Tales From Beyond These Walls | Book 1 | Fury, page 17
part #1 of Tales From Beyond These Walls Series
“I’m sorry, mate,” Dave said.
Rhys looked past Dave at the house he’d just left. Like Dave’s house, it provided affordable living for the young professional. “You fucked Julie again?”
A half smile, and Dave shrugged. “How long have I got before you leave?”
After a glance down at the dash, Rhys said, “Four minutes.” He had six, but Dave always needed the wiggle room.
Without another word, Dave jogged toward his house. A sprint would have no doubt reproduced most of the consumed alcohol from the previous night, and Rhys didn’t need to see that, even if it did mean Dave moved slower.
The electric window whirred as Rhys did it up again, and the leather seat groaned when he leaned back into it. Despite the cool air conditioning, the heat of the sun warmed his face, and he closed his eyes. One day, Dave would surprise him by being on time.
Yeah, right.
When Dave opened the car door, Rhys opened his eyes again. A glance at the clock, and he quickly sat upright. The cheeky fucker had taken twelve minutes from him; it best not fuck things up for seeing his boy. The opportunities for him to see Flynn were few and far between. The last thing he needed was Dave ruining that, even though he couldn’t ever know what time to pass Flynn’s school because his mother was so damn inconsistent. When they’d been together, Larissa kept time like an army sergeant. Now she turned up whenever she fucking liked. She used it as a way to fuck with him, a way of repeated punishment for his one mistake.
“Sorry again, mate,” Dave said as he strapped his seatbelt on. “I don’t have my alarm at Julie’s.”
Rhys made a quick check over his shoulder and signalled before he pulled away. Being pissed with him wouldn’t help, but Rhys couldn’t let go of the tension that gripped his jaw. Not that he could really blame Dave; he could have left him after ten minutes like they’d previously agreed.
A deep sigh, and Rhys rolled his shoulders. It loosened the tension slightly. “What’s going on with you two? That’s the fifth time in the past fortnight that you’ve stayed over there.”
“You know what it’s like, mate; we go out on the piss, bump into each other all drunk and horny, one thing leads to another…”
“Why don’t you just start dating her? You’re thirty-five now, Dave, you ain’t getting any younger.”
“Exactly.”
Rhys raised an eyebrow at him. “Huh?”
“I have less time left in my life,” Dave explained. “Do you seriously think I need to fill what’s left of whatever existence I have with the bullshit of being attached to somebody? I like fucking; I don’t like going to garden centres on a Sunday and picking out potted plants. Besides, you’re hardly a shining example to follow when it comes to relationships.”
“That was below the belt, mate.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
Rhys shook his head. “Whatever.”
“Do you remember when you were out on the weekends with us? The wild nights on the town with the boys?”
Of course he remembered them. The hint of a smile lifted his lips.
Despite his apparent lethargy, Dave jumped on it. “See? They were fun times… bullshit chat up lines that worked more often than not, a different woman every night, dancing until the early hours, and a takeaway on the way home. When you wake up in a strange bed with a naked woman and a half-eaten kebab in your pocket, you knew you’d had a good night. How’s that not fun?”
When they rounded the next bend, the sun shone directly into the front of the car. The glare burned Rhys’ eyes, but it seemed like nothing compared to Dave. First he shrieked, hid behind his forearms, and then flapped around until he’d found his sunglasses and slipped them on.
“What are you,” Rhys said, “a fucking vampire?”
“The hangovers get harder with each passing week, man. I’m getting too old for this.”
“Yeah, I don’t miss that.”
“You should come out with us one weekend. I know the boys would be pleased to see you.”
“I would,” Rhys said, “but I have different priorities now. I’m a dad and I need to behave like one. I may have troubles with Larissa, but Flynn is my reason for being. I need to do the right thing by him.”
The route to work always passed Flynn’s school. Of course, Rhys wanted to arrive at work on time, but he lived for the chance to pass Flynn when he got dropped off at the gates. Just one glance of his little boy could keep him going for a week or more.
When they got close, Rhys slowed down and looked across at all the children. Dave shut up as Rhys continued to search. Between eight and nine, all of the kids got dropped off by their parents; a quick glance at the clock on the dash showed him it was eight twenty-three.
Even after they’d passed the primary school, Rhys continued to look over his shoulder. Not that it served any purpose; there were only a handful of kids, and most of them were girls.
As Rhys sped up, Dave rubbed his temples and reclined into his seat again. “No Flynn today?”
Did it look like Flynn was there today? Rhys pushed out a heavy sigh to try to force some of his frustration away. “No, I swear she drops him at a different time every day just to fuck with me. All I want is a small glance of him, a wave before I go to work. I just want him to know how much I love him. I don’t want him to forget me. Instead, I feel like a fucking stalker… a nonce that slows down and stares at the children going into school.” With his jaw clenched, he added, “I swear she gets some sick pleasure from it.”
It may have been a clumsy hand, guided by an exhausted and clearly still intoxicated man, but when Dave squeezed Rhys’ shoulder, it sent a shimmer of sadness through his heart. The sting of tears itched his eyeballs, and he continued to stare straight ahead.
“He won’t forget you, mate. Six year olds know who their parents are, even if they’re separated. When did you see him last?”
“About a week and a half ago.”
“So Saturday’s your next day with him?”
With a grip so tight on the wheel it hurt his hands, Rhys’ breathed quicker. “That’s the plan. If she doesn’t fucking cancel, that is.”
“She’s still cancelling a lot?”
“Yeah, whenever she damn well feels like it.”
Dave let go of Rhys’ shoulder, leaned back, and shook his head. “What a bitch.”
Rhys didn’t reply.
Thank you for reading The Alpha Plague Chapter One.
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About the Author
Like most children born in the seventies, Michael grew up with Star Wars in his life, along with other great stories like Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and as he grew older, the Alien franchise. An obsessive watcher of movies and consumer of stories, he found his mind wandering to stories of his own.
Those stories had to come out.
He hopes you enjoy reading his work as much as he does creating it.
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Also by Michael Robertson
THE SHADOW ORDER:
The Shadow Order
The First Mission - Book Two of The Shadow Order
The Crimson War - Book Three of The Shadow Order
Eradication - Book Four of The Shadow Order
Fugitive - Book Five of The Shadow Order
Enigma - Book Six of The Shadow Order
Prophecy - Book Seven of The Shadow Order
The Faradis - Book Eight of The Shadow Order
The Complete Shadow Order Box Set - Books 1 - 8
NEON HORIZON:
The Blind Spot - A Science Fiction Thriller - Neon Horizon Book One.
Prime City - A Science Fiction Thriller - Neon Horizon Book Two.
Bounty Hunter - A Science Fiction Thriller - Neon Horizon Book Three.
Neon Horizon - Books 1 - 3 Box Set - A Science Fiction Thriller.
THE ALPHA PLAGUE:
The Alpha Plague: A Post-Apocalyptic Action Thriller
The Alpha Plague 2
The Alpha Plague 3
The Alpha Plague 4
The Alpha Plague 5
The Alpha Plague 6
The Alpha Plague 7
The Alpha Plague 8
The Complete Alpha Plague Box Set - Books 1 - 8
BEYOND THESE WALLS:
Protectors - Book one of Beyond These Walls
National Service - Book two of Beyond These Walls
Retribution - Book three of Beyond These Walls
Collapse - Book four of Beyond These Walls
After Edin - Book five of Beyond These Walls
Three Days - Book six of Beyond These Walls
The Asylum - Book seven of Beyond These Walls
Between Fury and Fear - Book eight of Beyond These Walls
Before the Dawn - Book nine of Beyond These Walls
Beyond These Walls - Books 1 - 6 Box Set
TALES FROM BEYOND THESE WALLS:
Fury - Book one of Tales From Beyond These Walls
OFF-KILTER TALES:
The Girl in the Woods - A Ghost’s Story - Off-Kilter Tales Book One
Rat Run - A Post-Apocalyptic Tale - Off-Kilter Tales Book Two
Masked - A Psychological Horror
CRASH:
Crash - A Dark Post-Apocalyptic Tale
Crash II: Highrise Hell
Crash III: There’s No Place Like Home
Crash IV: Run Free
Crash V: The Final Showdown
NEW REALITY:
New Reality: Truth
New Reality 2: Justice
New Reality 3: Fear
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Crash V coming to audiobook soon.
Robertson, Michael, Tales From Beyond These Walls | Book 1 | Fury
