Animatronic Eyes

"You don't have to go... If you don't want to." Franky admitted as we walked down the walkway to his car, which actually happened to not be the police cruiser I'd been expecting, but a nice, sleek black Camero.

Jack had nodded in agreement when I told him the briefing of my plan, said I'd see him tomorrow, and that'd I'd meet him in the parking lot.

"It's alright." I said with a smile as he walked me to the passenger door and held it open. "I don't mind."

Franky seemed surprised that I agreed at all and that I didn't try to slug him for appearing on my porch. As much asI needed the information that he possibly had, it was also just a theory forming in the back of my mind. Possibilities, but nothing else. I just really wanted to have an idea what that kid saw backstage of the Pirate Cove exhibit. Was it human? I had a feeling that I was about to find out.

"I'll admit..." Franky said as we pulled into the lonely intersection, completely desolate, but he came to a complete stop before the light anyways. "I am a little more than surprised that you actually agreed. Because, y'know, since highschool it's been a pipedream of mine to-"

"Be friends with me?" I interrupted him with a soft smile. I really didn't need him catching the wrong breaths of air and believing I was doing this for any other reason than selfishness.

He paused, seeming to choke down the words, then nodded. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Friends."

"So where are we going?" I asked after a few more empty streets, not really appearing to go anywhere but round abouts and dead ends.

"You'll see." He said with a smirk. "close your eyes."

I did so reluctantly, and almost instantly my other senses engaged into overdrive. I smelled different things, heard more clearly, and slowly became more aware of the rockier surface beneath the Camero's tires.

"Ok, you can look now."

My eyes popped open, and I was confused. Because it looked like we we parked half over a cliff, about to nosedive. Then I realized that we weren't on the edge of the cliff, but a safe three yards back from the edge.

Franky poppedthe top, and it turned out the Camero was also a convertible. I looked up.

The sun was beginning to sit now, but was still incredibly bright, lowering itself towards the horizon in the west. And behind us the sky a mixture between violet and blue. Tiny gems of stars began poking out in the sky, their dissapearing act fading as the sun light, did too.

"So why are we up here?" I wondered, popping the door open and climbing out to walk towards the cliff.

"The view." He said with a nervous laugh, and he got out and followed me to the edge.

"The view?" I asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah, I mean it's like, the best place in town. You can see everything up here."

He was right, the view itselfwas reason enough to come up here, I could see everything. My house, tucked into a grove of trees on Armilea street, Jack's house several blocks north, the green shingled roof just barely visible.

And then I spotted the squat red and white building on the outskirts of town. Dead like a morgue, lights out from the early closing, still, and just as it felt... Dead.

"Hey Franky." I said outloud finally when I convinced myself what it was doing when it'd be done.

"Yeah?" He responded, still looking forward at the display of sunlight and slowly coming on street lamps.

"I've- I was kinda wondering, what's the craziest case you've ever seen or, er reviewed at the station?" I asked innocently. Kicking myself for appearing so transparent.

He laughed, it was light hearted and clear, he grinned "Ok, I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to know that but... Uh, lady cutting off her husbands stuff?" He said, but the expression he wore and the things lost in his eyes suggested something else entirely.

"Really? Anything else?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked away from me again, at the scape of trees and dim stars fading into the dying sunlight, he leaned back against the hood of the car. "Well... I, I probably shouldn't say anything, nevermind."

I was confused, what was he going to say? "What? You can tell me."

"I could get fired for telling you this stuff." He said with a nervous laugh, itching the back of his neck so he didn't have to look at me. "besides, it's nothing huge just some stuff that happened long before I joined the force."

"What was it?"

He looked over at me doubtfully. "I won't tell." I promised, and it was true. I wouldn't, not even to Jack, because the poor kid looks worried enough about having to carry out his community service in the creepiest place in town.

"Ok... But will it scare you?"
I laughed "Why would it scare me?"
He paused, fiddled with the edge of his button down black flannel shirt, winding and unwinding a stray thread around his pointer finger over and over. Finally he rose his head and spoke. "It has something to do with where you work."

"What? Tell me."
He snorted "Why? So you can freak out and not go back tomorrow, not get your slip signed, not get it turned into your teacher and flunk the class?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

I narrowed mine "How did you know that?"

He bit his lip as he realized his mistake. "I uh... Nevermind, don't you want to know?"
"You just said I couldn't handle it." I pointed out, getting a little frustrated with him. Not only had he been snooping in my school records, but he was also withholding important information.
"Ok, promise not to tell?" He pointed at me and for once wasn't smiling or joking around, he was dead serious.
I nodded. "My lips are sealed."

He sighed, looked up for a few minutes before clearing his throat and beginning to speak.