The sky, a horrible deep red, replaced the night, fire around every corner that I could see. People scurried away from the massive eruption from the earth; everyone ran while I froze in place. Mom? Dad?
~~~~~
I jolted awake from the nightmare, cold sweat coating my body. I took my phone off the bedside table to find that it was 6:45 am. My eyes shifted to my left to check the sheets next to me to find my wife cozily sleeping, undisturbed by my panic. I slinked out of bed and began my early morning routine.
30 minutes was all it took to eat and get dressed, and 40 minutes to get from my apartment to work by subway. By the time I arrived everyone was already in their workspace, typing away at their keyboards. Just another day was all I could think when I clocked in and took a seat at my desk. Just another long day.
"Yo Mark! You wanna go get a drink at the new bar across the street after work?" A head of peanut brown hair poked their head over the cubicle wall.
"Is that really the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning, Ryan? I swear you got to go to rehab eventually." I booted up my pc barely looking in his direction.
"Aw come on man, you know you want to try it." Ryan scooted around to enter the cubicle, sitting next to me on my spare office chair. "It will be fun, we can try to relax after a nice hard day of slaving away behind a screen."
I spun my chair to face Ryan, seeing him with his gleeful hazel eyes and smile. I never understood why someone could be so happy all the time. Don't get me wrong, I have my moments too but Ryan is a whole other breed of joy. I've never seen the man sad, not even when someone turns down his advances. "Look man, if I say yes would you let me do my work? Alone, in peace?..please?"
"You bet your ass I'll try." He stood upright and sauntered out of the cubicle, waggling his fingers in a waving gesture. "But no promises Markiepoo."
I let a chuckle break through my lips as I turned back around to my pc. God damn what would I do without him?
When the clock struck five, I stuffed all of my paperwork into the nearby desk drawer, packed up my favorite coffee mug and was ready to go.
I left my cubicle and went on my way out of the office when a voice that I'd come to gain a distaste from quickly drew near, approaching all huffy and puffy like a pouting child. “Markus! I thought I told you to send your reports to me before your day was over!” I turned my head letting out an exasperated sigh. Time to deal with the shitty part of my job.
It was my boss in his classic black suit, black hair slicked back with that one little hair strand that refuses to listen hanging down the front of his evil green eyes. I never liked him; he was the only thing keeping this job from being perfect. On my first day he welcomed me with a delightful day of overtime and no pay, forcing me to cancel all of my weekend plans, and on top of that, all he ever did was gripe and moan about everything wrong with his employees, and how he wishes everyone just “did their damn job.”
“I sent the documents to you this morning. If you didn't get them, I can send them again.” My boss let his bright white teeth shine with his cynical smile. He moved in closer with an over exaggerated sigh, really taking advantage of his height and muscularity.
“Oh no, I got them, and frankly they were terrible. So I deleted that shit off of my computer and demanded you redo it.”
That’s not surprising in the slightest. I sneered, “Sir, what do you mean? I worked since last week on those reports. What made them so bad?” I raised my arm and pointed to the double doors that lead out of the building. “I'm sorry if they were an eyesore for you, but I've already clocked out and I'm ready to go home.”
“I hope you aren't getting smart with me Markus, it's not healthy for your work environment. I know you just wanna screw around with my other worthless employee, don’t you?” He snorted, clenching the bridge of his nose. It took all I had in me to not just break it. “What was his name again? Ryan? Whatever his name was, it doesn't matter. Next time the company takes a hit, I'm throwing him out first, and maybe you second if you don't get your shit together. At this point, you two are no better than the Kindred.”
I could feel my chest tighten. I could feel the anger boiling up my throat. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” The heat of my words through clenched teeth caught him off guard.
A slight hint of satisfaction passed over my boss’s face, that smile of his getting darker, “Did I strike a nerve, Markus? Are you angry?” He leaned slightly forward, looming over my face. “Keep that attitude and you’re fired. Or you can keep your job by making the right decision for this business. I’m counting on it.” He patted my shoulder leaning in quietly “It would help everyone if you died along with them”.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Without a word, I brushed past him to leave.
What a prick
~~~~
The bar door opened with a nice clink of the small bell suspended from the threshold. A small television screen displayed the local news at low volume, the reporters' voices murmuring in the background of the bar's cozy atmosphere. I scanned the room to find the one who invited me, flirting with the bartender. And from the looks of it, he wasn't being successful. I quickly made my way over to him before things got any worse.
“Ryan, it's only been 10 minutes since work ended and you appear to be more hammered than a nail holding up a picture frame.” I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. “One cold Pixi Killer please.” The bartender nodded and reached under the counter to grab the bottle and a complimentary glass cup. As the bartender was pouring the strong liquid, the aromatic fumes of sweet and spicy cinnamon wafted up into my nose. I could get buzzed off of one sip. Ryan drank it once and didn't wake up for two whole days. Or so he says.
Ryan lifted his glass and took a deep sip. “This place just opened up and you’re already acting like you know your way around the menu.” he let out a soft chuckle. “Over all of the years I've known you, you always order the same.”
“You shouldn't be surprised any more then, I've never understood how you can always find something different to try.” I clapped him on the back, causing him to splash his drink over the countertop.
“God damn it Markus, You always do this shit.” Ryan immediately stood up and started wiping away the wet mess.
Chuckling to myself I took a sip of my drink. “Well anyway, were you trying to shoot your shot with the barkeep?” I lounged back into the bar chair, “I sure as hell hope you were, because if you weren't, then I wonder what would make his face look so bored, and yet very disgusted.”
“Hey, at least I try. And did you see how sexy he was?” He stopped cleaning the spill to glance at me. “Just because you got a wife doesn't mean that you can't agree with me Mark.”
The bartender was stunning in his own right, I couldn't disagree with Ryan on that. The bartender moved majestically, like a man with a purpose. His long, black, wavy hair flowed with the slight breeze from the bar's fan. His warm, brown devilish eyes could set any heart racing through the frame of his glasses. But I could never say it aloud because it would feel like a betrayal.
“I think I'm way past the point of wanting some huge dick being shoved up my ass Ryan, Jenn would kill me.” I pushed myself up in my seat to readjust. “ Plus, not only will she hunt me down to the ends of the earth, but she would have our little guy come along for the ride.”
Ryan leaned back into the counter and gently laughed, “I always forget that you and Jennifer got down and stinky, how long has it been? About a month now?”
I let a tender smile tug on my face. “One month, three days, and two hours.” Then the realization hit me, "what the fuck is down and stinky supposed to mean?"
Ryan let out a bellowing laugh, barely holding himself upright,“I'd say I'm happy for you Mark, but god damn all I feel is jealousy towards you. While you're starting a family, I’m over here hopelessly trying to get laid”
He reached for his glass, forgetting that it was empty. Taking a sip of the air that filled it. "Ugh, Mark, this drink is going on your tab."
I nudged him with my elbow playfully. "Fine with me, as long as I get to splash it on your face next time."
~~~~
We arrived at the stairs leading down to the subway station. Thirty minutes and twenty-four seconds was all it took for Ryan to get home. An extra thirty-six minutes and twelve seconds for myself.
The moon was rising above the horizon as I arrived at my apartment complex. I was ready to call it a day and wake up tomorrow for another mediocre time at my boss’s “kingdom”.
My apartment complex was small but functional. When you first walk in, the living room is to the right and the kitchen and dining room are to the left. Sitting in the center of the dining room is a wooden round table with two chairs, which is perfect for me and my wife. To the right, a red, leather sofa sits in the middle of the living room facing the small television sitting atop a cubic wooden stand. We like to keep things minimal, so there aren’t very many decorations, save for a floor lamp and pictures of me and my wife in picture frames sitting on a bookshelf situated in the far corner of the room. In the center of both rooms leads a hallway to our bedroom and bathroom.
I stepped into the apartment I call home to see my beautiful wife asleep on the sofa, the local news playing in the otherwise silent retreat. Her wavy, auburn hair is parted in the middle and flows down to the small of her back. Freckles dot the bridge of her nose and her cheekbones, making her look all the more mischievous.
The door creaked to its silent resting place in the wooden entry, the light click of the door sealing off the rest of the world to signify I was finally able to rest. I made my way over to the living room, I grabbed one of our new, grey throw blankets and draped it over Jenn.
"Today we are here to honor the twentieth anniversary since the Paladins and Pixi destroyed the demonic threat that appeared in District One's financial zone," the anchor stated. A familiar stress swelled up in my nerves. "Hundreds of Kindred spewed out from beneath the sewer system, the Paladins from the Knights of the Holy Order fought hard with the Pixi to contain and exterminate the demonic threat. After four-" The screen went black as I clutched the remote in my hands.
Bullshit