alone

it was another late night in the parking lot. snow sprinkled all around as he clutched at himself for warmth. beyond, past, and through the buildings, the darkness elongated forever. somehow he had convinced himself that it was going to be a short jaunt.

he had to be nearing the end, he figured. only literally, of course; metaphors are worthless. plus, to be frank, he thought of himself as more likely being in the middle of things.

something compelled him to turn around. behind him was a car, idling in a different, nearby parking lot. a tall, young-looking man was standing next to the car, holding something small at about chest level. the headlights were on.

“there will be worse times than this,” he yelled at the man. his voice, suddenly lost, dropped to a hoary whisper of a shout. “there have been before.” his words echoed back to him, and the voice sounded so unlike his own. for a moment he wasn’t sure if the man had shouted back, or why; was he mocking him? encouraging him?

his bones stiffened at the joints as he stared at the man. nothing happened, and no one said a word. what did he expect? eventually the man and the car disappeared, and he was left all alone. he tried to move, but the stiffness was still there. probably from the cold, he figured. probably from the cold.