The image the man tried very hard to project, stylish, confident, debonair and very much in control, clashed in Myles’ head with the old 1959 white Morris Minor they were driving in.
“I was imagining you drove something more impressive. Like a Bentley decked out in animal print” Said Myles breaking the awkward silence.
“Under other circumstances you would be right. But Triggers, once powerful enough will usually provide a mode of transportation. When you have one of those you have nothing to prove…. Out of curiosity do you think I could get a Bentley decked out in animal print?”
“A Bentley would be sweet. You arrive at meeting in one of those cars and you are really arriving at that meeting.” Said the reason for the awkward silence, John Marquis, from his seat in the back of the mini cooper.
“True, but it would lack the sentimental value of this old thing. It doesn’t look much but damn if it hasn’t taken me far. First car I ever owned, bought it in London from a South American bloke. I keep it well maintained, I changed the rocker valve and the coil just last week. Conceived my daughter in the back.”
“I’m ignoring that last part. But since when is this a thing” Said Myles gesturing between the two men. “This could get very confusing.”
“Why? Because we are both black… I didn’t take you for a racist Myles, I think another round of sensitivity training is in order.”
“To see you express such bigotry means I have truly failed as a mentor.” Said john Barrington with a shake of his head.
He knew what they were doing and refused to rise to the bait. Myles kept quiet in the hope they would circle back to the original question.
“Your work Dad and your new Dad are sorely disappointed Myles. Where do you think we went wrong John?” Said John Marquis.
“I don’t know John, perhaps we have been going too easy on him.”
A measure of British countryside passed by the car window before Myles’ older friends and mentors burst into laughter. A precarious high-five was exchanged between driver and back-seat passenger.
“I’m so glad you found something to bond over” Myles said dryly.
“We did that over Cricket the night you were in that fugue state and ate you bodyweight in doner meat.” Explained John Barrington. “It turns out Mr. Marquis is compatible with one of the legacy triggers I have.”
“He said it was an endurance type, not that I need help with endurance. When I get down to business I’m a machine. Lovehoney has sent me several cease and desist letters.”
“I like you better at work when you have a filter.” Said Myles, turning his attention to the other John “I am only guessing here but the plan is to give work John his trigger in Stonebridge… How is that going to work if he blanks out and we have to chaperone him around.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“It won’t be a problem because… he is still alive.” Said John Barrington as quietly as he could manage.
A chill ran down Myles’ spine. What his mentor has just said had one very worrying implication. He was tempted to let it go. But if he didn’t get the answer now it would only live rent free in his head driving him nuts.
“John.” replied Myles in a very clipped frosty tone.
“Yes Myles.”
“I would like you to very carefully and audibly elaborate on the elephant you just dropped in the room. This matter of not being a problem because he is still alive sounds like information I should be aware of”
“I admit I was hoping it wouldn’t come up so soon, or ever… I got the trigger in your hand that little bit too late. By all known rules of these things, nothing should have happened. It should have returned to being dormant for another however many decades.” John looked contemplative. “You were dead, no pulse, no breath… big hole in your torso that clashed terribly with your shirt. But the Trigger carried on going nuts, then it initialised itself. Knitted you back together. Stood you up and walked you right into the Lamb & Flag.”
“And the Kebab shop.” Said John Marquis helpfully.
“The Tomnadashan trigger was always a strange beast.” Continued John Barrington thoughtfully. “Intact but unresponsive. Older but stronger than some of the newer generation triggers, one time we tried to take samples to analyse, by the end of it there was a hammer involved and we still got nothing. The fact it lacks a type… I was shocked it finally found someone compatible but more so when it fixed your body, paraded you around like a zombie and bleached your hair like it was the 1990’s…”
The car remained in silence. Myles was deep thought about what this meant for him. Was he still himself, or was he the Trigger pretending to be him. Before Myles could engage in an existential crisis the 1959 Morris Minor was pulling into a service station for a loo break and some refreshment. One order of hot chocolate, caramel latte and standard issue coffee with milk and the journey was resumed. A petrol station and a few pylons flew past the windows before the silence was broken once more.
“I just hope you don’t crave brains because I would be in serious danger.” Said John Marquis.
“I’m guessing no one knows what any of this means, other than you feel you need to keep an eye on me incase I enthusiastically go on the Romero diet. Said Myles unenthusiastically.
“There is a chat group about it.” Said John Barrington. “So it is being taken seriously, we won’t let you get up to any weird undead shenanigans.”
“I’m in the chat group.” Said John Marquis proudly. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you at work. Needed to keep you focused incase you blew up HR and decimated company productivity.”
“Also, my daughter and the clean up crew you met at the garden centre. they are part of it, well just the redhead, not the lady who told us to fuck off, she thinks… actually you don’t want to know what she thinks. Plus one or two others who you are not cleared to know about, but you will meet in due time.”
“If I promise not to do anything weird… Anything else weird… Or eat anyone. Will you all stop talking behind my back.” Said an indignant Myles.
“Sorry kid, centuries of keeping the community under the radar has borne forth certain security protocols. Just bare with it for now.”
The comment was mulled over for a moment, and it was decided there was not much to be done about it but deal with it like an adult.”
“Just so we are clear, I know you are drip feeding me this information be it for security or just plain not wanting to blow my mind, but I’m reserving the right to be annoyed each and every time this happens… besides, it isn’t like you have a betting pool on me going nuts or anything”
John Barrington coughed while John Marquis became very interested in the field they were driving past.
‘Welcome to Stonebridge’ hung lopsided as the white Morris Minor drove over the small town’s arbitrary boarder. Cramped as the small car was on the inside it was perfect for navigating roads built to barely accommodate two fat horses passing each other. Myles had not been back to his old town since setting off for higher education over a decade ago. Not estranged, he had seen his mother plenty, just not here. Being back felt like slipping on a familiar comfortable jumper if jumpers were creepy, unsettling and made of spiders.
Once in the small rural settlement the route too them past the school, past the house where apart forgotten childhood friend once lived
The boys pulled up to the drive of Myles’ old house. Detached and kept well enough to paint a picture of where Myles got some of his habits from. Stepping out the car the two Johns looked on edge. John Marquis was looking the more uncomfortable of the two. But John Barrington was wide eyed.
“This was where you grew up?” He asked Myles. “How did we not notice this before… Was it always this bad?”
“Pretty much. My life plan from five through to eighteen was was stay out of the woods and leave town ASAP. Now though It feels less blurry, like when you finally tune a radio in properly”
“what radios are you listening to grandpa.” said John Barrington as he typed on what Myles recognised as one of the the special phones the mysterious clean up crew handed him. “Please excuse me, I need to report this, we can probably take care of it but its best get a record of these things.”
Myles shot his mentor a warning to behave and knocked on his mothers door.