When you have no past and no future, fear is not something that you spend much time dwelling upon. One minute you're here, enjoying your day to day existence, and the next; you're gone!
I suspect that when you awoke up this morning and swung your legs from the warm comfort of your bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and bending to put your socks on, it never occurred to you that this might be the last day of your life.
Why would it?
** ** ** ** **
No one noticed the large man sitting quietly at the bar. He was dressed in blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt. He looked the same as the rest of the bar's patrons with his ball cap pulled low over his eyes and his sleeves rolled halfway up his muscular forearms. His boots were scuffed and worn, giving the appearance of having done hard work. He sat alone, quietly nursing his beer.
Every now and then, he would casually glance at the clock above the bar and check the time. He wasn't on any schedule to speak of, as he had no paying job to hurry to. There was no wife and kids waiting at home for him to arrive so they could sit down and have supper together and discuss the happenings of their days. He was alone most of the time and he liked it that way.
For everything he didn't have in his life, there were two qualities that he did possess that were the hallmark of his existence; he was very watchful and extremely patient.
He glanced at the clock again and noted the time, and then casually, over his shoulder at the attractive woman in her middle forties sitting at a table with another woman. They were both drinking beer and from what he had observed already, was doing most of the listening as the other woman talked incessantly.
The woman he watched closely was dressed in a short plaid skirt and a white blouse. Her hair was cut to her shoulders and was colored a lighter shade of blond than she actually had been born with. She kept it tied back in a short ponytail, out of her face and she had blue eyes. He noticed that there was a small run in her pantyhose just behind her right knee that she obviously didn't know about or didn't care.
He knew that her name was April Downing and that she had never been married and didn't have any children. She was a senior stock broker at a large investment firm located in the heart of the city and that last year, had made well over a hundred grand after taxes.
He turned his head back to the front, took a drink of his beer and continued to watch her in the mirror behind the many liquor bottles that lined the bar in front of him.
He watched as her friend finally took a break in her marathon of chat and excused herself to go to the ladies room.
April lit a cigarette and drew the smoke deep into her lungs. He knew that smoking was one of her vices that she had always tried to stop but her will power, so forceful in her everyday work endeavors, failed her miserably in this respect. She exhaled and tapped the ash from her cigarette into the almost overflowing ashtray on the table and waited for her friend to return.
A man approached her table and leaning over towards her, said a few words. He couldn't hear the conversation that ensued but knew that she wasn't interested in anything he might have to say. He saw her shake her head no, and discouraged, the man returned to his seat at the bar, lit a cigarette and returned to his drink.
He saw her raise her hand and signal the waitress for their bill and had paid the tab with her credit card as her friend returned from the bathroom. They gathered their belongings, pushed the chairs towards the table and together, walked out the door.
He wasn't at the least concerned at her departure. He knew that she lived in an upscale, suburban, gated community five miles from where he now sat. He could find her at any time he wanted, because she was a creature of habit. Her home was as familiar to him as was the home of any one else in the world that he might be called on to visit. He had an infallible, inborn sense about these things, and could close his eyes and see everything that he needed to see in order to accomplish his mission.
He looked at the clock once again and finished the last of his beer, tossed a few bills on the bar and stood to leave.
"Leaving so soon, big guy? I was just going to ask you to buy me a drink."
He turned his head and faced an ageing barfly that nature had not been inclined to treat well. Her make-up had been smeared around her face and she looked almost clownish, largely due to the fact that she was sweating profusely and had used several napkins to mop up the excess, but with little success.
He looked at her and felt nothing. She was not his problem tonight nor would she be for a short time. He removed the wad of cash from his pocket and without saying a word, peeled off a twenty dollar bill and tossed it in front of her, and then turned and walked out the door.
** ** ** ** **
April Downing dropped off her friend and waited to see her safely in her house and then continued to her own home. She drove home mindlessly, her thoughts focused on the deal that she had in the making. If she was able to bring it off, it would be the pinnacle of her career with her firm and would secure her position there forever.
She drove up to the gate to her community and stopped as the young guard leaned out of his small window and inquired as to her destination. She nonchalantly showed her pass as a resident and after signing in; he waved her through, and then returned to watching the reality show on TV that she had interrupted.
Parking the car in her driveway, she gathered her purse and briefcase, stepped out and shut the door. She remembered to press the lock button on her remote as she picked up her mail and then unlocked her front door and entered the house. She placed the day's mail and her keys on a small table that stood next to the wall and continued to the telephone, checking the machine for messages. Finding none, she walked into her bedroom, turned on the TV to CNN and began to undress.
In bra and panties, she entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. As she waited for the water to warm, she finished taking off her underwear and admired herself briefly in the mirror before drawing the shower curtain back and stepping in.
The hot water felt good on her tired muscles as it fell from the pulsing showerhead and massaged her skin. She picked up the sponge that she used and squirted lavender soap onto it and then rubbed it briskly to create lather. The fragrance of lavender soon filled the shower and she smiled to herself as she washed her body.
Her shower finished, she stepped out and reached for a large fluffy towel and dried herself. Still nude, she entered her bedroom and slipped on a pair of fresh panties and her silk nightgown. Had she happen to look towards her window, she would have seen the large man from the bar standing outside, watching her as she dressed for bed.
She pulled down the covers and was in the process of getting into bed when the door bell chimed its melodic tune of welcome. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and noting the time, wondered who would be visiting at this hour. She picked up her robe from the end of the bed and pulled it around her as she walked to the front door.
"Yes, who's there?" she called through the door.
"April, you don't know me personally, but we have business to discuss," he said, "may I come in and speak with you?"
"I'm not in the habit of opening my door to complete strangers, sir," she said haughtily, "and I don't see tonight as being an exception."
"April, I asked you to open your door to me simply out of courtesy. I really don't need the door open if I want to enter your home."
"Are you threatening to break into here? I'm going to call security if you don't leave immediately."
"No, you won't call security and I'm not threatening to break in. I'm simply asking you to open your door to me."
As she turned her back to the door and started towards the phone, she felt a sudden, cold gust of air strike her back and she was unable to move.
"Turn around, April."
