Night Vision

By Shawn Hendrikx

Night Vision follows a young mans struggle as he tries to understand his broken relationship with the one he loves. Through the darkness, Evan Braun encounters the strange and horrific inhabitants of his nightmares. His own sins and secrets emerge as he tries to survive the harrowing night. Only in absolution can Evan earn a second chance to face his inner demons. Without mercy, Night Vision relentlessly delves into the human psyche and questions the way people perceive themselves the darkness is within us all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781469123004

Shawn Hendrikx

Shawn Hendrikx is an English and Political Science Honours student at the King’s College campus of the University of Western Ontario. He grew up in a small rural community by the shores of Lake Huron, and he now lives in London, Ontario. Shawn is an avid musician and creative writer, and Night Vision is his first published work.

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Copyright © 2010 by Shawn Hendrikx.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2010901144

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4500-3486-9

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-2300-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by

any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the

copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual

persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

66712

CONTENTS

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

I

The Eleventh Concession seemed to repeat itself. The old paved county road never ceased to delve into the relentless darkness ahead of the high beams. The expanse of old maple and poplar trees never ended; their branches arched over the road and hid the faint, lucid moon. Lightning stretched across the black sky for milliseconds, illuminating the world in a surreal daytime, but as quickly as the light came, Evan Braun’s black truck was plunged back into darkness.

The storm had passed before Evan began his drive home through the forest reserve. With all of his waning energy, Evan distracted his mind from the events that took place ten minutes before. His eyes were still blurry from the tears that continued to roll down his face. The memories were too fresh in his mind to ignore the anger he felt as he drove to his suburban home outside of Walter’s Falls.

Evan focused his eyes on the road’s wet surface. He was driving faster than he knew he should be. The pavement undulated beneath Evan’s parents’ truck, for the road had given way to the passage of time. The road was becoming progressively worse: cracks like black veins spread across the width of the road, and potholes and other malformations scarred the tectonic concrete. Pathetic attempts to disguise the road’s true age left scattered patches of dark asphalt. The Eleventh Concession was seldom used anymore—it was almost forgotten—like an old relative who still received the mandatory Christmas card.

Leanna Vander Kent penetrated Evan’s mind once again, reminding him of the pain not long ago. Evan believed his girlfriend, no—his ex-girlfriend—was the cause of the misery he felt as he drove home. All he wanted now was to go home and sleep away his pain. Evan could feel the drowsiness envelope him like a warm blanket.

Amidst the debris from the storm, a deer carcass laid strewn across the middle of the road. With lethargic reflexes, Evan spun the steering wheel and veered away from the obstruction. The tires squealed as he tried to retain control over his vehicle. The truck skidded further to the road’s left side towards the wall of trees beyond the small grass embankment. Evan closed his eyes, clinging to the chance that the truck wouldn’t roll.

No sounds of twisting metal or shattering glass resonated through Evan’s ears. Miraculously, he opened his eyes to find himself still on the road. The truck was driving in the right direction, as if Evan had never encountered the deer. Evan cursed himself for having been so tired. After all, he was nineteen years old, and the time was only 11:11 PM. After regaining his composure, Evan continued on his path home.

Evan’s close encounter with tragedy didn’t save him from the inner torment he felt over Leanna. He wished he was like the deer: dead. That way, he thought, he could escape the torture of emotions—the torture of living.

To protect him from future threats to his alertness, Evan turned up the volume on the radio. A new