"The Experiments"
by Benny O'Barr
> Introduction <
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A lone figure was walking through the moon-cast shadows of the buildings. Avoiding the street lamps as if they would hurt him somehow, he pulled the collar of his trench coat higher. A gust of wind swept through the alley, making the cold twilight even colder. Pulling his fedora lower over his eyes, he put his hands back into his coat pockets, where his right hand slipped around a small gun. Stopping at the edge of a shaft of light from a street lamp, he put on his guard, listening for any noise that could be heard in the dark night. The low rumble of traffic was barely audible, and somewhere a few cars honked in the distance. The ocean was fairly close, but seemed to be oddly quiet. In another direction, a dog barked, and a sound that made the gun-totting man tense up could be heard - the echoing clunk of footsteps . But something was odd about them. The man in the fedora strained to figure out what was so different, and then he realized that the individual approaching was wearing heavy boots of some sort. No, it was something else... there were two men approaching, but they had seemed like one because their footfalls were synchronized. As they came nearer, the man in the trench coat tightened his sweaty hand on the metal shaft, as he bit his lower lip until he tasted blood. Spitting onto the dirty concrete, his index finger toyed with the trigger. Although the gun was small, it was enough to comfort him, and the impending meeting didn’t seem as big of a threat as it had a moment ago. The first of the two men stepped into the light, unafraid that it revealed his identity. As his shorter partner slipped into view, the man in the fedora, still in the shadows, noticed their odd appearance. They where obviously foreigners, as they both wore unusual clothes made of fur. On their heads they wore what appeared to be brimless top hats made of bear hide. He had been right about their footwear, as both of them had on thick black boots made of leather. The shorter of the two was clutching a duffel bag. They stopped barely a foot from the other man, and stood eyeing each other. The scent of cigars and fish coming from the foreigners was almost overwhelming. The taller of the two newcomers broke the silence with a few harsh words to his assistant in a language that the fedora man did not understand. Immediately, the shorter foreigner placed the dufflebag at the feet of the man in the trench coat. “You shall find a quarter of ze total in zat bag like ve agreed.” The taller man said, as his partner bowed, and stepped behind what must be his boss. The man in the fedora started to crouch to pick up the bag, but the taller foreigner quickly placed his foot on it, before he could touch it. “Be not zo eager, my friend, zis is only ze first payment. If you be vanting more, I must confurm zat our deal is complete. When can I expect ze test subjectz?” The fedora man cleared his throat. “You can have them tomorrow... sir.” The last word was added with great difficulty. He hated working for out-of-towners. “Zat is good. Make sure zey are young, but not children. Bring at least two of zem to the docks at half pazt eleven tomorrow night. Pier zeven. You shall get ze rest of it zen.” He then turned towards his partner. Taking a few steps, he paused as he heard the duffel bag being scooped up, the tall man added, “Remember friend, any funny business, and ve take you with us, no?” The man in the trench coat shivered. He knew that if he failed this assignment, then his boss would most certainly make him go with these foreigners. What they did to their “test subjectz” he could only guess, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be pretty. “You don’t hafta worry. It’ll get done.” The fedora man muttered grimly. “Zat iz good.” then to his partner, “come, let us go.” and with that, they marched away into the night. Standing alone in the dark, the man in the trench coat clutched the bag like a baby, afraid that it may disappear out of his arms. The sound of the strange men’s footsteps could no longer be heard, but he hadn’t noticed. The man was confused about what the foreigner had said. He wanted them young, but not children? Did he mean teenagers; or people in their twenties? He couldn’t get gang members, as most of them were too unruly to subdue, and they always traveled in a group, making them difficult targets. He had only received the assignment a few hours earlier, and he was puzzled as to where he might find suitable victims without causing a media uproar. Suddenly it hit him. He knew where to get people of the perfect age, and settle a score while at it. With a fiendish laugh, he spun around and disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
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