Leo Brawn

The Visitor

A deep, gravelly voice says, “It won’t be much longer now. No, not very long at all. I remember when we first met. On the bus heading nowhere. It was the beginning of the end as they say.”

The ominous voice continues, “I wonder if you remember it that way, on that fortuitous day. Maybe for you Phillip, it came later. When did you first notice I had arrived? Was it that itch you couldn’t scratch, inside you, at the back of your neck? The first time you woke in a cold sweat, unsure of your surroundings. Could it be that time you punched that Quality Assurance tester in the face. You seemed so confused when you came to. That fat fuck Charles had done nothing to provoke you. You just...had to squash his pudgy, oily face."

"No, Phillip, the voice says, "it was nothing more than a simple knock at the door, my way of saying hello. From what I can tell, you’ve been waiting to open that door all your life.”

Phillip Weston lives in a modest ranch-style house in the rural area of Polk County, Florida. Once a man who took pride in his lawn and home exterior, now he hasn’t left the house in several weeks and the home is showing signs of neglect. The garage door is open, the car within also has the driver side door ajar. The battery had long-since died.

Unwieldy hedges surrounding closed bay windows sprawl in all directions. A stark contrast to the defined, geometric shapes that the hedges used to be. Phillip insisted he do it himself even though his wife Sally was willing to pay a professional. He enjoyed the time outside in the Florida sun and the creativity involved.

In the last few weeks, the yard has been covered with leaves, overgrown with weeds.

The front door to the humble home is also open, a darkened entrance. From the street nothing can be seen inside. There is no movement, no sounds emanating from within.

This household used to be filled with laughter, children playing, music reverberating against the walls and now silence. A silence that is about to receive interruption.

“You rest awhile Phillip. I’ll drive,” the demon continued. “You’ve done your bidding. You are free from the burdens of this life, whatever that is. Save your strength for what’s to come. It's rock bottom now. You've fallen to proper depths, right where I needed you to be."

The demon says, "That time you woke on your rooftop, standing on the edge, strangling that crow. You should have seen your face. How time flies, just like that crow used to do. Now birds of prey hover above, right now. I can see them from where we sit. I can see him coming too. It won't be long now."

The Man in the Rust Colored Suit

Tiltbox Road was a well-paved street that cut through middle-class single- family homes in the friendly community of Heron Hills. It is known for being a quiet, family-oriented place. Until recently, you could hear the children outside, dogs barking. The street of Tiltbox Road is eerily empty these days. Now mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and their furry friends stay inside. No one knows or understands what is happening with the house down the street, at the Weston's.

Brown shoes step into the barren street of Tiltbox. A man adorned in a rust colored suit and leather briefcase stands at the entryway of Heron Hills. He places the briefcase on the street next to his worn loafers. He is tall, ruggedly handsome, bald, a beard in need of trimming covers his chin. He stares through tree limbs waving from a pleasant breeze, the waning sunlight pops in and out from his view as the limbs swing.

He shields his dark brown eyes as the sun light hits his face. He allows a grin as if this is a moment he will remember, or perhaps a moment that comes in short supply.

The pleasant breeze brings with it the sound of flapping wings and grunting squawks. The man opens his eyes to see in the distance a kettle of vultures circling in the twilight sky.

The man loses his grin and his expression is replaced with a grimness. He retrieves his briefcase and begins walking towards the house with the vultures above it.

The demon continues to talk to Phillip. "He's very close now Phillip. You stay there in your dark place. You've served me well. Only a few steps away now. You stay quiet. I'll do the talking. If you obey, if you see me through this, you can kill them Phillip. You can kill them all."

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door.

The man in the rust colored suit is at the threshold of the open door. He kicks away some newspapers left on the foyer and sets his briefcase on the tile floor. He peers into the darkened house as his eyes adjust. Although he knows this is a house in modern day suburbia it feels more like a dungeon he thinks. Before entering the house he sees a welcome mat on the concrete walkway. The welcome mat reads "This is the day the Lord has made."

The man enters the house taking deliberate steps. He grabs the suitcase from the foyer and grips the leather handle affixed to it firmly. "Phillip Weston," the man in the rust colored suit calls out. There is no response returned. The house seems to only respond with creaks as if the house itself is unsettled by the unsolicited visitor.

In the kitchen, dishes have piled up in the sink. Half eaten, rotting food fills the kitchen with a sickening aroma and flies enjoy the feast that is left over. The man attempts to raise Phillip again. "Phillip Weston, I'm here to speak to you." A metallic clank is heard as the sound of a spoon hits the floor. The man's attention is drawn to the adjoining dining room.

It is in the dining room where the man in the rust colored suit locates his quarry. Phillip Weston sits at the opposite end of a dining room table from where the man is standing. Phillip is pale and unmoving. He stares in the direction of the man but is not focused on him.

"'Silence child," the demon reminds Phillip. "I will address this intruder."

The man is not invited to sit but he pulls out a chair from under the table and sits down anyway. He slides away some balled up napkins and silverware making room for his leather-bound briefcase which he places on the surface of the dining room table. Phillip doesn't move, his face doesn't betray with a curious expression but his eyes dart ever so briefly, as if not controlled by himself, at the briefcase before making their way to the man sitting in front of him.

The Briefcase

The man relaxes in his chair and addresses the seemingly comatose Phillip. "Phillip? If you can hear me, I wanted you to know my name...since I know yours. I'm Leo. Leo Brawn. You can call me Mr. Brawn if you prefer but most just call me Leo." Leo pauses hoping to elicit a response from Phillip but there is none.

"Phillip, if you can hear me, I wanted you to know that I'm not here to upset you in any way, I'm simply here to help, " Leo explains. He is met with more silence but the floor upstairs begins to creak, if only for a moment. "Phillip?" Leo is interrupted by a rattling sound. The briefcase on the dining room table begins to vibrate. The vibration ends almost as quickly as it began with a sudden thud. Leo places his thumbs on the briefcase, enters a combination and opens it.

Inside the briefcase is one single card. It resembles a business card but stark white. Through the middle of the card are bold, black letters. Leo retrieves the card, holds it up in front of his face and reads it.

"The spotted cat is blind," Leo recites the nonsensical message to Phillip. Leo pauses and observes as Phillip appears to turn an even lighter shade of pale white. His eyes turn a pale blue. His mouth slowly opens as a long stream of drool slithers out. Then he smiles, letting out a breathy, childlike giggle and taps the side of his head, his finger playfully tapping against his left temple. Leo can see a small scar where Phillip's fingertips touch.

Leo places the card on the table and stares at Phillip. He says, "Phillip, I know that you are there somewhere, and I know that you are not yourself. You probably haven't been for some time. I'm here to let you know that there is a way out. But before all that, Phillip. You need to let them go. You can free them so they'll be safe." Phillips demeanor changes suddenly. The color returns to his face, his eyes less cloudy. A tear builds under his eye lids and trickles down his cheek. He turns to look behind him.

Bound by ropes and tape, sitting helpless on the couch in the living room are his wife and children. Their mouths are sealed shut with duct tape. Their hands and feet are bound with rope. The youngest of the children leans against the arm of the couch, unmoving. Phillips wife Sally stares in desperation at the men at the dining room table, perspiration beading on her forehead. The Weston's eldest son Jacob begins sobbing.

"Phillip, they did not ask for this. You do not want this for them. Let them go! Free your family," Leo exclaims.

Phillip swivels back to Leo, his face has returned to the pale and gaunt version he had when Leo first entered. He is not exactly the same though. There is menace behind Phillip's eyes and he lets out a guttural moan of a laugh that fills the room.

Suddenly the briefcase vibrates again, this time violently. It shakes across the surface of the table until it reaches the edge, tipping over and collapsing to the tile floor. Both Leo and Phillip rise from their seats, leaning over to observe the briefcase. The briefcase opens forcefully startling both Leo and the demon. Leo realizes that Phillip is a little close for comfort and steps back. He then kneels down, retrieving a singular card from the briefcase.

Leo returns to a standing position as he reviews the card. Phillip observes Leo cautiously. Leo's eyes fix on the card and he chooses to not read this card aloud. In the same bold, black letters the card reads "KILL HIM."

Leo returns his gaze to Phillip giving him an uncomfortable smirk. Phillip watches as Leo seemingly returns the card to the briefcase. Leo takes a seat and Phillip does the same. They sit across from each other, sitting in silence. In the living room, you can hear Jacob continuing to sob while Sally, Phillip's wife, attempts to comfort with loving inaudible noises of her own.

Without warning Leo brandishes a pistol, pulls back the hammer with his thumb and fires a direct shot into Phillips head. Phillip is thrust back in his seat. Sally and Jacob shudder in fear on the couch.

Leo looks stunned himself but then begins to return the pistol to the briefcase. He runs over to the wife and children and begins untying them. He starts with Sally but she gestures to attend to her children first, which Leo does without question.

He releases the youngest Michael and checks for a pulse. He nods to Sally that her youngest son is alive. He removes the tape from Jacob and begins untying him.

In the dining room Phillip begins to tremble. His eyes open, more cloudy than ever. Blood pours from the bullet hole in his head. He lets out a hiss which catches the attention of Sally who lets out a muffled scream.

Leo whips his head back to Phillip as the possessed man begins to stand, his back to his family and Leo on the couch.

Phillip hisses again and then opens his mouth wide. An ancient and evil laugh erupts from the man's mouth. Leo braces for what is to come.