Loneliness crept toward the cell like the ominous shadow of an eclipse. He shivered in front of the window even though the afternoon sunlight came in, spreading its radiating warmth. Outside, a single leaf fell lazily to the ground and a hungry dog barked continuously. The barking, steady and pounding, brought the man back to consciousness. He felt his stubbled chin and started to smile like one who has won the lottery.

It had been days since he’d eaten. The people, the bad men with sticks and chains, were all gone. Good. He had hated them anyway. But the Lord knows that he was hungry. Yes, he was very, very hungry. The man once known as Dr. Brad Lenner stood up in his small cell and grasped the bars to the outside. He screamed at the empty world, awaiting an answer. Outside, the dog continued to bark.

***** 

One time in his life, the sun shone with favor and glory upon Brad. He had a good job and lived in a nice neighborhood with a house that had an incredible panoramic view of Puget Sound and the Olympics. He owned two cars, a condo in Hawaii, a six-figure income, a cat named Spork and ultimately, the perfect wife. She was a wonderful, petite little woman with emerald eyes that could speak to you. She was the dream come true for Brad. They had dated exclusively for a year, constantly spending time, giggling and sharing hopes and dreams and fears. Exactly one year to date, they were married and life was so sweet. He had been blind to the fact that even milk can sour.

Michelle began to change, slowly at first but then Brad began to pick up on her erratic behavior. It was small things at first like forgetting to greet him with a kiss when he came home from work. But it progressed with each passing day. Their close bond appeared to be deteriorating and she put up a cold wall between herself and him. She would avoid his pleading questions about what was happening. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he would ask and she’d just turn those emerald jewels towards the floor of their lavish home.

She was losing her love for him. Brad had no idea why. He continued as hard as possible to please her and make her feel like a queen. Nothing work and it tore him apart. She still insisted that there wasn’t anything wrong and he wanted to believe her more than anything. And time ticked on.

Brad arrived home from work earlier than usual. He had been upset for some time about his wife’s condition and it began to gnaw at him. It seemed that the harder he tried, she wanted to distance herself more and more. Everyone at work today had been in a foul mood and Brad lost his temper, igniting his already short fuse. Instead of firing him, his boss sent him home.

"I’m really concerned about you, Brad." The man smelled of Aramis. "Is there anything that I should know about? Family problems? Drugs? Anything?"

Brad shook his head, still feeling his pulse race. What is going on?

"As a friend, Brad, I want you to take a few days off, come back healthy and alive again. Your patients need you. We need you."

Brad pushed the gray Lexus hard, whipping the road in punishment, thinking about his wife. He wanted to feel her gentle touches and caresses and for her to tell him that it would be all right. Hope dissipated as he arrived home, fleeing like a sailor on a sinking ship.

He slammed the car into park and scattered pebbles into the neatly manicured flower garden. White-hot hatred flowed through his blood as he climbed the stairs. The sounds were coming from there. So many emotions overwhelmed his senses as he blanket was being pulled from his eyes. This was why she had been distancing herself. All they had shared had been nothing. All of his hopes and dreams were suddenly shattered into a million irreplaceable pieces, and his heart went with it. In a blind act of rage, he threw Michelle’s frightened lover out of the second story window. His naked body landed on the panting Lexus, snapping his neck and spilling blood on it’s unmarred surface.

Screams pierced the air as Mrs. Lenner began to understand what was happening. Brad advanced on her, demanding to know why. Why? Why did you do this to us? She continued to scream and cower in the bed that they had shared for years.

"Shut up," he hissed. "Shut up!" Her screams rose into the afternoon air, ever growing as the pitch of a fire engine’s wail.

Panicking, he grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her tear-streaked face in an attempt to silence her. She thrashed and kicked, clawing at the air. "Shut up, shut up!" He continued to pin her down. Everything was happening so fast. If only he could have a minute to think. To think in silence. One last violent spasm and the pillow became still.

"Oh my god..."

Brad pulled away the damp pillowcase. Her face was frozen in a scream of help that didn’t come in time.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" he began to cry. "whathaveidonewhathaveidonewhathaveidone?" The faraway cry of police car sirens answered him in the faltering afternoon light.

 *****

It was lonely here. So lonely. Brad gazed out of the small window at the landscape surrounding the prison. The sun was beginning yet another drop over the horizon, basking the Western Washington countryside in eerie twilight. Nowadays, there was no one around. They were all gone, simply vanished, leaving him to die a slow, agonizing death that many had said he deserved. He scanned the scenery. Nothing moved except for the scores of ancient evergreens swaying to a timeless song. The clouds raced across the sky, promising rain before the sun rose again. Brad wondered whether or not he would find out.

Hunger pressed deeper and deeper, twisting the knife in his stomach. He sat down and looked across the small cell. The last thing he managed to put in his mouth was a large but wispy spider. It wasn’t much but at least it was something to digest. Water hadn’t been a problem yet. The toilet still worked and there was plenty of cool water to savor and enjoy. As the days grew on and his hope of rescue waned, hunger placed a tighter noose around his neck.

"I’m so hungry," he wailed to the cell floor. "I hope that my wife will make me a plump turkey dinner when I get out of here. With stuffing and peas and that cranberry stuff like we used to eat at Thanksgiving time. Yeah, I think that she will, you know? She used to love to cook for me."

"What about you, Gary?" he asked the body lying in the adjacent cell. "Did your wife cook up some really hot dishes for you?"

Gary just lay there the same way he had all day. A fly, having it’s fill, flew out of his mouth.

"Well, speak up big guy." Only the wind whispered.

"I guess not. Heh hehehee. You should have had some of my wife’s specialties. I hear they were pretty hot!" Brad threw back his head and began to howl. The invisible dog barked his laugh also. Geez, Brad thought, that dog is just a good ol’ boy too. Like Gary.

Brad knew that Gary was done in last night when he began to moan and screech. He would rattle out gibberish and cry for his mother, laughing and crying. Gary had been the last one to keep him company, except for the dog.

"Well, mutt. I guess that it’s only you and me now. What do you think?" The dog serenaded the upcoming moon.

Sleep came uneasily and filled with dreams. It was the anniversary of their wedding and Brad just arrived home from a very bad day at the office. He’d nearly gotten fired and really didn’t care. His life was held together by tape and tenacity and he didn’t know what to do anymore. He climbed the carpeted stairs, following his wife’s moans of pleasure. The sounds of ecstasy rose to climatic heights and threatened to bust his eardrums. With each moan, each groan and thrust, the walls bulged outward in rhythm. With fear more than blind hatred, he entered the bedroom.

They were before him on a large plush bed. Michelle’s writhing nude body moved in time with her lover’s. She watched Brad enter and smiled, never losing pace with her lover’s rhythm. The man turned his head and smiled at Brad too. It was the nightmarish pasty face of Gary.

"Hey Lenner, what’s for dinner? Hey Lenner, what’s for dinner..." A bloated fly made its way past his swollen tongue and blackened teeth. Brad turned his head and retched.

"What’s the matter, Lenner? You should try some of her hot dishes." Gary chuckled evilly.

Brad turned towards his wife. "Why? I loved you so much. Why, Michelle? Wh..."

"Save it, loverboy. It’s too late. She’s dead." Gary sprung up off of her stiff, sweaty body. Her face was locked in that same frozen scream that he’d seen many times before.

"Lenner," Gary said, approaching him. "You need to be in tune with your woman, you know? You need to suffice her every little want and need. Otherwise, nice guys like me get to let our fingers do the walking and our mouths do the talking, if you know what I mean." His foul breath poured out in sickening waves as he sneered.

"Lenner? What’s for dinner?" Gary grabbed Brad Lenner’s limp body and plunged it out the window. Darkness swirled around his senses and the corpse’s words followed him back to consciousness. "Lenner, what’s...

...for dinner?" Brad sat up startled. Hunger was severe now. A cramp rocked his body as he held back a whimper. The first of what was surely to be many cramps eased up and he was able to sit up again. Moonlight drifted in through the cold bars casting dancing goblins on the surrounding walls. Outside in the empty world, the dog’s barks had turned to whimpers. It was probably chained up nearby and hunger was affecting it too. Brad thought about his nightmare and the taunting words. And a smile spread across his gaunt face.

"I’ll tell you what’s for dinner, Gary. You are!"

He shuffled his weak body until he could reach one of Gary’s outstretched hands. With a little effort, he was able to pull the arm until the body slid closer and the hand was on his side. It looked like a scrumptious roast. Still smiling, he bit deeply into the heel of Gary’s hand. A large chunk of meat slipped right off the bone like a moist pork chop and he chewed it delicately.

Being sure to save some for later, he stood up and wiped his mouth. "Don’t go anywhere, Gary. I wouldn’t want to miss any of your hot dishes." He giggled.

Once again, his thoughts turned to his wife. He began to cry as he walked back to window. All was still except for the dancing trees against the canvas of night.

"I’m so sorry, dear. I’m so sorry, so sorry. Please come back to me. I’m sorry." He wept until the dog’s whimpers finally stopped underneath the beams of moonlight. Then he licked his lips.