Snake Plissken

Snake laid his head back in the hummer car and let his eye close. He knew he needed to rest before they reached Kansas City. He could hear Taylor ordering food but otherwise the car was empty. Snake stretched out relaxing some. It was rare that he could relax but Snake trusted Taylor, probably the only person he still trusted.

Snake took a deep breath settling into the soft first class seat. This really was the way to travel. Plissken felt his eyes get heavy and the rumble of the hummer speeding through the tube rocked him to sleep.

The next thing Snake saw was something so familiar. His mom at the stove with the smell of meatloaf filling the house brought back a flood of memories Plissken had vowed never to remember. She was smiling and spoke but he couldn’t hear her voice. Plissken spun around to see his father pulling off the coat of his dress blues.

“Dad!” He could hear the bizarre squeak in his voice. He clung to his father and peered around him to see Taylor. They were both boys, young. His father’s hand was still in bandages.

Somewhere deep in his subconscious Snake realized he was dreaming but he ignored it deciding to reveled in the luxury of being home. The smell of meatloaf returned to his senses and with it the day. The exact day, it was July, right before his father’s birthday.

Snake smiled in his dream but the growl tearing through his stomach pulled him from his dream. Plissken bolted up in the seat looking around suspiciously. Taylor was sitting in the next seat over eating. The smell of meatloaf was overwhelming stirring the residual dream.

Plissken continued to stare at the plate of food. His mind was trapped between the here and now and that faded childhood that seemed like another man’s life.

“You want some man?” Taylor offered the plate over.

Snake continued to stare before abruptly shaking his head. Snake slid back into his seat and looked out at the walls flashing past the hummer windows. He didn’t want to miss home or think about his parents. That was someone else’s life. He wasn’t that man anymore and that wasn’t his life. As much as e wanted to believe it he could still see that day in his mind’s eye. He couldn’t shake it.

“Snake?”

Slowly he looked over at Taylor.

“What’ya thinking about?”

“Nothing!” Snake snapped trying desperately to see something else. Even his nightmares were better.

Taylor glanced down at the food in front of him. “It reminds me of her too.”

Snake glared at his companion for that one comment. There was something in Taylor’s expression that softened his stone, hard stare before he looked away again.

“I don’t want to think about it.” Plissken really didn’t. There was too much pain associated with any memories of her, of either of them to enjoy his memories. From the day they died Snake Plissken no longer had a home and he was just fine with that.


Crossposted to quotable_muse