Night of Fire

NIGHT OF FIRE

Dave drove down the highway, nearing the end of his three-hour road trip. He had the perfect plan if he was sure to execute it properly. A visit with his family may even persuade him to change his mind. He may even be able to come up with a different solution. Killing a dream that was once his own was going to be hard by itself. Killing the dream of a long-time friend was proving to be the true test of his will. Time with his family at his childhood home may open his eyes to something he had missed.

The years of life shown on his parents’ faces. Their foreheads were wrinkled, and their jaws sagged a little more than his last visit. He had to shout when he spoke to them because they did not hear as well as they once had. After the family dinner he sat in the study with is siblings and drank scotch. He was proud at the way they all had turned out. His parents had three children: a nurse, an architect, and himself. He was a proud restaurant owner, at least for the night.

The siblings left rather early, and he headed off to the bedroom where he spent his youth. He waited patiently while listening to his folks going about their evening routine. His mother piddled around the kitchen, getting things ready for the bright and early breakfast she would be making before the sun was up. His father was finishing up his day in the bathroom. He switched off the light and waited, leaning up against his headboard with his hands folded in his lap. His thoughts were on the problem at hand.

Mikey had once been the only person he could ever depend on. Mikey had been the only one who had always been there even if only to be a shoulder to lean on. The restaurant was a childhood dream for them both. Somewhere along the line, his dreams changed, but Mikey’s did not. He was ready for the next chapter in his life, but Mikey was making it impossible. He would have happily walked away and let his friend deal with the remnants of what was left. Mikey had other ideas, though. In the end, Mikey’s ideas did not matter. He would do what he always did. He would take it upon himself to do what others would have deemed impossible. Mikey would not walk away empty handed. Dave would make sure of that.

He was sure his parents were sound asleep at a little past eleven. He crept out of the house and made his way to the car he had purchased under a fake name. He had it parked a couple blocks away. It was just after 2 AM when he arrived. He let himself in and disarmed the alarm. He grabbed the grease he had been saving from his hiding place in the storage room and began spreading it around.

He had no idea that Mikey had a huge fight with his wife earlier that evening. He had no way of knowing that Mikey was sound asleep on the couch in the office. If he would have known, it would have changed everything. He did not know, so he lit the Zippo and set the fire.

He hid in the shadows of a nearby doorway while the rain poured down. The sirens were approaching, and he could smell the smoke as it exited the broken windows and rose into the dark sky. He was sorry to see the restaurant go. As the sirens grew closer, he knew he had to go. He knew he had to leave the scene before officials arrived. He had to get back before his mother woke to start breakfast.

As he got closer to his destination the sky started to lighten up a bit, and he knew morning was close approaching. The deer came out of nowhere. As soon as he saw it, he slammed on his breaks, and the car began to slide. He hit the deer despite his efforts to avoid it, and his car flipped before going into the ditch. He felt the pain in his head and leg, but he also heard the hissing coming from the car. He struggled with his seat belt to no avail. As his life began to flash before his eyes, he realized that he had made a mistake.

The car burst into flames.