Chapter 4
Matt sat on the roof of the hospital, watching the lights of the cars down below. He sat on the landing pad, a little way from the attendants doing maintenance work on the lifeflight helicopter. He figured it must not be unusual for them to see someone hanging out on the rooftop, for they barley glanced at him. He wasn't complaining, though. He wanted the time alone to think about things.
Mainly, to think about the amount of Meth the doctors had found in Rob's system and how it could have gotten there. They'd managed to pump a lot of the narcotic out of him, saying it was a wonder he didn't OD. Especially considering it was Meth mixed with painkillers. How in the hell could they have gotten in his prescription bottle?
Matt took a drag off his cigarette and let the smoke out in a long sigh. The real question was how could he have been so blind? Rob had shown all the signs of being under the influence the drug. The strange behavior, loss of appetite, the aggression. According to the doctors, all of these were side effects of methamphetamines, so why didn't he see it?
Maybe it was because he'd always assumed, meth was a type of speed that needed to be snorted, and Rob defiantly didn't snort shit. But new lessons are learned everyday and apparently Meth can be made into a pill form as well. A form that was made into a perfect match of Rob's regular prescription pills.
He glanced over, hearing the rooftop door open and, expecting Jeff, was a little surprised to see Chris. So much for being left alone with his thoughts.
Chris walked over, looking at Matt's hand in surprise. "Um...Where'd you get those from?" He asked, gesturing to the pack of cigarettes.
"Gift shop." Matt took another drag. "Funny that a hospital would sell cigarettes, huh?"
Chris decided to leave it alone and climbed on the landing pad to sit beside him. "Jeff and I have been looking for you. I honestly didn't expect to find you here, but thought I'd check anyway."
Matt shrugged. "View's kinda nice."
Chris nodded and after a moment of silence, cleared his throat. "Not much is different, if you're wondering. Rob's still asleep and the doctor came by, saying how lucky he was. They'll let him go tomorrow."
"What about the concussion?" Matt asked, a little nervous to hear the answer.
"No serious damage done." Chris assured. "He'll be okay."
Although relieved, Matt still could help but feel aggravated with himself. Rob slapping him, should have been just that- A slap in the face of reality to realize what was going on. But instead he acted without thinking and could have seriously injured Rob.
"You know, as bad as it may sound, I'm kinda glad he was high on that shit." Matt started quietly. "Rob would have never hit me otherwise, and you can't even begin to imagine how I felt when he did." He looked over at Chris. "You're a good friend Chris and I know how much you love Jeff, but if I ever think you've so much as raised a hand to my brother..."
Chris met his gaze calmly. "It'll never happen."
Matt give him a small smile then threw down his cigarette, stepping on it. "Let's go in. It's getting a little chilly and I can't stand the cold."
"Where have you been?" Jeff rushed over, meeting Matt and Chris as they came down the hall. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"On the roof." Matt answered. Jeff's eyes widened and despite himself, Matt chuckled. "I wasn't going to jump or anything. I was just smoking a cigarette."
Jeff raised his eyebrows then frowned. "Smoking? I thought you'd stopped that shit?" His tone was more than a little disapproving.
Shit, Matt thought, having not meant to say that. There I go again, acting without thinking. He walked past Jeff, hardly in the mood for a lecture. He was an adult and didn't need to speak for his actions anyway. Coming to Rob's room, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside.
Rob was still sound asleep and looked incredibly pale and ashy. Matt approached the bed and winced at the blackish-blue bruises, he'd left on Rob's face. "I'm sorry." He whispered, gently smoothing back Rob's hair. Man, how was Rob going to react to the news that he'd been popping Meth? Rob prided himself on being healthy when it came to eating and other life style habits.
Jeff walked in the room, followed by Chris. "Who do you think could have done this?"
Matt shook his head, feeling a glimmer of anger. "I have no idea, but I'll fucking figure it out."
"What are you going to tell Vince?" Chris asked.
"Nothing..." Matt quickly answered. "Nothing more than, Rob hurt his head again. If he suspected anything else and gave Rob a drug test, Rob could be fired."
Jeff hesitated. "Why not just tell Vince the truth? I mean... It's not Rob's fault."
"No!" Matt snapped. "Do you think Vince would believe someone just happen to slip the pills in his prescription bottle? You saw the look on the doctor's face. He didn't even believe it. This can never go any further than us, understand?"
Jeff and Chris both nodded their heads in agreement. Satisfied, Matt tiredly sank into a chair beside the bed. Every strange thing that has been happening, in the past few days, somehow had to be linked together. A sense of dread fell over him as he watched Rob sleep.
At least in the past, they'd known who their enemy was and could somewhat prepare for it. But this was worse. How could they possibly prepare for the unknown?
After talking to drug counselors and such, Rob was finally released from the hospital. If the situation weren't so serious, Matt would have laughed at the thought of them trying to persuade Rob to go into rehab. If they only knew- Rob's idea of getting high was simply an extra thirty minutes of meditating. Still the hospital was obligated to do what, they thought, they had to do before letting him go.
Vince had cleared Rob for two full weeks from performing. The other's really didn't have an excuse and had to remain on the roster. Matt wasn't too pleased with it, nor was he happy about Rob insisting on tagging along instead of going home to recover. Either way, Rob was with them and there was nothing any of them could do, but go back to the motel and prepare for work.
Matt sat on his bed untying the ribbon on the gift, he'd received the other day. Jeff lifted his head from the bed, him and Chris were napping on. "Haven't you slept yet?" He asked. They'd all been up the whole night with Rob and this was the first chance they'd gotten to sleep, before they had to go to arena.
"Can't sleep." Matt lifted the lid on the box and checked out its contents.
"What is it?" Jeff sat up, curious.
Matt reached inside and brought out a handful of loose rose petals. The petals might have been fresh when the gift was presented to him, but were now withered. "That's unique, I guess." He reached back in, retrieving a red envelope.
"Same guy, huh?" Rob asked, exiting the bathroom.
Matt smiled up at him, happy to see him a little refreshed. "Looks like it." He tore into the envelope and opened the card, this time with no picture. "Pieces of my broken heart." He read aloud.
"Maybe that means, he's given up." Jeff guessed.
"I don't care what it means." Matt tossed the card aside and moved over to make room for Rob. "How are you feeling?"
Rob smiled. "Not too bad." He said truthfully. "Still ache some, but that's better than being... you know..." He trailed off.
Matt tried to give him an assuring smile. They'd talked about everything that happened the other night, but no matter what he said, Rob couldn't shake the guilt. He decided to change the subject. "Since we'll be here a few days, why don't we all stay in a nice hotel suite?"
"That's cool." Jeff piped up, growing tired of the motels. They hadn't stayed in a hotel suite for a while, due to the expense. Even with the huge salaries they were generously paid, the cost of constantly traveling, flying, renting cars, meals, and boarding added up quick.
"Sounds like a plan." Rob slowly agreed. "But maybe it'd be better if you roomed with Jeff and Chris."
"Why?" Matt asked, not sure how to take the suggestion.
"Just to be on the safe side." Rob explained. "I don't want what happened the other night to happen again."
Matt gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm not worried about it happening again, so stop thinking about it." He got up and started getting his gear together.
Easier said than done, Rob bleakly thought. He couldn't understand how Matt could so easily dismiss the whole thing, like it was nothing. He knew he wasn't himself, but still... How could he ever forget or forgive his actions against Matt.
Jeff woke Chris so he could prepare as well. Chris and Matt both had to perform that night, but Jeff was lucky enough to be off, so Matt left him and Rob with the responsibility of finding a hotel.
"So, where do you feel like staying?" Jeff asked Rob, once Matt and Chris had left.
Rob was silent a moment, before answering. "Where ever you want is fine. I'll get a separate room."
Jeff studied his friend a moment. "What ever you're thinking Rob, it wasn't your fault. Matt will be the first to tell you that. You can't help what the drugs did."
Rob slowly shook his head. "I can't help but be worried, though. The Doctor said it takes days to get this shit out of my system. I don't want to hurt him again."
Jeff gave him a warm smile. "The fact that you can sit here and say that, shows you're of the right frame of mind. Unless you take something else, nothing is going to happen." He paused, taking-in Rob's bruised cheek and swollen black eye. "Besides, it seems like Matt can handle his own." He joked.
Rob gingerly brought a hand up to his sore face and chuckled. "You've got a point there. Dude, he has a killer right hook."
Matt stood in front of the dressing room mirror, combing his hair and pulling it back. Chris had taken off, somewhere, leaving him alone and wishing the show was already over. Without Rob around, it was pretty boring. Even his annoying brother would be welcome company.
When his cell phone rang, he hurried over to answer it, hoping it was one of them. "Hello?"
"Where are you at?"
Matt smiled, hearing Rob's voice. "In the dressing room. Did you get a hotel?"
The phone was silent.
"Rob?"
The only reply was a slow chuckle and Matt suddenly realized, it wasn't Rob's voice after all. "Who is this?"
"A fan." The call disconnected.
Matt looked at the caller id, which he hadn't bothered to check. The number was unlisted. He bit his lip, trying to figure the voice out. He knew it from somewhere so wasn't too worried. Probably one of his co-workers joking around.
There was a knock on the door and he went to open it, expecting one of the guys, but no one was there. However, on the floor sat another present, like the one he'd received before. Picking it up, he looked down the corridor, just in time to see a man hastily whip around the corner.
The man was obviously trying to escape notice, but not before Matt caught a glimpse. The server had described the man as bald, but it was hard to tell, for this stocky built person was wearing a ball cap.
"HEY!" Throwing the gift under his arm, Matt ran down the corridor, whipped around the corner and stumbled into Chris, nearly knocking him down.
"Sorry." Matt quickly looked around. "Did you see that guy?"
"What guy?" Chris looked around as well. "All I saw was you trying to run me down."
"I think it was the guy." Matt showed Chris the gift. "I saw him come this way."
"Sorry." Chris said. "But I would have noticed somebody coming this way. I'm the only one here."
Matt let out an exasperated breath, but could see for himself, no one else was around. "I could have sworn..."
Chris placed a hand on his shoulder. "Man, you and fatigue just don't mix." He walked with Matt back to the dressing room.
The stranger opened the door a crack and peeked out of the room, he'd just managed to slip into. That was a close call. At least, he won't have to keep hiding much longer. Once he had Matt, the games would be over. They could leave and be together as they were meant to be...
Later on, Matt hung out in the backstage area with the other wrestlers, watching Chris's match on a moniter, without paying attention. His mind was occupied with the man he'd seen earlier and was annoyed, he hadn't got a good look at him. There was no doubt it was the same person. He hadn't opened the gift yet, but it was in the same kind of box. That proved this person had been following him from arena to arena and who knows where else.
Besides the gift and appearance, the phone call was a little unnerving. A simple fan couldn't have come across his cell phone number. Only his father, brother and closest friends had it. How could this particular individual have it?
Any nudged his side to capture his attention. "You guys feel like hanging out tonight?"
"Thanks, but Rob's not feeling too good." Matt said. "I'm gonna hang out with him."
Amy nodded understandingly. "Tell him, I hope he gets to feeling better."
Jay snorted, good-naturedly. "Man, you and Rob have almost become inseparable. I heard about your guy's little thing the other day."
Matt blinked. "What do you mean?" How the hell did he find out?
Adam snickered. "Please, everyone heard about Rob drooling all over you. As if he was trying to make a point to Booker-T."
"Oh that." Matt smiled, relieved. "Guess, he got a little over zealous. A lot of rumors have been flying around lately. I didn't know I was such a hot topic."
"Well, someone thinks you're hot..." Jay started.
"Jay, that could be anybody."
Jay snorted. "Anyway, I got this weird phone call at my motel room the other night. Some guy said he was a huge fan and wanted to know where you were staying."
Matt lost his smile, feeling a small chill go up his spine. "You didn't tell him did you? Or give out my cell number?"
"Of course not." Jay answered. "Actually, I'd forgotten all about it until now."
Matt didn't reply, feeling even more unnerved. Is this guy trying to keep tabs on me?
"You ready?" Amy asked, indicating to the monitor.
Matt looked up and saw Chris's match was over, meaning they were next. While the commercials and promos aired, he took his place with Amy at the guerilla position, both hi-fiving Chris on his way back in.
Matt pushed back the curtain a little and peered out, inspecting the audience. The arena was filled with thousands of people, nearly all of them holding signs. He wasn't sure what, or who, he was looking for and from his point of view, wouldn't have found anything anyway.
"What do some of my signs say?" Amy asked, mistaking his actions.
"Um... They seem to like you." Matt absently replied. A hand clamped down on his shoulder, causing him to jump and spin around.
Lance Storm smiled. "Let's kick a little ass tonight." He said, good-naturedly.
Matt forced a return smile. "Sure thing."
He stood back so Lance could take position, in front of the curtain. The music tech hit Lance's music and Lance cleared his throat and lost his smile, putting together his ultra serious persona then left.
"Something wrong?" Amy asked, noticing Matt didn't seem as cool and confident as he normally was.
"No." Matt casually tossed his wet-down hair. "Everythings cool."
Amy smiled and stepped infront of the curtain. Matt joined her, pushing his thoughts and concerns aside. He had his match to do and wasn't going to let anything screw with his performance. The Hardy Boyz music hit and they walked through the curtain, pausing at the foot of the ramp. Him doing his trademark gun gestures while Amy, now Lita, did her offbeat little dance.
They made their way down the ramp, playing into the crowd and the signs. Although keeping his demeanor cool and punk, Matt smiled inwardly, knowing he'd never grow tired of the thundering roar of the crowd in his ears.
The Hardy Boyz and Lita may not have been in the same league as The Rock or Triple H, but were still huge beloved fan favorites. And the fans never failed to show it through the cheers, chants, and signs.
Matt tried reading as many of the signs as he could, on his way to the ring then nearly stopped in his tracks, catching sight of a particular one. This particular sign was big and red, held up in a way that blocked the owner's face. The words,
We'll be together very soon were written across it.
Matt continued to walk, never taking his eyes off the sign. The person holding the sign, turned as he walked, never letting his face show.
"Watch where you're going Zombi." Lita chuckled as Matt ran into her at the ring.
"Sorry." Matt followed her into the ring and they each climbed on a second rope turnbuckle, performing their traditional pre-match posing for the fans. He'd purposely went to the turnbuckle that faced the red sign holder's direction, only now, the sign and individual were gone.
Jeff and Rob lounged around on the couch, watching TV, when Matt and Chris entered the Hotel suite. They both got up to help with the bags, Jeff shaking his head at his brother. "Damn Matt, you've defiantly had better matches."
Matt practically shoved past him and angrily threw his bag to the floor, not even noticing Rob's outstreached hand. He flopped down on the couch and sat, glowering at the TV. His match was no doubt the worst one of the night. Probably the year. So distracted by looking for the stranger, he'd missed several spots and blotched up the ending. Luckily Amy was able to deliver a 'Lita-can-rana' to Lance and give Matt a believable pin when he severely screwed up his 'twist of fate'.
Rob picked up Matt's bag and went to join him, shooting Jeff a look that clearly said- I wouldn't say anything else if I were you.
The look was unnecessary. Jeff already decided he didn't want to risk commenting any further and proceeded to help Chris with his bags. "Your match was great, as usual." He whispered.
Rob sat beside Matt and threw an arm around his shoulders. "The match wasn't that bad."
Matt snorted at the blatant lie. "Name one worse."
Rob paused to think, taking a little too long. Matt half groaned, half sighed. "Might as well put a big-ass loser 'L' on my forehead."
Rob squeezed his shoulders. "Hey, we all have those days. You can't always be perfect. Besides, you were tired. Why don't you get some sleep."
Matt started to argue, but found himself nodded instead. He really was ready for this miserable night to end. "You coming?"
Rob hesitated. "Uh...I will later. You go ahead." He gave Matt a kiss.
Matt took his bag and dragged himself into the room, him and Rob were sharing. After getting his things in order, he started to undress then stopped, noticing the blinds on the window were wide open. He went to the window and took-in the night-time view of the twinkling city, while biting his lip in contemplation. It was silly to think anyone could see into the room, being this many stories up. Still, after a moment he pulled the blinds shut.
I must be overworked, he decided, finally stripping down to his boxers. He crawled under the bedcovers and lay staring at the ceiling. The stranger and the disturbing sign were the last thoughts on his mind, before falling asleep.
A while later, he gasped and sat up in bed. The dream! Taking a deep breath, Matt let it out in a long sigh. Now that the weird dream had started again, how long would it take to run its course? Why couldn't he just remember it? He looked over, hoping he hadn't woke Rob, but Rob wasn't with him. Rob's side of the bed hadn't even been touched.
Matt climbed out of bed and went into the dark livingroom area, guessing Rob must have fallen asleep on the couch. His guess was right, or so he thought. He slightly frowned, seeing Rob had a pillow and blanket. Did Rob intend to sleep on the couch? Matt started to wake him then changed his mind. Maybe this was Rob's way of getting over the guilt.
Matt sat in the plush chair, beside the couch. For some reason, he didn't like the thought of staying in the bedroom alone and if Rob wasn't going to stay with him, he'd hang out in here. Grabbing his cigarettes and the remote off the coffee table, he lit one up and turned on the TV. Maybe he could catch a re-run of The Jefferson's.
Jeff flipped off the TV and turned with his hands on hips. "What was the point in getting this two bedroom suite, if you guys are just going to camp out in here?" He demanded, loud enough to wake Matt and Rob.
Matt groggily raised his head from the arm of the chair. Looking at the clock, he saw it was 10am. Last time he'd checked, it was nearly 7am. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." He mumbled, voice thick with fatigue.
Rob sat up on the couch. "Were you out here all night?" He asked Matt.
Matt tried shaking some of the cobwebs out of his head. "Yeah. Why were you?"
"Why were either of you?" Jeff interrupted. He then headed into the small kitchen, grumbling along the way. "$1600 a night. Why I nearly break my neck in every match, just to have my money go to waste..."
"Shut up." Matt snapped. The last thing he was in the mood for was listening to his brother whine. "It's not like you're paying for it all yourself and even if you were, you can fucking afford it so stop bitching." Climbing out of the chair, he went straight for the coffeepot.
Jeff glared at him, but kept quiet. Arguing with Matt before he had coffee was not a wise thing to do. Especially when it was obvious, he was still exhausted.
Rob followed and poured himself a cup. "You don't look like you've had much sleep."
"I didn't." Matt admitted, staring off into space. "Why did you stay on the couch?"
Rob concentrated on doctoring up his coffee. "I didn't think it was a good idea to stay together, as far as sleeping together goes."
"If you're worried about hurting me, don't. I'm not." Matt cocked his head to the side, examining Rob's face. "Think I can't take you or something?" He joked.
Rob just smiled. "Oh, I know you can. So lets just say it's for my own protection."
Matt forced a return smile, deciding there was no sense in making an issue out of it. After all, it was just one night.
"So, anything interesting happen at the show?" Rob asked.
Matt shook his head. "Other than running into my little admirer, no."
"What?" Jeff butted in. "Who was it?"
Matt shrugged and told them all that had happened the night before. "I don't suppose you guys happen to see the sign on TV?" He was hardly surprised to see them shake their heads no. "Of course not." He cynically muttered.
Rob smiled patiently. "Midnight, I still think you may be over-reacting. Just a bit."
"Over-reacting?" Matt regarded Rob incredibly. Of all people, Rob should believe him by now. "Is that what you're going to tell your drug counselor?"
Rob instantly flushed and lowered his head.
Matt sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just... somehow I know this drug thing is connected. Too much shits been happening, at once, for me to just be over-reacting."
Jeff cleared his throat. "What was in the present this time?"
"I don't know. I forgot it in the car." Matt answered. He was tempted to go get it, but was too tired to bother.
Rob could easily tell, the circles under Matt's eyes were almost as dark as his eye color. "You should to go back to bed. At least get a little bit of sleep before tonight."
Matt shook his head. "We're going home tomorrow. I'll have plenty of time to sleep then. You are coming with me aren't you?"
Rob smiled. "Yeah, Man. We'll make the most of it."
Matt genuinely returned the smile. At least that was something to look forward to.
The rest of the morning was spent hanging out in the suite and later that afternoon they all went for a nice quiet lunch, before the un-televised house show that night.
When they arrived at the arena, Vince pulled Matt asided, as Matt knew he would, and went over every single mistake made in the previous night's match. Matt assured Vince, a performance like that wouldn't happen again and thankfully, he had the track record to back it up. With no more letters, phone calls, or anything unusual distracting him, he performed perfectly that night. Having his brother, Rob, and Chris there also helped.
The house shows ended earlier than the aired shows, giving them plently of night left over to do something. Their flight was earily so, instead of going to a club, they decided on pizza and movies and stopped by a video store on the way back to the Hotel.
Matt wondered along the new release wall and shook his head, listening to Jeff and Chris goofing off. It was amazing two people could have such a good time in a simple video store. Especially in the cheesy porn section.
"Hey Matt! What do ya think?" Jeff yelled, holding up two movie boxes. "'Shindler's Fist' or 'Saving Ryan's Privates'."
He busted out laughing, while Matt hastily looked around, hoping no one else heard. At least if anyone noticed, they were all wearing hats and sunglasses, in order to keep a low profile. "Do you have to be so loud? And why the hell are you asking me?"
Chris held up a couple of boxes too. "How about 'Lord of the Shwings' or 'The Blue Balls Brothers'."
Letting out an exasperated breath, Matt quickly retreated into an isle, getting away from the laughing fools. Who the hell suggested this great idea? "They're like a couple of damn kids." He muttered to Rob, who was searching for a martial arts movie he hadn't seen yet.
"Kids who really dig porn." Rob agreed. "Although, I was kinda hoping to rent 'A Beautiful Behind'."
"You'd better be joking."
Rob laughed. "I am." He assured. "Yours is good enough for me."
Matt gave him a sideways smile. "Thanks... I think."
They all finally made their selections, Jeff and Chris deciding to go with 'Good Will Humping'. Dispite the low profile, the two made such a scene with their stupid comments and jokes, they drew enough attention to finally get them all recognized.
It was all Matt could do not to fall through the floor with embaressment and after quickly signing a few autographs, he practically raced out the door. There were many people who believed, him and Jeff being brothers was just a storyline, and times like these, he didn't bother to defend the truth. Unfortunately, in his haste to get out of the store, he ended up leaving his wallet behind.
Matt drove back by himself, almost feeling a little bad for leaving Rob with the responsibilty of baby-sitting the kids. Almost. The clerk kept his wallet behind the counter and upon examination, he was happy to find everything still in it. By the time he got back to the hotel, the pizza should be there and he could enjoy a nice quiet evening. Or as best he could, considering he was still sharing a suite with his little brother and Chris.
Once they got back to North Carolina, Jeff and Chris could go off and do their own thing and he could spend time alone with Rob. He sang along to the R&B song playing on the radio as he returned to the hotel. His mood was good due to the fact that Rob was coming home with him agian. It was his turn to stay at Rob's, but with everything going on, he felt more comfortable being at home. At home he knew his surroundings and felt assured nothing strange would happen, regardless of the tire incident. Rob was probably right about it being some bored punks killing time.
Matt reached over to turn the radio up louder and happen to glance at the present sitting on the passenger floorboard. He'd forgotten all about it. Stopping at a red-light, he picked it up and saw it was wrapped like the last, with an easy to pull off lid. He untied the ribbon and started to pull the lid up, when a car suddenly began honking behind him, indicating the light was green.
"Impatient ass-hole." Matt muttered, taking off.
The music began to fade out, as he drove, and for the first time he noticed a weird sound. Figures, probably a problem with the car. What the hell is it with me and fucking cars? He turned the radio off and concentrated on the sound, trying to diagnose the problem.
Yet, it wasn't anything he could place, the sound like fingernails scratching on cardboard. He concentrated harder then became aware the sound was coming from inside the car. Not just inside the car, but inside the present! Passing under a streetlight, he raised his eyebrows, noticing the lid of the present barley moving up and down.
Bewildered he stared at the small box, until another horn honked. Looking back up, he realized he was practically driving in the center of the two-lane street and quickly manuvered back over to his side, letting the car behind him pass.
Trying to keep his focus on the road, he risked another glance at the box and gasped in surprise. A large hairy insect came crawling out from benieth the lid, followed by another. Then out of no where, a tarantula skittered over his hand and onto the steering wheel.
Matt jerked his hand away, accidentally jerking the steering wheel at the same time and causing the car to run onto the shoulder. He worked to regain his focus then suddenly, he felt the tingly hairs of another tarantula's long legs, brushing against his neck.
"SHIT!" Matt jumped as though burned and, without thinking, let go of the wheel to furiously fling it away. The next thing he knew, his car was crashing into the ditch.
He brought a hand to his head, which had hit the steering wheel, and sat for a second, trying to register what just happened. Then remembered the tarantulas! Shuffled around in the motion if the car, the spiders were now everywhere and numerous.
Matt practically tore out of the seatbelt and jumped out of the car. Slamming the door shut, he pulled off his jacket and frantically brushed off the spiders that clung to him. He then shook the few off his jacket and, grimacing in disgust, stomped on them as hard as he could. He took one final sweep of his body, before going to the window and peering inside. The present lay open and empty, having set all the tarantulas free. He couldn't begin to count how many there were.
"Try telling me I'm fucking over-reacting." Matt angrily slapped his hand on the window, fighting the urge to put his fist through it. He needed to call Rob and Jeff and get their ass's out here, so they could witness it for themselves. The only problem was, the cell phone and keys were still inside the car.
"Son of a bitch." Matt cursed.
He grabbed the handle then hesitated, watching a few tarantulas slowly creep around on the window. A spider or two didn't bother him, but a whole shit load of rat-sized tarantulas was another thing. Especially when he had no idea what getting bit by one could do to him.
Just get the shit, Matt told himself. Quickly he jerked the door open, reached inside to grab his cell and keys and slammed it shut, all in a matter of seconds. However, once he went around to examine the front of the car, he wondered why he even bothered to get the keys. The rental car's frame was bent up, un-drivable, and would probably be totaled out- adding a couple extra thousand to his credit card.
Angrily he dialed both Rob and Jeff's numbers, but must have been in a hole, because the calls wouldn't go through.
Catching himself before he slammed the phone to the ground, he took a deep breath, trying to get his anger under control.
A few seconds later, Matt looked around the streets, surrounded on both sides by thick woods. This would only happen at night, in the middle of fucking nowhere.
Sighing, he put his jacket back on, shoved the cell in his pocket and started walking. The hotel was at the edge of the city, probably only a few more miles away. Nothing like a brisk evening stroll, he cynically mused to himself.
Cars passed by, but none offered to stop and pick him up. Not that he could blame them. Times like these, picking up a hitchhiker was too dangerous. Hell, accepting a ride was too dangerous.
Apparently one pick-up truck didn't think so. The truck drove by, stopped and did a U-turn several yards behind him. It drove onto the shoulder and slowly moved forward, as though to catch up.
Intending to tell the driver, thanks anyway, Matt turned and waited for the truck to catch up. But when he stopped, the truck stopped too. Are they waiting for me to go to them? Whatever the case may be, he resumed walking. They'd get the point and move on.
The truck did move on, only now it was moving slowly behind Matt, making no attempt to pass or come up any closer. Sensing this, Matt halted and turned again. The truck halted too. What the hell are they doing? Squinting in the dark, he tried to make out the figure in the cab, but all he could see was a silhouette of a man. A man wearing a baseball cap.
Matt swallowed, remembering the stranger he'd seen at the arena- A man wearing a cap! A small sliver of fear ran up his spin.
The stranger sat in the truck, watching him and nothing more. Turning back around, Matt quickened his steps while his mind raced over what he should do. Was it the same guy? If so, what was this guy trying to do?
He could hear the truck following, but kept his head forward, his eyes searching for any kind of escape. He finally noticed he was coming upon a dirt road which led right through the woods. He couldn't see where it went, but didn't care. Figuring there was no point in trying to be discrete, he ran onto the road and through the cover of the trees.
The truck sped up and turned on the road, just as Matt jumped into some shrubbery on the side. Crouching down low, he remained hidden while the truck stopped and the stranger climbed halfway out the door.
Matt positioned himself and waited, planning to catch the stranger off guard by attacking first, but the idea died once he noticed the long crow bar in the other guy's hand.
"Shit." Matt pulled the cell out of his pocket and hit redial, watching as the stranger carefully scanned the area for him. To his relief the call went through and Jeff answered. "Hello?"
Matt started to speak, but the stranger turned off the truck's ignition, blanketing the woods in silence. Instantly, he closed his mouth and worked on keeping his nervous breathing quiet. The headlights were still on and he was just a few feet out the range. All he had to do was keep quiet.
"Hello?" Jeff repeated.
Matt brought the cell phone to his chest, muffing Jeff's voice. He could see the stranger's thick silhouette against the background of the sky and knew, the man wouldn't be able to see him against the dark background of the woods.
"Hello?"
The stranger's head turned his direction and Matt froze. The man moved away from his truck, his boots crunching on the dirt road, causing Matt to grind his teeth. Don't hang-up, he silently chanted to his brother, but Jeff finally gave up and did.
The stranger stopped, taking one last scan of the area, then gave up as well and returned to his truck. Matt let out the breath, he'd been holding, when the vehicle slowly pulled out and drove away. He brought a shaky hand to his forehead, suddenly noticing, how much it hurt.
What did the guy want from him? Who the hell was he?
Matt lowered his hand and looked out at the street, not sure if he should trust that the truck was really gone. Sitting back on his knees, he redialed Jeff, with no intentions of leaving his hiding spot.
TBC...