Too Close To Home - Part 1

I couldn't quite decide whether to start posting this on ATS or not. It started off as a short story, but has gotten a bit out of hand. It could be a little too lengthy in total. I'll break it down into 2000 word chapters if it helps. Here's the first - enjoy...

(mods - if you'd rather I posted this on my own site and linked to it instead, please just let me know)

Part 1

The engine of the refuse truck gunned noisily in the street out front, dragging me painfully from the few hours� sleep I had eventually managed to find in the early hours of the morning. A cool breeze rattled the blinds gently and washed through the room, reminding me that winter was on its way. That day however, I didn�t care. That day, Friday the 15th October, was my last day of work before two weeks leave. My first vacation that year.

My coffee and nicotine breakfast was uneventful, which was more than could be said for the previous night, of which the events were unfolding on the small black and white TV perched on the end of the breakfast bar. According to the Grampian News reader (who looked like she was still receiving minute by minute updates via her ear-piece), air traffic control problems being experienced at both the RAF Kinloss and Lossiemouth bases had resulted in a large number of military aircraft being re-directed to Inverness City airport, which of course was creating havoc with the scheduled early morning commuter flights to London.
As I flicked the TV off, a spokesman from the airport management was busy commenting on the fact that their staff was simply not trained to handle the groundside processing of military aircraft. I remember thinking that the military crew working busily behind him looked to be managing quite well on their own.
I left the house still feeling groggy, and after feeding my cat, Horus, (a white and tabby bruiser of a tom) I headed for the office. On the way there, I made a last minute detour down Millburn Road to the petrol station. I was low on smokes.

The door buzzer grated noisily as I stepped past the heavy door, �Morning, Amber.� I waved as I crossed over to the news-stand.

�I�m glad you didn�t say �good� there, �cause it isn�t!� replied the girl from behind the cash desk. Amber had been there since she�d left school. Good natured and pretty, she was a perfect source for local gossip, but in the nicest possible way. Not that I partook very often.

�Busy morning?� I asked absently as I scanned the headlines on the shelves in front of me.

�Busy all bloody night you mean! I got called in here at 3am, and have barely stopped since then. That mess at the airport has screwed our diesel quota up completely, the tanker from the harbour terminal has been back here once already and we were only refilled yesterday afternoon,� she replied.

I glanced across the deserted forecourt and frowned, my battered old Vauxhall being the only vehicle in sight, �Maybe you�re in for a reprieve. Who wanted all the fuel?� I asked, my curiosity heightening.

�The army, or whoever they are. The air-force?�

I shrugged and grabbed a copy of the Courier.

They�ve been in and out of here all night, making their demands.�

�Demands? Like what?� I asked.

Amber settled her elbows on the high surface of the counter and craned her neck forward in a classic example of her gossip pose. I smiled inwardly as I searched my jacket pockets for change; she�d been working here too long. I motioned at my favourite brand of cigarettes on the shelf behind her. She took a pack of 20 and immediately returned to the same position.

�First off, half these guys are driving army��

�Air-force,� I corrected.

�Air-force trucks and four by fours, right? But hardly any of them are in uniform. Don�t you think that�s strange? They�re all dressed up in suits. And then, if that isn�t weird enough, three of them came in here about an hour ago, brandishing some legal-looking letter and demanding our CCTV tapes from 10pm last night onwards.�

�Did you hand them over?�

�I didn�t have any choice, and they pulled the plug on the recorders through the back. No CCTV until further notice, they said.�

I looked up at the cameras outside in the forecourt and shrugged again. It did sound a little strange, but then Inverness didn�t see much in the way of military controlled emergencies. Who were we to argue?
The rattle of the drain covers outside caught both our attention as a bulky looking, dark blue Range Rover pulled in slowly. The blacked out windows obscured the occupants completely, and I was surprised to feel a faint shiver work its way down my spine.

�I�m out of here,� I said quietly, gathering up my paper and cigarettes, �I should be at work.�

The unsettling expression of nervousness on Ambers face as she watched the Range Rover park beside the further away pump made me feel even more uneasy, �Sure, see you later,� she said, her smile gone.

As I pulled away from the filling station and headed for the office, I glanced in my rear view mirror. To my surprise, I could see the nose of the Range Rover edging out of the petrol station exit. For some reason, still unknown to me, I gunned the engine and dodged out into the increasing rush hour traffic, losing sight of them almost immediately.

-*-

The rest of the day ticked by without incident. The most excitement to come my way was when I found the canteen were serving lasagne for lunch, but apart from that it was just another Friday. At around four pm my boss, who knew I was going on leave, gave me the nod to leave early, and by a quarter past I was back on the A9 heading south towards home.
Approaching my exit, I signalled and slowed before receiving the fright of my life. I hadn�t been watching my mirrors, and as I edged my car over onto the exit lane, a column of two traffic department cars roared past in the outside lane, letting loose a deafening wail of sirens as they went. They were closely followed by a line of four more Range Rovers, identical to the one I�d seen earlier. All six of them had to be doing at least ninety.
As I pulled through the junction and continued towards home, the high speed convoy carried on southwards out of town. Inverness was becoming a busy place.

Horus meowed noisily and jumped up onto the kitchen counter beside the door as I entered, rubbing his nose into my hand as I ruffled his mane of thick, fluffy hair. �Hey boy, how was your day?� The cat purred in reply and turned his attention to a scrap of paper that had fluttered onto the floor behind me. �What you got there?� I asked, picking it up before Horus could shred it. It was a yellow post-it, but as to where it had been stuck I hadn�t noticed.

It was filled on one side with large, bubbly handwriting.

- Cathedral car park � 7pm � I need to talk to you! - Amber

I frowned involuntarily and looked at the digital clock on the microwave. It was only half four and I�d hoped to be on the road by half five at the latest. But she knew this. Amber knew everything, why sabotage my plans for fishing, sleep and just generally doing nothing? I didn�t know, but no doubt there would be a good reason, in Ambers eyes if no-one elses.

I threw the note in the trash and began getting dinner together for both me and the cat, pulling closed the kitchen window as I went, whilst absently trying to remember if I�d closed it already before leaving for work that morning.

Cathedral car park � 7pm

As I pulled into the large, empty car park, the rain that had started about an hour earlier drummed heavily on the roof, the large droplets bouncing off the bonnet and adding to the spray that the wipers were already struggling to cope with.
There was no sign of Amber. I then realised I didn�t even know what model of car she drove. I rolled slowly up to the back of the car park, turned, and stopped over on the right hand side where the sodium street lights struggled to reach. If the police passed by and happened to glance in my direction, they�d be over in a second.

I switched the engine off and watched the rain wash down over the windscreen as the wipers stopped. Lighting a cigarette I contemplated what little I had planned for the following ten days. My father had owned a three bedroom farmhouse just north of a small village called Balnafoich, around 20 miles from Inverness. A few years before he died, he�d had the place converted into a cabin-style retreat with the intention of renting it out to the tourists during the summer season. It was a beautiful part of the countryside and completely obscured from the road or any other signs of civilisation.
Sitting in a half-acre clearing among a massive pine plantation, the idyllic setting and small, stocked loch made it the perfect vacation hideaway. Horus would come too, and always seemed to enjoy the change of scenery as much as I did, content to lie beside the open fire in the evenings and live off the steady supply of rainbow trout I would undoubtedly end up catching.

An almighty hammering on the passenger side window startled me from my day dreaming as I jumped in my seat, flicking cigarette ash everywhere. The door was yanked open, resulting in a wash of cool air and rain, as Amber jumped clumsily into the seat and slammed the door behind her.

�Bloody hell!� she said loudly, gathering back the strands of soaking hair from her face and smiling widely, �Don�t you just love our weather?!�

Despite my irritancy at having my leave delayed further, my curiosity had been beginning to get the better of me and I returned the smile, �Not enough to be running around in it wearing that.� I motioned at the light, summer jacket she was wearing. It had probably gotten soaked right through in about five minutes flat.

�I know, I should have checked the forecast,� she replied, her expression dropping to one of distant recognition.

�Amber. What�s so important? What�s the matter?� I asked.

She looked up, squinting through the rain soaked windscreen at the blurred view. �Can we get out of here first?� she asked, still looking worried.

I studied her face for a moment, trying to consider what this could all be about, and nodded, noticing she was beginning to shiver. �Sure,� we can go back to my place, get you dry for starters, you�re gonna catch something at that rate.�

�No. I mean out of here. Out of Inverness. You said you were going to your folks old place this weekend, take me with you.�

Now. Under these circumstances, don�t get me wrong, I�d normally be more than happy to have a pretty young woman accompany me on a stay in the country. Show me a red-blooded male who wouldn�t be. But already I had a clash of alarm bells ringing in my ears. Had this all been so she could come with me? A free vacation away from the city? I�d seen Amber almost every day for years, but only from the other side of the petrol station counter. I didn�t know her. She could have been completely nuts for all I knew.

I paused, my hand on the ignition key, and turned to her. �Amber what is it? What�s gotten you so freaked?�

She seemed to lose her patience in a manner I�d never seen from her before, �Look, please! It�s about those air force trucks. More of them arrived not long after you left this morning and� look, I�m scared. Please, let�s just go. I can�t think straight right now.�

I felt an unpleasant knot tie itself in my stomach, and after a moment I nodded, started the engine, slipped the car into gear and pulled out of the car park. The October rain didn�t let up once.

To be continued�

Excellent stuff UF!!!!

When is the next part out ?

Originally posted by trinityschild
Excellent stuff UF!!!!

When is the next part out ?

Thanks - glad you like it

I'm transferring part 3 from paper to MS Word now (the joys of writing by pen!) and should have it posted shortly. That will be it for tonight though I think, I'm off out for dinner after that! (pizza....mmmmm)

The rest will follow this weekend though.

[edit - hmm, just noticed u don't get any points for posting in here ]

[Edited on 19-9-2003 by UniversalFiction]

No problem you posting here.Chapters are fine.

Enjoyed the read.