into the eye of the storm

kurtz woke up gasping for air. he was having the nightmare again. it was a vision he couldn’t get out of his head. and the sounds were even worse…the god awful sounds. the children screaming, the insanity. he held his head and told himself “its not your fault, its your job kurtz, you weren’t responsible!” but in a way it was, he signed up for this. “its this damned uniform!” kurtz leaned over and removed the half empty bottle from his sack and took a quick drink. alcohol was forbidden in his line of work, but his sanity required it. in just a short while he would be stepping back into the hurricane, and he would be at the eye of the storm. it wouldn’t be much longer he thought, he would get out and find a good job. a real job. its almost over kurtz, just get through another day. and now he had a job to do. a job with no rewards. it had a promise of anonymity, and maybe a free bus ride home. he slid his high black leather boots on and pulled the laces up tight. he placed the hat on his head and adjusted it with honor. his joints creaked as he stood up and fastened his belt. this was a job for a man half his age he thought. he took another drink. he grabbed his gear in the black bag and slung it over his shoulder. there was one thing for sure he thought, “this is the last godamned year i volunteer to be a department store santa.”