Sunflower: A Duskwood Postlude

Part 13 - Preparation

          The freshly painted Duskwood sign sways with the early morning breeze.  You shield your eyes from the pale light streaking through the windshield. Your body feels cumbersome, your eyelids offering brief relief to aching eyes, each stale breath noxious with the driver's overly fragrant air freshener and underlying tones of cigarettes. You lay your forehead against the cool glass. The man beside you is the definition of leisure and appears good natured. He and the driver chatter on about local events, the weather, and our false travel plans. Your phone vibrates silently in your pocket. It's Dan or Jake. It's gotta be. Jake will know to not call again and track me. Dan... he won't stop until I answer. It finally stops. Garin looks over to you with a grin, giving you a little nudge.

"As you can see, my kiddo here isn't excited." He throws an arm over your shoulder, which you casually shrug off.

"C'mon! Fishing in the port is fantastic. Not to mention the food there is..." The driver makes the gesture of an Italian Chef Kiss, his lips smacking in an audible kiss.

"Sorry, I'm just a little tired. Work has been crazy." Your lie leaves a bitterness on your tongue. Garin's pleasant expression doesn't change but something about his keen eyes gives the impression of approval. 

          The old train conductor passes through the car, stopping at your cabin to verify tickets. He looks over your ticket briefly, his eyes looking over the slip of paper. You politely smile at him as he stamps your ticket. He nods before moving onto Garin's ticket. Effortlessly, Garin starts up a conversation, asking about what Havensport has to offer. You take your seat against the window, trying to put as much space between yourself and Jessy's father. He bids parting words to the man before closing the cabin door.

"Now, now, Q, keep acting like that. People will think you don't like me." Garin takes the seat across from you, your knees touching due to the closeness. He smiles, arrogant and pleased with himself to be making you uncomfortable.

"You're antagonizing me for fun. It's not appreciated. Now, do you have a plan or not?" You kick up your legs on the booth beside him, laying back into your own cushion.

"You probably imagine this type of thing playing out in an empty warehouse, a factory, maybe even a posh club. The movies romanticize it. This is all going to happen very quickly. From the moment we get off this train. Settle in, Kid. This is gonna take a little time to explain." Garin leans forward a little, one leg crossed over the top of another, his fingers going into a steeple gesture, his elbows propped on his knees.

          "The truth is, I don't expect to survive this. My daughter is going to have a lot of questions. She is going to have to settle with getting the answers from you."

"So you're just going to tell me everything, just like that? You're not worried about being overheard, or that one of those goons could be waiting around?" You straighten a little.

"No. Everything was planned to the smallest detail." Your phone chimes. Garin looks at you directly.

"Answer it." He gives you a little nod.

          You pull the phone from your pocket. The missed calls have been wiped from this history. You open a message from Jake, but it is blank. The screen immediately goes black and the Nymos image takes over your screen. Garin watches you carefully. The eye blinks.

"Garin Sauer. This is your only warning. Should any harm come to Q or Jessy by your hands or actions there will be nowhere you can hide. You may not expect to survive the upcoming encounter, but know your actions have consequences. I believe you are telling Q this so no one will go looking for you once this is over. You think yourself a master of disappearing, of being a ghost. This is not so. I am watching." Jake's distorted voice gives you a shiver. A memory of not so long ago, when you believed no one was safe. Nymos disappears from your screen.