Cash
Garth was waiting for me when I clocked into work the next day.
‘Well, I should really get out on my rounds.’
‘You can stand to be a few minutes late.’
That’s when I knew something was wrong. Garth was a stickler for timekeeping.
‘Okay,’ I said, and headed into his office.
Garth moved behind his desk. He gestured to the chair in front. ‘Take a seat, Cash.’
I swallowed. This felt bad, wrong. But I sat. Because I always did what I was told.
‘So, you have a good day off yesterday?’
‘Yes, thank you, sir.’
‘What d’you do?’
‘Oh, nothing much.’
A pause. It seemed to last a long time. Garth stared hard at me. ‘Well, that’s funny because I have it on good authority that you were out in your uniform yesterday telling people you were delivering mail.’
Good authority. I immediately wondered who had told on me. The newcomers. Mr Bryson. Or maybe just someone watching through their curtains.
‘Furthermore,’ Garth continued, ‘I heard that you were visiting some of the ghost houses.’
I didn’t reply. I wasn’t sure I was meant to.
He sat back in his chair. ‘I thought to myself: why would Cash be doing that? And then I thought about the job I gave you the other day – to mark off Carrie’s house on the log.
So, I checked back, and I found someone printed something off my computer that day.
’ He stared at me. ‘Now why would you do that, Cash? What the hell got into you?’
I opened my mouth. I shut it again. I was sweating. I took out a handkerchief and wiped at my face. I could have lied, but I’ve always been a terrible liar, and I’m not exactly gifted with a great imagination, so truth was my only real option.
‘I’m sorry. I started looking at the log and some things just didn’t seem right.’
‘In what way?’
I took a deep breath. ‘It’s the ghost houses. There’s so many, and people have just disappeared or had accidents, and someone is moving into Carrie’s house already, and she only just died.’
Garth looked down at his desk and then back up at me. ‘Well, accidents do happen, and people move.’
‘But why does no one else move in? And these people didn’t sell their homes. They just disappeared overnight.’
‘So, what are you saying, Cash? That someone is disappearing these people, or killing them and making it look like an accident? I mean, who would do that?’
‘I don’t know.’
Garth sighs. ‘You’re a good employee, Cash. I don’t want to lose you. So, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to have a chat with the sheriff. Dean is a good man. He can investigate and see if there’s anything, you know, bad going on.’
I wasn’t sure. Seemed to me that if people were disappearing, then the sheriff ought to already know about it, but Garth seemed genuine, and I needed someone on my side.
‘You think he’ll help?’
‘Sure. I appreciate you telling me about this, Cash, but I want this to be the end of it, you understand?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Okay. Off you go.’
I hurried out of the office. I should have felt relieved, but I still felt kind of uneasy.
Something about how Garth had acted felt off, or maybe I was just feeling a bit out of sorts myself.
Still, I had a job to do, so I collected my mail and hopped on my bike, like usual.
I delivered to all my houses, just like usual, and then, like usual, I turned off towards the park to take the shortcut through the woods back towards downtown.
It was a nice day, and shady through the woods. I was about halfway along the track when I realized my bike was kind of bumping along the ground. I stopped and looked down.
‘Darn.’
A flat. I must have gone over a sharp stone or something because I never got flats. Always kept my tyres pumped right up. I tutted, climbed off my bike and propped it on its stand. Then I unclipped my pump and knelt to put some air in to cycle home.
It was peaceful in the woods. Not so many people took this path, preferring to walk along beside the lake. But as I knelt there, I heard footsteps. Can’t say I took too much notice. Then a voice said, ‘D’you need any help there?’
I glanced up. The sun was in my eyes so I could only make out a silhouette. But I recognized the voice. I smiled. ‘Oh, hi there. No, it’s okay. Just a slow puncture. I’m good.’
‘Okay. Well, you take care now.’
‘You too.’
I turned back to my task. That’s when I felt something on my neck. A sharp burning sensation. Like a sting. I slapped at my neck. Damn wasp, probably. I shook my head. I’d stick some ice on it when I got home.
Tyre pumped up as much as I could, I kicked back the stand and climbed on my bike. Everything swam for a moment. I wobbled and almost dropped the bike. What the heck? I blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision. In the distance, I could see my only companion disappearing around the corner.
I tried to call out, but my tongue felt sluggish in my mouth, my lips oddly numb.
I gripped the handlebars tighter. I had to get home, get some help.
Maybe this was some kind of allergic reaction.
I propped myself on the saddle and started to cycle along the path even as the bike wobbled and my legs shook like jelly.
I gripped on to the handlebars, but I was veering wildly from side to side.
Ahead, the trail took a sharp dip down and I couldn’t gain control – of my body or the bike.
I was careering down the slope, unable to grasp the brakes, and suddenly the bike must have run over a branch or a rock and I was launched into the air, flying over the handlebars and landing hard on the ground.
Something in my shoulder snapped. My back crunched.
I lay there, barely aware of the pain, gasping, trying to drag air into my lungs.
My limbs felt heavy and useless, my mouth was full of my own swollen tongue.
Dimly, I was aware of someone approaching.
Thank God. Maybe they could get help.
‘Urgh. He-urgh,’ I mumbled.
I felt a hand on my forehead.
‘I’m so sorry, Cash.’
Another sharp, burning sensation, this time across my throat, and now I was drowning in a hot, bitter liquid. I choked and garbled, trying to scream, but the only thing that bubbled out of my mouth was more blood.
Through the tree branches above me I could see blue patches of sky. I stared as hard as I could, trying to soak those patches in, one last time. But already the light was fading, and I was growing cold. So cold.
It’s ending, I thought. I’m ending. At least I finished my round. I was a good mailman. A happy man. A content man.
Should never have rocked the damn …