Black Matter

by G D Parker

  Tommy shut the door and returned to the lounge with a very confused look on his face.

  ‘What was all that commotion about?’ Emily still had a smile on her face.

  ‘Ah nothing, just this prick of a neighbour of mine. He’s strange as hell! Don’t worry, though.’ Tommy sat back down next to her. ‘So, where were we?’ he asked.

  ‘I know where we weren’t,’ Emily replied. She slowly leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. Tommy kissed her back. Taylor was a million miles from his mind at this point. He couldn’t help but just enjoy the amazing company and thought to himself, What a good way to end this day.

  The next morning, Tommy woke up first. He could feel Emily was still in the bed next to him, as they were back to back. He laid still and listened to her breathing, thinking to himself, I really like this girl.

  He slowly turned and spooned her, trying to not touch her with his glory. However, she simultaneously pushed back against it and giggled. She rolled over and they gazed at each other.

  ‘God, you are beautiful,’ Tommy said, and they started to kiss passionately, unaware of their audience.

  Taylor was sitting in the corner of the room. She had only come round to collect some more of her things, only to find Tommy in bed with the one girl she obsessed about, the girl she always thought he was cheating on her with. She sat there silently and just watched as they had hot, passionate sex right in front of her.

  A few minutes later, they had finished. Tommy looked deep into Emily’s eyes. ‘Wow, you are amazing! The best ever! I mean it, no one has made me finish like that!’

  ‘Glad to be of service, Mister,’ Emily replied, smiling. ‘I’m going to want seconds later. I need a happy ending too!’

  ‘Right, I need a piss.’ Tommy rolled off the bed and started to walk towards the bathroom.

  ‘Get me some tissue, please!’ asked Emily.

  He suddenly stopped and saw a figure slumped over the chair in the corner of the room. ‘Ah shit!’ He jumped in pure shock and disbelief.

  Seconds later, Emily screamed and started crying. ‘Is she dead?’

  ‘She is.’ Tommy was kneeling beside Taylor with his fingers pressed against her neck. ‘Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck! Why did you do this, Taylor? Why?’ His cry was agonising and heartfelt.

  Tommy pulled Taylor to the floor and attempted mouth to mouth. She was still warm. There was blood all over the floor. She had a Stanley knife gripped in her right hand and had slit the inside of her left forearm from wrist to elbow. She had cut through both her Ulnar artery and Radial artery, causing her to die within minutes.

  Tommy sat up in bed with a sudden gasp, sweat was pouring off him, and Emily was laid next to him.

  ‘You okay?’ Emily asked.

  ‘Fuck, I had the worst dream ever!’

  ‘You were screaming in your sleep! It scared me, so I had to wake you up.’ She rubbed Tommy’s chest, which was rising and falling heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

  ‘That’s okay, glad you did. It seemed so real!’ He leaned back against the headboard and let out a sigh of relief.

  ‘What was it about?’ Emily asked.

  ‘Ah, just some scary shit, Em.’ Tommy looked at her and smiled. ‘I’ll make us some coffee.’ He got out of bed and returned ten minutes later with two coffees.

  Emily was sitting up in bed, her platinum hair was roughed up from a long night of passion. Her face looked pure and fresh.

  ‘God, you are beautiful,’ Tommy said.

  ‘Why, thank you, Mister. Not so bad yourself,’ Emily replied and blew him a kiss.

  Tommy had a strange and strong sense of Déjà vu.

  5

  It was a Monday morning and Tommy was on route to work. He had a Starbucks Americano next to him and he felt focused. The first thing he planned to do when he got into work was call the number for the solicitor Emily gave him and begin reviewing options for his indecent exposure charge. He had decided not to tell his company yet and to wait and see what he would be advised to do. In his heart of hearts, he felt things were going to be okay.

  He was on the M4 motorway heading east towards London. He’d just passed J18 when he started to get a severe white cold, excruciating headache. His hands started to tremble, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out for two seconds. He opened his eyes to find a lorry about six yards in front of him, but he calmly moved his car into the outside lane, avoiding a collision - he was back in that trance-like state once again.

  Tommy’s eyes were fixed on the road, his face was emotionless, and he slowly pressed the gas, causing his car to pick up speed fairly quickly. The BMWs 2.5 Turbo Diesel engine was a powerful engine, and it didn’t take long before Tommy was exceeding 120 mph. He weaved around any cars that were in his way, still showing no emotion and fixing his stare straight ahead of him.

  Seconds later, the car was powering along at 135 mph. Other road users started to flash their lights at him, but his foot stayed flat to the floor. The speed dial crept up further... 143 mph. The engine roared and cars started to move out of his way as he proceeded down the M4 at staggering speed.

  It was a cold winter’s morning, so the conditions were precarious. Tommy wasn’t only putting himself in danger but many other innocent road users.

  Then all of a sudden, he snapped out of the trance. He screamed in fear at the realisation of what he was doing and gently pressed the brake pedal, bringing his car down to an acceptable speed.

  He panicked, fear filled his veins, and he felt terrified. There was yet again a concerning black spot in his memory, and he couldn’t account for the last six minutes. The ends of his fingers were tingly, and his mouth was extremely dry. He continued with his journey to Swindon filled with anxiety and eager to get out of the car before it happened again.

  Tommy walked into his place of work, acknowledging the receptionist and security. He walked through the secure doors and made his way to his allocated desk for the day. He always liked visiting the Swindon office. The people were always friendly, and he liked the atmosphere.

  He located his desk, pulled out his laptop and logged on. Whilst his machine was loading, he made his way to one of the break rooms to fetch a Black Americano – the only way he could start his day.

  In the break room was one of Tommy’s work colleagues, James; a tall, slim man, about 55 years old, very smart and very well spoken, but he always had a light dusting on his shoulders.

  ‘Good morning, Tommy. How are you today?’ James asked in his deep, posh voice.

  ‘Very well thanks, James. Living the dream as they say! How are you?’ asked Tommy.

  ‘I am well thanking you. So how long-’

  Tommy’s headache came back again. The pain was even worse than before. He gripped at his temples with both hands, falling down on one knee, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

  ‘Good grief, Tommy! Are you ok?’ James asked.

  Tommy didn’t respond, so James ran off to get some help and returned two minutes later with a first aider. They found Tommy in a daze, staring out through one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

  ‘Tommy, I’ve got Gillian here with me to help you.’ James then stepped forward a little closer. ‘Tommy, are you ok?’

  There was no response from Tommy, he just stood looking out of the window, with no acknowledgement of his co-workers.

  ‘Are you ok, Tommy?’ James became intensely concerned, so he placed a hand gently on Tommy’s shoulder, then gave a quick, confused glance back over to Gillian, who was still standing in the doorway.

  Tommy still didn’t move.

  ‘Tommy, would you like me to call someone?’ asked Gillian from the doorway, in an attempt to take over from James. Her voice was soft and sweet in the hope that this may help. Tommy then started to move slowly, turning around.

  Both James and Gillian stared in disbelief, speechless at what they were witnessing. Tommy just stood there with no emotion, not even little movements. He just stood there
like a statue, staring straight ahead.

  Gillian couldn’t bear the sight anymore and briskly walked off, feeling physically sick and needing to get some more help.

  James looked Tommy up and down. ‘Look Tommy, have you taken anything? Any drugs? Have you been drinking?’

  Tommy didn’t reply, he just stayed still like a statue.

  ‘Tommy, listen to me!’ James’s voice became more authoritative. ‘I’m going to walk out of the room, close the door and not let anyone in until you are ready, okay?’ James, becoming increasingly concerned, did exactly that, not expecting a reply.

  As James stood outside of the room, Gillian returned with one of the Directors of the company and a security officer.

  ‘He’s in there,’ Gillian said, pointing to the closed door, which James was standing in front of.

  ‘Something isn’t right, gents. I’ve known Tommy for nine years, and this is not him.’ James held out his left hand and placed it on the security officer’s chest to stop him from entering the room. ‘Don’t go in there, not yet. Just give him a little time-’

  ‘No!’ interrupted the Director, who was a large man in his fifties. ‘I want him out of this building this instant!’

  The security officer went to enter the room, and James pushed harder into the security officers chest. ‘I can’t let you go in there, not yet,’ said James. ‘This is a health and wellbeing issue, not a security issue.’

  The officer eased off and looked back at the Director for answers.

  ‘Let me talk to him,’ interrupted Gillian.

  ‘That’s not a good idea at all, considering the circumstances,’ said James, taking control of the situation. Further concerns were growing, as a small crowd of colleagues began to form around the area.

  ‘Well, I’ve already been in there, so it’s nothing new. Allow me, please. I want to help him,’ said Gillian.

  James stepped to one side and allowed Gillian entry. She slowly closed the door behind her.

  ‘Tommy, are you ok?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, fine thanks,’ Tommy replied as he was making his coffee.

  Gillian was taken aback. Strange?

  ‘B,but, a minute ago you were standing there... you know?’ Gillian nodded towards his crotch area with a look of confusion on her face.

  ‘I was standing there doing what?’ Tommy clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

  Then James, the security officer and the Director walked in after hearing their voices.

  ‘What in the holy fuck do you think you are playing at Tommy?’ shouted the Director.

  ‘I have no idea what you are talking about?’ Tommy said, holding up both hands, surrendering to whatever it was he had done. Then fear struck his gut like a bolt of lightning. They could all see the look of fear as the blood drained from Tommy’s face – he looked aghast. ‘Really, I have no idea what you are talking about?’

  ‘Cut the crap, Tommy! You had your dick out in front of your work colleagues! I need you to leave, and I will be in touch.’ The Director was firm and straight to the point, taking no prisoners.

  ‘What?’ The cogs started to turn in Tommy’s head. He whispered to himself, ‘It happened again’. He covered his face and squatted on the floor in total embarrassment and panic. ‘I need help! Please help me!’ Tommy looked up at the three of them staring down at him. Tears were rolling down his face.

  ‘What happened again?’ said the Director. ‘You got your dick out and wanted to wave it around! You are disgusting, LEAVE!’ he shouted, anger enraged his face.

  The drive home for Tommy was long and drawn out. It felt as though every mile took an hour – a never ending journey. Piece by piece his life was falling apart. First he had hit out at Taylor, then he had been arrested, and now he was almost certain he would lose his job. What else could possibly go wrong? he thought to himself. The car radio was off. He needed the silence as confusion eroded his mind.

  Tommy arrived home two hours later. Stress overpowered him. He felt physically sick, tired, and worn out, with the concept of losing his job tormenting him. He loved his job. It was his lifeline and his livelihood. He had worked his way up from the bottom for years, and for what? For it all to be taken away from him, and he had no memory of what had even happened. It was the same as the indecent exposure incident down at The Bay. What the fuck is going on? he thought to himself. Tommy couldn’t help the feeling that someone or something was out to get him.

  He got out of his car, looking up at the freak’s apartment. Once again, he was there looking down on Tommy, smiling. Tommy waved at him in an over friendly, sarcastic manner with aggression behind it, showing his frustration - this dick head was the least of his worries.

  As Tommy was walking up the stairs towards his apartment, he could hear footsteps coming down from above. A few seconds later, he was greeted by the freak. He looked different; he looked fresh and was wearing a shirt for what Tommy assumed was the first -time in his life. He actually looked fairly handsome. Still a freak though, Tommy thought.

  ‘Good day at work?’ asked the freak in his usual high-pitched voice.

  ‘What? Why are you asking me that? Why are you even talking to me? Move!’

  The freak just stood there staring. ‘I said, good day at work?’ the freak asked, only this time in a robotic tone.

  ‘Look mate, jog on! I’m not in the mood for this. Please move?’

  ‘Get sacked, did you?’ the freak gave a long smile.

  Tommy flipped and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him up against the wall. ‘What the fuck do you know?’ Tommy was enraged. He stared the freak in the eyes without blinking.

  The freak absorbed the grab and took it in his stride. He held his own for a skinny guy, compared to Tommy, who gripped like a gorilla.

  ‘What do you know?’ Tommy seethed through his teeth with spit following. Tommy’s eyes were black with anger. For the first time in his life he had the look of a killer.

  Moments later, Tommy released his grip. The freak’s neck was dark red with finger marks, and his face was slightly purple.

  The freak didn’t move a muscle but asked, ‘Well, did you get the sack?’

  Tommy lost it completely. He threw a punch straight into his mouth, which the freak couldn’t take. He buckled, falling back, banging the back of his head on -the wall, then flopping to the floor. Tommy saw red. He raised his foot. He wanted to stamp all over his head, but somehow managed to compose himself before he got into even more trouble.

  ‘I own you, Tommy,’ said the freak from the floor.

  Tommy leaned in, pushing his face up close to the freak’s. ‘You own nothing! Keep this up and I will fucking kill you, understand? I will kill you!’ Tommy’s words were so direct, it was clear he meant every word.

  He stepped past the freak with a kick of his heal to the side of his head and proceeded to his apartment.

  The next day, Tommy had no work to attend. He hadn’t heard anything, but he knew the letter from HR would be falling onto his door mat soon. However, he wasn’t going to sit around the apartment all day sulking. He was going to get busy, get focused and have a major gym session until he could barely move. That was the only medicine he needed right now.

  The gym was busy, considering it was only ten in the morning. He scanned the place to look for Emily but couldn’t see her. He felt slight disappointment.

  Tommy pulled out his phone and dropped Emily a quick text, then logged into the IPEA. He completed a full-body scan of all his muscles and organs. They were all recovered, but his stress hormone levels were high, and his testosterone levels were low. He was also fatigued. The IPEA gave a notification to get rest and nutrients, but Tommy ignored it and continued to train anyway, purely for his own mental health.

  Half an hour later, Emily walked in. Tommy spotted her, then thought to himself, God, she’s got it bad.

  Emily spotted Tommy, gave him a wave and gently jogged over to him. Her top was tight, and for a split second his
problems went away again.

  ‘You look stunning,’ Tommy said, literally looking her up and down with wide eyes.

  Emily gave him a long kiss on the lips, then pulled away, sucking his bottom lip, followed by a sexy smile.

  ‘So do you, hun! How come you’re not in work?’ she asked.

  Tommy was not going to fess up to what had happened yesterday, so he just told her he had the week off.

  ‘Me too!’ Emily replied, making it clear how excited she was at the potential for them both to spend loads of time together - probably what Tommy needed right now, a sexy distraction. ‘Tommy, can I ask you something?’ her voice was soft.

  ‘Of course?’ he smiled.

  ‘Well, how do you see us?’ There was an awkwardness in the air.

  ‘With my eyes,’ Tommy laughed, instantly breaking the awkward atmosphere. Emily raised her eyebrows. ‘Seriously though, Em, I really like you. I love your company, and you are so sexy, it hurts my eyes!’

  Emily smiled at him and kissed him again. This time she sneaked in a little tongue, and he grabbed her arse.

  ‘Right,’ Tommy said, ‘I need to crack on and finish this workout. Shall we meet after?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll go and do some cardio and let you finish. Give me a shout when you’re done.’

  After an hour, Tommy’s gym session had finished. The IPEA told him that there was a slight increase in his test levels, that his stress levels had reduced and his endorphins where at peak – exactly what he needed. He felt good but hungry, so he walked over to the cafe area and ordered the exact amount of chicken and rice that the IPEA calculated his body needed. He walked over to the table and scoffed it all in about a minute - Garfield style.

  ‘Easy tiger!’ said a sweet voice as Emily sat down next to him. ‘So, what shall we do for the rest of the day?’

  Tommy gulped a pint of water and breathlessly replied, explaining that he had shit to sort out, but that they could go out tonight and hit the town.

  Emily was slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t have him to herself all afternoon but was happy with a night out together. They kissed and went off to do their own thing for the afternoon.