Nocturnal

Working at his desk Barry yawns. It has been two days since he last slept. He was unbelievably tired. Pushing his rolling chair back, Barry stands. The coffee machine was only across the hall. Walking over his co-worker Kirk notices. To Barry, Kirk is an insufferable ass a lot of the time. Never leave him alone and always nagging him.

“So Barry, what's this your seventh cup of coffee?”

Barry exhales before answering.

“No actually. This is my fifth.”

“Bro, how are you not having a heart attack right now? Wait a minute. I think my grandfather had one of those last year and it’s too bad too because I miss that old guy. I mean like, who wouldn’t? I always remember only to have one cup every morning to prevent that. Why don’t you do the same? It wouldn’t change anything drastically, would it? How tired are you? You have bags underneath your eyes. Have you been staying up late again? You know that if you don’t sleep you start to become less efficient at what you do.”

Barry stopped paying attention mid-way through. It was tiring.

“Yeah Kirk, Real interesting. Now can I get a drink in peace?”

“What do you mean? We are like best friends, man.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you think that now can you please go away.”

Kirk's face falls before walking away back to his cubicle. The office wasn’t that big. The people who worked in that office weren’t the best either. Usually, a bunch of people are tired of doing the same thing over and over again with no stop. It was almost time to pack up and go home. Barry would love to have time away from Kirk. As well as the office. This type of work is hard on people mostly hard on Barry. He remembers when he first started working in the building. Those were simpler times. Where he didn't have to worry about the people he worked with. Or when he did something slightly off. It was refreshing knowing that he had some freedom once he got home. Though then again was home any better than here? Barry still hadn't decided on that. It was frustrating not knowing. Like he was forgetting something obvious. Left behind to be forgotten. Glancing up at the clock on the wall it ticked closer to five. Time seemed to move so much slower at the end of his shifts. He couldn’t control it. Almost as if the concept of time was sentient. Like it knew as much as he did about life. Like how to interact with it. Though he knew that had to be impossible. Barry never was superstitious. Yet the thought still loomed. Peeking over his shoulder and whispering.

After a moment he dazed off. Daydreaming. It was about something. He wasn’t sure what yet. Maybe it was just him not getting enough sleep. Barry can remember going to the doctor's office for insomnia. A small beeping sound went off. It was his watch he had set on a timer just making sure that he didn’t stay for extra overtime. Even though some extra time in the office couldn’t hurt he didn’t want to clean his desk. It was a mess. Covered in papers and chocolate wrappers. The trash can next to his cubical was full. It has been some time since it was last emptied. Packing his stuff up and getting ready to go home Ryan came over. To say goodbye. It was a Friday. It wasn’t special. Just the same as every other day at this point. The only difference is going to work the next day. That seemed to be the only good thing about Friday. Other than that he didn’t see much point in caring as much as everyone else did. He was too tired to.

“Hey there Barry, I will see you Monday?”

“Oh yes, don’t think I’m going anywhere any time soon. I will be here.”

“Alright, that’s good to hear.”

“Yeah…”

Barry said as Ryan just walked away. Something seemed off about it but he couldn’t decide on what. Maybe it was how he acted or how he spoke. Barry didn’t dread it though as he just wanted to get home. Getting to the end of the corridor he chose the elevator over the stairs. He felt like collapsing even after walking down for even a small amount of steps. Entering the elevator Barry pressed the button to the ground floor. That was the parking lot. Barry had an old car. A 1967 convertible car his father gave him for his birthday at eighteen. He always drove it everywhere. It was the most important thing in his life. If something happened to the car he would be heartbroken. It was his most prized possession. He treated the car like it was his child. At the top of the door, the floors slowly crept down to the ground. He was on the seventh floor of his building.

The doors dinged as he reached the ground floor. There it was, his car. Reaching into his pocket Barry pulled out a pair of car keys. They were red with a silver knob on the bottom. He said it was so he would never forget or lose his keys. As he got to the car Barry unlocked it. Getting in he started to drive off. It took a moment because the engine was slow and old. It’s a little surprising how it lasted this long without being scrapped. Just keeping the car how it was meant that he was doing well. Most people would have it destroyed but not Barry. He was into cars they interested him. Like there wasn’t anything else to worry about. Barry always dreamed of having nice cars though that won't happen. He isn’t fortunate enough to have the money. This time luck wasn’t on his side. Thankfully his house wasn’t too far. Only around the corner a little and that’s it. He would be home. But that can never be as easy as he wished. Instead of just around the block it was more around six or seven he didn’t count how many ever. No matter how many times he had driven past. Barry yawned.

“Let’s see.”

He said as he looked down and started switching the stations. He wanted to find something that might keep him awake until he made it home. Even though it's not that long of a drive. Twenty minutes at least. That’s all, but then again time does take its toll. After a good fifteen or so minutes of driving Barry can see a red house. It was on the corner of his street. He always knew where home was because of it. Though during the winter it was a little harder to tell. The whole place turned white from the snow. Turning down the road Barry turns into his driveway. It’s cracked and has leaves and weeds growing out from them. His house was a mess anyway. At least the part where his neighbor lived. As if his roommate never cleaned. It was saddening really.

Parking the car in the driveway he opens the door. A gust of wind blows in. The wind is could. Like standing in front of an A/C unit. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold for him. He always wore a blazer. Like as if he didn’t change. It was always the same outfit almost. The only difference would be the colors.

“Christ.”

Barry said as he said as he stepped into a puddle. It was raining a little bit. Just light drips landing on him. His gray suit is now darker from the water. Taking out his umbrella from the inside of the car door It doesn’t work how he wants it to. The metal rods supporting the top had broken and were taken by the wind. His face fell into a frown. The suit he was wearing wasn’t supposed to get wet. Racing to his front door he got in. Still a little damp from the rain but he didn’t think about it too much. Barry is a forgiving person. A little too forgiving. Sometimes it backfires on him. Always letting people walk all over him. Lets anyone get away with anything. Opening the door he sees his roommate sitting on the couch. Their house didn’t have much furniture. Inside felt a little like a vacant lot. They weren’t complaining though. What they got was just enough to get through the month. Barely scraping by.

“Hello Matthew”

Barry said walking in. His shoes banged on the ground as he entered.

“Hey, B-man.”

Matthew said holding his head over the arm of the couch. He seemed more tired than usual. Matthew worked in the construction business. His days are always packed full of events. His foot was still sprained from the fall he had the other day. A big lightbulb cover fell onto his leg. He complained about it the whole time. Stuck on the couch with an ice pack.

“Were you sleeping?”

Barry asked.

“Yeah I was, you got a problem with that?”

“No, no I don’t”

“Alright.”

Barry took his shoes off and pushed them towards the counter.

After taking his blazer off Barry went to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his hands every day. It would be too gross to do anything. It’s like he could feel the germs crawl around on him. Like a parasite. The soap smelled nice as he rubbed it on. The soap was Christmas-scented. It should last for a while. Barry found him to be a bit of a germaphobe at points. He didn’t like getting dirty in any way. It seemed to be more of a nuisance than anything though. All because he did it so much. It’s like Barry was obligated to wash his hands. The computers at work never got cleaned. His roommate Matthew was so unclean. A stench coming from him. That of a rotting corpse. Or raw sewage. Barry was actively trying to find a new place to live. Preferable where Matthew didn’t live Goggles his cat walked past the door.

“Hey there buddy, what do you want.”

Barry said in a high voice. He loved Goggles, if anything were to happen to him Barry wouldn’t know what to do. Even then cat food is getting more and more expensive. Soon his 9-5 job won’t suffice. He wished he could do something about it but he just couldn’t. It was one of those things that were just out of reach. Walking back out to the living room Barry sits on the armchair. A decently-sized blue armchair he got at a yard sale.

As he sat down he looked over at Matthew. He was just lying down on the couch. Too in pain to do anything.

“So, how you doin’?”

Barry asked Matthew.

“Oh you know, just laying here in pain. I wish I could move. Where is Goggles.”

“Goggles is somewhere in the house, I saw him but don’t know where he went.”

“Oh, that's too bad you don’t know where.”

“Yeah I know, I wish I could help but you have to wait for that to heal.”

“I know, I know it was a stupid mistake anyway.”

“Get some rest, and you probably shouldn't go to work tomorrow”

“I wasn’t planning on doing that anyways.”

“I know…”

Barry finished as he went out to the kitchen to get a drink. Outside was dark. Almost as if it turned from day to night in just a moment. Though that’s to be expected in this part of the town. For some reason, it just kept getting dark around this time. Like five o’clock was a turn-off for the sun. Then again it is November and the days are getting shorter. It’s too bad, Barry would love to have long days again but like that one song said. You can’t always get what you want.

Something knocked on the door just a moment after opening the fridge. It was three loud knocks. The kind of police give when they try and question people. Both Barry and Matthew are disturbed by this.

“Yes?”

Barry projected his voice towards the front door as he closed the fridge. Goggles started meowing as he came out from underneath the dining room table. Goggles’ meows were loud. He hadn’t heard him like this before. Most of the time Goggles kept a low profile. Staying away from anyone he didn’t know. Something was off though Barry couldn’t tell what it was. His mind was running trying to think of who it could be at this time. Usually, people only come and visit around twelve o’clock or one. This was odd. Never had anyone done this before. Especially with how loud it was.

“Matthew, are we expecting anyone?”

Barry asked loudly. His voice almost yelling. He was slightly nervous but he assumed it was just his irrational thoughts.

“No, we aren’t. Why?”

Matthew replied wondering why. But as Barry approached the front door the sound of breaking glass echoed from the kitchen. Looking back he saw a long shadow arm reach in and grab Goggles. It had to have taken only a few seconds at most though in his eyes seemed like minutes.

Barry started to run towards the window to check everything out. Nothing was there. Not even Goggles. Whatever was going on couldn’t be explained with any logic. Fear started to take over but Barry calmed himself to the best he could. Rushing to his room he busts open the door and makes a mad dash to his nightstand. Opening it he takes out the pistol that is in there. An M1911 a classic. Seven shots. He also took the flashlight. Rushing back out he saw it. Or at least one of them. A peculiar creature bent backward. On all four limbs. The creature had its entire rib cage pulled apart showing through its chest. A terrifying sight. The creature was pale and the hair was thinning. Just blotches of hair here and there all over its body. Kind of resembled a human but was missing any identifying features. But it's face. Its face was skull was cracked and strings of flesh held it together. The arms were long and lanky the bones protruding like they didn’t fit right. Almost as if it was too tight. Maybe that’s why some of it was torn apart revealing the bone and muscle underneath. The creature had a horrendous sound emitting from it. Like a groan from a human being drowned in water. This is where Barry made his decision. Fueled by fear and adrenaline.

Lifting the gun and aiming down the sights at the creature he took a short. The bullet went straight through its shoulder. It groaned in pain as it ran off out of the living room window. Broken bits of glass flying everywhere.

“What the fuck was that thing!”

“I-I have no idea, Barry. What the hell.”

“It took Goggles. My cat man. Why did it take the goddamn cat.”

Barry tried to hold his tears in. He was disgusted. The whole situation was terrifying. The adrenaline shooting through his veins woke him up. The first time in a while he hadn’t felt sleepy. Though it wasn’t a good reason why. This time there was more knocking and footsteps around the house. Matthew tried to stand but he couldn’t the sprain had swollen his food too much. There it was again. Crawling through the kitchen window. Barry fumbled the gun before it knocked him to the ground. His gun went flying somewhere.  The creature was strong and fast. Knew what it wanted. And that was to feast. The cat. Goggles. Was hanging from its mouth. The monster didn’t eat the cat it used it. To instill fear into Barry. It worked. Barry and Matthew were terrified. Frozen. As its face crept toward Barry's face a gun shot off. Matthew picked it up off of the ground after diving for it. He shot the monster right in its open chest.

The perfect place for it. The creature fell back. As it stood up on both legs. It hit the ceiling leaving a hole. The creature shriveled as it was shot. Curling up into a ball like a spider. As it died it let out a shriek. Loud enough and crackly to sound like a broken air horn. Its scream sounded like an alarm. And it most likely was. Two or three more of them came into the house. Holding up his hands Matthew threw the gun to him. Now he knew where to shoot. As they came towards him Barry kept shooting until nothing moved. Once those things died they turned to ash. Being carried away by the wind. Like a cremation. Everything they were turned to a gray ash. The screams they let out once they died were also annoyingly loud. Falling to the ground Barryt was exhausted like all the energy he had during that suddenly disappeared. Now instead of adrenaline was a feeling of dread and Tiredness. Barry could feel himself becoming less and less awake by the second. As if everything he had done drained him of any kind of energy that was left. Goggles lay dead in front of him on the ground. His eyes popped out of his head just being held on by strings of nerves and muscles. He felt sick. But he was too tired to vomit. He stood up and faced Matthew.

“I’m so tired. I think I’m going to go lie down.”

“No, after all, that happened. You have to be kidding.”

“We just barely survived and you want to sleep?!”

“Yes… I do. Now if you excuse me.”

Matthew didn’t say anything else. Just watched as Barry went to his room Turning the corner Barry finally left his sight. Matthew was too shocked and confused to say anything else. Like he had been broken. Unable to move or speak.

As Barry got into his room he shut the door behind him and put the gun back into the nightstand. As he lay down on the bed he could feel himself become more and more sleepy. His mind fogged up with nothing. His ability to think just slipped. Like he didn’t have a mind anymore. Just how Matthew was but this was still different. Not by much, But just enough to be noticed. As he faded off to sleep one of the only nights he couldn’t hear meowing at the door begging to be let in. This was one of the worst and most terrifying days of his life yet it was somehow the most understandable. Like his mind had been opened to something else. Finally, nothing. All of a sudden he finds himself in a room made of people. Not regular people. No, anything but people. But those creatures. Those monsters. The whole room. Filled with them. All staring at Barry.

“What?”

He said to himself scared of what he was seeing. Just the sight of those things disgusted and spooked him. All of them had their chests spread more than the ones when he was awake. But Barry didn’t know he was sleeping. To him, it was just like reality. Kind of like a lucid dream. He understood what he was doing but didn’t know where he was. Until things started to look familiar. The creatures started to fade and images came through.

“Matthew?”

He asked as he looked through the small hole that was made into the wall. All the creatures that were still there hadn’t looked away. Like lasers beaming into the back of his head. Matthew was standing there. In the same spot as before Barry went to bed.

Except after a small moment he moved. First a blink then a step. He knelt next to Goggles and put his hand on the cat's back. Mourning. Tears shedding from his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

He cried as he kept close to Goggles. His cries became more painful to listen to. The cat twitched. Matthew stood back. As it kept moving it eventually contorted. Contorted into something otherworldly just like the creatures. A voice appeared behind Barry.

“If you do anything you won’t wake up from here.”

“Who are you?”

Barry asked he was panicked and stressed.

“I’m nobody of your concern. But you must listen. If you let this play out and let time do its thing you will be free. If you intervene…”

His voice trailed off. Barry was conflicted. He didn’t want to stay forever but he couldn’t let something horrible happen to Matthew.

“I don’t-I don’t know what to do.”

The man just stood there. Staring at Barry His mind going to two different places at once. Though it was already too late.

“Goodbye, Barry.”

The man said. Before He could say anything back Barry woke up. His sleepiness seemed to be gone. Clear-headed for the first time in a few days. Yet it seemed like a longer time. Getting out of bed Barry went to the hall. Outside of his room. Everything was the same. Just one thing was missing. Matthew. He was gone and so was Goggles. The windows were normal again and nothing else was out of the ordinary. Grabbing his phone off the coffee table in the living room he checked his messages. Though Matthew wasn’t in his contacts anymore. And there wasn’t a cat bowl on the ground or a litter box.

Everything he cared about was gone. He kept things to himself. In the end was it all that worth it? To have wasted time like that. He could already feel the memories of it fading away. Before long he will be living the same life he was before. Just with some different tweaks. Though life will carry out like nothing had even happened.