Here is an excerpt from "Birthday Girl" a story in Sanctioned Shadows.
At 6:00 a.m. Solara rolled into the convenience store for a pack of smokes. The store was empty; the clerk made coffee while chewing on a coffee straw. She paid for her smokes and stuffed the money back into her wallet and dashed outside.
***
At 6:00 a.m., Evan finished filling all his gas cans, pulled his car from the gas pump and parked his car by the front of the store. He came into the store just as the only other customer paid for her smokes. At the register, he paid for a coffee, asked for several books of matches and a pack of smokes.
“Oh no, she left her cigarettes,” the store girl said.
The customer didn’t leave yet. She sat in her car, lighting a smoke. He grabbed the unopened pack and ran outside.
“Hey, you forgot your smokes,” he handed her the pack through the window.
She smiled at him. She had long blonde hair and a wide, broad face. She wasn’t ugly; she had her own prettiness, sweet and wholesome. She had a trusting and pleasant smile and sometimes a smile like that made everything all right. “Thanks so much,” she replied.
She shoved the gear shift into reverse and drove off. His car reeked of gasoline but today was all worth it. This is what he planned for, his moment of glory, his moment of revenge.
***
Solara parked her car in the parking lot at Mr. Fizzy’s Bottling Company and walked into the building.
“Happy birthday, Solara,” an older woman said.
“Hey thanks.”
“How old are you again?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Old fart,” the coworker replied.
“Look who’s calling who old. You were probably in high school during the Revolutionary war,” she joked.
“Ha ha very funny.”
Solara dressed in her white coat and hairnet and walked through the plant to her line. The fluorescent lights glared and the machinery hummed, whirled and chugged. She was a label checker and made sure every bottle had a label and was affixed correctly. Solara relieved the person already sitting on the chair from the shift before her.
“Solara, happy birthday.”
“Thanks Pete.”
“Have a nice day see you later.”
“Yup, you too.”
***
Evan pulled into Mr. Fizzy’s Bottling Company at 7:10 a.m.. He had to make sure the day shift already started and the night shift left for the day. The fog hung in the horizon and the sun neglected to rise for the day. Not that the sun would be needed because his plan would be bright enough. Before coming to the soda plant, he stopped at the rest stop and emptied all his gas cans into Fizzicola bottles. He added a simple timer to each one and packed the bottles into his book bag.
Evan pulled a smoke out of the pack and stood in the parking lot smoking away. He thought about last night when the first part of his plan came together when he nabbed his best friend’s id badge.
He tossed his smoke into the parking lot and grabbed Brian’s badge from the center consul. Brian could still get into the plant by calling a special number on the phone and punching in his social security number. Elise was going to get what was coming to her. She was the one who spread the sexual harassment rumors (even though they were dating at the time and cheating on each other at the same time) which got him fired and made it even harder for him to find a new job.
“Sorry buddy, but you’ll understand. I know you will.” Grabbing his heavy backpack, he went into the factory. He dressed quickly and checked his watch. Half hour to show time. He knew this place like he knew his grandmother’s home. He only needed fifteen minutes to set the bottles exactly where he wanted them and then he can get Brian and his other friends out as he sees them. Evan opened the door to the plant and went to the first line he saw.
***
“Hey Solara, what’s up?” Brian asked.
“Nothing. You know who I didn’t see- Elise,” Solara said and smiled.
“I heard that guy she’s been messing around with isn’t in either. They are probably together.”
“What time are you going on break?” he asked her.
“Supposed to be at nine, at least that is what I was told. You know this place, one person whines and if they are good little cocksuckers they get what they want.”
“I’ll see you at nine then.”
“Yeah, see you.”
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