The Potion: A genetic engineering thriller!

Chapter 12

James was not only starting to get extremely worried about Ronald, but he felt as if his paranoia was starting to rub off on him.

It had now been days since he’d last heard from Ronald. He had driven by his house the night before, and everything seemed normal. His car was parked in the driveway as it always was, there were no lights on, nothing out of the ordinary. He even went up and down the street to see if there were any cars that he didn’t recognize, but he couldn’t spot anything. He had been tempted to knock on the door and wake the old man up, but he stopped himself. Maybe his radio silence was a good thing. Maybe, with everything they had done over the last few months was enough to give the poor man a break. James knew deep down Ronald needed this, so he didn’t feel right with waking him up if he had finally gotten some rest.

Besides, their scheduled appointment was coming up, and Ronald wouldn’t miss that for the world. He’d see him over the weekend, just like he always did.

That was, if he made it until then. Something had started to feel off a few days ago, although James couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Perhaps he was more aware of his surroundings than he previously thought, but he could’ve sworn that there was a man following him. Not close, and not all the time, but whenever he got that weird feeling on the back of his neck, sure enough, there’d be a man dressed in black, almost hovering in his shadows.

Was it possible that James was starting to go insane like his old friend? Possibly. But since he knew almost every face in this town and suddenly this new stranger showed up and was always in the same place as him, the chances of it being a mere coincidence were slim to none.

It was Friday afternoon, and James could barely concentrate on doing an oil change, much less anything else on a vehicle.

“Take a break,” Brad murmured.

He ushered James into the break room and poured him a cup of coffee before taking over on the car he’d been working on. James let out a deep sigh before going into his recent call logs and dialing Ronald’s work number. It rang twice until an automated machine directed him to a different line.

“Dr. Cameron speaking, how may I direct your call?”

“Hello, this is James Scott calling, I’m a friend of Dr. Ronald Clark. I was just hoping to talk to him really quick. I know he’s probably busy with his upcoming project, but this is important.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but Dr. Clark is not working in the office for the next six weeks. Have you tried him on his personal phone?”

Not working for the next six weeks? What was all that about?

“What do you mean he’s not working? That’s all he ever does is work.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Scott, that’s personal information that I’m not at liberty to discuss with anyone except his direct kin.”

“He doesn’t have any direct kin,” James sneered. “Is he alright? Can you at least tell me that?”

“He’s seeking help for his mental health, that’s all I can tell you. If that’s all, I really have to go, I’m sorry. If you see him, please give Dr. Clark my best wishes for a speedy recovery.”

The line clicked off before James could get another word in. He cursed under his breath and was nearly tempted to throw his phone across the room but stopped himself. Now was not the time or place to lose his temper. He had to stay calm. This was all just a misunderstanding. This had nothing to do with the fact that Ronald had developed a secret serum. It couldn’t be.

Jumping out of the chair, James marched across the shop floor and stormed into Kevin’s office. “I apologize for the intrusion, Kevin, but I have a personal emergency that needs tending to, and I’ll need the rest of the afternoon off.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Kevin blinked profusely before waving towards the door. “Go, go, please, do you need anything from me?”

“No, it’s fine, I can handle this. Thank you, sir.”

Before he grabbed his belongings from the locker, he stopped to tell Brad that he wasn’t going to be able to work on the rest of his scheduled appointments as something had come up. Just as he was leaving through the front office, a man walked in dressed head to toe in all black. A scarf covered the lower half of his face, and he wore a hat that cast a dark enough shadow that it would be difficult to point him out if they were to cross paths again.

“I’m off, Mindy,” James waved to the receptionist. “Brad and Kevin have already been informed. Have a wonderful weekend.”

“You, too, James!”

“I’m here to cancel my 2 o’clock appointment,” the stranger said just as James stepped out of earshot.

That was the only part of the conversation he heard, and while a part of him begged him to stay and linger a while longer, the other part was urging him to leave. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to go visit Ronald quite yet, but he knew he was not in the right mindset to finish the rest of his shift. He just needed to go home, relax, and speak with Ronald tomorrow.

First, he needed groceries. Even with the super serum coursing through his veins, he couldn’t continue to eat like he did in college. He needed a proper diet, not fast-food takeout.

He drove to the closest supermarket and went inside. It was nearly empty, save for a few elderly couples who were doing their weekly shopping during the afternoon to avoid the busy crowds once it hit 5 o’clock. James quite enjoyed the peace and quiet of being able to go up and down the aisles without bumping into other people or having to wiggle his way through the produce section just to get a couple of apples.

James had started to calm down when he got that feeling again. He closed his eyes for a second and gripped the shopping cart before looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, his new friend was just beginning his shop, or at least that was the way it looked since his cart was completely empty. It was the same guy he’d seen the past few days, and the guy who had been scheduled to get his car fixed at the shop today.

What were the chances he’d cancel after hearing that James was leaving for the afternoon? And that he would come to the same grocery store after? James couldn’t take it anymore. He knew Ronald would have his head if he knew he found out he had been so confrontational, but he couldn’t deal with someone following him around anymore. Turning hard on his heels, James wheeled his cart directly at the man until he blocked him into a corner. Slamming his cart into his empty one, he moved around the other side and pointed his finger in his face.

“Are you following me?” James growled.

“Excuse me?” the man scoffed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I don’t even know you.”

“Then explain why you’re everywhere I go?” James questioned. “At my work, at the gas station, and now the supermarket?”

“You’re crazy,” the man stuttered.

Before things could escalate out of control, a young store clerk wedged himself between the two heated men and raised both of his hands up. “Alright, break it up, you two. The store has a zero-tolerance for violence, so if you don’t knock it off, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” the man started. “He just came up to me, hit me with his cart and started shouting at me.”

“Sir, is this true?” “He’s stalking me!” James shrieked.

“I think I’ve heard enough of this,” the man huffed. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to continue shopping for my family, if you don’t mind. You should probably do the same.”

“You go on ahead,” James growled.

The store clerk shook his head after the stranger stormed off down another aisle, and James took it upon himself to abandon his things and leave while he had some distance between them. If he was able to follow James for this long, chances were, he knew where he lived, too. But no matter. He was pissed and he had the old Walther PPK that a long-deceased uncle had left him, and he was a good shot. Whatever this clown in black was up to...he’d better bring his “A” game!

He left his cart where it was and rushed out to his pickup truck, nearly bowling over a couple of pedestrians on his way out. After driving around in circles for fifteen minutes, his heart rate started to return to its normal rate. He needed a game plan.

What was he supposed to do? Go to the police station and file a report? After what just happened in the grocery store, he wasn’t sure if anyone would believe him. He just sounded like a crazy person. Maybe they’d lock him up instead.

He dialed Ronald’s number, yet again. It rang a few times before going to voicemail, yet again. Instead of hanging up, James decided to leave him a message.

“Hey Ronald, it’s me, listen, we really need to talk about our project, it’s um, it’s starting to interfere with my personal life. If you could give me a call back as soon as you get this, I’d appreciate it. If not, I’ll swing by tomorrow and we can talk in person.”

He hung up, not wanting to reveal anything over the phone. If someone was indeed following them, there was no telling how far they were willing to go. They could’ve somehow managed to bug their phones to try and hear some incriminating conversations. Not that Ronald and James ever discussed their experiment over the phone. Ronald had been too paranoid for that.

But was it paranoia if everything he feared had come true?