behind him.
“Hey, Jake.”
Jake tipped his chin at the man, who was one of his neighbors. “Hey, Axel.”
“I noticed your lights are off. Do you have a blown circuit or something?”
Jake glanced at his very dark house. “I don’t know. I just got home from the shop. Were the lights off earlier?”
Axel Grey—one of Diesel’s many brothers, Jake had come to learn—and his wife Lucy lived at the end of his street, which was great. They’d been very friendly when he came home from the hospital.
“I don’t think so, but I just got home, too, and noticed your house was dark. Want some help?”
“Sure. I’d be grateful. I don’t even know where my circuit box is.”
“Garage, probably. But if it’s off, you won’t be able to use your clicker.”
Jake snorted. “Yeah, I eventually figured that out. I still tried several times anyway. You’re right, it didn’t work, but I’m not a quitter. That I know of, anyway.” He shrugged.
Axel grinned as he walked up the driveway to join Jake. “No. You never struck me as a quitter. The truth is, I would have done the same thing with my clicker, pushing it several times just to make sure it didn’t work.”
They both stepped onto the porch. It was really just a cement slab, not even enough room for a chair, but Jake appreciated that there was an awning over it. It would be handy if he ever had to go through the front door in the rain.
So far, post-hospital, it hadn’t rained. He slid his key in the deadbolt lock and opened the door into his darkened living room. By habit, he reached for the light switch to the right of the door—which didn’t work, of course. He rolled his eyes at himself.
Axel, being a smarter man, it seemed, lifted his hand and clicked on a small flashlight he produced from somewhere, illuminating a small section of Jake’s living room. “Here, maybe this will help.”
“Thanks, Axel.” Jake followed the spot of light as Axel swung it around the living room and into the small kitchen-dining room combo straight ahead from the entryway.
In the gloom down the short hall to the left, Jake saw his bedroom door was wide open as he liked it to be when he came home.
He’d even purchased a Maxwell the Martian doorstop from the Big Bang Truck Stop’s merch section to keep his door open, since it had a tendency to swing closed if it wasn’t propped open.
The interior door to the garage was down a matching hall to the right.
Axel directed the beam of the flashlight away from the kitchen to the hallway leading to the garage. “Your house seems similar to mine in layout,” he commented.
“Yep.” Jake headed in that direction, walking past the small loveseat and sofa in the living room and straight down the short hallway to the garage.
He opened the door and Axel shined his light into the space. “Do have any idea where the circuit box is?” he asked Axel.
“If it’s like at my house, it’s over there.” As he spoke, he shone the light in the far corner—and opposite it, the door from the garage to the backyard slammed shut. Axel jerked the beam of light to the door, but there was nothing to see.
The entity stared at the home using experienced predator eyes, wanting more than anything to acquire his prey tonight and do what needed to be done. However, a shrewd predator wouldn’t strike twice on the same night after such a colossal failure.
His prey would be on high alert after this incident. The entity would not be able to complete the necessary procedure before others, also on high alert, might rush to his prey’s aid. They swarmed around his prey’s house even now.
No. The entity would lie low and wait. For now.
The wound he’d acquired on his hand while trying to force open the entry of the abode stung like failure. His lifeblood seeped from the wound. It would need a binding soon.
The entity would not fail when next it struck at Jake Jones. The pursuit and how it was carried out was imperative to his ultimate plan.
The entity would succeed no matter what.