WHAT LURKS IN THE DARKNESS?

It was late, I walked through the garage trying to remember where I parked my car six hours earlier when I arrived for my meeting.  The sound of my steps echoed through the semi empty darkness of the garage.  Although I heard nothing, I suddenly felt a chill run through my body and I noticed the hair standing up on my arms although it was a warm, still evening.

I approached where I thought I had left my car. The feeling of apprehension still lingered.  I reviewed the meeting in my mind, hoping that focusing on business would relieve me of the uneasy feeling.  I tried to remember the number on the post when I parked in the morning, I always wished later that I had written it down, something I never do, as I tell myself I will remember, and forget five minutes later.

I usually attached a word or something to it, what was it? I wondered as I walked.  I was beginning to feel more relaxed as I thought back to this morning.  I remembered the great night I had the night before and I really began to relax as I remembered the sweet kisses I was left with, almost canceling the days meeting to play hooky and spend the day in bed.

That would never do, responsibility first - suddenly I remembered, I parked on J and I was on D.  I  heard a car on the level below.  A car door shut in the distance. I continued up the ramp - almost there, a sign that the place wasn't completely deserted!  The footsteps below echoed into the distance and soon faded into the night.

I began to notice the pattern on the poles as I walked the six levels.  Red, white, white, red.  No other sound but the echo of my shoes on the concrete filled the air. I could not even hear traffic below.  It was closing in on ten p.m., not too many people worked that late any more since the economy had tanked.  I had always put in a full day and time was really irrelevant. There would be time to rest when I was dead, I thought, once again, it was like a mantra now.  Making it in this man's world was no joke.

I began to think about the sunken hot tub and a nice long soak before a late dinner.  I made a mental note to stop and pick up a salad on the way home and maybe some ice cream, after this walk I think I could indulge a little bit.  I was deep in thought, no longer aware of any danger, the earlier fear had vanished in a puff of sweeter thoughts.

Level J and an arrow, around another corner, up the last ramp.  I had a vague memory of parking halfway down the on the right.  I glanced around, unaware of any one else.  A few cars were parked on the level.  Up ahead I saw mine.