And Then There Was One (2019)

Chapter 10 - Brendan Gallagher

Montreal, Canada

July 1, 2019

It is a calm, beautifully cloudless evening. The stars are just beginning to come out and shine as the sun dips to the horizon in the distance. There is a slight chill in the air as Brendan Gallagher, a short, spiky brunette haired man with piercing bluish-green eyes, steps outside. He has on dark maroon colored robe, loosely tied in the front around his waist as he carries a fruity cocktail in one of his hands.

The Montreal forward walks briskly across his back patio toward a small bubbling hot tub. A color changing light is one, displaying the color red. Steam penetrates the surface of the water as he sets his blood red cocktail on a table next to a single deck chair.

Gone are the days of obsessing over the Tampa Bay Lightning and chasing after Vladdy Namestnikov. A stupid, horrible past, drilled into his head by Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien. Things were much better now and he just wanted to care for the two young Finnish players: Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lehkonen.

Brendan unties the knot to the robe and then slides it off of him, standing nude in the slightly cool summer air of the great Canadian north. He steps down and eases into the refreshing, warm hot tub, soaking in the moment.

"No kids to bother me. No Chucky to worry about seducing. Just me." He smirks to himself and leans back against the side, staring up at the darkening sky overhead. He heaves a sigh, inhaling the fumes from the steam rising from the tub.

Then he spins and reaches behind him to take the drink and bring it down to himself. He sips it from a straw and places it to the right side of him, just behind his shoulder.

"It's so nice out here tonight, isn't it Lord Hab of Sassy Assville? Enjoying the nice hot tub alone time? I am."

Suddenly an object whizzes through the air and splashes into the water.

Brendan shrieks like a little girl and curls up to the side as the water sloshes at him. His heart pounds in his chest and he snaps his head around, looking for the source of the sudden scare.

"MEGAMIND! I KNOW THAT WAS YOU! JERK! NO LOOKING IN ON MY NAKED HOT TUB NIGHTS!! I'VE EARNED THESE!"

There is a snorting noise, followed by a momentary rustling sound, before it all falls silent once more.

Brendan grumbles under his breath to himself, tapping the controls to stop the bubbles. Then he settles back into his peacefulness, facing the water as it gradually calms down into a still red mass.

As his eyes adjust once more and the water steadies into a still motion, his heart rate returning to its normal pace, he spots a dark object submerged underwater at the bottom. Curious, he reaches down and picks it up, without dropping under the water.

He brings it up and out of the water, a hard rough surfaced...rock. He looks it over, noticing that it is the size of at least three pucks stuck together. He also sees that attached to the rock is a soggy piece of paper, held by a rubber band.

He removes it and the band and sets them to the side of the tub, before he turns the rock in his hands, eyeing it. "What the--?"

As he spins it around in his hands, he thinks, This can't be from Domes. Megamind wouldn't try to kill me...this was just carelessly flung over my fence. He snaps his eyes to look in the direction of his fence, where he'd heard the rustling sound. He squints, trying to see anything abnormal or anyone standing there.

Nothing.

Then his hands run over a crease, almost like the rock is not a rock. He turns his attention back to it and twists the two halves, opening it up to reveal a folded up envelope inside. He sets the rock on the side of the tub and reaches up, drying his hands off on a towel. Then he plucks the envelope out and tears it open.

Inside he finds two tri-folded pieces of paper. He unfolds them and finds an invitation for an amusement park and another one that has text in the form of a poem of some kind. He reaches for his robe and digs his phone out of the pocket, pulling it down.

He shines a light on the papers and his eyes widen with curiosity and excitement. He then pulls back and sends a look toward the fence once more. He shouts out, "You didn't have to throw a rock at me just to invite me to an amusement park!! I'm game, you know I love amusement parks!"

He then turns back and scan-reads the poem. He snorts with laughter. "What delectable fun!" He folds the papers up and turns his phone light off and puts them on the robe.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME! I'M GETTING OUT AND GOING TO GET CLOTHES, OKAY?" he shouts out at the fence as he prepares to exit. "Creep."

Brendan scampers from the hot tub, chuckling, snatching his things up, including the half-finished cocktail drink and the shreds of paper and the rock. He hurries inside, naked and holding the items in his hands and then vanishes into his room.