They spent the rest of their shift fondling each other’s cocks, Billy shooting once in his briefs from Derek’s attentions. He already was in better spirits, laughing and joking and flirting like normal, until they got back to the dump around eleven, and clocked out at noon.
He followed Derek into the locker room, where any number of other guys were laughing and changing back into their casual clothes. His feet walked him over to a locker he never remembered seeing before in his life. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket–all of which were unfamiliar, even though he could say what most of them opened, and used a small one on the lock. Inside, however, there weren’t any clothes at all, just a few scattered papers, a cellphone, some half eaten snacks from the vending machine, and a bottle of painkillers. There should be clothes in there, right? He looked around at the rest of the men, some leaving the locker room looking perfectly normal, none of them wearing their coveralls from work…so why didn’t he have any other clothes like they did?
Something was wrong. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what it was. Something was following him, something was inside him, something else was here, and he couldn’t see it, but it was wrong, and it was wrong with him. He was starting to panic, he couldn’t catch his breath, he had to be going insane.
Calm down.
He looked to the side, and caught a look at himself in the mirror. He looked like a mess–his hair too long, something between stubble and a short beard smeared across his face, a gut bulging out, coveralls filthy.
This is what you like to wear. Calm down.
It was a stranger. He didn’t know what he should look like, he didn’t but he was certain that it was a stranger in the mirror.
Calm.
He blinked a few times. What had he been thinking about? He turned back to his locker, grabbed his cell phone and slid it into the pocket of his coveralls, and started for the door. Derek was already changed and waiting for him, wearing the same grimy looking jeans and sleeveless shirt he’d had on for the last month already. “You ready to go yet? Finished staring at yourself in the mirror?”
“Shut the fuck up, ya fuckin’ bitch,” Billy said, and smacked Derek on the back. He laughed.
“You finally got over your fuckin’ blues then?”
He nodded. He did feel better. Calmer.
“Come on, let’s get going. I wanna get home so I can plug that fat ass of yours.”
They walked out into the parking lot, and Billy followed Derek to his truck. He…knew what was going to happen. They’d drive to the little rundown one bedroom apartment they shared together. Once there, they’d fuck, still dirty and grimy from work, usually without even taking off their clothes. Then, maybe, they’d change, eat, watch TV, drink, and go to bed. Like usual. Like…they always did. He tried to tell himself that, but he didn’t quite believe it. Should he get in the truck? Should he try and convince Derek that something strange was happening? That he wasn’t feeling so well after all? He stood at the passenger door of the truck, hand on the handle, trying to get his mouth to form the words, when the phone in his pocket started shaking and ringing. He looked at the ID–it was coming from someone named Owen. Should he answer it? He didn’t know any one named Owen, did he? He answered it.
“Hello?”
“Billy! Fuck man, you have to help me, this is all fucked.”
“Who–Look, I don’t–”
“Look, just come over to my room, I need your help. Something happened last night man, something weird. I can’t look in the mirror man, I can’t!”
Last night. Where had he been last night? Billy remembered the dream that had already faded away from him, of waking up naked in that alley, but that couldn’t have happened. He’d been with Derek since their shift started at four in the morning…right? Or was this a dream, really? Nothing felt real to him, but maybe…
“Billy? Come on Billy, fuckin’ talk to me man.”
“Alright, I’ll…I’ll come over. Where are you?”
“Back at the hotel–where else would I be? Wait…where are you?”
Billy bit his lip. Should he be somewhere else? “I’m…I’m out.”
“Did you not get back last night? I know…I know we all got separated in there.”
“Look, just tell me where you are.”
“I’m at the hotel, I made it back here.”
“Look…I…someone else is driving me at the moment, I have to give him the name of the hotel. I…I forgot it.”
Owen was quiet for a moment, “I…I am talking to Billy, right? You sound weird man.”
“Look, it’s been a…crazy morning, just fuckin’ tell me what hotel.”
“Alright, alright. The Nettywood Suites, by the college. Hurry–I think I’m losing my mind.”
Billy got in the truck. “Bro, ya think we could make a stop real quick on the way?”
Bracken's Corner 