Vacancy by Fredric Shernoff

Author:Fredric Shernoff [Shernoff, Fredric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whitemarsh Productions LLC
Published: 2019-04-18T22:00:00+00:00

In an eternity neither bound by time nor organized by it, Jim woke over and over again. Each time, he fumbled through the resets, vomiting up what had to be the same stomach contents over and over again. Some of the sequences were longer than others, allowing him to maneuver along the side of the road in his chaotic teleporting locomotion, but eventually the purple always returned and put him back in the field.

Each time he awoke to a clear sky, holding on to the reality of who he was became more of a struggle. That other self asserted itself more and more, pushing the memories of his “Jim Hamilton” identity away. He felt as if his brain were ripping in two.

One of those times, he found himself on the edge of the field. It was a fresh reset, following the purple darkness, but a light hint of the purple remained on the fringes of the sky.

Jim moved as quickly as he could down the street. He didn’t know how events had progressed so fast. How could the darkness be invading again? What would that do to his brain? The part of him that was still James Hamilton needed to be preserved at all cost. He had seen what was happening to Clyde. Was that already happening to him? He didn’t know where on that absurd scale he ranked, nor how he had held on to himself as long as he had, but he was positive that another cycle through the darkness would push him too far.

Another reset caught him and flung him back to the top of the street in the middle of the intersection. He narrowly avoided a car as it cut across Butler. He crested the hill and began down the other side. The sky was much darker, and he heard the winds pick up. The thunder rumbled, signaling an end to all things.

He moved up and over the next, smaller hill. From there he could see straight down almost as far as the train station. In the distance, he saw people gathering. He recognized the parked cars and knew the people were in front of the pharmacy. He ran as fast as he could. His body seemed to be reset every time the world planted him in a new location, and he felt like he had limitless stores of energy. He seemed to almost float as he traversed the distance between him and the gathering at the store.

A giant thunderclap sounded, and Jim pushed himself faster. His reset and restored lungs were not superhuman, after all, and they burned as he forced himself beyond his limits. He felt his Achilles tendons strain as his feet slammed the pavement over and over again in sneakers that provided little cushion or support.

The people came into view as another boom echoed. He saw Clyde, looking just as he had before in the homeless man’s rags, and in front of him were two younger people. Teenagers, most likely. They were having an animated conversation, arms gesturing wildly.

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