Pulling the Daisy Chain (Short Story)

"Huh... we're such a small town it's weird we get someone in here we don't know," Arnold the mortician muttered as he wheeled the newest body out of refrigeration. "Even weirder we got one that looks just like you, Lucas."

Lucas looked over from where he had been prepping the tray of tools, freezing at the sight of his exact image laid out on the frozen gurney. If ever there was a client he was hoping wasn't going to follow him home, this was the one. It was supposed to be his day off, he was supposed to be at home alone, with his cat, not prepping his doppelganger for burial. Arnold's mellow tone broke Lucas from his thoughts.

"You got a twin no one knew about?" Arnold tried to joke. Lucas hated when he joked around the clients, but managed a tense smile; Arnold wanted more.

"Not unless I also didn't know," he responded, nose wrinkling as soon as the elder mortician's back was turned. Luckily, that was the end of the banter and they began the process of embalming the body. For someone who was unknown Lucas thought it was strange they were bothering to embalm him, he didn't have to wonder long, however​​.

"I know what you're thinking... everything was paid for by an anonymous donation. Don't know where it came from, it just showed up with a letter," Arnold explained. Whether he actually knew what Lucas was thinking or if he was just trying to break the silence Lucas would never know.

"And that isn't weirder?" Lucas regretted asking as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Of course it is, whole thing is weird, but they left a big enough tip that I might retire early. You could be a full-fledged mortician by this time next week," Arnold snorted. Any alarm bells that had been going off in Lucas' head silenced at the mention of a promotion. "You've been a good assistant these 15 years or so, if a bit quiet. I think you're gonna do just fine."

That earned Arnold a small smile from Lucas. In fact, the compliment was so distracting Lucas didn't recall having removed one of his latex gloves and touched the client's arm to check the tubing connection. The instant his bare skin touched the client's arm Lucas felt as if he had been struck by lightning, hair standing on end as the lights flickered. Arnold was startled, but only for a moment before he left out a howling laugh.

"You okay? Must have been a hell of a static charge to do that!" Arnold's laugh only grew as Lucas scowled at him. "Oh, don't give me that look! You are the one who forgot his glove! Turn the machine on and go fix your hair, I'm gonna go outside for a smoke."

Unable to get his nerves under control Lucas flipped the machine's switch and heard it chug to life, swapping the client's fluids for a concoction of chemicals; Lucas had yet to meet a client who enjoyed the process. The loud clang on the heavy metal back door only served to scare Lucas once again, the man nearly jolting out of his skin before steadying himself on the counter. Giving the client one last glance Lucas took a deep sigh before heading towards the bathroom, fishing in his pocket for his phone.

In the bathroom, he could see just how badly the shock had mussed his hair, his normally well-combed blond hair standing on end as if he had stuck his finger in an outlet. Setting the phone on the sink he hit the button for his mom and put it on speaker, if anyone was going to be able to calm him down it was her.

"Hey bud, what's up?" the pleasant voice of his mother came through, soothing some of the goosebumps on his arms. "Got some new friends tonight?"

"Not yet," Lucas replied, turning on the sink just enough to wet his hands so he could begin trying to fix his hair. It was stubborn, however, and refused to adhere to his usual style. He frowned at his reflection, it looked like something a model would do to their hair, windswept and spiked; was he lucky or unlucky? "Really hoping to go home alone tonight."