Apostate – Chapter 4

Follow along with Jack as he writes his new book, in real time! Comment if you feel that way inclined. Here is chapter 4.

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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

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APOSTATE
by JACK DEY

A whisper from the wilderness calling.

CHAPTER 4

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Slowing down, the expensive BMW sensed the change in speed, prompting its high powered computer to adjust the elaborate transmission settings, switching from country highway cruising to that of city driving conditions. In a heartbeat, the calculating brain made a plethora of electronic decisions before commanding and then dispatching a myriad of engine, suspension and transmission directives along the byways of its extensive wiring arterials. In most cases the changes were subtle, but every command no matter how minute, added a new dimension to the vehicle’s complex performance and luxury. The lavish loungeroom-on-wheels almost appeared snobbish in its reflexes, deliberately echoing the sentiment of its pampered owner and responding to the electronic instructions with a smooth and almost discreet reaction.

Approaching the town and welcomed into Kirby’s thriving metropolis by a cheerful and decorative billboard, Lisa’s expectations peaked, and when the endless procession of forest eventually parted, they both got an initial prospect into the bustling country community. At the edge of town, tidy, grassed open spaces had been carved out of the dominant forest with a handful of shanty houses interspersed among the greenery, but the much anticipated economic hub was yet to be revealed. Carried along in gawking silence and eager for the discovery, the two occupants peered around, but when the city centre eventually idled into view, Lisa’s unintentional… ‘oh!’… gave Caylin the first of many clues into the plausibility of her intended plan. It was now obvious Kirby was as big a shock to her as it was to him.

“Where to, Lisa?” Caylin intentionally smothered the grin in his voice, thankful that she was the one looking to hide a blunder, his sharp legal mind processing the situation with uncanny accuracy. Clearly the order of business she had in mind didn’t match the town’s capabilities, and if it were him in her place, she would be mercilessly attacking and ridiculing every excuse he made.

Knowing she’d been caught out and red faced with embarrassment, she cleared her throat and stuttered, trying to give the impression she was in control and knew exactly where she was and where to go. “U..um. I..I need to find the bank to make a deposit, and then we’ll visit the supermarket for supplies. After that it’ll be the employment centre,” Lisa covered her muddy tracks with effortless ease in a practiced and award-winning performance.

Approaching a cluster of rusty, timeworn buildings trapped in a bygone era and congregated together on one side of the main street, Lisa and Caylin followed the passing parade with a gaping, comedic stare. Perfectly in phase, both occupants rotated in unison like a pavilion of swivelling clown heads bound together in a circus sideshow watching the shock passing by their window. A post office, a neighbouring but lazy and deserted general store, and a massive timber and tin hotel completed the picture… but no bank or supermarket. Without uttering a word, Caylin continued to drive, searching for the apparent businesses Lisa required. As the road began to narrow and the ever-present forest closed back in, another billboard bid the travellers a warm goodbye while soliciting a promise that they would most certainly visit again.

Turning the vehicle around and glancing to Lisa for direction, she jumped in first before he could speak, and ordered him to pull up in front of the post office as if this was her intended destination all along and they would be able to deal perfectly with her financial transaction needs. Slipping the expensive car into a vacant space bordering two stationary and dilapidated wrecks, Caylin wondered whether his impoverished neighbours should be on the road at all. Parked directly in front of the general store and feeling an uncomfortable sense of being watched, Caylin noticed that the hotel was only a stone’s throw away. Shaded by an extensive and ancient verandah reaching out to the kerb, he could see the hotel patrons inside becoming aware of their arrival through the many polished windows facing directly onto the street.

“You go into the general store, Caylin, and start collecting supplies, while I visit the post office and deposit this money,” Lisa commanded, once again denying him a part in the decision making. Quickly abandoning the car, Lisa carried a substantial bag of cash and walked briskly towards the post office, her high heels clacking in time with each step, deliberately avoiding the gaping fractures littering the uneven sidewalk.

Glancing at the hotel windows and then back to the general store from his seat, Caylin immediately noticed the lack of activity coming from the gloomy interior, then a roughly scribbled note attached to the glass sliding door: ‘Back at 2 pm.’

With a hungry, rumbling belly and a sigh to match, Caylin glanced to the vehicle’s digital clock, reading the numbers with a groan: 11.45 am. Turning in the direction that Lisa had gone, he was surprised to find her standing on the pavement and cupping her hands to her face against the post office window. Evidently she had encountered a similar trial and was now clip-clopping back to the car, highly unimpressed. It now made perfect sense why there was a concentration of local vehicles parked against the perimeter of the hotel, suspecting it to be the only watering hole for many, many miles around.

Watching Lisa boil as she stood outside his window, she unleashed her frustration on him. “Why aren’t you shopping like I told you?!” Lisa spat with annoyance. But when Caylin pointed at the note on the shop door, she flounced back around to the passenger side, climbed in and pulled the door shut with such vehemence it shook the whole car.

“Should I go into the hotel and see if we can get someone to open up for us?” Caylin understood where the focus of town economics was being conducted. “I’m hungry, anyway. We haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.”

Fuming and frustrated to the point of exploding, Lisa finally blew. “No! You’ll probably mess that up, too! Stay here and I’ll sort out these… idiot people!”

Caylin began to object to her unfair analysis, but she was already out of the car and heading for the hotel door less than a hundred metres away. Fearing the recipe of his small and furious wife in one of her treacherous moods, combined with a group of complete strangers in a unknown state of sobriety, it shook Caylin to his core. This was not going to end well! Feeling the pit of his stomach shrivel into a knot, Caylin paused for a moment, wondering what to do. Coming to a decision, he climbed out and followed at a safe distance, just in time to see Lisa’s small and fuming figure disappear inside. Listening at the door, the common rumble associated with public drinking houses collapsed into silence, but when Caylin heard a straining kerfuffle followed by a chorus of cat-whistles, his heart leapt into his throat, knowing full well the cause.

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Chapter 5

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About JackDey

Jack Dey, born to adventure, lives in the tropical rainforest of North Queensland, Australia. He has three loves in his life: Jesus; the Editor (his wife of 30 something years); and writing adventure novels. He is the author of MAHiNA; Paradise Warrior; Aunt Tabbie's Wings; The Secrets of Black Dean Lighthouse; The Legend of Ataneq Nanuq, The Valley of Flowers; La Belle Suisse (co-authored with Dodie La Mirounette); Zero; Naive; and Brindabella's Prophet. His latest book, Apostate, is currently being researched and written - and you can follow the story along chapter by chapter as he writes in real time! Jack writes only to please Papa God and considers his writing a ministry, demanding nothing from the reader for his e-books. If you like Jack Dey’s books and would like to support his ministry, please consider praying for the team at Jack Dey and telling your friends about his titles. New books are written with the intention of being a pencil in Jesus’ hand and bringing joy and encouragement to you, the reader.