White Walker by Richard Schiver Read Free Book Online Page A

the phones just died,” Cody said.
    “I just lost my connection,” Norman said as he got
to his feet as well.
    “Has anybody seen Teddy?” Kevin said.
    “Last I seen him, he was in the break room with
Judy,” Cody said.
    Kevin nodded. He understood what Teddy was going
through right now, another compelling reason to remain unattached.
The old timers, those who had been doing this for a couple of
years, all knew Teddy from when they first started working for the
company. At the time they had been contracted to handle the public
sector for a major cellular account and each of them had horror
stories of dealing with irate customers who had sworn to hunt them
down because they couldn’t fix a problem that was the customer’s
own fault to begin with. From billing errors, which were numerous,
to subscriptions that customers claimed they never signed up for,
even though their records indicated they had, to overages in data
and text that every customer assumed the company would gladly
absorb the cost for.
    They had become friends in much the same way a
battle-hardened platoon would become brothers under fire. So Kevin
felt for what Teddy had to do. Judy was a part of that group as
well and the idea that one of them would have to leave just didn’t
sit too well with the old timers. If it wasn’t done, then newcomers
like Cody and David would believe they could do the same thing and
get away with it.
    Sometimes you did what you had to instead of what
you wanted to.
    Kevin moved from the main room into the short
hallway that led to the break room. Judy and Liz emerged from the
ladies’ room. It was obvious Judy had been crying.
    “Is she all right?”
    Liz nodded in response before leading Judy towards
the main room.
    “Is Teddy still in the break room?” Kevin said.
    “I guess.” Judy shrugged as she vanished into the
main room.
    Kevin watched her go then stepped across to the
doorway that led to the break room. He found it empty.
    “Might as well grab a smoke while we’re back here.
Come on, Norman,” Cody said as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from
his pocket and leaned against the rear door.
    “I ain’t going back out there. I don’t need a smoke
that bad.”
    “What’s wrong with you?” Cody said.
    Norman simply shook his head and backed away from
the door leading to the rear dock.
    “Suit yourself then,” Cody said with a shrug as he
turned and pushed open the door. The wind grabbed it, slamming it
against the wall with a crash that made Norman jump as a startled
cry escaped his lips. Kevin crossed from the break room as a fierce
wind barreled down the short hallway, driving the snow before it,
causing the papers pinned to the bulletin board to flutter as if
they were insects that had suddenly come to life and were trying to
escape their captivity.
    Kevin spotted Teddy on the dock. “What the hell,” he
shouted as he brought the door back around to close it.
    “Teddy,” Cody said as he approached him. He was
reaching out with one hand when Teddy suddenly jerked backwards and
stumbled into his arms. The wind howled around them like a living
thing, screaming in a banshee’s voice as it nipped at their
legs.
    As the falling blankets of snow parted, Kevin saw
the stranger standing on the opposite bank watching them. “There’s
somebody over there,” Kevin said, shouting to be heard over the
roaring voice of the wind. Cody looked in the direction he was
pointing but by then the stranger had vanished. His presence
disturbed Kevin on a primitive level. There was something odd about
his appearance, yet at the same time it was like he belonged
there.
    Cody hit him on the shoulder, getting his attention,
and Kevin followed them back towards the building. Ice crystals had
started to form in Teddy’s hair, framing his face in a wreath of
white. His eyes were vacant, distant, fixed on some unseen object.
The sight of them sent a chill down the length of Kevin’s
spine.
    Reaching the door, he swiped his card