A Short Story Moving Away

Reuben Pierce was startled from his slumber drenched in his own cold sweat. “Not again.” he whispered, shivers tracing down his spine. It seemed that the older he got, the more the nightmares came back to haunt him from the war. It started to get progressively worse; to the point that even in broad daylight Reuben could hear the voices of his fellow soldiers screaming in excruciating pain as the enemy tortured them relentlessly. Sometimes he saw things. Saw the blood gushing out of battle wounds. Saw the splintered bones breaking through delicate skin. Saw the once bright light dim to nothingness in a man’s eyes. That's what the war did. Tore you apart until there was nothing left.
The nightmare faded from Reuben’s view, replaced with the …show more content…
Mid-way through, he remembered he had to go to town that day to pick up cigarettes and medication. He hated going to town. The people and noises seemed to bustle about everywhere, never pausing to take a break. Strange sights and sounds occurred in town, and of course, there was always that one guy Marshall who sold the ever so popular newspaper, The Herald. Marshall constantly commented on Reuben's life to buyers; always saying that he was the one crazy old guy in town whose life was worse than the beggar on the street, knowing that Reuben would never react. Reuben knew he wasn’t normal; but he had learned to cope with the visions and the frights over the years. Amidst all the dread, there was some joy to be found in marching down to the pharmacy. It was uncanny to Reuben that the pharmacist seemed to remind him of his father. Reuben and his father didn’t spend heaps of time together, but when they did connect that father-son relationship, memories were crafted in a way no one was ever able to truly understand. For a brief second, these flashbacks brought a bright smile to Reuben’s face and forced him to push Marshall out of his thoughts. He was then abruptly flashed back to reality, and begrudgingly put his shoes on to begin his walk to …show more content…
Well good morning Mr. Pierce,” said Dr. Goldberg. “This is Dr. Kennington. He will be my new assistant for the next nine months.”.
“Oh how exciting! Splendid to meet you!” Reuben exclaimed. While feigning cheeriness for the pharmacists sake, there was something troubling about the assistant. It could have been the hard look in his eye, or maybe it was the emotionless glare that seemed to search Reuben’s soul. He also seemed somewhat familiar… “But from where could he possibly be from?” Reuben questioned to himself. Shrugging the looming thought aside, Reuben exited the pharmacy while still feeling the burning stare of the assistant pharmacist. The uneasiness stalked him all the way across the town to where he purchased his