The Face

The muffled robotic voice sounded through the empty train car with an announcement of the next stop. Looking around, Sierra felt chills travel up her spine. She didn't remember getting on the train. Where was she going? How did she get here? Looking around Sierra caught her reflection in the dark window, her ghost pale face, bed tossed hair and her rumpled night dress. Relief filled her as she realized she was in a dream. Sierra closed her eyes, "Wake up, wake up!" When she opened her eyes again, Sierra was disappointed to see she still sat in the empty, dirty train car. Just then, the brakes screeched and brought the train to a slow until it stopped with a jolt. Looking out the window, all Sierra could see was darkness, not even a street light. A door close to where she was seated opened. For no reason Sierra could assess, she was stricken with a fear so deep she began to shiver as she stared into the darkness that now had access to the safety of the train car. The thick silence around her was interrupted by a rhythmic clicking. Click, click. Click, click. Click, click. Suddenly standing at the open doors stood a man with a cane. At first he seemed like a normal man dressed for a rainy day. A yellow rain coat dripped water onto the train floor, the hood sitting heavy on his bowed head, only the messy hair of a salt and pepper beard sticking out. Slowly he walked to the other end of the car. Click, click. Click, click. Click, click. As he sat, the car doors began to close, but Sierra felt the impeccable urge to rush out those closing doors. She found herself frozen in place, and using much effort not to look at the man. Again, the muffled voice announced something Sierra couldn't understand. "Please, please wake up," she begged her subconscious in a hushed voice. 

"Ha ha ha ha," the slow laugh escaped the man's voice as if traveling through gravel. "You'll never wake up until you wake up child." Sierra looked up at the man, shock, fear and curiosity turning Sierra's neck against her will. "Wake up! Wake up!" The man began to yell as he rose from his seat and click click clicked his cane and himself across the train. "When are you gonna wake up girl! Wake up wake up!" 

Sierra reared back, a scream trapped in her throat, choking down her voice and will to look away. All at once his face was mear inches away as he screamed, "Wake up," over and over. If his manner didn't strike fear into her before, the mangled face before her would have struck her very soul. Where his right eye should have been now layed wrinkled skin in a concave of his face. Light from the fluorescent bulbs shone through in a pink queezy color. The right side of his face looked like it tried to melt away and then hardened in the shape it was left in. Lips cracked so badly, it looked like it hurt as he yelled "Wake up," again and again and again. 

"Sierra! Sierra wake up! Wake up, it's just a dream." Sierra woke to her roommate Lynnette shaking her awake and sweat making her bedsheets and night dress stick uncomfortably. "Are you okay Sierra? What was that about?"

Embarrassed at Lynnette's concern, Sierra just shrugged it off, "Just a dream Lynn, I'll be okay." Thankfully Lynnette left Sierra alone to shake off the chills that left goosebumps on her skin in the warm New York apartment. A hot shower, rice cake and swipe of lipstick later, Sierra was dressed and heading out the door to her barista job at the coffee shop. Although only a few blocks away, walking in the New York summer sun meant Sierra got to work as she always did, sweaty and flushed. "Hey, you're early!" Daniel greeted Sierra at the door as he was unlocking the back entrance, his mega watt smile making Sierra thankful she could use the heat as an excuse for the blush that traveled up her neck and into her cheeks. They say it's bad to have a crush on your boss, but if it wasn't for this crush, Sierra wouldn't be able to find a reason to get up and come to work every morning. Finding work is hard enough, so the fact that she could not only pay her bills but also work along side the hunk that was Daniel, was a plus. "Yea, well, I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep", Sierra said more to the alley concrete than to Daniel. "Is it okay if I clock in anyway? I'll leave early so I don't go into overtime." 

Daniel smiled again, making Sierra again look down. She was sure he knew she had the hots for him, the fact that he didn't pry her about it made him a true gentleman, which only made Sierra like him more.

"How about you make yourself some eggs and toast, since I know you haven't eaten anything, and clock in after you've had a good meal."

Sierra felt herself pout as she stomped her foot, "I did too eat! I had breakfast before I walked here!"

"A rice cake does not count as breakfast. It barely qualifies as food." Sierra started to interrupt but Daniel stopped her as he walked through the door and into the small kitchen at the back of the shop, "Lynette called my cell and said you ate a rice cake and just paid rent yesterday, so she knows you didn't stop for food. Eat, then clock in. I don't need my best waitress passing out on me mid-shift." Daniel reached into the old fridge and pulled out 2 eggs, shredded cheese and a loaf of rye. "If I wanted to be bossed around, I would've stayed on the farm with Daddy." The sarcasm dripped from Sierra's voice, but she knew Daniel would appreciate it, he wasn't like the other stuffy bosses she worked for before. 

"Well, you're not on the farm anymore, so I guess I'll have to be your Daddy now." Sierra gasped and looked up to see the cheesiest grin smacked onto Daniel's face that quickly disappeared when she looked at him. "Hey, I was just joking. I didn't mean anything sexual or anything." Daniel started to pace and run his hand through his silky dark brown hair that was long enough to just cover his ears. "I'm sorry Sierra, I know... I know how that sounded."

Sierra could barely pay attention to the words escaping Daniel's mouth, she was too busy watching him pace, his strong arm lifting up to his hair, the way his khaki pants fit just right. Her face felt warm and she knew she must be as red as her olive skin would allow. Sierra quickly looked down, this time letting her red curls hide her face. "Sierra, if you want, I'll write an incident report." Sierra heard that part and shot her gaze up at a very worried, very pale Daniel. 

"No, no... Daniel... I know you didn't mean it like that. I would never report you for something like that. You should know better." 

After reassuring him three more times, Daniel finally let it go. After a quick bite of eggs and toast, that Daniel watched her eat all of, Sierra got to work getting the shop ready for the early risers. Regulars came first at the same time they always did, two minutes after the doors opened. She swore they waited around the corner for 6 am on the dot before starting the short walk over. Mrs. Connelly came in with her service dog, Sally, who was supposed to help the recently widowed older woman with her anxiety. Sierra loved Sally and her soft curly hair and little poof of a tail. Mr. Jansen was next, but he never sat down. As always he was dressed to the nines, in a suit Sierra was sure she'd spend her entire life trying to pay for, took his coffee black, and was out the door in the matter of time it took to say "Hello".

One by one, regulars and new faces filled the coffee shop and soon, Sierra was shuffling back and forth non-stop from table to bar filling orders and clearing tables. Quincy, a very flamboyant, colorful and glamorous man, stood at the register. He always wore the brightest colors, which suited his shiny dark chocolate skin tone, paired with outrageous patterns that only Quincy could pull off. She didn't envy Quincy, even if he did get to stand in one place and take orders while Daniel made the food and beverages. Quincy was the first person these people conversed with, and some of these people needed coffee before they could turn the civilized part of their brains on. But Quincy handled it all well, sometimes even giving a little attitude back, not enough to get fired (because Daniel would never) but enough to make the customer realize it was themselves that were out of line. 

After a quick bathroom break to fix up her make-up, Sierra re-entered the dining room and gasped. A chill not unlike the one from her dream this morning traveled up her spine, freezing her in place. Unable to see the entire dining room from where she stood, Sierra took in what she could see, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. A deep breath and shake of her hands and she stepped into the dining room with a smile. She really should be an actor, Sierra thought to herself as Daniel walked up to her with the classic look of concern. "Hey, there was someone here for you while you were in the bathroom. Were you expecting someone?" Sierra couldn't think of anyone wanting to see her. Lynette was probably back in bed getting her "beauty sleep" still, and she had no other friends besides Quincy and Daniel. "No, I wasn't," Sierra said, still smiling, "its probably just a regular who wants to talk my ear off about a grandson they want me to meet." Sierra laughed, but could have sworn she saw a glimpse of jealousy cross Daniel's face. "No, Sierra. I've never seen him before. Trust me, I would not be able to forget that face."

Sierra felt herself get dizzy, "Why? What was wrong with his face?" It couldn't be the man she was thinking of. That was a dream, just a dream, Sierra kept repeating.

"It was just really messed up, he was missing an eye and he's wearing a rain coat. Its like 94°F outside and he's wearing a freaking raincoat. He's sitting in the dining room and said he's not leaving until he sees you."

Sierra bolted past Daniel leaving his worried face behind her. She needed to see him, needed to know if it was the same man, even though she knew it wasn't possible.

Just as she stepped into the middle of the room, the sound of a chair sliding on the hard brick-like floor, rang over all the voices and sounds of clinking China. Sierra could hear it over the noise of the coffee shop. Click, click. Click, click. Click, click. She turned around and was not surprised, and yet completely terror filled to see the familiar mangled face behind the yellow hood of the raincoat. Tears filled her eyes as Sierra tried to choke down the need to vomit on the man's black rain boots. 

"I told you didn't I?" He said with a leer, his breath smelled of fish and tobacco.

"Told...told me what?" Sierra said, her entire body shaking.

"I told you, you will never wake up, until you wake up child."

"Why, why are you doing this to me? Why? Please leave me alone." Sierra dropped to the floor, the mans wet rain boots inches from her face. "Please, leave me alone" Sierra cried over and over.

"No, wake up! You have to wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" The man lifted Sierra off her feet, and brought her close to his face. "Wake up before it's too late! Wake up!"

Sierra closed her eyes. She couldn't stand to look at that face. With her hand over her ears she yelled and yelled, "Shut up, shut up," over and over, her voice going hoarse and tears falling down her face. And then she was flying across the coffee shop. The man threw her with a strength she did not expect from his wiry frame. As if in slow motion, she watched herself fall to the hard floor, and everything went black.

"I think she's waking up. Oh please Sierra, wake up. Please wake up!" 

Sierra opened her eyes. She lay in a hospital bed, flowers on a bed side table. Daniel looking down at her with that mega smile. "You're awake," he said with tears in his eyes. Next to him, two identical girls clung to him, one on each leg. 

"Mommy, are you done sleeping now?" One little girl let go of Daniel to stand closer to Sierra, a thumb securely clamped in her mouth. "Yes baby girl, Mommy is awake now," Daniel answered, "but she needs to talk to the doctor. Give her a kiss and we'll come back later." One by one, Sierra received a kiss from all three, Daniel's being longer and with so much feeling. She felt so confused. What about the coffee shop?

"What? What happened Daniel?"

With a smile, Daniel walked to the door, "Talk to the doctor babe, then we'll catch up. I love you." And with that, he was gone, replaced by a woman in a long white coat who told her about the drunk driver, the rain, and the man who saved her life.

"Where is the man who pulled me out of the car?" Sierra asked, fearing the worst. 

"Well Sierra, he's in a coma. He was hit as well, but was able to get out of his car and pull you out before he went unconscious. It's not looking good for him."

"Can I see him?" Sierra asked. She needed to see the face of the man who saved her life and brought her back to her family.

"When you're well enough to move, I'll take you to him myself."

Three days later, Sierra was taken, in a wheelchair, to see the man who saved her life. As she rolled through the room, she saw a woman sitting in a chair next to a frail body in the bed. Tears left tracks in her light makeup, and she stood to take Sierra's hand. "Are you his wife?" Sierra asked, although the pain in the womans eyes could only come from a woman's love. She simply nodded her head and stepped aside, giving Sierra a better look at the man. 

With a gasp, Sierra took in the wiry figure, making the small hospital bed look enormous. He layed with the right side facing her, so she could see the patch that covered his missing eye. His face mangled, looked like melted wax that had hardened. 

"He was on his way to the docks," came a small voice. His wife stepped beside her with a picture. "He lost his eyeand hurt his leg during a big game fishing accident, and his face was burned in an accident when he was young." His wife showed Sierra a picture of a man with a salt and pepper beard that couldn't hide the kid smile. He wore a yellow rain coat, and held a cane. Next to him was his wife, holding him close. "He is such a nice man, but people have always been so afraid of him. He is so good."

"Yes," Sierra said, a tear rolling down her face. "Yes he is." Sierra leaned forward and layed a kiss on the man's forehead, "Thank you for waking me up."

The End