Absurdist Phone Guy Stuffed in a Suit

13 - Answers

Fritz Smith

By the time Jeremy returned, Fritz had made some serious headway on his quest to blend in. After numerous hours of experimentation – which, mercifully, no longer meant excruciating headaches – he was able to create an illusion. Of course, it was far from perfect – the uncanny and distorted visage he was staring at through the mirror was proof enough of that, not to mention the fact that his fox ears stubbornly refused to disappear, or that he could only conjure the illusion for a few seconds before feeling utterly drained.

But that was besides the point, Fritz thought, a grin spreading across his face. Sure, there were some kinks to work out, but with this, he might just be able to go back to some semblance of a normal life. Being a freeloader at Jeremy's house wasn't all that bad, but he missed being able to go outside. He missed talking to people. He missed all the things he had taken for granted, all the things that had been stripped away from him on that horrible night. There were some things he would never get back – he knew that – but that wouldn't stop him from trying anyway.

Suddenly, he was shaken from his thoughts by Jeremy announcing his arrival.

"Alright, gather 'round! I have good news and some not-so-great news." Jeremy said, slightly muffled by the wall.

Hearing this, Fritz left the garage and made a bee-line towards the couch, plopping down next to Ben and nearly causing him to drop his book.

"So," Ben asked, "they fired me?"

"Unfortunately." Jeremy said. "But!", he quickly added at Ben's look at disappointment, "I managed to talk them down to only firing you. They don't want anything from you. No charges, no money for the broken window, nothing! I blamed it on an intruder that we were able to chase off, and they're so damn cheap that they don't even save recordings to verify it."

Hearing this seemed to cheer Ben up, but only slightly.

"Look, I'm sure you'll find another job somewhere," Jeremy reassured him. "In the mean time, we can stop by Freddy's tonight and try to get some answers about all this bullshit that's been going on."

Ben nodded, still slightly glum. "You're right – that job doesn't really matter. I just- I can't believe I got fired. Anyway..." He said, trailing off into an awkward silence.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Fritz decided to seize the moment. "Check this out!" He exclaimed, shifting into the form he'd spent the entire day practicing. The mixed looks of shock and horror were all the indication he needed to know his illusion worked.

"I- Jesus Christ, Fritz! You look like some sort of, I don't know..." Jeremy exclaimed.

"Emaciated skinwalker?" Ben offered.

"Yeah. That. I mean, you've done a wonderful job getting this working – I can't even begin to fathom how it's possible – but you need some practice, man. No offense."

To that, Fritz gave him a crooked smile, although it only looked crooked because the rest of his face was as well.

"I liked the fox better." Ben remarked.

"Yeah..." Jeremy said softly, suddenly taking on a dark tone, "speaking of which, I figured out a bit about this whole possession business. I took a closer look at the animatronics, and- well, fuck, there's no way else to say it; people died in those things."

Slowly, he raised his head back towards Fritz and Ben, who were suddenly very serious. "Sorry," Jeremy mumbled, "I probably should have started with that. I've been trying not to think about it too much. I just – I haven't been thinking about any of this shit, really. It's all felt like some sort of game. But it isn't, is it?"