The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Layaway Payments 
by Kendra Smart  

“The weatherman is calling for blistering storms and snow to hit as the night goes on. As the early hours of the morning come we will be definitely seeing the worst of the storm. For those folks out there tonight, keep your wits about you and your radios on for updates. Before I sign off for the evening, here is some smooth jazz for you to enter into the evening with. Sail away with Terry The Twister here at good ole’ 1005.2 WFGR.”

 His hands were cold upon the wheel, why he had been chosen for this delivery was beyond him, above him as well. The upper management had compelled him that he wanted to do this mission, in fact. It was to better serve his fellow humans and that was the purpose right? In living, to serve those above with the false hope of help to those below. Fortune favored the fool consistently.

A little girl was the recipient this time, her heart had suffered some malady or malfunction, but needed replacing. That was his job, to take her the replacement she needed. So onward he drove, the cooler beside him packed with ice and carrying the most precious of cargo.  The deep red of the biohazard tape and symbol flaring up under the spotlight as the vehicle moved onward in the frigid night, street lamps doing their best in the elements to shine bright like little stars. He chuckled as the title of Navigator fit in more ways than one currently.

His hands were purple against the cold, he had the heaters on as much as he could in the cab of the car without putting the cargo in danger but outside was hostile territory. The weather app may say twelve degrees but that was before the wild and sleet. The icy blast of snow that spread like a wave of water but caused the vision to literally “white out” when they crashed and flowed along the street and car.

He had layered up the best he could manage but his body would inadvertently shiver and shake every once in a while. It burnt to the bones this type of cold, it was an ache that could be felt even long after the chill had gone. It was a pain that demanded to be acknowledged, and gave no mercy until its demands were met. But there was the job, get from point A to point B then and only then would he stop to lick his wounds.

The jazz played lightly and he found his head nodding along as the trumpets soared in their solo and the saxophone made the song bend along its beat. Any other time it wouldn’t have mattered, with his sight distance the way it was, those sirens of soul kept his sanity tied by the slimmest of threads.

His hands were clenched so tight on the wheel, all his strength keeping steady against the wind trying to steal his car away from him in an icy and deadly ballet. The road signs kept him updated as best as he could make them out. He was just about 20 miles outside of the target area now. Just a little further to go.

“Weary travelers, this is the voice with the most, Fast Cat Billy Mac. Let’s keep this party rolling with the sultry soulful stylings that are sure to bring comfort out there on those lonely cold roads. Keep trucking out there and may your journey’s end be the rest you wait for.”

Fifteen miles left now, it was almost a sure thing that he would make it to the hospital in the time needed for the girl to still get a viable organ. The wind had picked up but if he took his time and kept hold of the wheel, a steady foot between the gas and brake he could make it. But the howl, the mournful cry as the wind blew into and over the car. It was haunting to hear, even with the beautiful smoky alto singing him to safety.

Twelve miles now, it was almost over, his journey. But the cold was brutal and harsh. Just thirty minutes left for him to make it in time. More than enough. Only twelve.

The radio kept on with the soul singers and he was taken to every path the human heart can walk down, whether through bitter sadness or hopeful new love. Just listening to the radio as he made his way down the icy road on the road to saving a life. That little girl and her family, who had been wealthy enough to buy her this organ to replace the faulty and to provide his family with a flood of Christmas joy. As long as he made it on time, all would be well.

Ten miles to go, the wind had let up, almost as if telling him the worst was behind him. Ten mil…*Crack*

A branch had come out of nowhere, hitting his driver’s side window. The result was a hole letting in the beast of the cold that before had been kept at bay. His body reacted instantly and intensely. The cold swelled up his body and ate through the down jacket he had been foolish to think would keep him warm.

Six miles, he saw with relief as the cold no longer was felt. Strangely what had once been cold was now so warm he didn’t question pulling over for a quick moment to put something over the hole. But six miles was nothing. He could make it, just a bit more.

And the miles they dwindled the rest of the way but the funny thing was, the closer he got the stiffer his hands got on the wheel. At this point, there really was no going back, he could pull off and seek shelter at a stop but by this time he was almost to the hospital, just two miles.

The neon lights helped with visuals but the wind hadn’t waned in the slightest. He could barely feel anything as he rounded the corner. The digital voice gave him his last words as the car stopped.

“You have arrived at your destination.”

They met him, with their long leather dusters caught up in the wind. They met him in safety gear and they were unconcerned with the state of the biohazard case. One man in rubber gloves put his hand in the car and shut it off. Another stepped to the side and called back to where this had all begun.

“The organs have arrived in tack and safely, the donor arrived willingly. Pay the family what they are due.”

Looking at the men stretchering the donor into the hospital, the radio played one last riff as the door closed and the car became as silent as the passenger it had carried.

“Bundle up with your loved ones tight, we will make it through this blustery snow storm. Just a bit more now, some cocoa and maybe some warm honey to see you through this night, Merry Christmas ya’ll, and good night.”

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Fiction © Copyright Kendra Smart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from author Kendra Smart:

Just Emotions:
A Gothic Bite Magazine Anthology

A collection of poetry.

‘Just Emotions‘ is exactly as it states, a group of writers who had feelings they wanted to express in poem form. Inside, there are a range of emotions to explore. Each writer has given a bit of themselves to you, each in their own way.

We hope that you enjoy these writings and that among the poems you may find some thing you can identify with or relate to. Thank you for giving us this chance to open the catacombs and share with you.

Available on Amazon!