Perils of New Town: Wayne's Game - Book Two

By Daniel Broman

The intelligent house named Wayne used to help out with everything in the family home until the owner, Steven Sutton, was locked inside and dressed against his will in a Halloween costume, resembling a Nazi uniform from the 1930's. He even had to march around the house, before he managed to escape it.

Now, after surviving the hypnotic gaze of the house's eyes and vicious robotic arms, Steven is wandering around the neighbourhood to get hold of a phone, to call his wife, to tell her she was right: their house and friend is truly broken.

But getting hold of a phone proves hard as not a single device seems to be working in the entire town; and when arriving at his friend's place, it is clear that Wayne isn't the only home in New Town gone mad.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483554969

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Daniel Broman

ISBN: 978-1-4835549-6-9

Contents

PERILS OF NEW TOWN

My Neighbours

My Neighbourhood

Tom’s Neighbourhood

My Friend, Tom

Latin Fire – Casa de Moji

Moji’s Balcony

Tom’s Neighbours

A Bridge for Tom

We Make Our Plans

Me and Tom in the Pod

Outside Little Shakespeare

The Cars

The Climb to Frank’s Place

My Friend, Frank

The Cars on TV

The Voice of the Crazy Italian

Levels of Happiness

My Robotised Friend

PERILS OF NEW TOWN

(Outdoor games, mostly)

My Neighbours

The walk along the footpath going around the houses of his block was Steve’s little victory run. He was soon standing at the front of his house, looking at Wayne, Wayne not looking back. Steve smiled at his victory of managing to escape. The house was dark now. In a way, it looked abandoned. Steve reckoned Wayne must be feeling really defeated now. Twat.

Then he saw one single eye looking at him, from behind a curtain upstairs. That red eye. And he felt dizzy again, looking into that eye. He couldn’t hear Wayne say anything, but it was as if he could hear Wayne’s mind…Don’t tell anyone. About what had happened. Inside the house, inside of Wayne.

He turned away. He wanted to call Maggie or his mates. But his phone had been left inside. Okay. He’d have to do what they must’ve done some hundred years ago, before the mobile was invented, and walk to the nearest family who owned a non-portable telephone. How did people get by back then, in those times? Scary thought.

He soon rang the door where Anasuya – Ana – lived with her husband Madongo who used to joke with people, "just call me Mad."

Mad opened the door. A big, tall guy, who always made Steve think of black basketball players, possibly an inch or two taller than Steve ("he’s at least a good three inches taller than you, Steve", Maggie’d told him), but until proven otherwise, Steve liked to think he was just as tall.

Hey, Steve, how you doing man?

All good, Mad, all good. You all right?

He was surprised of himself, saying that. The feeling of dizziness, the vertigo, and the image in his mind of swirling red, while thoughts went around in his head, I’m the lord of my castle, got a stiff upper lip, yes, stand tall, walk hard, to be…unflappable.

Yeah, it’s all right, Steve, things are great, good to see you! Mad seemed to be in a fabulously good mood.

Mad would never believe your story…

Sorry to disturb you, Steve said, feeling the dizziness ease a bit, in the middle of this lovely Sunday, Mad.

No worries, mate, no worries at all.

I just need to use the phone for a while, if that’s okay?

Yes, of course, of course… Mad was looking into the hallway behind him for a second. Ehm, yeah. Come on in, man, come on in, nice to have you!

Steve entered the hall with Mad and saw Ana standing by the entrance of the kitchen, facing Steve, with a cake in her hands, as if expecting guests. He recognised it. He’d been looking at the same ready-made cake at Waitrose, but Maggie had strictly forbidden that purchase, until he started using the treadmill or taking the occasional walk at least.

Steve! Ana smiled. Hey…Hi!

Hi Ann, great you guys are at home. I need to use the phone, if that’s all right.

Yes! Of course, Steve, of course! Ana seemed a bit stiff, just standing there with a cake in her hands. Madongo stood by her, both facing Steve, like they weren’t really sure how to proceed with greeting a guest. Mad said, Hey, just…I’ll, I’ll fetch it for you.

Cheers, mate, you’re a lifesaver.

Madongo smiled at him, even wider, so much it must’ve hurt to smile. He went into the kitchen, to fetch the phone. The thought struck Steve, Why doesn’t Mad just tell the house to get the phone, instead of running like that? But hey, the guy looked fit, maybe he liked the extra exercise, walking about like that, looking for phones. Steve could hear him say something, probably to the house, …can’t find, sorry…

Ana just stood there. Smiling even wider, like Mad. Steve smiled back, and became a bit uncertain what to say next. Tell them about his house malfunctioning? About Wayne going bonkers, holding him prisoner inside, and that he’d escaped? Don’t tell her. He wanted to avoid the awkward explanation…It’d be fine, he’d call the company, some engineers would arrive next week, re-install everything, and there’d be no more Wayne, just a functional home, like before all this craziness started. Was there no other way? So they could keep Wayne? Perhaps they could put him in therapy and avoid re-installing him…

You want some cake then? Ana asked.

Oh yes, I’d love some! Steve said, happy Maggie wasn’t around now to say dinner was waiting.

Okay, I’ll, just cut you some.

"Brilliant. I must say, that cake looks rather delish." He’d been saying delish quite a lot lately after having woven the word into his sales pitches.

Steve stepped into the kitchen. Ana didn’t move much, just turning as Steve went past her, and then he saw it wasn’t the Waitrose cake, or a home-made one, but it looked exactly like the packaging of the quickie-cakes you could buy at Tesco’s. It needed to be in the oven on hyper-mode for only 30 seconds to be baked. But it wasn’t done yet. Steve had tried one before. This one was yellowish pale, but it should have a brown, crusty layer.

Hey Ana, I think you forgot to bake that.

Sorry?

It’s not baked. Looks great. But I think it needs a few more seconds in the oven.

Oh, she said, right…

Continuing to face Steve, she backed towards the oven. While standing by the side of the machine, she crouched, put the cake on the floor, and still standing off to the oven’s side, opened it and then slid the sweet thing in. All the time facing Steve. He’d never seen anyone putting a cake in an oven like that.

Mad returned to the kitchen and handed Steve the phone. There you go, mate. Sorry, damn kids y’know, they must’ve played with it and hid it, ha ha, man oh man, kids, y’know, them kids…

Mad looked at Ana, and she laughed too. They kept laughing for a while and Steve gave a chuckle as well. Yeah, little rascals, never know what they’re up to.

Ha ha, sure don’t, sure don’t, Mad laughed, looking at Ana, and Ana laughed some more.

Did it feel a bit forced somehow? Steve didn’t find it that funny.

I’ll make it quick, Steve said. It’s just, yeah, well. He had to tell them something. Seems to be some minor, well, some electrical fault with the house, nothing major…

Ana stopped laughing. Mad looked at her. She seemed a bit nervous. Then Mad laughed, and eventually Ana smiled and laughed a little too.

That’s the craziest thing I heard, Mad said, "houses having faults? Hahaha, they are…perfect! Flawless, beautiful houses. Nothing can go wrong with them, ain’t that right darling, he said and turned to Ana. They’re just completely without error, nothing wrong with ours, right, it’s just all right, right?"

Right, Ana said. We’re so happy with it, so happ–

Bing!

Ana could have jumped out of her own skin, from the oven notifying the baking was done. Still trembling a bit, she opened the oven and took out the cake, and, still facing Steve, put it on the bench.

You all right? Steve asked.

Yes, Ana said. Yes. I just never get used to that sound. She smiled, swallowed a bit.

Now Steve saw through the doorway between Mad and Ana; the kids were standing, all three of them, in the middle of the living-room, in a straight line, arms straight down. Not moving. Not smiling. One even looked a bit sad, the youngest, the five-year old, yeah, had he just been crying? Mum and dad, however, just kept smiling. This image began to look a bit disturbing. But hey, maybe their kids were just very well-mannered, not even playing and hiding phones now, but being awkwardly polite when there was a guest in the house.

The phone. He couldn’t get a signal. Then it just flickered off. He was sure the battery had shown full on, just a second ago.

Sorry, Mad, seems to be something wrong with the phone here, Steve said.

Oh, said Ana.

Oh, said Mad. No worries, mate, I think I got my mobile lying ab-ahh…Ok. No. I think that must be broke too. Sorry mate. Just not your day I guess.

No, I guess not. Ana, do you happen to have a mobile I can borrow?

No! she almost shouted. Eh…no. Sorry, Steve.

Steve sighed. He didn’t want to walk across the street to the Swanson’s place, and ask them to lend him a phone. Now, he guessed he had to. Before that, he had some cake, while the kids