Assassin From The Portal

Gary is sitting in his office, staring out the window, watching the dark black clouds roll in. There is a dangerous storm about to hit, so he decides to leave, hoping to get home before it hits.

It’s only three o’clock but he is having guests over for dinner tonight. Not a night to arrive home late because of a storm. Gary makes the decision to leave, head home and help Cera, his wife, with the finishing touches, before the guests arrive.

Gary collects anything he needs to take home, loads them in his briefcase and walks out the door.

“Mandy, I’m heading home to try to beat this storm that’s rolling in. Looks like a nasty one. Why don’t you head off too,” Gary says to her secretary.

Mandy thinks this is a great idea and shuts everything down. Mandy and Gary are waiting for the lifts, while making small talk about their different plans for the evening. They arrive on the ground floor and head their separate ways.

“Have a great night Mandy and I’ll see you in the morning. Stay safe,” Gary says as he walks out to the car park.

It’s only a short walk and Gary is soon in his car. He turns left out of the car park onto the busy highway. Damn, looks like everyone has the same idea, he thinks to himself. I’ll never get home at this rate. Traffic is at a crawl and Gary is trying to be patient but he’s beginning to fret. It looks like he is going to be late home for dinner after all.

Another half hour in the slow traffic and Gary’s anxiety is rising rapidly. He feels the need to get home as soon as possible, so when he sees a left turn up ahead he decides to take it. Maybe by taking the back roads he can beat the traffic.

So far so good, as Gary is able to finally sit on the speed limit. There are very few cars on the back streets and he is feeling the temptation to speed. If he did, could he make up the time?

Gary pushes down slightly on the accelerator. Ten kilometres over the speed limit won’t hurt. After his next right turn he finds himself on a long straight road. He deems it safe enough to put on a little more speed. He can see about a third of the way from the end of this stretch, there’s a railway crossing and damn it, the boom gates are beginning to lower. No, he thinks to himself. I don’t have the time to wait out a freight train before crossing those tracks.

Gary edges the accelerator a little lower and believes he can make it before the boom gates fall. Just a little more speed is needed. Gary pushes the pedal a little harder, when he hears a loud popping noise.

It’s a blown out tyre and unfortunately at the speed Gary is now doing, it doesn’t bode well. Gary has lost control of the car and it careens all over the road. The car is suddenly completing a three sixty degree loop and he is now going backwards past the boom gates, coming to a stop on the tracks.

He looks out his window in horror as the train smashes into and through the side of his car. Gary didn’t stand a chance of surviving such a monumental collision.

His insistence in not being late has cost him his life.

What seems like no more than a second since the accident, Gary takes a deep breathe and opens his eyes. Where is he and how is he alive?

He is lying on a bed and it looks like some sort of private hospital room. He’s alone in the room, when suddenly the door opens and in walks a young teenage child. She can’t be more than twelve years old.

“Hi Gary, my name is Samantha, but you can call me Sam. How are you feeling?”

“You’ll probably find yourself a little disoriented at first but that should ease overnight. We weren’t quite expecting you just yet but you’re here now, so we will work with what we have.”

Gary looked at Sam in confusion. “Who are you? How old are you? You look about twelve years old. Where am I? Why am I not dead?”

“Yes I expect you have a lot of questions,” Sam responded.

“I’ll answer as much as I can. I’m not twelve years of age, I’m actually fourteen and I am a fully qualified Software Engineer. I know that I seem young but you’ll soon learn that’s typical and normal around here.”

“As to where you are and why you are alive? Let me explain but I forewarn you that the answers will blow your mind. Sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow for these answers?”

Gary glared at her. “No, I do not want to wait until tomorrow. Something just doesn’t add up here,” Gary retorted angrily.

Sam placed a hand gently on Gary’s forearm, while explaining, “Gary you have been returned to Earth. I know that’s going to sound strange as you believe you lived and died on Earth and you are generally correct.”

“However, the piece of information that you are missing, is that where you lived and died, is actually an alternate reality on Earth. Are you with me so far?”

Gary is looking at Sam as if she’s some alien that doesn’t speak English.

He finally finds his voice, “I don’t believe you, how can this be? Do you have any proof?”

Sam chuckles, “I will take you to the proof in just a second. My colleagues and I designed and set up this alternative reality and we filled it with volunteers.”

“Gary you were one of those volunteers. You just may not remember. Come with me and I’ll now show you that proof.”

Sam leads the way out of the room, down a long corridor to another room. This one has been set up cinema style.

“Gary, please take a seat,” Sam requested.

They both sat down, in plush seats, facing a large screen. Sam raises her hand and the screen comes to life.

Whoa. Gary jumped as he saw his wife, Cera in their home, sitting at their table, with their dinner guests. She keeps looking at her watch and announced to the guests that her husband should not be far away. They all understand it’s this storm overhead that would be the reason for the delay.

Gary turns to Sam, “Cera doesn’t know yet about the accident?”

Sam looks at him kindly and explains, “She’s about to find out now. You sure you wish to watch this.”

Gary doesn’t respond, as he is staring at the screen, watching the police officers, who had just knocked on his door, tell his wife that he is dead. Cera shakes her head in disbelief as tears run down her face. One of guests, Missy, wraps her arms around Cera and holds her close, trying to bring her comfort.

The other guests quietly offer their condolences and leave, along with the police officers. Their job was now done.

Only Cera and Missy are left at his house and Gary watches as the devastation sets in for Cera. Missy pours her a glass of whisky and gives Cera a sedative, to knock her out. This is all too traumatic to deal with right now.

Gary can’t watch anymore. He cannot bare the pain on Cera’s face. He also could not comprehend the fact that he will never hold or talk to Cera again. He is not dead but has in fact, lost the absolute love of his life. He asked Sam to turn it off.

Gary sat staring at the dark screen in total shock. Sam decided it would be best to give him some time alone to deal with things. This is a lot to take in.

“Gary I will give you some space and time. If you need me just call and I will be back.”

“If you would like to watch anymore, you only need to raise your hand and the screen will come back to life. Watch as much or as little as you like.”

Sam quietly left the room after receiving no response from Gary.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Gary shook himself out of his fugue. He looked at the dark screen and slowly raised his hand.

The screen come alive and he noticed that days had passed in his old life. How can that be? The scene on the screen is showing his funereal. It’s a closed casket as there really wasn’t enough left of Gary’s body to warrant a casket, but you can’t have a funeral without one.

Gary watches as his friends and family say their goodbyes and listens to their eulogies. Tears are running down his face as he watches and his emotions are working on overload. He cannot watch anymore so raises his hand to turn it off.

Gary sits for a considerable amount of time, letting his emotions wash over him and sobbing his heart out. He cries himself to sleep.

A few hours later, Gary jolts awake and finds he is still in the same room. He looks at the screen and begins to wonder what’s happening in his old life. He raises his hand once more and the screen jumps to life.

Gary is shocked at what he is seeing with his very own eyes. He has no idea how much time has passed but it looks like a few months. On the screen he can see Cera in their bed but there is someone sleeping beside her. Has she found someone new already?

The figure besides Cera rolls over and Gary gasps aloud. It is Missy, in bed with Cera. Maybe she’s there as a comfort to his wife, he explains to himself.

He continues to watch, while on the screen Missy opens her eyes, sees that Cera is awake and smiles lovingly at her. Cera smiles back and leans over and gently kisses Missy on the lips. Missy reaches up and wraps her arms around Cera and pulls her in for a more passionate embrace.

To Gary’s absolute horror, the two women on the screen begin to make love. He watches as they both begin to explore the other’s body. He listens to the little sighs that comes from Cera and remembers she use to make those little sighs when he made love to her.

Gary couldn’t take his eyes off the screen as both women lovingly continue to pleasure each other. Tears are rolling down Gary’s face but he does not make a sound.

He watches as his wife and her new lover leave the bed and head into the kitchen for breakfast. Cera makes Missy a coffee and hands it to her with another smile and a kiss.

He hears Missy whisper, “careful lover or I’ll carry you back to bed.”

Cera laughs delightedly.

The two women sit down to breakfast.

“I am so glad that I never had to tell Gary that I was leaving him for you,” Cera was saying to Missy.

“I’m also glad he never found out about our affair over the last five years. It saved me having to give him a whole world of hurt.”

Missy placed her hands on top of Cera’s with a tender smile.

Cera continued, “He had no idea I was gay and I didn’t look forward to that conversation. He was a good man but towards the end there, I was struggling to pretend I still loved him.”

Missy replied, “I know honey, I could see it when I saw you two together. I’m just glad I have you to myself now. You are the love of my life.”

“It’s ironic that he had that car accident the very night before I was planning on telling him our marriage was over,” Gary heard his wife say.

Gary was totally shocked. How did he have no idea? He was hurt and he was extremely angry. How dare his wife play him for a fool all these years?

Gary raised his hand to turn the screen off and called Sam’s name. It didn’t take long for Sam to walk back through the door.

“Sam, I want back in that game, reality, matrix or whatever it is. I have some unfinished business to take care of,” Gary exclaimed.

“Let me get this straight Gary, you would like to re-volunteer?” Sam queried.

“For that to happen you couldn’t go back in as yourself, of course. You would have to be someone else and you couldn’t go back to Cera and your old life. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sam, I totally understand and I’m fine with all that,” Gary quickly replied.

“How soon can you get me back there?” Gary asked, as he silently plotted the murder of his wife and lover, playing out every last detail in his head.

“Okay Gary, let’s go. We can put you back in immediately,” Sam explains as she leads him back to the original room.

Sam asked Gary to lay back on the bed and she would start the re-entry sequence.

Gary laid down and waited, while finalising his macabre plans in his head. He smiled at Sam while thinking, those two women are going to suffer for playing me as a fool.

Sam was a little weirded out by that last smile she received from Gary, as she watched him re-enter the alternate reality as Max.

**********************************************************************

If you liked my writing, please click on the small heart underneath, near my name. Or send me a tip and let me know you enjoyed it.

****

Please click the link below my name to read more of my work. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read this today and for all your support.

If you enjoy this piece, you may enjoy this one too.

Originally posted on Medium