The Gym

by B. P. Kasik

  “I’ll explain everything. Come on. We have work to do.”

  The trainer took Jerry’s hand and let him pull him up.

  And his grip got tighter. And tighter.

  Jerry winced.

  The trainer then kicked Jerry in his injured ankle, making him scream.

  The trainer smiled viciously. “What ‘work’ are you talking about? Are you trying to take my job?”

  Jerry’s eyes went wide, and before he could respond, the trainer grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

  “Did you think you could stop me with a little knock to the noggin?” He laughed hysterically. “You think I’m some pathetic weakling like the rest of you? You have no idea about my responsibilities. You have no idea about my workload.” He pulled Jerry’s thrashing body close. “You have no idea about my power.”

  He threw Jerry against the wall. Jerry was pretty sure one of his ribs snapped at the impact. His back tingled and felt like it was on fire.

  The trainer beat his chest and yodeled. He pulled something round out of his pocket. Jerry could barely make it out in the dim light.

  “This is the weapon your idiot friend brought here. He thought he could stop us with a flimsy grenade. He had no idea. But you...”

  He pointed to Jerry with a huge grin on his face.

  And the giant creature behind the trainer thrashed up and cut off whatever he was about to say by chomping down on his head. It pulled him back and swung his body back and forth like a dog with a rubber toy.

  Blood and gristle and monstrous saliva flew all over the room and splattered Jerry from head to foot.

  The grenade fell from the trainer’s grip and Jerry panicked, then realized it still had the pin. Safe.

  Jerry then finally let himself look at the creature. It was an enormous, slimy, spike-covered, multicolored worm. It wiggled gleefully in its recessed concrete pit. It had a ring of black eyes around its mouth and bizarre symbols all over its body.

  Tattoos?

  The creature lifted its head high and opened its mouth wider, sucking the trainer down a foot at a time with digestive contractions. Jerry thought about the last time he’d sucked up a piece of spaghetti.

  He knew this was his chance to destroy the creature, while it was distracted by food. It was large, it had some kind of supernatural power, but it was just an animal.

  He got to his feet and stumbled over to the chainsaw. He was limping pretty badly, his broken leg’s healing easily set back a few weeks. He picked up the chainsaw and slowly moved to the back of the worm, still fully occupied with its feast.

  He revved the chainsaw, held it high, and swung it down against the worm.

  The saw sparked on impact and bounced right off, throwing him backward, like he’d swung a metal bat at a metal pole.

  It has armored skin!

  The worm’s head wiggled up, several of its eyes fixed on Jerry. He dropped the saw and backed against the wall. The worm writhed and wiggled in his direction, but it couldn’t reach him.

  It roared at him, its breath a burning hot, fetid, decaying stench that threatened to knock him unconscious.

  The homeless guy had the right idea—blast the things with a grenade. He’d been a fool to think a pathetic chainsaw could have any impact on an ancient creature like this.

  He hugged the wall and walked sideways against it until he reached the door.

  The grenade was too close to the worm for safety. It was next to a stack of boxes labeled “Lipids.” No way he could reach it.

  He could swear the worm was laughing at him as he backed through the door.

  Then it hacked and coughed and thrashed its head forward.

  It spit out the trainer’s body, which landed in a puddle of ooze and gore.

  The body looked deflated. The trainer’s muscles were still there, but the skin sagged all around them.

  It sucked out his fluids.

  And now Jerry knew not only that the basement worms were the source of the Gyms’ power, but he also knew what fueled the worms.

  His Sheetz food finally came back up his throat and he spewed it all over the cold concrete floor.

  He ran up the stairs and saw that the Gym was no longer vacant.

  The glass-walled racquetball courts were full. Men and women in bathing suits were gleefully bouncing around and playing volleyball with a severed head. The sound was muted, but he was pretty sure they were playing 50’s surfer rock on a boom box in there.

  The other three glass courts were empty of people. But they were fast filling up with blood and body parts that were pouring in through the central air vents in the ceiling. The blood aquariums had things swimming around in the liquid. Jerry didn’t get close enough to see what they were.

  He proceeded through the lobby and saw two women dressed up in loin cloths holding a scrawny man to the fire in the middle of the room. They started with his feet, but then flipped him around and put his head into the flames.

  And he didn’t scream while being burned, he just laughed.

  Walking past the cafe and front desk, the Gym employees just stood behind each counter, smiling at him. Their heads and eyes followed him as he moved from one side of the lobby to another.

  He moved slowly to the entrance and was five feet from the door when the people appeared.

  Closing in on the entrance from either side, a wide array of ragged, blood-covered people blocked the doorway outside.

  Jerry fell backward, but didn’t run.

  Because they weren’t moving. They were blocking his escape.

  Escape where? Where can I run? What can I do?

  But they weren’t attacking.

  And then—as one—they all looked up to the Gym’s higher floors. And then they looked back at him.

  The message was clear: You’re not getting out this way. Go upstairs.

  He saw no choice. And he wasn’t sure how he could argue with that. So he proceeded to the stairs.

  The giant glass stairs were littered with people on their knees, their attention directed upward in worship. They banged their heads against the glass with increasing intensity as he carefully walked by them. They were beginning to leave bloody imprints on each impact.

  He kept waiting for one of them to grab him and try to throw him over the edge of the stairs. But none tried.

  Upon arrival on the second floor, he saw a cornucopia of mayhem all through the exercise room.

  People were lifting and bench-pressing using body parts for weights. Their clothing that Jerry first thought was red skintight spandex was actually inverted skin. Jerry wondered if it was their own or someone else’s.

  A few people with red war paint on their faces were throwing harpoons into the circular pool around the room, spearing people that looked drugged out of their minds as they floated lazily along.

  The water was becoming more red than blue.

  The chandeliers on the ceiling strobed. The treadmills and exercise bikes and Stairmasters were all going full blast and the sound was overwhelming.

  It nearly drowned out the screams.

  Jerry turned and went up the thankfully vacant stairs to the third floor. He took a glimpse in at the gold-encrusted main pool and saw that all of the hot tubs were being stirred by people with oars, making a variety of stews with human body parts.

  The main pool’s water was yellow—urine?—and Jerry was pretty sure he saw shark fins in the water, but looked away before he could confirm.

  Things seemed surprisingly peaceful out in the eternity pool.

  Is this where I’m supposed to go?

  He waited for a while, staring at the lovely waters as the sun set in the distance.

  He could no longer hear the noises of death and mayhem and exercise equipment back inside.

  It was quiet now.

  Peaceful.

  He should have spent more time by the eternity pool. It seemed to stretch on forever. The way it reflected light…

  He shook his head.r />
  What just happened there?

  It hadn’t been a day. The Gym shouldn’t be able to influence him.

  Am I getting weaker? Or is the Gym getting stronger?

  “Why not both?” asked a friendly voice behind him.

  He turned and faced the Gym rep, Deane, decked out in a five-thousand-dollar suit.

  “Can you read my thoughts now?” asked Jerry.

  “No, son. You were muttering to yourself. Dangerous habit.”

  The rep walked up and cupped his hand on Jerry’s shoulder.

  “Come upstairs to the fourth floor with me, would you?”

  Chapter 42

  The previously closed-off hallway upstairs was the most elegant office space Jerry had ever seen. Perfect wallpaper. The wood paneling around the edges was delicate and understated. Rich mahogany doors. And the carpet was a shade of blue that soothed Jerry on a level he couldn’t articulate.

  “It’s nice up here,” he said.

  “Thank you!”

  “I wish I could say the same about what’s going on downstairs.”

  Deane waved a hand. “Oh, people need to let off steam. It’s healthy! We merely provide a safe environment for people to work through their stress and emerge as stronger and better people!”

  Jerry shook his head. He walked through one of the open hallway doors and saw a wide-open space that looked far too large and carefully-divided to be an office.

  “This is an apartment, isn’t it?”

  “Good eye! Yes, we’re looking to expand into residential business now. People can live and work out and work here at the Gym. Soon they’ll never need to leave our buildings!”

  Jerry nodded.

  The rep pointed to the perfectly-placed picture window in the center of the living room. “You people do great work.”

  Jerry turned. “‘You people’?”

  “Oh, please ignore me. Just look around. Isn’t this place lovely?”

  “Yeah, it’s great. Congratulations on your condo development in the middle of a sweaty murder-gym.”

  The rep laughed. “I’ve always liked you, Jerry. Right from the start.”

  Jerry stared out the window. “Why do you do this? Don’t give me that catharsis nonsense. Nothing can rationally justify what I’ve seen here. Why can’t you just be like the Gym in Harrisonburg?”

  The Gym rep laughed even harder. “You believed that place? Jerry, my good boy, I thought you were smarter than that!”

  “Huh?”

  “They played you up there. Showed you an illusion. The Harrisonburg Gym is the worst of them all. Their body count is legendary.”

  “No.”

  “Yes! We try to keep a spirit of friendly competition in terms of our individual Gym’s accomplishments, but when those Harrisonburg folks break out their murder/ mutilation stats at the quarterly regional meetings...I am impressed! And maybe a little jealous.”

  “But the owner—”

  “Got you to sign an NDA, didn’t he?”

  Jerry nodded.

  “That sly fox. Jerry, he put on a show to get you to let your guard down. It must have taken days for them to clean up the blood before you arrived. They must have sensed your interest far in advance!”

  “Getting me to sign an NDA? That’s what that was all about?”

  “Of course! That means you can never talk about anything you saw in the basement there. Or by extension, any Gym basement.”

  “Ben learned that the hard way.”

  “I’m very sorry about your friend, Jerry. But I didn’t do that. The owner in Harrisonburg did that. He wanted to kill both of you. He’s probably annoyed that only Ben spilled the beans!”

  “So I can never tell anyone about...what’s down there?”

  “It’s stricter than Fight Club. You can’t even talk about it inside the Gym itself. Not with me, nor anyone. If you do, he’ll portal right in and slice-and-dice you. And what a waste that would be, right?”

  “I can’t go to the authorities…”

  “Nope. And let me tell you something else—at your local Gym here, we do NOT steal your information when you use our Wi-Fi.”

  “What?”

  “The Harrisonburg Gym is NOTORIOUS for that. If you logged on so much as ONCE to their Wi-Fi, you better believe they’ve got your credit card numbers and banking information. We’re above such petty criminality.”

  “ID theft is easily the least of my concerns.”

  “Oh, there’s no need to fret.”

  “No need to fret?”

  “We’re just giving people what they want!”

  “People don’t want to be tortured or killed!”

  “That’s a debate for another day. For now, you do agree that America has an obesity epidemic, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what’s wrong with taking steps to do something about it?”

  “Nothing, but...why all the crazy stuff?”

  ”We have long-term plans. We play chess, not checkers.”

  “What about the thi…the basement?”

  The rep smiled. “Oh, that NDA makes it so hard to talk openly and honestly. Jerry, I won’t lie. We worship those ancient creatures that feed on human fat and fluids because they give us our power. It’s been going on for centuries. Those worms fueled the industrial revolution. But since America lost its status as an industrial powerhouse, they’ve been starving. And along came the fitness craze in the 80’s. And the Gym was born. And the worms were saved. Their appetites are a perfect match for our needs as a Gym, so we’ve been happily coexisting for decades.”

  “That’s sick.”

  “Every business has its quirks. But there’s so much more to our plans. We—”

  “What do you do with the body parts that aren’t fat, that get…rejected?”

  The rep smiled and led Jerry out of the apartment, down the main hallway, and around the corner.

  And Jerry saw a rip in time and space.

  Every color in the rainbow floated around an opening three feet in diameter at the end of the hall.

  Jerry knew it was hypnotizing him, so he looked away.

  “What is it?”

  The rep smiled. “I don’t know, really. I’ve never stuck my head in there. All I know is that we throw the remains in there and they’re gone!”

  “It’s your...garbage disposal?”

  “Haha, very good! Yes, I suppose it is! For all we know, it’s a Hell dimension of endless pain run by the giant worms. Perhaps one day we’ll find out!”

  A couple of Gym workers in uniform walked up behind them, lugging the deflated remains of the personal trainer. Jerry and the rep stepped out of their way and they fed the trainer into the shimmering portal.

  And he was gone.

  The workers shuffled back past them without a word, all business.

  The Gym rep winked at him. “Looks like an employment opportunity just arose!”

  Jerry felt weak all over. His muscles ached. The pain in his leg was overwhelming. He couldn’t stand.

  The rep caught him as he stumbled forward.

  Jerry looked up at him. The rep’s face seemed to shift. It swirled, then re-emerged with a smile.

  Jerry whispered, “Just please give me back my kids.”

  “Is that all? They’re already at their mother’s house. We feel they’d be much better living with her.”

  “Nice try. We went there. It was empty.”

  “They’re back now. Your wife and children were just running an errand for us.”

  “What errand?”

  The rep shrugged and smiled. “Does it matter now? Let’s just agree that the kids are better off with her.”

  “Right, because you control her.”

  “No, not at all. We just want to help her. And all mothers! That’s why we’re now offering free daycare at the gym.”

  “What?”

  “Oh yes, unlimited! You can leave them with us all day if you like! Free for all clients and employees!”
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  “No…”

  “Yes, and as your free trial has run out, you no longer qualify. You’re not a client. Or an employee...but your wife qualifies!”

  “No, that’s not what I...I’m talking about...You animals are going after children now?”

  “Children need encouragement to develop good fitness habits, too! It’s all for their health!”

  Jerry’s mental fog cleared and he had a vision of emaciated little girls and monstrously muscled little boys, exercising on mini-treadmills and mini-exercise bikes, lifting mini-weights and getting liposuction with mini-needles.

  The rep smiled. “It’ll be glorious. You and your wife will love it!”

  “Ex-wife.”

  “Whatever. You could marry her again, if you like...”

  “No!”

  “Just say the word and we’ll set her up with you.”

  “No!” Jerry screamed inside his head to shut up his dissenting inner voice.

  ”How would you like a free membership? Not just a trial. Good nationwide!”

  “You killed my best friend.”

  “I had nothing to do with that! Blame those Harrisonburg wankers for that.”

  “Your employees are attacking people!”

  “No, they’re just aggressively helpful. Everything we’re doing is to help people get fitter and healthier and happier.”

  “And deader. Your sign is hypnotizing people! It says ‘Kill them all’!”

  “Total misunderstanding.”

  “It’s just you and me here. No reason to lie, since one else is listening. And the city is in total uproar outside.”

  “Oh, just a hiccup. We can cure that hiccup very easily.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you can. You just needed the whole town to go bonkers to corral me over here.”

  “Oh, hush. I understand you’re having some housing difficulties.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “Stop living in the past. Look to the future! Our gyms are going to be constructed with apartments on the top floors from here on out. You could live in any gym you want.”

  “You destroyed towns.”

  “We made some mistakes in our early days, yes. Then we pivoted and adjusted our business model.”