One Black Rose
December 24, 2009, Christmas eve day, Amanda sat at the diner finishing off her breakfast. It wasn’t sitting well due to the fear that accompanied her eggs and ham. It mewed in her stomach and promised to bring back memories of eggs gone by. Her bus was late again and she was going to be late for work, again. For sure this time she would be fired. She looked at her watch; it was 8:30 am. She was supposed to be at work by 9:00 am. The bus ride was at an hour long and now there was no way to be on time. She left the diner and headed for the bus stop. Walking fast she wasn't looking. She crossed the street against the light and just made it to the curb before a car whizzed by missing her by inches.
“Moron, you need your license revoked!” she yelled after him, “I can’t believe I’m going to be late again. Where the hell is the bus?” she held onto her troubled tummy.
A black Corvette drove slowly up the street toward the bus stop. The car windows were dark and she couldn't see inside.
“Ump, nice car, I give anything for one of those,” she said quietly.
The car stopped just short of the bus stop and sat with it’s engine idling. Nervously she looked up the street one way then down the street the other. There was no movement anywhere. There were no other cars moving, the people had all disappeared, the trees stood still in a silent wind and there was not another living thing on the street.
“What is going on? I don’t understand, where did everybody go? Maybe I should get out of here. Why is that car just sitting there?” Amanda eggs were not happy.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up and goose bumps made an appearance on her arms. It was a hot day; the armpits of her blue dress were soaked.
“Why doesn’t he just drive on?” the strange faceless car was beginning to get to her. She was too afraid to move. Yet she had to do something.
“Hey…do you need some help? I don’t have a cell phone but I don’t live too far from here. I can go to my house and call the police for you,” stupid she thought, then said to herself, “Why did I say that? Now he’ll probably follow me home and kill me or something.”
Suddenly, the car revved up its engine, the tires squealed, and the car pulled away leaving black tar marks and smoke behind. As the car passed the bustop, white-hot flames shot out from its tailpipe. Amanda felt the heat and it felt hotter than hell.
“What was that all about?” she nervously asked.
Something told her that she really didn’t want to know. She turned her head in the other direction away from the now long gone car and saw the bus pulling up to the bus stop. She hurried onto the bus. She wanted to get as far from this place as possible. When she arrived, her boss was waiting for her.
“Amada, I’d like to see you in my office please,” he did not sound happy.
“Yes Mr. Wharton,” she said.
“Amanda, you are supposed to be here at 9:00,” he started.
“I know sir, I’m sorry. I don’t have a car you know and…”
“Why didn’t you take that ride offered this morning?” he asked.
“I…, it didn’t feel right sir and no one really offered,” she defended, and then she thought how did he know about that?
“Alright then …next time,” he finished then dismissed her.
“Oh, yes sir next time,” maybe he sent them to get her, after all they were sleeping together even though he was married. Why didn’t he just say he sent a ride for her? That was really nice, maybe he would leave his wife soon for her. However, Amanda was confused. She looked at her watch, it was 10:45, it was a good thing she was secretly seeing him, she would have been fired for sure if she wasn’t.
The day went by fast and before she knew it, she was on her way home. Her bus was coming but she saw a man grab a little old woman’s purse. Without thinking, Amanda stuck her foot out as he ran by her and the guy came crashing to the ground, he jumped up, leaving the purse and ran away. She returned the purse to the little lady but missed her bus. She waited over an hour and a half for the next one.
The next morning Amanda waited in her usual spot for the bus. It was late again.
“Damn, I just can not catch a break. Hour and a half getting home, late in to work again, man this sucks,” she said frustrated.
Then she saw it. A black Corvette, could it be the same one she wondered. She remembered her boss’s words. She began to walk slowly toward the car. The passenger side door opened. Amanda felt heat coming from inside the car. She really didn’t want to get in. Just as she touched the door, another car pulled up. It was a white stretch Limousine and its door was opened. A bright light shown from inside. She slowly let go of the Corvette and moved toward the Limo. As she neared it, she could hear beautiful soft music coming from it. The Corvette countered with some hard-core head banging rock. Amanda got inside the Limo and the door slowly closed. She looked between the open partition window at the driver but the sun was shinning from the outside window so bright that she could not make out the drivers face.
“Who are you?” she said with her hand shielding her eyes from the bright light.
“Amanda, you have always been good and true. The way you helped the lady with her purse was just a test, to see whether or not you would help in some way. In addition, like most, you have made some bad decision in your life. You were the last hope for man kind. You were the only person in all of humanity who was directly in the middle of good and evil. Had you chose the Corvette, you would have domed all of mankind to an eternity of darkness,” the driver said.
In the emergency room, of the hospital near the diner where Amanda had previously had breakfast the other day, Doctor James Sinclair hung his head. He hated loosing and he especially hated losing someone so young and full of life.
“Ok people, December 24th, 10:45 am, I’m sure not what her parents wanted for Christmas but I'm pretty sure it wasn't this, I’m calling it. Patient, Amanda Woods died due to injuries sustained in a hit and run accident. Do the police know who hit her yet?” he sadly asked.
The paramedic who brought her into the Er said, “I think they said it was a black Corvette.”
Bus Stop