Kyle knew he was on the clock. He had to get moving before Pops started doing something more to him than just talking him down. Once Pops found out he was gone, it was pretty much a race against time. He knew he couldn’t face Pops in one on one combat and he was pretty sure Pops would order the entire pack to keep him pinned once he was down. He was sure he’d be lucky if he saw daylight sometime in the next decade afterward.
He drove to the bank and nearly cashed out his accounts. He had to go off-grid and hoped everything he learned from watching too many spy movies and playing too many video games had some semblance in fact. He didn’t want any of the Wolves in the police department to be able to track him so he figured going cash-only was his best bet. He stopped at his place to grab his backpack, do a quick Internet search for Amethyst Pharmaceuticals corporate headquarters, and write a note. It was a workday and Pops would be at the store until six as usual. That gave Kyle enough time to get a decent head start. He stopped by Pops’ place and placed the folded note on the small kitchen table. He took a last look around the home he grew up in, steeled himself, and headed out the door.
***
Richard was in a cranky mood. He wasn’t in the best state to deal with pimple-faced delivery truck drivers who arrived three hours late and then blamed it on him. The kid didn’t even offer to help unload the truck. He missed Jerry. He was not only punctual to a fault but was one of the best delivery men he knew. Jerry retired last fall and his replacement was sorely lacking.
He unlocked the house’s front door and walked in. He tossed his keys in the misshapen clay pot Kyle made in fourth grade for him and flicked on the lights. He walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. There, on the small table, was a note with the word Pops in Kyle’s handwriting.
Richard’s body slumped as he whispered a curse.
He walked over and picked up the paper with a trembling hand.
Pops, I have to do this. It’s the only thing that will bring me peace. I’m not going to do anything crazy. I plan on living through this and getting my ass chewed by you and not some bitchy overgrown lizard. On second thought, I’d rather be a dragon’s chew toy. I’ll contact you soon. I love you, Pops.
Kyle
Richard fell into his chair at the table. Damn kid. He’s too headstrong. He takes after him way too much for my liking. Why couldn’t he have been more like his father or me? Guess intransigence skips a generation. I think you would’ve liked him though you’d probably call him too soft. Richard gently thumped the table and leaned back in his chair. You were probably right all those years ago. I’ve let us get soft and fat. We aren’t what we should be. We are nothing more than dogs now waiting for their treats and a pat on the head, and I let it happen. You always warned me but I thought I could handle anything. I guess I could be just as pig-headed and stubborn as you. He sighed and walked into his bedroom. He pulled a trunk buried deep in the closet out into the room and opened it. He shuffled through things he hadn’t touched in years, memories that he hadn’t allowed himself to think about for just as long.. He pulled out a picture of two grinning young men, decked out in leather jackets and jeans, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders standing in front of a ‘32 Ford roadster painted in flames. He ran his thumb over the picture frame. Well, time to start changing that, just in case. I just hope I can teach them as well as you’d be able to. You should have been Alpha, not me. You never should have left. Why didn’t you listen to me? I never understood why it had to come to that. There were always other options!
Richard looked out the small window to the backyard and the freeway far beyond that. I only hope Kyle is half as stubborn as you were. It might be the only thing that keeps him alive.
Richard sighed and whispered, “May the wind be at your back and your hunt successful. Come home safe Kyle. I love you.”
***
Somewhere a fair distance away from Derrick’s Falls, in an unmarked room in a medical facility that didn’t exist, a dead woman slowly opened her eyes.
