as yeti and mister lazybones moved down the dark road, a pickup truck suddenly appeared in front of them from behind a curve, and they had to scramble to get out of its way.
the pickup truck contained the notorious doctor delta and was driven by his creature, grigsby, and they were on their way to pick up any human flotsam that might have been left for them by zombi and the driver, whose schedule they were acquainted with.
doctor delta was one of the last of the old school mad scientists, who were persisting in their attempts to make “monsters” or to “create life”, even though it seemed obvious to the rest of the world that there was no market for the results of such endeavors.
doctor delta had started out in life as a fine young man, before a series of unfortunate occurrences resulted in his banishment from civilized society.
he was daniel delmont in those faraway days, the handsome and charismatic senior class president at woodbury high school. his father was a renowned authority on counterterrorism and his mother was a successful and respected architect. in addition to being class president, young daniel was the captain of the the lacrosse team and the debating team, the point guard on the basketball team, the goalie on the “soccer” (world football) team, and was also on the baseball team and the bobsled team and the ballroom dancing team and a member of the math club and the screenwriting club.
.
but there was one thing he was not.
he was not the quarterback on the football (american football) team. he had been beaten out for the position by chuck billson, a surly young man from the wrong side of town, who had a rifle arm and a chip on the shoulder of his rifle arm the size of a moon rocket launching pad.
daniel had to content himself with playing wide receiver, in which capacity he felt that chuck did not throw him the ball as often as he might. daniel, however, was too much of a gentleman to complain to tcoach slade about it.
daniel had a girl - marcy daniels, the most beautiful girl in town and the richest, though with a bit of an attitude. daniel worshipped the ground marcy walked on and the air she walked through, and would have done anything for her, and to make her his forever.
one day marcy met daniel under the old apple tree in front of the courthouse snd informed him that she was dropping him and taking up with chuck billson.
daniel was stunned. but why, he asked. why?
because he is the quarterback on the football team, why did you think?
is that all? daniel asked bewilderedly.
isn’t that enough? what part of “quarterback on the football team’” don’t you understand?
isn’t there more to life than that? must people be judged by their position in society, rather than by what is in their souls? daniel stammered confusedly, realizing even as he did so that he was not expressing himself as lucidly as he might? what would coach fisher of the debating team say?
tell me, daniel, marcy countered, with her blue eyes glittering, what do you intend to do with your life, after high school, i mean?
well um, i had not thought about it much. my dad might get me into the counterterrorism department…
the counterterrorism department! marcy laughed scornfully. so you just want to be a faceless drone of the deep state, sitting at a desk in virginia or london reading reports from people in islamabad or tokyo who probably don’t even exist?
well, what is chuck billson going to do?
what is chuck billson going to do? he is going to start by winning the state championship for good old woodbury high. then he is going to be recruited by all the major football schools in the u s, he is going to win the heisman trophy wherever he goes, and then his going to be drafted number one in the nfl draft, and then he id going to win six or seven super bowls. because chuck is a go-getter, a man with a plan, not a dweeb like you content to flub along in the shallow water of the world.
daniel tried to laugh. and then what? he retorted feebly.
at that moment chuck billson appeared out of the shadows cast by the trees on the lawn of the courthouse.
and then what? chuck drawled. i am not sure. i thought i might be president of the united states, or maybe become a navy seal astronaut and lead the first mission to the andromeda galaxy.
what is it to you? meanwhile i don’t appreciate your wasting my girl’s time, not to mention that i see enough of your foolish puppy dog face, moping around the football field because i choose to throw the ball to my men who an actually watch the ball. am i making my self clear enough for you, loser?
daniel’s brain was in a whirl, he found himself walking past the courthouse, past the high school, past the football field, past mr jenkins’s drugstore, past the mall, past the church, and down to the lake…
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