A Hero In The Dark

Chapter 10: A Friend Hath Shown

"Cute rabbit you got there," the driver notes – Henry I learn his name to be; with a 'y' at the end. Of course, it reminded me of Henri, John's Cêpan.

It was a nice surprise to meet a man named after an alien, even if it is spelled differently. Though it also made me anxious. I worry I won't make it in time.

I hold Pixie close as I configure a reply, "Yeah. She is."

"What's her name?" Henry asks.

"Pixie," I answer.

"That's adorable," he says.

I smile.

We pass a board that reads:

NOW ENTERING PARADISE, OHIO. POPULATION 5,243.

"So, do you have any idea how large this town is?" I ask, trying to get some background information that I don't already know and to create small talk.

Henry laughs.

"Ha! Large?" he starts in response. "It ain't large. Compared to other places I've seen, it's tiny."

"How far to the nearest store?" I ask.

"Just a general store for purchasing everyday necessities?" he questions back. "About 15 minutes by car."

"And how far until you reach the school-"

"Paradise High?" Henry finishes, not thinking anything of the strange question. "Not far. It's the school on the edge of town. About 5 miles East of the closest plaza."

He answers without hesitation; instantly. I look at him with confusion in the rearview mirror.

"You from around here?" I ask. "How do you know so much on such a tiny town?"

"Look kid," he says in answer. "Being my age and a cab driver for so long, you tend to pick up bits and pieces of strange towns here and there."

"Strange?" I question.

"Oh yeah," he says. "One time, I had another passenger I was driving to this very same town. Found out that an alien abduction happened here. Don't know the victim, but the customer I drove here seemed pretty chill about it. I don't know if I believe him, but hey; strange town, strange people."

Pixie looks up at me. I look at her. I know we both have the same amount of worry in our eyes.

"How long ago?" I ask, this time with a new curiosity inside me.

"Pfft. I don't know. Happened ages ago, I think. A decade? More or less," he answers.

Malcolm. It has to be. Malcolm Goode. Sam's father. A greeter to the Loric. Somebody saw his abduction. I don't know who, but someone saw it. Where is that person now?

"So, where you headed to in Paradise?" asks Henry, snapping me back to the present.

"Huh?" I say, still lost in my thoughts.

"Where are you going kid?" he restates. "You're on your own. Look too young to travel by yourself. With a pet rabbit in your lap. Told me to drive all the way to a small isolated town. I assume you have a reason."

He's suspicious. I suppose it is strange to see a young teenager on her own travelling through states with no one but a pet bunny. What could I tell him? That I'm going to see family? He'll wonder why I've been away in the first place.

"Would you believe me if I said aliens exist?" I ask.

He looks me over in the rearview mirror. There's silence for a while as the car speeds past other cars. It quickly grows tense. He stares at me and I stare back; unwavering yet waiting to see his reaction.

"Sure," he says, extending the word sarcastically. "And you're just going to meet your friendly neighbourhood alien, right?"

I smile.

"As a matter of fact, I am," I say in a half-joking manner so as not to create panic.

Henry laughs. He laughs for a solid couple of minutes. As if everything I said was all one big joke; it may as well be.

We drive on in silence for the remainder of the ride.