Carlos loses his car in a street race one night, but a stranger offers him a job and the opportunity to get another car, a black and mysterious vehicle that is more than he expects.
Excerpt
The old man led Carlos into the garage. The space measured about twenty feet by forty with an enormous rack of tools lining the back wall. A ventilation fan on the far wall turned slowly, making no breeze in the hot, still air. In the center of the floor sat the sedan, its black paint deep and perfect. He walked up to it and in the quiet could hear his heart pounding in his chest. His reflection in the paint looked distant, like in some trick mirror, a caricature of himself, distorted, frightening. He looked away and ran his eyes over the fender’s lines. Sweat stood out on his forehead and began to run down his sides. The car drew him in. When he put his hand on the fender it felt surprisingly cool. No, cold, numbingly cold. He pulled his hand away and his fingers tingled. The pounding of his heart echoed in his ear. He knew the echo came from the car.
Company Car was originally published in the summer 2008 issue of Storyteller Magazine.
Dispatches from Obscurity 