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Challenge Prose - Into the Unknown
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Challenge Prose - Into the Unknown |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
She woke up in an unfamiliar room and wondered how she got here. She sat up, rubbing her face and pulling her hair out of her eyes. Damn, she thought, it wasn’t supposed to happen so soon. She thought she had more time! Groggily she swung her feet to the floor and stood up. She was naked. That wasn’t unusual, and since the transformation she hated the restraints of clothing. “Think,” she said out loud. “Details..details!” She looked to her right. A nightstand with a phone. The phone had a red button that flashed. There was a bottle of water and a wallet next to the blinking phone. She looked around the room. It was almost dark except for a flash of light from the crack in the almost closed drapes. “Classic hotel room,” she muttered as she stood up. She pulled the sheet from the bed and draped it, toga style, around her. No need to frighten any unsuspecting voyeurs. She walked to the window and pulled the drape back a few inches. She saw a dark city scape. A few lights in the distance. Nothing to identify the name of the city. She turned and began a routine search of the room. There was no phone book! She pulled open the dresser drawers frantically. She’d lodge a complaint! What hotel room didn’t have a damn phone book? She ended up sitting on the bed, her hand on the phone. She’d sound stupid if she called the front desk and ask where she was. She’d done THAT before. It wasn’t fun. She picked up the receiver and punched in the code to retrieve voice messages. There was only one. She expected it. “You’re in Phoenix. The rendezvous spot is the parking lot of the Phoenix Zoo. There is a silver Honda SUV in the parking lot. The keys are in a metal box under the right front bumper. You have two hours to accomplish the task.” She hesitated for a moment. Then stood up and headed to the bathroom. Another distasteful restraint. Bodily functions. She did was her body needed and returned to the room. She found a T-shirt (white; obviously her new boss had no sense of style) and a pair of jeans. There was no underwear. She looked in the drawers again and found nothing. A small lump on the bed proved to be an unopened package of men’s jockey shorts. “For crying out loud!” she moaned. “They can’t even get that right!” She donned the unfamiliar clothes and finding running shoes under the bed, she stepped into them. She grabbed the bottle of water and the wallet (checking to make sure there was currency in case of a screw up and she needed to buy something) and left the room. She walked quickly to the parking lot and found the vehicle. Making sure no one saw her, she bent down and retrieved the small box with the keys. After unlocking the door and getting in, she sat for a second, the key hovering near the steering column. This was the moment she feared. That her training would fail her. That somehow, she would lose the knowledge of how to drive. She pushed the key into the ignition and turned it. She reached down with her right hand and shifted into reverse. Even after pulling out of the parking space, there was a continuous beeping noise that was so loud she thought the whole hotel could hear it. She looked quickly for flashing lights and saw one that indicated a person with a restraint. “Seat belt!” she cried as she reached to her left and found the belt. The minute it was securely in place the noise stopped. “Thank God!” She sighed. She loved quiet and the piercing noise made her nervous. She opened the glove compartment and found a map of the city with directions to the Zoo. Seeing in the dark was no problem. She followed the highway to the Galvin Parkway exit. Following back streets, she made good time and arrived at the destination with almost 40 minutes to spare. She parked in a dark corner under a small tree and got out of the vehicle. Walking along the edge of the parking lot, she looked for the box that she would need to get her instructions. As she had completed almost a full 360 degree circle, she stumbled over the box. She bent down and picked it up and took it back to the vehicle. Punching a series of buttons, the box opened. Hovering inside the box was a small white light. “Someone is in dire need.” A voice emanated from the box and as each word formed, the white light intensified to an almost icy blue color. “There is a park directly behind the zoo. Papago Park. It’s a hangout for drug dealers and other unsavory individuals. Your target is a young girl, barely 18. She will be curled up under a bush and will be very difficult to see. Your sonar sense may be necessary for this task. You must hurry. She is scheduled to die in less than an hour.” The light went out and the box seemed empty. She tossed the box down and ran towards the east. With a mental click, she unleashed her sonar sense. She felt the heavy thud of someone’s heartbeat. Running in the direction of the strongest impulses, she headed off the sidewalk path and into the brush. Suddenly she felt a second heartbeat. This one was faster and thinner, as though it was failing. “Wrong one!” she muttered. She turned left to follow the weaker impulse. As it grew more intense, she slowed down. Walking now, she held out her hands trying to feel any bushes that may be the target’s hiding place. After searching under four or five bushes, finally she found the girl. She was crying softly, her body shaking with fearful sobs. When she felt the touch, she immediately stopped crying and moaned softly. “No, please don’t hurt me again!” she implored. “Please…..” “Sit up.” She said to the girl. “Stacy. Your name is Stacy isn’t it? I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you. Now just sit up and take a deep breath!” Stacy turned and looked up at the person bending over her. She saw a woman with light hair pulled back. She wore a white T-shirt and jeans. “Come on,” the woman said. “We have to get you out of here.” “But I can’t. My leg is broken. I can’t walk!” Stacy cried. “You can you know. There is an inner strength you can draw from that will help you. Take a deep breath and stand up. I’ll be right here to help you. You can lean on me. We’ll do this together.” Stacy put both hands on the ground and doggie style, got on her one good knee. The woman grabbed Stacy’s right arm and pulled her up. Stacy’s right leg was broken. The woman helped Stacy hobble out of the brush and onto the park’s path. They walked slowly to the entrance of the park. Although there was no one who walked the park at night, there was a night drive by patrol by local security guard and one of them would be along soon. The woman helped Stacy to sit under a street lamp. “I have to go now, but help will be along soon.” “Wait!” Stacy cried. “Who are you? How did you know I was out there? If you hadn’t come along, I’m sure I would have died.” “Just think of me as a friend.” “Are you an Angel?” “Perhaps.” “You don’t look like the Angels I’ve seen in books.” Stacy said. “Well, times change. Even Angels have to update their look; get more modern; be more hip.” She smiled. “Thank you.” Stacy said. “I’ll never forget you.” “I know.” She replied with a small smile. “We’ll meet again, but you won’t remember me then. Be happy. And remember to use this meeting wisely.” Stacy looked at the woman with a question in her eyes. But she never asked it. Lights flared over them, signaling an oncoming car. It was the security guard’s jeep. The woman slipped into the shadows. As she entered the SUV, the woman was smiling. It was a success! For the time it took for her to drive back to the hotel, she savored the feeling. Helping someone. Perhaps saving her life. It was heady stuff, this feeling. Her heart fluttered with joy. She knew, when this task was over, she would not remember it. They were not allowed to seek or enjoy the feelings from the tasks. They would be forgotten as each task was. After she parked, she put the key into the little box and hid it again. Then she went back to her room. The morning light was peeking over the horizon. She stripped, took a sip of water and lay down on the bed. She woke up in an unfamiliar room and wondered how she got here. |
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| © Copyright 2005 Poet deVine - All Rights Reserved | |||
SEA 
Moderator
Member Seraphic
since 2000-01-18
Posts 22676with you |
LOVED this oh my gosh oh my gosh.... cool beans all the way.....you guys do this prose stuff so easily...at least you sure make it look easy...this is awesome..  |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
very cool Sharon. i liked the way you made the character at once annoyed and apathetic to her own situation, while at the same time giving her a sense of urgency to help another person. i will say I think i would have liked it if you'd have left out the "angel" reference, so i could have continued my wondering and be left with a mystery of exactly "what" you character truly represented. I know you didn't strictly define her as an angel, rather hinted at it through the dialog, but it still stuck in my head as "the answer" and distracted me from some fun wondering! all told though, you rock. egowhores.com - really love yourself. |
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Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Well shoot here I am agreeing with Christoper  I loved the entire way the story was easy to follow, and read well aloud, as it was not too flowered with words. I too had a different idea of who the character was until the "angel" reference in your dialogue, and then the game was over to let my mind wander. It was at the point strictly a story about the recurring assignments of this particular angel. Nonetheless, a wonderful write Sharon, you do this so well. |
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latearrival Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499Florida |
Kept my interest. You are so good at this. martyjo |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
I'm glad this popped back up. I had read it when you initially posted, and had a strange sense of deja vu come to me - something was tickling me about it... and when I re-read it again? Quantum Leap! You just wrote a new script for that wonderful old show! Thank you! |
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miscellanea Member Elite
since 2004-06-24
Posts 4060OH |
Enjoyed your prose and all the responses received. This was a very comfortable and compelling read. miscellanea |
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LoveBug
Moderator
Member Elite
since 2000-01-08
Posts 4697 |
Hehe Sunny, I loved Quantum Leap too, but this story is better! Spy Angel! YES! The whole thing was so well written and suspenseful, but with such a lovely message. I can't believe I missed it until now. Thats what I get for bein a slacker! :P Love's a lovely lad |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Thank you for bringing this up. More and more I find prose is easier for me to write than poetry! |
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