Love you. T.
He smiled. His wife always took care of him.
He opened the refrigerator to see a plate of spaghetti with plastic wrap over it. His belly moaned at the sight of the delicious food. He heated it up in the microwave as he turned on the television.
He forgot all about Theresa's book club. It was time to put the game on, kick his feet up, have a nice little relaxing night to himself.
The game was on for only five minutes when the phone rang. He grabbed it and muted the television.
“Hello?”
“You didn't even go to his funeral.”
Ronald sat up and shifted the phone to his other hand. He thought he recognized the voice, but it couldn't be him .
“Who is this?”
“Oh come on now, Doctor Ron. You have to know who this is.”
He felt his chest tighten. “Gabriel?”
“Yeah! Have you missed me?”
He tried to keep calm. Images of Gabriel's past violence in the lab flashed through his mind. One time Gabriel managed to get his hands around Ronald's throat.
“They're letting you make outside calls?”
Gabriel laughed, a sound that made every hair on Ronald stand up.
“I know you've been away for a while, but no one told you? I escaped.”
Ronald nearly dropped the phone.
He jumped up from the couch and ran to the front door. He locked the knob and turned the key in the dead-bolt.
“That's right, Ronald. Lock all those doors.”
He ran to the back door next to the kitchen. It should have already been locked, and it was.
He ran upstairs, past Bradley's bedroom and the bathroom, to the master bedroom. Gabriel taunted him on the phone.
“How does it feel, Ronald? How does it feel to know something bad is about to happen to you, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? Take my word for it. It isn't fun.”
Ronald searched the shelf over the clothes in the closet for his gun. The bullets were in the shoebox under his favorite suit.
“I hope you know how to shoot that thing.”
He was being watched.
He spun around with the gun outright. There was nothing there.
He felt silly, knowing he had to keep in control. Gabriel could be anywhere in the world.
Still, he felt a pair of invisible eyes on him.
Should he call the police? That would be pointless. There wasn't anything in the world that could protect him from Gabriel.
“Come on, Ronald. Do you really think I'm in the house?”
He let the gun fall to his side.
“Is this the part where you threaten me, Gabriel?”
“Don't pretend you know me. Don't pretend you have the faintest idea of what I want.”
He slowly walked down the hallway.
“You volunteered, Gabriel. It was your decision to join the project. You can't blame me, or Albert, or...”
Ronald trailed off as he thought of his best friend. Surely it wasn't coincidence that Gabriel was free, and Albert was dead.
“You killed Albert, didn't you?”
He was struck hard on the side of his face as he passed Bradley's room. He fell against the wall, knocking down a few pictures, and slid to the floor. His eyes teared up in pain, but he held the gun out anyway. A foot kicked his wrist, sending the gun down the hall and down a few steps.
Ronald's vision cleared enough to let him see Gabriel standing above him. He held one of his son's trophies, a bit of blood from Ronald's cheek on the base.
Ronald hadn't seen him in nearly a year, but Gabriel looked exactly as he remembered. He had one or two more scars on top of his bald head, but that was it. He wore jeans and a Baltimore Orioles tee shirt. If Gabriel wore a hat, he would blend in anywhere.
Ronald looked into the eyes of possibly the most dangerous man in the world.
Gabriel had a cell phone clipped to his belt and a Bluetooth headset around his ear.
“Lacrosse state championship. I bet you're proud.”
Ronald said nothing. He tried to sit upright.
“I lied about not being in your house,” Gabriel said with a sick smile. “You didn't go to the funeral. Your best friend. Your partner-in-crime.”
Ronald was strangely
He smiled. His wife always took care of him.
He opened the refrigerator to see a plate of spaghetti with plastic wrap over it. His belly moaned at the sight of the delicious food. He heated it up in the microwave as he turned on the television.
He forgot all about Theresa's book club. It was time to put the game on, kick his feet up, have a nice little relaxing night to himself.
The game was on for only five minutes when the phone rang. He grabbed it and muted the television.
“Hello?”
“You didn't even go to his funeral.”
Ronald sat up and shifted the phone to his other hand. He thought he recognized the voice, but it couldn't be him .
“Who is this?”
“Oh come on now, Doctor Ron. You have to know who this is.”
He felt his chest tighten. “Gabriel?”
“Yeah! Have you missed me?”
He tried to keep calm. Images of Gabriel's past violence in the lab flashed through his mind. One time Gabriel managed to get his hands around Ronald's throat.
“They're letting you make outside calls?”
Gabriel laughed, a sound that made every hair on Ronald stand up.
“I know you've been away for a while, but no one told you? I escaped.”
Ronald nearly dropped the phone.
He jumped up from the couch and ran to the front door. He locked the knob and turned the key in the dead-bolt.
“That's right, Ronald. Lock all those doors.”
He ran to the back door next to the kitchen. It should have already been locked, and it was.
He ran upstairs, past Bradley's bedroom and the bathroom, to the master bedroom. Gabriel taunted him on the phone.
“How does it feel, Ronald? How does it feel to know something bad is about to happen to you, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? Take my word for it. It isn't fun.”
Ronald searched the shelf over the clothes in the closet for his gun. The bullets were in the shoebox under his favorite suit.
“I hope you know how to shoot that thing.”
He was being watched.
He spun around with the gun outright. There was nothing there.
He felt silly, knowing he had to keep in control. Gabriel could be anywhere in the world.
Still, he felt a pair of invisible eyes on him.
Should he call the police? That would be pointless. There wasn't anything in the world that could protect him from Gabriel.
“Come on, Ronald. Do you really think I'm in the house?”
He let the gun fall to his side.
“Is this the part where you threaten me, Gabriel?”
“Don't pretend you know me. Don't pretend you have the faintest idea of what I want.”
He slowly walked down the hallway.
“You volunteered, Gabriel. It was your decision to join the project. You can't blame me, or Albert, or...”
Ronald trailed off as he thought of his best friend. Surely it wasn't coincidence that Gabriel was free, and Albert was dead.
“You killed Albert, didn't you?”
He was struck hard on the side of his face as he passed Bradley's room. He fell against the wall, knocking down a few pictures, and slid to the floor. His eyes teared up in pain, but he held the gun out anyway. A foot kicked his wrist, sending the gun down the hall and down a few steps.
Ronald's vision cleared enough to let him see Gabriel standing above him. He held one of his son's trophies, a bit of blood from Ronald's cheek on the base.
Ronald hadn't seen him in nearly a year, but Gabriel looked exactly as he remembered. He had one or two more scars on top of his bald head, but that was it. He wore jeans and a Baltimore Orioles tee shirt. If Gabriel wore a hat, he would blend in anywhere.
Ronald looked into the eyes of possibly the most dangerous man in the world.
Gabriel had a cell phone clipped to his belt and a Bluetooth headset around his ear.
“Lacrosse state championship. I bet you're proud.”
Ronald said nothing. He tried to sit upright.
“I lied about not being in your house,” Gabriel said with a sick smile. “You didn't go to the funeral. Your best friend. Your partner-in-crime.”
Ronald was strangely
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