Death is Not an Escape

Hypnotize Me

Your eyes felt hazy as they struggled to open, your body laying groggily on the couch. Meg laid on the smaller sofa, her body entangled in a blanket, her consciousness away from her being. You looked around, rubbing eyes softly in an attempt to clear your fuzzy vision. Light poured in through the open curtains, shining against the floor. The clock besides your TV blinked the time, 8:45 AM. You didn't start work until about 9:30, so you were in no rush to get up. Carefully, you attempted to sit up, trying to not wake up Meg. Honestly, if she wanted to live in your house rent-free, you'd let her in a heartbeat. You don't know how you'd survive without her.

After you slipped out of the living room, you grabbed your work clothes that were sitting neatly folded on your dresser. You worked a small retail job, folding and hanging clothes, along with occasionally working the cash register.

You crept towards the front door, Meg completely still on the couch, sleeping like a baby. You took that chance to slip out of the door and head towards your car.

The night prior you had left your phone in your car. Posting or interacting with people on social media wasn't something you had ever been big on, especially since the loss of your mother. Even though it wasn't healthy, you found yourself becoming distant from everyone around you. The relationship between you and Meg had definitely been strained, but at least that friendship didn't break.

You were caught by surprise when you saw a green light blinking on your phone, alerting you that you had received some sort of notification. As you unlocked your phone, you saw Dwight's name pop up. The only reason Dwight had your phone number was to hook you up with any deals at the pizza place he worked at, given you had eaten out a lot since getting your new retail job. There hadn't been any good deals lately, so you hadn't received a text from him for months, and it certainly was never anything personal. You opened the text, expecting to hear about a deal but getting greeted by something else.

'Hey, (Y/N). I know this is out of the blue and we aren't that close, but I wanted to know if you'd be interested in hanging out sometime this afternoon? You can bring Meg if that makes you more comfortable.'

If it had been anyone else, you would have rejected them or simply ignored their message, but Dwight was the one person you had a hard time saying no to. Maybe it was because of his genuine lack of friends, or how innocent he seemed to be. Either way, you wouldn't be able to reject him without feeling like a pretty shitty person. You sighed, looking at the text, Dwight's profile picture of him giving a thumbs up staring back into your soul desperately. One hangout couldn't hurt. Besides, maybe this would be good for you.

'Yeah, I'd be down, but Meg's coming with. Where are we hanging out?'

You stared at the screen as Dwight hurriedly opened your message, typing within seconds.

'If you're fine with it, come stop by where I work at around 5:45.'

You sighed, not really desiring to eat more pizza tonight.

'Don't worry, we'll go somewhere else to eat. I imagine you're tired of eating pizza.'

Smiling, you replied.

'Sounds good to me.'

You slid your phone into the cup holder beside you, seeing Dwight text you a, 'I'll see you soon!' before the screen faded out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Business was slow today like it was most weekdays, especially on a Monday. Even if it was a weekend, the store would not have more than 8 people in it at a time, which was very manageable. Most customers wouldn't get more than three items, which made checking out and restocking clothes fairly simple, but very boring.