AMONG HUMANS

A white pick-up truck speeds down the highway with its orange glow of headlights bathing the road. Inside the cabin, the young driver taps his fingers on the steering wheel while the catchy beat of ‘Sweet dreams’ by Eurythmics plays at full blast. His hair is a silver gray, the long strands falling to the side of his face and his blue eyes are an unreal shade of deep cobalt. He glances into the rearview mirror and breaks into a cheerful hum, following the words of the song.

His lights illuminate the green sign at the edge of the road, the white letters read: Cody Park. He slows the vehicle and takes the exit, cutting off the headlights as he arrives onto a single gravel road. The tires crunch under the rough ground and he stops the truck next to a lamp post. The entrance to the park has heavy chains around the gated doors and the toll booth windows are pitch black.

“Seems like a great spot,” the young man announces loudly into the empty cabin. “At least I know this was your favorite spot, right Bill?”

He slides out, leaving the door ajar, music pouring into the night, and he reaches the back of the truck, unhinging the tailgate door. A bundle wrapped in a cream-colored rug lies on the truck bed with two feet sticking out from it. He stares wistfully for a moment.

“Oh, Bill, we could have been such good friends.” He drags the bundle over his shoulder with apparent ease and carries it toward the lamp post. “But I have to be honest, it’s not me, it’s definitely you.” He deposits the bundle on the ground. The face of a pale, blood-drained man and his glassy stare meet the young guy. “Now don’t look at me that way, Bill. You know it could never have worked between us two. You were only interested in my money, and that’s not fair, I have so much more to give.”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out a letter and tucks it under the man’s neck adding a pat on the dead’s head before entering his truck. Tires lift gravel and white dust in their wake and the truck speeds away back into the highway, leaving the dead body to the silence of the night.