Between a rock and a hard place

Part 3

Mulder put his feet on the coffee table, stretched back and looked at Frohike, who was still staring reverently at the rock in his hand.

Mulder pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, letting the moments of silence melt away. "Okay, tell me about it," he said softly.

Frohike looked up at Byers and Langley, who both nodded, before speaking to Mulder.

"Okay, so Mulder, lately I've been on this….ahhhh….fitness kick." Frohike quickly looked at all the men in the room to see if any of them were going to mock him, but if any of them saw the perfect opportunity for a jab, they all were holding it in check. As a geek and a short freak with an oblique physique, he'd been a target of bullying all his life and was always expecting the worst.

"I've been going for walks mostly. Actually, I've worked my way up to two hours a day. Pretty soon I'll rival you for best male body of the year, buddy." Frohike smiled a little. Nobody else even cracked a grin. Frohike decided these guys really must be on their best behavior.

"Anyway, earlier this week I decided to walk all the way down to the railway tracks by the water. That's the longest walk I've ever taken. It took me an hour and a half just to get there, but I just got in the groove, you know, and didn't want to stop."

Mulder smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean, Frohike. Sometimes after jogging for a few miles, I feel like I could just go forever. It brings me to that happy spot in my brain that I usually forget exists when I'm sitting at my desk."

Frohike nodded and grinned.

"So I crossed over the tracks and saw this really steep dirt path heading down to the water. I started going down slow but my feet went out from under me and I slid on my ass, screaming like a girl all the way down."

So much for the good behavior. Byers and Langley started their characteristic giggle and Mulder was staring at his feet and biting on his lower lip to stop himself from joining them.

Frohike waited for the laughter to subside before continuing. "Well, I was feeling pretty good about how far I'd gone…even if I still haven't been able to get the ground-in dirt out of those cargo pants…and I sat there for a while just to relax and stare out at the water. I knew it was going to be a long walk home." Frohike stopped for a moment. "I guess I just didn't know how far it was really going to be."

"It was one of those sunny afternoons that was kinda cool, but it got really cold when a cloud blocked out the sun. I didn't mind. I'd worked up a bit of a sweat. It was a rocky beach, but I found a patch of grass to lie down. I guess I kind of drifted off. You know, like when you're sort of half asleep?"

Mulder nodded. "I do that at the office all the time. When Scully catches me, I just tell her I was deep in thought and she shouldn't have disturbed me. Don't think she buys it, though. She tells me people who are deep in thought don't usually snore. Who would have known," said Mulder, shrugging his shoulders.

Frohike laughed. "Yeah, well anyway, I was getting kind of hot, so I guess that woke me up and I looked at my watch. Two hours had passed, Mulder. I could have sworn it was only 15 or 20 minutes. And the other weird thing was feeling so hot. The sky had gotten overcast and the sun must have been well behind the slope of the hill by then. I wondered if I was sick, so I felt my forehead, but it was cool. There was this weird buzzing in my head, though, so I knew something was up. I figured I'd call the Gunmen and have them pick me up, so I reached into my jacket for my phone."

Frohike looked at Langley and Byers, and they nodded encouragingly.

"Mulder, when I touched my phone, it was hot. It dropped onto the grass. It looked just fine, but when I tried to pick it up again, it almost burned my hand. I figured that's where the buzzing sound was coming from – my phone – but when I stood up, it got even louder. And this thumping was accompanying the buzz. The sound was coming from behind me."

Frohike fondled the lumpy rock. "So, I turn around. I could see the track my ass left in the dirt on the slope. There were sticks and pebbles and stuff on either side of that ass track, Mulder. But about 10 feet up, there was something small and dark right in the middle of the track."

Frohike stopped talking for a moment, staring directly at Mulder.

"And," he hesitated, "and…it was moving."

Mulder took his feet off the coffee table and set them on the ratty carpet. He rested his arms on his legs and bent his body forward toward Frohike.

Okay…..where do I go from here?….what's up with the rock? Reviews and suggestions welcomed!