Don't Forget to Take Your Joy

Chapter Two

Ryan dreamed in his sleepless night. He dreamt that he was being hunted. He dreamt that a Downer was coming after him. Every time he got away, the man with the bloody cricket bat always found him. The man seemed to be crying, which terrified Ryan even more. He was sad. He was indeed a Downer.
He dreamt that he was the man wielding a bloody cricket bat.

Ryan awoke covered in sweat. His clock read 6:30. It was half an hour before his alarm went off, but he knew that he wouldn't get any more sleep. He sat up and turned his alarm off. He spent the thirty minutes he had to spare showering away the sweat. He stayed in the shower for a while, feeling safe. Soon, it was time to go to work. He took a Joy and his day started to look brighter.

Ryan's day went by as his usual days did. He did his job, ate his lunch, went home, watched Uncle Jack's 4:00 show, and went to sleep. He had almost forgotten about the diner incident.

That evening, Ryan decided to take a Joy before bed. He slept much better that night.

The next morning, Ryan awoke with a start. He turned off his alarm, bounced out of bed, and got dressed. He took his Joy and got to work on time. He was greeted at the door to his office by a young man he'd never seen before.

"Um," he studdered. He seemed nervous. "Are you Mr. Harrison?" Ryan nodded.

"Yes indeed," he said. "And who might you be, lad?" the man fidgeted.

"Um," he stammered. "My name is Richard Lyle," he said. "My mother, she told me to thank you for helping with my new car," Ryan smiled.

"I love to help, Richard." he said. "Mrs. Lyle said something about you getting a job here?" Richard nodded nervously.

"Um, yessir." he said. "I don't know what office I'm in though. Where is 311?" Ryan pointed at the office adjacent to his own.

"Right across the hall, there. If you'd like any help settling in, I'd be happy to provide assistance."

Ryan helped Richard that afternoon. He taught the newbie the ropes and where everything was. The whole time, however, he noticed something was off. He'd been with the boy for the whole afternoon and he hadn't taken any Joy. He assumed that since he was young, he had to take less than the 29-year-old Ryan. He shrugged off the suspicion and clocked out. He went home, watched television, and went to sleep.

The next day, Ryan assisted Richard with his first few customers. The two employees seemed to be getting along well. They shared many of the same interests and they both liked the company. After a few weeks, the two were great friends. They worked well with one another as coworkers and sometimes even went out for drinks.

It was Saturday. Ryan was off of work and had plans to meet with Richard for drinks later. He took a long shower and for some reason, felt strange. He felt like he was missing something, but he didn't know what. It gnawed at him until he met with Richard. He forgot about whatever it was and the two had several drinks together. The two were in the middle of talking about one of their coworkers when a group of constables burst into the bar. There was one guarding each exit, as well as several coming around with breathalyzers. They were checking for Downers.

That's when it dawned on Ryan. That's what he was missing. He didn't know how he forgot. He never forgot. Ryan hadn't taken Joy in several days. He searched the pockets of his jacket, but he had none in there. He looked to Richard, but the look in his eyes made Ryan gasp. Richard was a Downer the whole time.

It all made sense to him now. That's why he'd never seen him take Joy. Ryan remembered the man in the diner and started to cry. Ryan got the feeling that he would never leave this place.