10

The reporters flocked around his home like vultures. There was something maniacal about them. He had disconnected his phone, and was ignoring his mail to avoid all unwanted contacts. He thought about asking for a pizza, but wondered how the delivery kid would make it past them. He also thought about calling the police, but wasn’t sure how they would react. Maybe he could call them so that they would bring him a pizza?

He looked out of the window, and saw that there were people still arriving. As he watched, he saw a tall Yamaha arriving to the spot, and parking behind a news van. The driver set foot, and removed her helmet, revealing a pretty face undeneath. She had deep eye shadows, and looked tired, as if she hadn’t slept for a while. Her hair was creased, and had climbed to the top of her head, but she still looked cute to Chris.

He moved away from the window to avoid being seen. He opened the fridge expecting some Orange Juice, but it was all gone by now. The moldy cheese was starting to look appetizing.

He returned to the window, and saw that the brunette bike rider was looking around the place, as if trying to find something or someone. He sighed, realizing that now that he was single again, he would most likely return to the vicious circle of falling in and out of love, while being hated by every girls in whose direction he looked. He didn’t realize until now how much he hadn’t missed the drama.

And then, he saw the girl making eye contact with someone. She walked to the left and almost out of his field of vision, but she stopped right before walking off. She saw her extending her hand, and shaking with someone wearing a black glove, but couldn’t see anything else. He really hoped that something would happen, something that made all those vultures go away.

He sat on the floor, cradling his laptop and disconnected phone. He toyed with the idea of connecting them, as he knew that he should do it soon. Then, right out of the blue and before he could turn it on, his phone started ringing.

Chris looked at it rather sheepishly. Caller ID showed GD was calling, and he couldn’t remember any contact with that name. He pressed “Answer” with a shaky finger, and talked into the phone in a whisper.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Barnett,” said a woman’s voice. It seemed serene and calm, and Chris had to admit that he liked it. “We are something close to friends, I guess. We need to speak to you.”

“Who are you?” asked Chris, who wasn’t ready to trust anyone.

“To be honest, I have no idea, but right now it’s quite possible that we are your only hope.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you better step back from the door if you are anywhere near it.”