That Night
by Me
The phone rang on the night stand. The older man asleep there stirred a bit and finally picks up the phone. It says its 11:49 PM. He mutters something under his breath as he sees who is calling him.
“Frank it’s 11:49 at night. Why are you calling me?”
“George, get your gun and get in your truck and get down here”
“I was asleep Frank, some of us sane people do that”
“Just get down here”
Frank had hung up. George rolled into a sitting position and sighed heavily before he started putting his boots on.
....
An old truck rambled over a bumpy dirt road in the dark, trees closing in on both sides. It came to a house with another ancient rusty truck sitting in front of it.
George left his shotgun on the seat as he got out and walked up to the front step. Just as he got there the door swung open quickly and a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him in. Then the door shut and was locked again.
“What’s going on Frank? What is so important that you woke me up in the middle of the night?”
But Frank was in his face “Promise me you won’t tell nobody”
“Promise I won’t tell anyone what?” George asked “Have you been drinking again?”
“I wish. That would make it so much easier”
“Make what easier?”
“Do you promise?” Frank said, in his face again.
“All right, yes, I promise” George was thinking about leaving.
“I caught one” Frank said, almost in a whisper.
“You caught one? You caught one what?”
Frank looked down and then licked his lips. “I caught an alien”
“Are you out of your mind? You woke me up and got me down here to play alien games, Frank? Some of us need sleep, you know?”
Frank was just standing there silently. George found that eerie.
“He’s in the kitchen”
George looked at the empty door frame to the kitchen. “Let me see”
George swept past Frank and stood in the doorway.
“At least I think it’s a he” Frank said.
There in the middle of the kitchen was a dining chair. Something was tied down really good. Frank had learned his knots in the Navy. There was no give in the ropes no matter how much the thing in the chair struggled. It was facing away from where George was standing.
George backed up and sat on the fraying couch. Rubbing his face and thinning hair.
“George, what do you think?”
Truthfully George didn’t hear the question. Or rather he heard it but didn’t register it.
“I think it’s hungry” Frank said “I don’t know what they eat”
“They?” George asked, suddenly scared “You think there are more of them out there?”
“I think so. I think they’re watching and waiting for a chance to rescue him” Frank said “But I’m guarding him.”
“What are you going to do with him?” George asked
“He’s my prisoner. An illegal alien that I will turn in tomorrow to the authorities” Frank said, sounding proud of himself.
“That” He said pointing at the kitchen “That guy, flew across the galaxy to visit this planet and gets taken prisoner by a crazy old man. Don’t you think they have would have tools and weapons we can’t even dream about?”
Frank looked disappointed.
“What?” George asked, dreading the answer.
“I was a bit rough with it, I mean him. I think he’s mad. If we let him go, he might kill me.”
“So let’s create an interstellar incident instead?”
“I’m scared George”
“There is no way he’s alone. You’re probably right that they’re watching this house. They are not going to let you bring this guy to the sheriff’s office in the morning. It’s just not going to happen, Frank. I think we both know that”
“So what am I supposed to do George?”
George did not have answer. He hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.
What happens next? Tell me, tell me.
I finally managed to sit down and read both this one and the you FReep Mailed me.
Both are VERY good, certainly better than anything I can come up with :)