I thought I’d get this one out of my head before it slipped away.
—————————–
A badly tuned guitar played with more enthusiasm than talent split the night as I crept through the shadows of the gravel parking lot. I found my quarry’s car, a meticulously restored sedan from the Kennedy administration, complete with a vanity plate that read “MRBIG” on it. I put my ear to the trunk, but didn’t hear anyone bumping or thumping around in there.
I crouched in the big car’s shadow and tried to figure out what I was going to do next. I wasn’t part of the crowd that would normally be welcome in the Hawg Shed, and I didn’t think I’d get far if I just walked in and ordered a beer. Best case scenario would be that I’d arouse suspicion and get tossed out or spook the man I was looking for. Worst case, well, I didn’t want to think about worst case. A couple of big guys stood at the door, lengths of pipe or something like that in their hands. I doubted they were there to enforce the dress code.
Maybe there’s a back door, I thought as I looked around the compound. Off to one side, a dilapidated old farmhouse, its spine broken by several wet winters with no windows, squatted at the very edge of the glare from the floodlights. I slipped from one shadow to the next, finally making a quick dash up the cracked and uneven walk to crouch at the top of the rotten porch stairs.
Now to find a way in there, I thought as I tried to get my breathing to slow down.
The guitar gave way to someone banging away on what sounded like a pretty impressive drum set, then the almost inhuman growl of the lyrics drowned even that out.
“Wish they’d turn that crap down.”
I tensed at the voice, deep and powerful, but not loud. I slowly turned to find myself face to face with an older man sitting in an old kitchen chair next to the front door. His eyes twinkled and he smiled underneath a heavy handlebar mustache that might have been black at one time, but was now shot through with gray. He was wearing an old pair of jeans and a white shirt under a battered bomber jacket, complete with sheepskin at the collar. A pair of heavy work boots were tapping to the band’s rhythm, so he couldn’t have disliked it that much.
“Uh, sorry,” I stammered. “Didn’t know anyone was home.”
“Nah,” he replied with a dismissive shrug. “Just wish they’d shut that place down. It’s hard to get any rest with all that going on.”
“I guess they’re just blowing off some steam.”
“Son, we were just blowing off some steam when all of us got together after the war and started riding together. This is just,” he waved at the pole barn dismissively, “well, it’s just not right.”
“All of you?”
“Yeah, a bunch of us raised a little hell on weekends, but it weren’t nothing like what those assholes do.” He looked over to the edge of a porch, where a scrawny orange cat had silently jumped up from the overgrown bushes. At a gesture from the old man, it padded over and jumped into his lap.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I noticed that the cat didn’t stop at his lap, though. Its paws sank through the denim of his jeans until the cat stood on the chair’s seat.
He reached up and started scratching at its ears. I could hear it purring, but when it started kneading its claws, they sank into old wood instead of his leg.
“Nah, we never did anything like what they’ve got going on over there.” He shook his hear ruefully. “Worst we ever did was get drunk and see how fast we could race up Dixie Highway. Those boys, well, I don’t want to think about what they do after the crowd goes home.
“I was trying to have a look, but I don’t think they’ll let me in the front door.” I had to fight hard to keep my voice even.
“Yeah, you better go around back and go in through the old storm cellar.” He moved his hand to scratch under the cat’s chin. “Just, be careful, boy. Devil’s business going on in Elmer’s old barn these days.”
I heard the crowd in the bar across the parking lot roar when the band stopped playing and glanced over to make sure nobody was taking an opportunity to come out. When I looked back, the old man was gone. In his place, the cat had curled up on the kitchen chair, still buzzing with contentment.
Well, I thought, guess I’ll see what’s going on around back.
DaddyBear’s Den 
John in Philly
/ April 17, 2018Please sir, may we have more?
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Nick Flandrey
/ April 17, 2018Made the hair on my arms stand up… more in the boogieman series?
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daddybear71
/ April 17, 2018Probably
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J Pritchett
/ April 17, 2018I once wrote a story called; “The Man Who Loved Feral Cats”. Not nearly as good. Please continue.
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daddybear71
/ April 17, 2018It’ll come eventually. I’m working on something else at the same time, so I’ve got two main characters having a duel over my attention at the moment.
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J Pritchett
/ April 17, 2018I’ll bet on the one with the pistol. 🙂
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OldNFO
/ April 18, 2018Boggieman!!! 😀
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