The Permutation

Results (Part 3) Vergil

Monday 10 a.m. October 3rd

The chattering of his own teeth and a splitting pain in his head is what finally woke Vergil. A sprinkling of white debris coated his body, and he appeared to be lying halfway outside. He attempted to grab a portion of the broken wall to pull himself up to a standing position, but a shooting pain in his right shoulder stopped him in his tracks. The same maneuver but with his left side did the trick and Vergil stood inside the hole his body had made trying to remember how he had gotten there. That's it I'm finally quitting, he thought to himself completing his morning ritual.

Vergil flipped on the lights and got the furnace going. He still had a couple of weeks before they shut off the gas and electric might as well use them while he had the chance. He opened the refrigerator that used to house Junior Mints and Charleston Chews and got hit with a wave of nostalgia. Boy I need a drink. The carton of eggs and the bag of cheese he'd bought the other day were starting to feel light, and so was his wallet. Vergil rubbed his hands together briskly and then placed them over the still preheating grill for an extra bit of warmth. He cracked a couple of eggs on the grill and was comforted by the sizzling of the oil mingling with the eggs. The two eggs and cheese were an omelette in no time. Over the years working the drive-in, he'd perfected the art of hangover omelettes.

Without even having to think about it, Vergil tore off a chunk of the omelette for Jerry. He opened the broom closet that Jerry called home, but the mouse was nowhere to be found. A pang of worry spiked in Vergil's mind. Jerry never missed his morning omelette. For the last two years, whenever Vergil opened in the mornings, Jerry had always been there patiently waiting for Vergil to wake up and give him his meal regardless of how late he slept in. Could the mouse have died or even worse could he have just gotten sick of Vergil and left like everyone else? Stray piece of white debris and a hole in the wall supported that conclusion, but the hole was about three times the size of Jerry. He would've thought that something dug through and made him a midnight snack, but no predator would spend the time to dig through a wall just to get a mouse. Regardless, Jerry was gone now, Vergil was really craving a drink, and the fridge was empty.

It was time to greet the day. Vergil strapped on his backpack, threw on some sunglasses, and hopped on his bike. His left leg protested in agony when he tried to get himself going. It felt as if he'd gone through an intense leg workout, but only on one side of his body. What did I do last night?

He normally tried his best to get off the grounds as soon as possible. The emptiness was too much for him to bear especially in the mornings. He hadn't had time yet to put up his emotional barriers in the AM. Today however, he saw something that gave him pause. Dead birds dotted the grounds of the drive-in. He remembered the disappearance of Jerry and decided to investigate. A vibrant, crimson splotch dominated the chest of the first bird he approached. It was a sleek, black raven staring sightlessly into the sky. I'm no expert on bird facial expressions, but this bird looks horrified. Bones jutted from its chest as if they'd been ripped open in reckless abandon to get at whatever was within. Vergil steeled himself and examined its chest cavity. His lunch splashed at his feet. It had been completely cleaned; the guts scooped out like a Jack O'Lantern. Vergil decided he'd had enough for the morning and had only been conscious for thirty minutes. He almost left his bike behind in his panic to get off the grounds.

Gold's Gym was only a couple miles from the theater, but today it felt a lot longer. Saul's Crown Vic was in the parking lot which meant Vergil was in the clear. Saul Gutierrez had been the closest thing to a father Vergil had ever known which meant he slept in his mother's bed from time to time. His own wife had been taken from him by an inoperable glioblastoma, so they used each other as temporary reprieve from their loneliness. After she died too, Saul took pity on Vergil and let him shower and work out for free. Sorry you don't have a mom anymore, but hey here's a free gym membership as a consolation prize.