Short Story

Pavel Florea

8 Dec

Story #2

The Crows

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, not really dark because of the city lights and constant flashes of lightning, but Jeffrey was certain that it would be very dark without them. He drove his ’09 Ford Crown Victoria along one of the city's main streets, looking forward for his shift to end. He parked the car on the sidewalk and turned off the engine. Without taking his seatbelt off he leaned to the right side. He got the unorganized stack of cash from the glove box and started counting. It was less than usual. He sighed and started the car. One last drive, and I'll be getting home for a nice, hot shower, and a warm dinner... he assured himself, looking around for any unlucky pedestrians who have been caught by the rain.

So far such poor souls haven’t shown, and Jeffrey thought that he might just go home. Just as he was about to turn the cab's lights off, his eyes spotted an elderly couple waving at him, huddled together, and hoping to get somewhere dry as quickly as possible. The man wore a black suit and an outdated dressing hat. The woman had a conservative baby-blue dress on. First, Jeffrey frowned since he was certain that he had finished for the day but since he didn’t make enough for the day and he felt bad for the couple, Jeffrey steered the car their way. He got as close to the sidewalk as possible so they can get inside easier.

"Caught by the rain, eh? Don’t worry, I’ll get you two home right away." He tried to sound cheerful but his monotone voice failed him. He opened the back door so the two can get inside and closed them immediately after they got in.

"So, where'll I be taking ya, Mister and Missis...?"

“Crow, Mister and Mis’ess Crow, dear. 25 Merry lane, please.”

“Will get there in no time.” Jeffrey said with a forced smile and started the engine.

The rain was bombarding the car and the squeaky windshield wipers could barely keep up with the water flow. Both sounds became louder as the car started...