Page 40 of Cruel Daddy Dragon

I should text them both. Ask to meet up just so I can begin to understand everything that’s going on—before the town has fully gotten a hold of the gossip about the hickey on my neck and the bridge ladies start shuffling over to me, asking for comment.

I reach over toward my phone, and—a flash. There’s a flash over my vision.

What? What happened?

I blink hard. There’s another flash.

Am I going to pass out?

A third flash happens. But this time, it doesn’t just pass me by. My vision bleaches white, and I get a crawling feeling of dread up and down my body. I suddenly feel like something’s wrong. Something’s very, very wrong.

When my vision clears, I’m looking at Merl. He’s swaying back and forth, standing in front of a stop sign. There’s a man in front of him, I think he works at the butchers, I think? There’s a lot of posturing between the two of them. The man is bracing himself, glaring, his nostrils flaring, his arm flexing, and his fist rising. Merl sways a little more but points a drunken finger at the man. The other man points a finger right back. Merl stumblesforward and shoves the man. The man stumbles back, and he says something, shaking his head. Merl swings a haymaker at him. The man steps back from Merl’s swing and then steps in closer. He punches back and clocks Merl in the face. Merl’s head rocks backward, but the man isn’t done. The man catches him by the shirt and launches a few more punches into Merl’s face. Merl’s nose is bleeding. More blood flies and—

I blink. I’m back at my desk. I’m staring at my monitor. Nothing’s happened.

Wait… what?

There’s nothing but typing around me. I look around. No one seems to have noticed a damn thing.

What just happened?

I get up from my desk. I scan the police station, and everyone’s just working away. Seems even the gossip of my hickey hasn’t distracted them too much. That’s good, but… what was that I just saw then?

I start walking to the window in the office and peer out. It’s the same as it always has been. But when I look down, right toward the end of the street, I see the old junction—with its stop sign.

Oh, crap. No way.

As I watch, I see Merl meander from the far left. He wavers back and forth in his typical drunken manner and comes to rest by the stop sign.

What’s going on? How did I predict Merl standing by that exact stop sign?

I should stop standing here, gawking. If this is some magic shit, then it’s a good guess that the man who’s going to beat Merl up is coming shortly.

“Sorry, Guys,” I call to the other officers, “I have to go outside for a second. Hold down the fort, will you?”

“Sure, Sheriff!” Will calls to me.

They share some kind of knowing glance, but I don’t have any time to correct them that it’s not a personal call. I need to go now.

***

As I walk out the front of the police station, I see Merl, still hovering drunkenly by the stop sign. I keep my eyes peeled as I half-jog up to Merl. At first, everything seems normal. But as I start to get closer, I see a man determinedly striding toward Merl.

“Hey!Merl!” the butcher yells, “Don’t walk away from me, you old drunk!”

Oh, damn.

I break into a faster sprint as Merl bumbles around on the spot to face the man.

“What?” Merl slurs.

“You don’t get to walk into my shop and do that shit!” the butcher snaps, “Do you understand justhow muchthat was worth?!”

“Oh… what?” Merl asks.

The butcher finally reaches him. He isfurious.

“That fridge you fell into wasthousands of dollars,and it’s completely broken! Do you haveany ideahow long it’s going to be before I can get another fridge like that?!”the butcher screams, “And that’s not to mention all the product you spilledeverywhere!Do you have any idea how much that was all worth?!”

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