Enemy Moon

(Original 1994 version of “Autumn”)

The sun shattered Needless Action's sleep like a mortar bombardment. Needless recoiled from the burst of sunlight in drowsy horror. His eyes burned as he tried desperately to build a coherent picture of his surroundings. Eventually the fuzzy shapes and blurred colors gelled to become the familiar image of his living room. Two things troubled Needless at this point; number

one, how did he get here, and two, where were his clothes.

It wasn't usual for Jack Dessler, a.k.a. Needless Action, to wake up stark naked in his living room. Needless was slightly concerned to say the least. Next to him on the floor were his clothes. He hoisted them to his eyes. He squinted as he ran his fingers through the shredded remains of his shirt. He pulled a cigarette out of the half crushed pack that lay on the floor. He lit the square and stared at the clothes pensively.

At the same moment, several miles away, Detective Sergeant Peter Forray, a.k.a. Stack Fury, blinked as the monotonous shriek of his alarm echoed about his room. He sat up in bed. He ran his fingers through his short hair and he stepped to the cold hard wood floor. He wrapped his bathrobe around himself and

walked toward the door.

The deep blue 7a.m. sky squatted over the quiet subdivision houses as Stack stepped onto his stoop. He bent over and picked up the paper. As he turned he noticed deep gouges in his front door. He quickly looked up and down the street and then back at the gouges. They looked like dog's claws. But if it was a dog it must have been frantic. Clawing as if its life depended on its getting into the house. Stack shrugged and went into his house.

At that same moment in McWebster Park a jogger made a startling discovery.

The police radios buzzed with excitement as Stack and Needless moseyed through the photographers, police, paramedics, and passers by at beautiful lakeside McWebster Park. Needles sipped coffee from a styrofoam cup. He glanced over at Stack.

"How was your night?"

"Uneventful." Stack said as they reached the small circle of forensics experts. He looked down at the pile of human ingredients. He looked over at Needless. "Too bad he can't say the same thing."