VECTOR

2014 - 9:17 P.M.

The rain pounded against the car window as the odometer continued to climb.

“How much longer, Dad?” Caleb’s trembling voice, coming from the passenger seat, broke the deafening silence.

“We’re almost there, buddy.” Daniel swallowed.

There were still fifteen minutes to go, but he knew that sometimes, a lie was better than the truth. The traffic light ahead of them was red, but Daniel didn’t slow down.

BEEEP!!!

A horn blared to their right. A car slammed on its brakes just a few feet away from them as Daniel kept driving.

“Fuck...” he muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

“Dad.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared...”

Daniel’s eyes shifted to the rearview mirror. He remained silent for a moment, then wiped away a tear with one hand.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Cal... I’ll never leave you...”

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

Raindrops slowly trickled down the glass in front of Daniel as the doctor sitting across from him flipped through a stack of files.

“His condition has gotten worse, Daniel. He doesn’t have much time left.”

“How much?”

The doctor slowly closed the file.

“A few months. Maybe less.”

Daniel ran his hands through his hair and remained silent. Through the glass, he could see Caleb lying motionless on the bed. Daniel lowered his gaze.

“There’s really nothing we can do?”

The doctor hesitated for a moment. Silence filled the room.

“Well... there is something.”

Daniel’s eyes lit up for a few seconds.

“How much does it cost?” It was the only thing Daniel cared about at that moment.

“The cost is high.”

“How much are we talking?”

The doctor stared at him.

“Ninety thousand dollars.”

Daniel’s hope faded again. Ninety thousand dollars. He didn’t have anywhere near that amount.

The doctor stood up.

“Come with me.”

Daniel followed him without hesitation. They walked down an empty hallway. The only thing visible along the wall was a logo accompanied by a name: Meridian Foundation.

Daniel walked past it without even looking. To him, it was nothing unusual.

“Here we are.” The doctor opened a door with the same Meridian logo engraved on it.

Daniel slowly entered the office, walked toward the table in the center of the room, and sat down.

“Daniel... I know what you’re going through, and we can help you.”

The voice of Director Richard Hale, which Daniel had heard over the speakers in the hallways for years, finally gave him hope.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Daniel. The situation is serious.”

He paused.

“But we have a chance.”

“A chance?”

Hale nodded.

“An experimental treatment.”

“What is it?” Daniel asked.

“The possibility of giving your son years of life he otherwise wouldn’t have.”

“I don’t have the money, Richard...”

“Daniel, you’ve worked here for eleven years. You’ve done a lot for Meridian. This is the least I can do for you.”

Tears quickly filled Daniel’s eyes. He had a chance to save his son’s life.

“Why?” His tear-filled eyes remained fixed on Richard for a few moments.

“Because here at Meridian, we take care of the people who are part of our family.”

TODAY

“See you tomorrow, Vince.” Caleb took off his apron and placed it on the counter.

“See you tomorrow, Caleb. And remember, you’re opening tomorrow.”

Caleb stopped in the doorway and turned around.

“I knew there was a catch.”

They both smiled. Caleb put in his earbuds and opened the door. The noise of Chicago traffic filled his ears despite the music.

He turned the corner and pulled a set of keys from his backpack, using them to unlock his bike.

The streets of Chicago were still crowded, even though it was evening. Taxis, cars, and buses created a symphony of honking horns as the lights from the shops reflected off the puddles on the ground.

He rode without any particular destination in mind. He could probably navigate those streets with his eyes closed.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as he stopped at a traffic light.

“You alive?” Emma’s voice came through the speaker. She was Caleb’s best friend.

“Technically.”

“You still at the bar?” Emma asked, yawning.

“No, I just escaped from that slaughterhouse.”

“I was thinking, tomorrow—”

“Whoa, stop. I’m working tomorrow.”

“What? You said it was your day off.”

“Yeah, but apparently my day off was an administrative error, according to Vince.”

Emma laughed.

“You’re an idiot, and you know what? You deserve it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on. If I remember correctly, someone left me standing in the rain for thirty minutes last Saturday.”

“I already told you, the streets of Chicago are like a maze on Saturdays.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that you deserve it.”

The two of them burst out laughing.

“And that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a terrible friend.”

BEEEP!!!

A car horn behind him nearly made Caleb fall off his bike. The light had been green for a while.

“Sorry, I’ll call you back.”

“Same old Caleb. Talk to you later.”

Caleb started pedaling again, passing hundreds of dazzling lights until a sign caught his attention.

“Shit, my mom’s gonna kill me if I don’t get the eggs.”

He slammed on the brakes in the middle of the street, nearly getting hit.

“Sorry...” He waved at a car.

He got off his bike and locked it to a lamppost beneath the large sign that read Union Market.

“Hey, Frank.”

“Later than usual, Cole,” Frank said as he picked up some snacks that had fallen off the shelf.

“You checking up on me now?”

“No, but I probably should.”

Caleb started to walk past him, bumping into a shelf and knocking some toys onto the floor.

“Sorry... I just need to grab the eggs and I’m out of here.” He chuckled. He had known Frank for years; he’d been coming to that market since he was a kid.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Caleb arrived at the driveway of his house and leaned his bike against the old wooden fence, but the sound of some neighbors caught his attention.

It was the Lawson family. The father and his nine-year-old son were playing baseball in the front yard. Caleb stood completely still. His eyes remained fixed on the father throwing the ball to his son. For a few seconds, he seemed hypnotized.

“Everything okay, Caleb?” Mr. Lawson asked, noticing him.

“Ah, uh... y-yeah, hi, Mr. Lawson.” He suddenly turned around, knocking his bike to the ground.

He looked at Mr. Lawson, then back at the bike.

“Scaring kids now, are we?” Caleb muttered to himself.

He hurried inside the house.

“Well, look at you, talking to people.” Laura, Caleb’s mother, chuckled as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, I invited him over for coffee. He’s nice.” Caleb put down his backpack and took off his shoes.

“Come on, tell me. How was work?”

“Nothing new. Vince’s making me open tomorrow.”

“I thought it was your day off.”

“Yeah... me too.”

Caleb grabbed the red chair and sat down at the counter while an old sitcom played on the TV.

“Look what I read today.” His mother grabbed the newspaper, The Chicago Daily, and showed it to Caleb.

“Shit...” Caleb covered his mouth with his hand.

“Language,” Laura said, annoyed.

“Damn, Emma never told me she made it into the Daily.”

“Yeah, she told me to show it to you. She wanted it to be a surprise...”

Caleb looked up.

“Mom?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Already getting shy?”

Caleb lowered his gaze as his cheeks turned red.

“Come on, Mom. Still with this? We’re friends.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Friends, Mom.”

“Whatever you say.” Laura turned toward the oven. “Chicken for dinner?”

LATER

Caleb’s room was tidier than usual. During the weekend, he had decided to clean it while listening to music. He was sitting at his desk, drawing. There was something relaxing about it, something that calmed him down.

“What are you drawing?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself, Emma?” Caleb turned the paper toward the smartphone screen, showing it to her.

“Wow, that’s the view from the roof of my house.”

“Yeah.”

“We haven’t been up there in a while... We used to spend all our time there.”

“We should go back sometime. Maybe with some bug spray.”

The two of them burst out laughing.

“You looked like you’d been shot that time,” Emma muttered between laughter and tears.

“If you’d listened to me, I could’ve avoided a week of horrible itching.”

“It was fun—”

CRASHHH!!!

A loud noise interrupted Emma.

“Did you fall?” Emma murmured.

Caleb remained silent for a second, then suddenly appeared in front of the camera.

“Milo, that cat is a complete menace.” Emma narrowed her eyes. “What fell?”

Caleb turned around. His eyes fell on the floor, and he froze for a few moments.

“Earth to Caleb.”

Caleb turned back toward the phone, an old watch in his hand.

“That was your dad’s, right?”

“Yeah. I didn’t even remember I had it.”

Caleb got up to put it back on the shelf.

“So... Daily, huh?” Caleb said, trying to break the awkwardness.

“And you’ve always put me down.”

“Oh, come on. I was just giving you some advice.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Seriously, Emma, you did great. I’m proud of you. You’re going places.”

“When you publish your comic, I’ll talk about you too.”

“I hope you’ll have nice things to say.”

They both smiled. They had a wonderful relationship. They cared about each other and had supported one another for years.

“I gotta go, Cal. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Emma.”

Silence fell over the room. The only sound filling the air was the gentle wind rustling the leaves outside. Caleb turned his attention back to the drawing, which was now finished. He added the final pencil strokes. Then he opened the drawer and placed it inside with dozens of other drawings.

“Caleb!!” Laura’s voice echoed through the hallway.

“I can hear you even if you don’t yell, Mom.”

“We need to take Oscar outside.”

Caleb sighed. They took the dog out every night at the same time. It had become a family tradition, one he was starting to hate. He got up from his chair, grabbed his hoodie, quickly put it on, and left the room.

The two of them walked out the front door with Oscar.

“Want to stop by Boe’s?” his mother asked as she lit a cigarette.

“Didn’t you quit? Anyway, sure. I could go for some hot chocolate.”

“Hot chocolate, at the end of May? I’m starting to think you’re not my son.”

“And you still haven’t answered my question.”

Laura hesitated for a few seconds. She knew how much Caleb hated the fact that she smoked, and deep down, she hated it too.

“Yeah, I quit, but—”

A voice interrupted them.

“Laura! Long time no see. Must’ve been at least twenty-four hours.”

Boe’s voice, coming from inside the diner, made them both smile.

“Boe, how are you?”

“You know I never have any good news to tell. And you, kid, I always see you at Vince’s bar.”

“Yeah, I’m a volunteer.”

“Seriously?”

“For what they pay me, you’d think so.”

Boe let out a genuine laugh.

“You’re always the same, Cal. So, what do you say? Can I get you something?”

Caleb and Laura entered the diner. The atmosphere was warm, with flower-filled vases hanging on the walls and adding color to the small place. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Boe’s; it was the regular spot for the people who lived nearby. Boe had always been a genuinely good person to everyone. They could count on him, and he could always bring a smile to their faces during the worst situations, even if, sometimes, he let a few words slip that probably should have stayed in his head.

“Your dad used to have breakfast here all the time.”

“Yeah...”

Boe realized he had hit a sore spot. From behind the counter, he placed a hand on Cal’s shoulder.

“Sorry, kid. I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s okay, Boe. It’s fine.”

The three of them continued talking for ten uninterrupted minutes. Boe could talk for hours without stopping. He was a machine.

“We should get going, Boe. Cal has to get up early tomorrow.”

“Guys, you know you’re always welcome here.”

“Thanks, Boe. For everything.”

“It’s the least I can do. Have a good night.”

“See you, Boe.” Caleb waved as he got up from the iron chair, which was too tall for him. He grabbed his hoodie from the coat rack near the door, and they walked out.

They found themselves walking home again. It wasn’t far from Boe’s. The few cars passing by stirred the air around them.

Oscar was a few steps ahead of them. He sniffed every corner of the sidewalk as if he were searching for something that didn’t exist. Caleb noisily took the last few sips of his hot chocolate.

“Boe’s the best. He makes the best hot chocolate in all of Chicago.”

“And the best beer.”

The leash in Laura’s hand began pulling harder than usual. Oscar seemed like he wanted to run away. Then he suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started staring at the other side of the street.

“Mom, hold him.”

“I’ve got him—”

Oscar suddenly bolted into the street, pulling Laura along with him.

“Mom!”

Caleb started after her, until he suddenly saw blinding headlights approaching from the right at full speed. He froze. It was as if he had forgotten how to move. His eyes widened as the small truck came closer and closer.

He stood frozen for a few moments. Then he started running, faster and faster, while the truck came closer, moving faster than Caleb ever could.

He reached Laura, but the truck was already too close.

BEEEP!!!

The deafening sound of the horn echoed like a bell. Caleb pulled Laura and Oscar tightly against him. And just as the truck was about to hit them, something inexplicable happened.

Caleb and Laura held their breath for a few seconds, and a strange sensation crawled through their entire bodies. Their eyes were shut, almost as if they couldn’t open them. Their clothes felt as if they were about to fall off.

Laura opened her eyes.

“What the fuck?!”

Caleb couldn’t speak. The sound of the truck had completely disappeared.

Caleb slowly opened his eyes. He saw the truck a few feet away, completely still. He looked down. His feet weren’t touching the ground. Oscar continued barking and thrashing around and, strangely enough, seemed lighter than usual.

Caleb let go of them, and they returned to the ground.

“Mom...?”

“Caleb?”