91. Be Right Back?

When I got to work the next day, Austin was sitting on the steps in front of the building. His long hair had been cut to a short stubble. Sunken eyes rested on prominent cheekbones.  He barely looked up when I said, “Austin?”

“My brother’s not coming back,” he said.  “He’s too far gone. He loves the Church.”

“The Church of Middaymorrow?” I asked. “The cult?”

“Quinn was right, it was a cult. He wasted his breath warning me.”

“Quinn didn’t waste his breath.  You made it back.  If he hadn’t warned you, you might not have known you had joined a cult.” I paused, “You really think your brother won’t come back?”

“Most people don’t get addicted trying something once. My brother was gone before that first Perc hit his brain.  I know guys tried coke and were gone after the first line.”

“Gotta stay away from anything addictive,” I said. “You don’t know if you’re the one who won’t come back.”

Today I’ll remember you don’t always come back.

Time for a Change ©2017 by Ken Montrose

Time for a Change is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com

https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/