[Full Collapse] Security Obscurity

Day 2,331, 18:14 • Published in USA USA • by wookyjack

Eduardo tied up the trash bag in the security kiosk.  His graveyard shift was almost over and he always took the initiative to empty it before the next guard arrived.  He knew there would be no reciprocation when he returned for his next shift, but if a full garbage can was his only concern every other night, he could deal with that.  The guard he was on watch with, Miguel, had not been seen for some time.  Miguel usually watched the north end of the dock.  The kid must have dozed off again.  He's lucky his kiosk is not frequently visited since it is more of a outbound causeway for shipping containers.

Light would soon be approaching and Eduardo had just finished entering in his last report for the night in the security's log.  The door to the kiosk was ajar because the top hinge was gradually peeling out of the door jamb. It needed to be fixed, but Eduardo figured at least mentioning it in the logs would suffice.  A boring ten hour shift at one of the dozens of docks in the Canary Islands hardly left precedence for a loose hinge; especially when the ship he was waiting for still hadn't shown up.

As soon as he was finished with his shift change duties he popped the handle in his swivel chair and sat back, took a deep breath and sighed.  From the corner of his eye a ship's light caught his attention.  He grumbled, grabbed his walkie and radioed Miguel.

Nothing.

He tried again, but there was only silence.

The kid fell asleep and the ship was here!

"Aye dios mio," he muttered under his breath.  This is just what he needed.  He gathered his hat, flashlight and snapped his walkie to his belt.  He exited the kiosk and headed towards the inbound ship.  It only took a few steps toward the sea to notice the ship was coming in fast.  Faster than normal.  


He began to pick up the pace.  Mid jog he grabbed his walkie to try to hail Miguel one more time, but the device slipped out of his grasp when he tried to unsnap it from his belt.  It slammed on the ground and he kicked it accidentally sending it further away from him.  He stopped running and went to pick up the walkie.  That is when he felt a boom from the dock near Miguel's kiosk.  The ground beneath Eduardo shuttered.

Just then the ship crashed into the docks with reckless abandon.  As it made its way through the wood dock, plucking up the boards and tossing them aside with its bow, Eduardo stood transfixed to his position as the ship careened towards him.  Miguel's kiosk was the last thing Eduardo remembered as it was toppled over by a wave of boards.  Hopefully Miguel was not inside.  Eduardo stumbled backwards as the ship approached.  He turned to run and snagged the side of his foot.  His body pitched sideways, falling on his right shoulder, smacking his head on the ground.  He pushed himself up onto all fours and tried crawling towards his kiosk.  He was too disoriented from the fall and passed out on his stomach.  

Only moments later he awoke in pain.  He clamored for any nearby structure to prop himself up.  A pile of wreckage proved sturdy enough as he got vertical.  Gathering himself and his things he took in his surroundings.  Debris clouded the air.  A plume of black smoke was billowing from the ship as it was not still.  He thought to himself, 'Some pendejo is f*cked!'

A noise startled the silence.  Near the ship there were two figures, barely visible, behind a dock light that remained lit; where Miguel's kiosk used to stand. It appeared there was a struggle going on.  Were they two testosterone filled sailors that were too liquored up to properly drive a ship to dock?  It wouldn't be the first time!

Eduardo fumbled around for his flashlight, tightened his belt and secured his hat to his balding head.  He approached the two embattled figures.  As he closed in he noticed one of the men seemed to be chomping at the other.  The lesser man was screaming in agony as the other bit him over and over.  Eduardo couldn't believe what he was seeing!

Eduardo yelled, "Hey!  Pinche guey, que onda!"

The biting sailor, most likely from the ship, dropped the other man and began sprinting towards Eduardo.  Blood and flesh fell out of the sailor's mouth as it hung open screeching at the confused security guard.  Eduardo took a defensive stance and held his mag lite behind his back, ready to swing.  The sailor lunged at the portly guard, but was met with a fierce whack to the left temple.  The sailor dropped to the ground.


It was quiet.  Quiet enough to hear the fire searing the ship's upper deck.  The boat abruptly pitched to the right, sinking its starboard side into what remained of the docks.  As it settled, Eduardo turned his attention to the body he just bludgeoned.  Blood was pooling around the head of his assailant.  The poor, bald bastard had had enough.  He hustled to his kiosk.

 The door squeaked loudly as he rushed inside and locked the door.  He reached for his phone to dial out but there was no connection.  His cell phone in his car!  He opened the desk drawer and snagged his keys.  Exiting the building he cast a concerned look towards the wreckage and dead body he bashed.  It was gone.

"Este' mierda," he groaned.

He hurried toward the parking lot.  As he crossed the asphalt he soon noticed a wetness; not the kind of wetness from the sea spilling onto the dock, but a more textured substance that gave a bit of resistance to his footing.  The viscosity of this texture was not all familiar. He pointed the light at his feet.  The ground was colored crimson.  Eduardo stopped breathing.  He turned his gaze back up to the last remaining light where the initial struggle had taken place.  The light was out, consumed by the ship's flames.  His hand began to tremble and he knew immediately he should find safety and wait for help.  Car or kiosk?   He quickened his pace to the parking lot.  He wanted to get the hell out of there.

A figure blocked his path.  It was the sailor he smacked with his flashlight.  Eduardo immediately detoured and headed back to his kiosk.  He was in a full on sprint.

He got to the kiosk and realized he wasn't alone there either.  At first he thought it was a vagrant scrambling for some food or money, but upon closer inspection there was no doubt: it was Miguel.  The security badge on his right peck made it so.  Miguel's face was mutilated.  His left side of his jaw was ripped down and hanging, exposing his gums and teeth.  It was as if he had been given the worst fish-hook even a wrestler could imagine.  There were scratch marks all over his arms and neck.  His eyes stared at Eduardo, vacant, milky white, but completely transfixed on the portly man holding the flash light.  Miguel's right leg was carrying the majority of his weight as Eduardo noticed that Miguel's pants were practically gone and only remnants were left.  Miguel's right leg was pointed inward, pigeon-toed and oozing blood.  Miguel must have been the victim of the deranged sailor.

Before Eduardo could say anything Miguel let out a moan and descended on the security guard.  As he grasped the shocked guard's jacket he sank his teeth into Eduardo's left arm.  Eduardo let out a shriek, lost his balance and attempted with his right hand to grab the kiosk door to support himself from falling.  The door's hinges snapped like toothpicks and he, the door and the gnawing Miguel fell to the ground.  While on his back Eduardo swung his light and struck Miguel in the right side of his face.  Undaunted, Miguel grabbed Eduardo's head, turned it to the right and bit right into the guard's cheek bone.

As life extinguished its last breaths out of the petrified security guard only one, absurd thought entered his min😛 I should have fixed that door hinge.



"Hey girl, don't you know how to make a sandwich?" ~ WookyJack