Mike Napa — 1979 Shadow in the Night

Ryan watches as Mike finishes laying the foundation for a large house a few miles away from him home. After the last bucket of cement is poured and smoothed into the semblance of a Brobdingnagian sponge cake, he and his buddies stop by O’Malley’s for a celebratory glass, or four, of dark bitter ale. At 11:30 pm, he stumbles out into the cool night air.

“Wanna ride, Mike?”

“Naw, it’s a short walk. Be good to clear my head a bit before I get home.” He giggles.

He wanders down the empty road that leads home. The trees and hills are illuminated by stardust. His thoughts are happily fuzzy. Life is gentle, pleasant and amusing.

Something large hits him from behind, knocking all the breath from his body. He pitches into the dust. All is darkness.