They lie about my city. Who are they? Flip on the tv, launch your apps, pull up your news sites or forums and take your pick. You see a talking head, it’s lying. You see a meme about us, it’s a lie. Now don’t get me wrong, it is dangerous here. Morgues having waiting lines, so to speak. Those aren’t just empty caskets buried 6 feet under every day. You have to understand, the lie is in the details. If reporters shouted HOW folks around here actually died, they’d probably find themselves demoted to the back pages of the cheapest tabloids. But locals know the truth. Some say 6 feet under is best to keep out of sight and out of mind. But locals in the know say, 6 feet of dirt to keep the lid shut.
I have no excuse for tonight. I’m one of those in the know. Hard earned street smarts with a healthy dose of book smarts to give me an edge. It’s kept me head and shoulders above being a statistic my whole life. Lord knows, I’ve lost a few friends along the way. Not lost touch mind you, I know where they are. 6 feet. But time has a funny way of making you comfortable. I made it this far. I BEAT the statistics. It’s over. I’m scot-free and above ground. Maybe that’s why I walked home tonight at 3 am.
I hit the gym late at night when I can’t sleep. Maybe to justify having membership to a 24/7 gym. Maybe because I have no one left to call. Regardless, that’s where I was tonight before heading home, on foot, at 3 am. You’ve all seen the headlines of the monster snow storm wrecking its way through the country. This wretched city finally caught a break and only saw light, nonstop rain. With halos around street lights and steel skyscrapers disappearing into the silent and still fog, I started to convince myself my walk was worth it just for this hauntingly beautiful scene. Then a car slowed as it passed and like instinct, I ducked into a side street to take a different path home. You never know in this city.
My head stayed on a swivel as I passed under a train station and through a neighborhood. That’s why I looked down an alley as I passed it. I’m sitting here thinking, what if I never looked? What if I had kept my head down and plodded onward wrapped in ignorance? Who knows. It’s too late now. I just need to finish typing this while I can. The alley was well lit as far down as I can see and yet the 3 figures I saw where smudges of black in the distance. I couldn’t comprehend what I saw in those brief seconds. One had a head that faded upward. Almost like whatever hand crafted these things let a finger drag on the canvas a little too long.
Once I passed the alley, I picked up speed. I couldn’t tell if they were heading toward or away from me. There was no obvious threat but again, you never know in this city. I crossed the street and booked a right. Once they emerged from the alley, I wanted them to see nothing but an empty street and abandon any malicious thought. I took a left and was still about 5 blocks from home. That’s when a something kicked a can behind me. I stopped and turned. There was no one. The can came to a rest against a curb and it’s echoing clatter faded away. Nothing. Just orbs of misty rain around streetlights, dark, silent homes, and wet concrete. Yet I know they were there. The smudges from the alley. Something scraped against the concrete and I nearly soiled myself. But it was only me. I had unconsciously take a step back.
I knew better than to be out, in the streets, this late. I cursed my foolishness and continued home at a much quicker pace. Head on a swivel be damned, I MOVED as fast as possible without running. Got to my apartment complex and went in through the gated back parking lot. No sigh of relief yet, I needed to get indoors and several feet above ground. The sigh still didn’t come when I finally closed my apartment door behind me and turned every lock. Survival mode is hard to shake. For good reason, because you never know.
But here’s the thing: I now know. As I leaned against my door contemplating what just happened, 3 soft, evenly spaced knocks pulled me from my thoughts. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. I looked through the peephole. In the fully lit hallway, 3 dark, indistinct smudges stood at my door. All three turned their heads, smears of dark ink, toward the peephole. Not a single sound.
I sit in my bedroom now, locked door, typing furiously this account of tonight. Do not believe the lies that will be reported, you have the truth here. We all are living on borrowed time, but a 6 six foot shallow grave will eventually claim its prize. Don’t get comfortable as I have. Now if you’ll excuse me, there were 3 soft, evenly spaced knocks on my bedroom door just now and I have nowhere left to go.