The Vanisher

Leo’s heart trembled as he responded to an email. He shuddered a breath. Getting back to work would be good for him, he thought. Data analysis calmed him. Going through the routine would be stabilizing. All the beige cubicles packed together set his mind at ease. The ringing of phones and the chatter of his coworkers created a zen buzz.

It had all been working as expected.

Then his leg erupted in pain. A charley horse! He hadn’t had one since he was a kid. He gritted his teeth, gripping his calf as the muscle tensed and spasmed. Just when he thought his leg was going to snap off, the cramp subsided.

Leo stood up, panting. His leg was sore, but otherwise he could move. What was that? He shook his head and walked through the cubicles and down the grey hallway to the water fountain. As he drank, his elbow started to twitch.

His arm spasmed. It slammed into his shoulder, the muscles corkscrewing like someone was twisting his arm behind his back. Leo stumbled from the water fountain, shrieking with pain.

The muscles suddenly relaxed and his arm slacked. Leo gasped. “What the hell?”

“Leo!”

He startled and turned. One of his coworkers stood there.

“You ok?”

Leo stared at his arm, flexed his fingers, and nodded.

The coworker gestured to a doorway. “Meeting. Come on.”

Leo followed him into the conference room and took a seat around the oval, wooden table. Mason sat across from him, staring. Leo avoided his gaze, shifting in his seat. Their boss droned in front of a PowerPoint about certain revenues. Leo didn’t hear her. He felt his arm for anything twisted or out of place.

It was almost noon, nearly time to leave this crowded conference room for lunch. He just had to hold it together until—

His right leg trembled.

The muscles tightened and his foot shot out, kicking the leg of the conference table. It shook and everyone stared wide-eyed at it.

“What was that?” his boss snapped.

Mason’s eyes went wide. Then he cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry, ma’am. Accident.”

Leo stood up. “Excuse me, I-I need to use the restroom.” He hurried out of the conference room. The muscle spasms were probably from dehydration, but it felt like more than that, like something was happening to him.

He just needed to get away from other people. He beelined for the stairs, hoping to go outside, get some fresh air.

He stopped at the top of the steps. He felt woozy; he needed to catch his breath. His legs wobbled, his feet teetering over the edge of the first step.

Every single muscle in Leo’s body contracted. Arms pressed against his torso, legs bent against each other, and his neck bent. He fell.

His skull slammed against the steps, his vision flashing white. Pain screamed across his head just before his shoulder slammed into a step. When his face hit the next one, the protruded edge crushed his nose and chipped a tooth; blood gushed out of his nostrils. As he careened down, the blood streaked his face and spilled into his mouth. Leo rolled until the back of his head smacked against the wall of the stair landing.

Warm blood streamed down his neck. With frantic breaths, Leo’s ribs jabbed against his lungs.

I will end us both, said the voice. Now that I finally know I can.

Read The Vanisher here.