The Typewriter

Chapter 1 or Day 1 of NaNoWriMo 2012 (1,685 words)

Chapter 1: K. C. Returns to Dragonview (version 1)

Kevin Chester Wainwright, known as K. C., his salt and pepper hair touching the collar of his brand new prison blue shirt sat staring out the window of the bus. He could feel the excitement rising from his stomach as the bus entered Dragonview. In the twenty-five years he was in prison, the the town had grown. It had expanded west toward Green City and the National Prison rather then east toward the Dragon Mountains. Outsiders might think it an odd way for the city to grow, but K. C. knew that the growth of Dragonview was based on the land that the Applewhite family owned and wanted to develop.

As the bus sped through Dragonview's Main Street, K. C. looked for familiar landmarks. The facades of almost every building had changed, the only exception to this was Dragonview Middle School and High School. K. C. smiled as the bus drove past his old alma moters. Those were joyous day, days filled with fun and freedom. In those day, his father, Chester, was a partner in Applewhite and Wainwright Reality. As a results, K. C. could do no wrong, he could get away with anything because everyone in town was afraid the Luther Applewhite would curse them and cause someone in the family to disappear into the magic mist of the Dragon Mountains. At least, that was the rumor spread by those who had lost loved ones to the Applewhite anger.

As the bus came to a stop, K. C. stood up and picked up the backpack sitting on the seat next to him, but instead of stepping into the isle he waited for all the other passengers to disembark. Once everyone else had gotten off, he ambled to the front of the bus and stepped carefully onto the sidewalk. He stood in front of the bus station contemplating his next move. Then he walked to a wooden bench and sit down.

Opening his backpack, K. C. took out a folded piece of paper and opened it. The address 963 Main Street, Suite 5 below which was a map. Well, he thought looking across the street, that should be the building directly across from the bus station, but I don't see any address. He refolded the paper, placed it in his shirt packet, and got up. Then he hefted the backpack onto his right shoulder and started across the street. When he reached the middle of the street, he saw a horse and buggy stop in front of the building.

K. C. stopped when a silver haired woman, wearing a pale peach dress, got out of the buggy and tied the horse to an expired parking meter. "Shit!" He said, as she brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and then walked into the building without putting change in the meter. "Lydia Applewhite... I wonder why that bitch is going in there." He continued toward the door Lydia had just passed through. He entered the office building just as Lydia went into Suite 5.

"I can't let her see me here," he whisper backing out of the building. Outside he put both arms through the straps of the backpack. Centering the pack on his back, he turned east and walked briskly toward the Dragonview cemetery. In about half an hour he stood at the north-west corner of the 8 mile by 4 mile cemetery, An 8 foot high and 4 foot wide hedge surround the cemetery.

Damn, thought K. C. staring at the forest green thorny hedge, I'll have to walk all the way to the east entrance.

"Sir," a young man on a motor bike said, "would you like a ride to the cemetery entrance?"

"I was going there, but..."

"You just got out of prison, with a bus ticket to your parole officer."

"Is it that obvious?"

"I'm Louis Jones, my uncle got out on parole a couple of months ago."

"I'm K. C. Wainwright, Louis," they shook hands, "I wanted to visit my mother's grave before reporting to my parole office a Mr. Porter."

"Jay Porter isn't the Dragonview parole officer any more, Mr. Wainwright. He disappeared about a week ago."

"Call me K. C." He got on the back of the bike, "who's the new one."

"Miles Dragonslayer and he arrived yesterday," he guided the bike to the east side of the cemetery and the location of its only entrance.

"How much," said K. C. getting off the bike.

"It's on me, K. C." Louis smiled parking the bike in an employees only space, "my uncle would skin me alive if I charged a new parolee for anything. When you finish your visit I'll give you a ride to Mr. Dragonslayer's office. You'll need a witness to back up your story about visiting your mother." Together they entered the building that was placed in the precise center of the hedge. Inside, Louis led K. C. through the chapel to the door that led to the cemetery..

"Do you want to take a bicycle taxi or human drawn taxi?"

"Bicycle," he got into the nearest cab while Louis mounted the bicycle. "Mom's grave is in the north-west corner near the..."

"Applewhite and Nolan grave sites."

"I gather you've worked here a while, Louis."

"I was born in Dragonview and I've worked here since high school."

K. C. took a deep breath inhaling the scent of roses. As they drove down the cobblestone paved path, he noticed that beside every headstone a rose bush was planted and each rose bush was in bloom. When he was younger he had heard descriptions of the cemetery, but until now he had never been inside the hedge that protected it from the outside world. Now he admired the different colored roses that decorated each grave.

At the back of the cemetery, he got out of the cab and knelt at his mother's grave. He sighed and looked up at the oak trees planted just inside the hedge row. The limbs of the trees swayed in a gentle breeze. Odd, he thought wiping a tear from his eyes, I don't remember any wind outside the cemetery. Looking behind he noticed that Louis had taken out a book and seemed intent on his reading.

"Well, Mom," he placed his hand on the headstone, "your son has returned, but too late to say a proper good-bye." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "my only regret is that I couldn't find out what Luther Applewhite did with Pop's body. I know he had Pop killed and the body disposed off, I just don't know how or where. Mom, I promise I'll find out if it's the last thing I do in life." Getting up, he went back to the cab and got in.

"Ready to meet Mr. Dragonslayer, K. C.," Louis put his book in his pocket, mounted the bicycle, and peddled toward the front of the cemetery.

"Yes, but what about your job here?"

"My job here consists of taking people to the grave sites and back to the entrance, when there are no customers I'm free to do what I want as long as I show up when the customers arrive."

"Don't you need to be here a specific time each day, Louis?"

"K. C., I have the talent," he smiled at the perplexed look on K. C.'s face, "I know day or night when someone is going to visit a grave and I show up to take them."

"That's a good talent to have, Louis, but I didn't know the cemetery was open at night."

"It wasn't until I came to work here," he laughed, "unlike many people in Dragonview and the rest of the world, I'm not afraid of the dead or the weird happenings in this cemetery. Since I came to work here profits have increased ten fold because some people will actually pay to visit the graves at night, but they need protection and I provide it."

"How much do you charge to escort people to the graves?"

"K. C," he said as they arrived back at the front of the cemetery, "there's a price list at the front of the building, please pick one up as we leave."

About thirty minutes later they arrived back in Dragonview and parked in front of the office building. Getting off the bike, K. C. and Louis entered the building and went into Miles Dragonslayer's office.

"Good afternoon, Louis," Miles said, "who's your friend?"

"One of your parolees a Mr. K. C. Wainwright, I escorted him to his mother's grave."

"Louis, thank you for bringing him here." When Louis left the office Miles turned to K. C. "So you're Kevin Chester Wainwright."

"Yes, Sir."

"You should have reported to me first, but I understand about wanting to visit your mother's grave, but now down to business."

K. C. studied Miles Dragonslayer's features, there was something familiar about him. The eyes, K. C. frowned as he stared into Miles flaked blue eyes, where have I seen those eyes before? He rubbed his chin, Who do I know that had eyes like that? It had been over twenty-five years since he looked an Applewhite in the eyes.

"Luther Applewhite," he whispered.

"What did say," ask Miles his brow wrinkling.

"Uh... I don't remember."

"Mr. Wainwright," Miles frowned, "I've looked at your file. You went to prison because you attempted to robe Luther Applewhite. You and I will get along just fine as long as you stay clear of Lydia Applewhite or the Applewhite property. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good," he looked at his watch, "report to Gray Landscaping, it's just across the street next to the bus station." He handed K. C. an apartment key and an address. "The landscaping office may be closed now, if they are report there in the morning to get your work assignment. Your room mate is Calvin Jones, who is the uncle of the young man who brought you here from the cemetery. Good luck with your new job."