What Lies Ahead (closed)

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What Lies Ahead (closed)

Postby Farithin » Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:56 am

Farithin smiled inwardly as he crept through the darkness of night. It wasn't in his nature to be thrilled by the cloak and dagger routine leaving clues and being veiled in his words, but this was different and exciting.

A man in dark suit had approached him two days prior asking for a favor, and being a person of curiosity and some adventure, Fari accepted. All the favor entailed was for him to meet another person, who would be standing on the corner of University Way and 50th Avenue, and hand them a manila envelope. He knew it well and it was a relatively busy street corner. It was filled with all walks of life from panhandlers to businessmen and everything in-between. It was very near the university that he had attended and the scene made him feel comfortable.

Looking across the street at the digital clock, it read 11:30. The envelope was in plain sight in his left hand as Fari paced back and forth. He didn't want to seem suspicious, so he tried to patiently wait against the nearest building's brick wall.

"Why are pigeons protected by the government?" a soft voice floated through the air. Slightly startled by the phrase, Fari stood up straight and replied, "I believe they were endangered once."

The figure stepped closer and smiled, "You must be the messenger that he selected. Do you have the package?"

Fari nodded and handed the manila envelope to the woman. She nodded in return and handed him a legal-sized white one in return. "This is for you, but do not open it until you are home and thank you for your cooperation."

Fari looked down at the envelope and then looked up again. The shadowy figure stepped back into the darkness and was gone and left Fari scratching his head. "Where...?" He shrugged and wandered back to his car.

When he returned home, he opened the sealed letter and $500 fell from a folded piece of paper:

Mr. Farithin Jackson-

We have another job for you to accomplish. Meet at the old cannery warehouse tomorrow at 10pm.


The letter was unsigned, but he knew which building they were referring to. The old warehouse was a fruit and vegetable cannery around the turn of the 20th century, but had since gone through so many owners and changes, that eventually it has no chance of turning a profit and was shutdown in the mid-1970s. It has since stood empty with the exception of a few homeless, old equipment, rats and vandalism.

Fari read the letter again, shrugged and knew he would be there. Five-hundred dollars just to hand someone an envelope was more than convincing. Things had been rough the last couple of month financially for Fari. His company had "restructured" two months ago and his unemployment was not paying his bills. This was an efficient opportunity to make some money.
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Postby givrgrrl » Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:11 pm

Kayle stood in the darkness of the burnt streetlamp and watched the man pace across the street and try to look casual as he leaned against the building. A low chuckle emitted from her throat as she tossed her golden hair behind her shoulder with one slender, white hand.

Kayle sighed inwardly. She was getting tired of these games her boss was playing with the young males of this city. She needed the money, though, and that's what kept her going.

She glanced at the clock on the building beside her. The time read 11:30. Time to make her move.

She approached the man from behind and whispered close to his ear, "Why are pigeons protected by the government?" Trying not to appear as startled as he was he replied with "I believe they were endangered once."

Kayle smiled and took the package from the man while handing him an envelope, making sure he didn't open it until he got home. She disappeared into the darkness as quickly as she had appeared from it.

Kayle walked the block to her aging Volkswagen Beetle and climbed inside, contemplating on whether or not to return to her boss with the package immediatly or go home and get some rest.

She stifled a yawn as she decided to go home. She drove along the shoreline till she reached her rundown apartment in the East Village and snorted at how she wished she could do better.

In her apartment, she threw the package down on the table beside the door, flopped herself down on the couch and closed her eyes. "I'll only rest a bit and get the package to the boss," she thought to herself.
"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A deam you dream together is reality." - John Lennon
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Postby Farithin » Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:33 pm

He laid in his bed staring at the clock, 2:43am. The adrenaline from the night's events still coursed through his veins. It wasn't all that exciting, but something about it made him unable to sleep. He looked at the clock again, 2:58am. He groaned. "I promised myself I would get up early and start looking harder for a job!" He closed his eyes and tried desparately to wipe the images from his mind. Her starlit eyes gazed at him every time he closed his own, so he opened his again, 3:10am.

Sighing to himself, he sat up in bed and ran his fingers through his black hair. Fari slipped on a pair of flipflops and made his way to the kitchen. Maybe a glass of water would help sooth him. Pulling the pitchers of purified water from the refrigerator, Fari grabbed a pint glass from the cupboard and poured a half glass.

He took a sip and meandered back to the bedroom of his modest apartment, 3:32am. "So much for getting an early start on the day tomorrow. I hadn't anticipated getting THIS early of a start."

Laying down again, he pulled the covers up over his head and sighed. "Go to bed, Fari!" Closing his eyes again, the images continued to play themselves out, but he let them this time. Maybe it would get it out of his system. Finally the scenes concluded and Fari fell into a deep slumber, 3:45am.
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Postby givrgrrl » Thu Jul 28, 2005 12:01 am

Kayle opened her eyes and noticed the bright light streaming into her windows. She swore under her breath and looked at the clock. "8:33?! Shit!" She swore again. She had only planned on sleeping a couple minutes and it turned into a few hours. "I am so dead!"

Kayle rushed and threw some things into an oversized purse and, almost forgetting the package, ran out the door and down the stairs to her car.

It didn't want to start. "Dammit! Figures!" She ranted and banged the steering wheel. She put her head on her hands and tried to breathe deeply. "I am not going to freak out," she repeated to herself, over and over, like a mantra.

She turned the key in the ignition again and the car started. Kayle exhaled the breath she had been holding in and tore out of the parking lot and drove down Tempman St till she hit 80th and turned down a long, dusty dirt road.

After driving for a mile and a half, she came to a replica farmhouse and turned off the engine before climbing out and slamming the car door behind her. Her leather boots stirred up dust as she walked up to the front door and did the secret knock.

"Whaddya want?" Came the voice behind the door.

"It's Kayle. Open up. I got the package for the boss," she replied impatiently.

"Awright. You don't need to get so testicle on me!" The door opened after a few clicks of locks being unlocked. In the doorframe, a huge bulk of a man stood in the way and laughed at his own immature joke.

"Real funny, Skye. Now could you please get out of the way so I can bring this to the boss before he has my head on a dinner plate?"

The big, beefy man stepped aside. Kayle could feel the boards beneath her vibrate as Skye moved. Kayle stepped into the house and made her way down the hall and up a set of stairs to the second floor. She turned left down another hallway until she stood infront of a pair of double doors. She took a deep breath, knocked once, and entered upon hearing the afirmation to her request to enter.
"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A deam you dream together is reality." - John Lennon
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Postby Farithin » Fri Jul 29, 2005 4:01 pm

The alarm clock buzzed at 7:15am. Fari reached over and slapped the snooze button, "Fifteen more minutes, I swear." He rolled over, closed his eyes falling back into a deep sleep.

His eyes fluttered open again, but something seemed surreal about this. The clock read 7:16am; he shrugged and climbed out of his bed. How could he have been so tired a minute ago and now be completely awake? He looked at his watch and it confirmed the date as being the same day.

He blinked a few times and then ran his fingers though his hair. Looking over at the phone as if expecting it to ring, he raised an eyebrow as the ringer went off. Reaching for it and picking up the receiver, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Mr. Jackson."

"Who is this?" Fari asked inquisitively.

"Who is not important, but what I have to offer is," the mysterious voice said. "The girl with whom you met with last night is of some importance to us. We would like it if you could give her a letter stating to meet at Pier 79 at 8pm tomorrow evening."

"Why would I do that?"

“Pier 79 at 8pm,” the voice stated again then hung up.

Fari scratched his head before hanging up. Walking to the bathroom, he slipped out of his clothing and turned the shower on. He looked at himself in the mirror and studied the contours of his face and sighed. His eyes closed allowing the darkness to envelop him once again.

His eyes fluttered open and he sat up straight in his bed. He looked at the buzzing clock, 7:30am. The shower was running, but he was fully clothed again. “What the hell just happened?” Shaking his head, he climbed out of bed. “Man, I really need to try and get to bed sooner.”
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Postby Beruth Judkin » Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:49 pm

Chuckling to himself as he walked away from the boy leaving him with a manila envelope full of worthless information. The selection process had begun. It wasn't mearly a delivery, but a test. Would he follow through with the assignment or would he blow it off?

Beruth had been watching this one for weeks and Farithin had been the most promising since Kayle. There was something special about both of them. Something he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was an obvious trait that attracted him to both of them. It was something innate. It was something that called to his darker side, but did not stir his anger like most who attempted to toy with his hidden side.

Kayle was late though, by about ten hours. He looked at his watch as he heard the girl’s pulled up the driveway. Smirking to himself as his trusted bodyguard harassed her as she tried to enter the house. “Awright. You don't need to get so testicle on me!” Beruth heard Skye chuckling to himself. Shaking his head, he waited for the door to open with Kayle stepping through.

As she walked through the doorway, he looked up at her then continued to pretend like he was busy writing an email to an important client. “You’re late,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
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Postby givrgrrl » Thu Aug 11, 2005 12:40 pm

Kayle looked at Beruth as he pretended he had the utmost important task on his computer and watched as he barely glanced in her direction before returning to clacking on his keyboard. "You're late," he said simply.

Kayle sighed and plopped herself down in one of the two hard, straight-backed chairs in front of Beruth's desk, designed to make his "clients" squirm. "I have to sleep too, you know," she replied.

"Sleep is for the weak, my dear, and I do not pay you to sleep when you have a job to do," he said, finally looking up from his computer monitor and looking straight into her eyes. "How did the pick-up go?"

"Smoothly. Did you expect anything different? I know how to do my job and I do it well. What exactly do you want this Fari guy for, anyway? He doesn't seem to be anything special."

"That," Beruth paused for dramatics, "remains to be seen, little one. I have another assignment for you." He pushed a large manilla envelope across the desk towards Kayle with one finger.

"What's this?" Kayle asked.

Beruth handed her a piece of white paper, folded once in half. "This is where you are to take the envelope. Do not ask questions, Kayle. It is beneath your talents."

Kayle sighed, took the paper and opened it up. Beruth's neat scrawl was on the inside, describing her assignment and where it was to take place. "And I trust this time," Baruth dramatically paused again. "That you will not be late in returning." He took a stack of bills, wrapped in an elastic band out of his drawer, took two bills from it and threw the rest in Kayle's direction and waved his hand at her in dismissal. "Your payment."

Kayle took the money, stashed it in her purse and glared at Beruth before getting up. "Thank you," she said non-commitably and left the room.

"Boss is sure mad at you, ain't he?" Skye chuckled.

"Shut up, Skye." Kayle said over her shoulder as she left the ranch house and got into her car.
"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A deam you dream together is reality." - John Lennon
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Postby Farithin » Thu Aug 25, 2005 2:45 pm

After another long day of walking the streets handing out resumes and turning in job applications, Fari headed back to his car dejected at the prospect of doing this again tomorrow. Looking at his watch, he decided to head home, it was nearly dinner time and he had already skipped lunch. The half of English muffin and jelly this morning had been insufficient then, and well, his stomach growled in protest.

"Okay, okay," he sighed. Heading toward his car, he noticed a piece of paper on the windshield of his grey Honda Accord. "I can't afford a parking ticket." But as he moved closer, he realized that it wasn't a citation, but just another hand written note. He snatched it from beneath the wiper and torn it open.

Just a friendly reminder, 10pm.

Crumpling up the note, he opened his car door and tossed it onto the passenger's seat. Fari scratched his head as he let his engine warm up a bit before putting it into drive to head home. Shaking his head as he pulled into the parking garage, he reached over to grab the letter after parking in his numbered stall, 110.

The cannery was about a 45-minute drive and it was now about 7. He figured he would cook something and mull over the idea of going, but the choice had already been made. He needed the money because rent was due in a week.
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