Free Only the Strongest Survive by Ian Fox

value. He
sniffed the air that was suffused with the sour smell of wine mixed
with dust, which irritated the mucous membrane of his sensitive
nose.
    He set off
down a narrow corridor measuring at least five yards, and noticed
on his right the doors leading to smaller rooms. They were also
filled with all sorts of junk. There was the wooden dog kennel made by his granddad. His heart ached
as he remembered a cocker spaniel that used to follow him around
when he was a child. They were best friends. How come he had never
got a dog later in his life? I
don’t have the time anyway, he thought. A
toy merry-go-round also attracted his attention.
    He came to
the end of the corridor and opened a
heavy, creaking wooden door. Before him lay a room that he had
completely forgotten about. He had only been in there maybe three
times when he was young, always accompanied by his father. When he
was a child he was always afraid of this room and it never entered
his head to visit his dad when he had withdrawn from his family in
there.
    John examined
the old bookcases along the walls that
were still full of books. He opened a few drawers and saw all sorts
of tools. The room was a combination reading room and
workshop. This will be
suitable for Emely.
    Satisfied , he returned to the
kitchen and made some coffee. He took a sheet of paper and a pen
and wrote a shopping list. Then he lit a cigarette and thought
about his plan.
     
    *
     
    John Langdon was speeding down a narrow tarred road,
singing to himself. He was aware that he was driving too fast; the
road was wet and slippery due to the rain that had started falling.
It had been a long time since he was in such a good mood. He leaned
forward and looked at the sky. Although it was darkening, the sun
was still shining with a soft and warm light. On his right, the sky
was becoming leaden-gray and the horizon black. It looked as if the
still scarce raindrops would soon turn into a downpour. But this
didn’t bother him. He was humming a tune that had been going
through his head since the morning, when he heard it on the radio.
In order to reach the town sooner, he pressed even harder on the
gas pedal. There were so many things he had to buy. Thinking about
his plan, he felt proud of himself for having had such a good
idea.
    In a store
selling electronic equipment, a man with a mustache asked
John, “How can I help you?”
    “I’d like to buy a computer.”
    “Yes, of course. What type?”
    “ It’ ll be used mainly for
displaying graphics, so I need a good processor and a fair amount
of memory. And at least a twenty-one-inch monitor.”
    In half an
hour, he had all the necessary equipment in his car. He made a phone call next.
    “Hello,” said Meier.
    “Hi, it’s John.”
    “Is something wrong, John?”
    Meier was the owner and director of the
company where John had worked for the last seven years. He thought
it strange that John was calling him at home.
    “ I’d like to
start my vacation tomorrow.”
    “ That’s
impossible, you know how much work we
have right now.”
    There was a deadly silence.
    “ I really
ne ed this. There are some things I need
to sort out.”
    “ No way,
no vacation,” Meier said
coldly.
    “In that case I’m forced to resign.”
    “What? How dare you! What about your
notice?”
    “ I don’t give
a damn about my notice.”
    “ What? How?
No …”
    John
calmly cut the line and went to a home
store and, later, the nearest supermarket. He left with a shopping
cart full of groceries, enough for at least a week. He sang as he
drove back.
    The rain had
nearly stopped and it seemed to be
brightening up. The horizon was blue again and the first orange
rays of the setting sun were already peeping out from behind the
dark clouds.
    As soon as he
reached the house, he ran upstairs to Emely’s room. He went in
expecting her to be asleep. But to his surprise she was
awake , and she stared calmly at
him.
    “Emely?”
    She said
nothing. Not a muscle on her face