Clayton shook as his exhausted eyes gazed over the plain paper sitting on his desk, illuminated by the dim gray light of his office computer, “Termination Notice” it read, the words in big bold letters at the top with all sorts of legal word goop under it, he knew it was coming sooner or later.
it had been a full week since he had seen anyone else in his department, at first it was just one unlucky guy who got fired, then it was just budget cuts, or downsizing, one by one his co-workers disappeared, left, got fired, it seemed pretty ordinary, just a typical department clean out, Clayton reflected, seeing now that time was nicer than it seemed, just a simple 9-5 with the looming threat of getting fired, he continued to reflect, recalling after about a week or two of this clean out, the only coworker he liked was next on the chopping block, he had watched him carry his things out in a box, not thinking much of it other than irritation he was stuck with the rest of his coworkers until it was his turn.
That's all it was, another guy getting fired, he thought to himself, toiling away at his desk mindlessly doing his assorted tasks, he decided he would call his friend later, check in after his shift ended, the moment he walked through the door of his crappy ground floor apartment, he sat down on the only comfort in his place, the rotted couch with exposed springs as he pulled out his phone to ring him up… “Ring ring,ring ring”... “We’re sorry, this number has been disconnected” huh, maybe he couldn't pay the phone bill anymore? Was it that hard on him? Is what Clayton thought to himself, trying to lean back on the couch, before remembering he can't actually afford the tetanus shot necessary to do so, as he opted to stand up, sighing at his empty afternoon, with nothing better to do, his mind lingered on that unanswered call, maybe he should just make sure he's okay, Clayton reflected as he opened the creaky front door to slink back down the hallway of his building.
he headed back to the parking lot, as he slipped into his old, musty car, thing was probably gonna outlive him at this point, he chuckled a little at the thought, as his car sputtered and gasped to life like a geriatric patient on a breathing tube, he prayed the thing would hold together as he punched in his friend’s address into his phone, shifting around with the gear stick to pull out of the lot as he mixed into the traffic, the sun down at the horizon visible between the skyscrapers, the sky colored a shade of pinks and oranges, as he immersed himself into the sounds of the city echoing sirens and the many arguments and fights, he started to let his mind drift into the city, letting go for a moment.
he was immediately snapped back to the moment, as he almost missed where he was going, another identical parking lot in a building just like his own, he just sat in his car for a second as he pulled in, as he pulled out the key and shut it off, breathing in the cold lot air, another of those subtle parts of this city that wagers between delightful and unsettling depending on who you are, as he stepped through the moist puddles and potholes, eventually reaching the door to the actual building and going inside, the cool, dim concrete replaced by a brightly lit, mostly white and gray hallway, he racked his brain trying to remember his friends apartment number as he walked down the corridor, “101, no 102, no… … … … 136 here we go” he stopped in front of this standard blue door, he breathed deeply as he started to knock, “Jamessss, you home?” “Knock Knock Knock” “Cmon, open up, you doing okay?”
Clayton started to get a little nervous, not a sound from behind the door as he knocked, he felt the door budge a little, it was unlocked, “James, i'm coming in, try not to shoot me or anything” he tried to joke, his hand shaking as he reached for the round, brass handle, he was immediately hit with a strong, overwhelming smell as he stepped in the door, a metallic scent, the kind you find on coins, nickels and quarters it was so strong he had to close his eyes for a second as he stepped in.
There was a sudden “Squelch” under his boot as he stepped, he started to very, slowly open his eyes shivering and shaking as he sees his boot, standing in a puddle of red, thick, goop, he gagged as he tried to hold down his lunch, his steps starting to trace backwards, his panic causing him to slip on the slick fluid, as he fell back into it, he saw the rest of the room now, the place was wrecked, the counters ripped off and crushed, the chairs and tables in pieces, and worst of all it was adorned with James, bits of flesh and limbs strewn all over the room, it was like a scene out of a parody of a horror it was so much, the worst part of it all, Jame’s head, with a big sharp sleek spike pinning it into the wall, like some kind of awful trophy kill, he started to hyperventilate, his face felt like it was on fire and he could hardly see straight, he desperately scampered up off the floor, out of the room like whatever did that was still in there, he skittered around his pockets reaching for his phone again
