The Egg Said Nothing - Caris O'Malley [19]
The eggshell crunched as I walked over it. I went to the closet and flung it open. There it was: a slightly blood spattered, mostly pristine shovel. Picking it up, I gauged its heft and walked out to the living room, carrying my new friend close to my heart.
“What I’m about to tell you is really, really fucking hard to believe,” I could hear myself saying to the webcam.
Hoisting the shovel up onto my shoulder and then over my head, I let out a horribly embarrassing battle cry. The guy turned at the sound. I brought the shovel down on his skull. His head snapped backwards; he disappeared. Dropping the tool on the floor, I sat in the computer chair.
If the space were already taken, time would be forced to change. It had to. I flipped off the monitor and pulled my webcam down, just in case I felt inclined to record a video, and sat there silently, giving myself a chance to breathe. I looked at my face, reflected in the monitor.
My future self, I knew, thought he was right, but it was painfully obvious that he wasn’t. Perhaps he learned too much and lost hold of his common sense. Whatever happened, the answer obviously wasn’t killing myself. Or Ashley.
I saw some motion behind me in the monitor, heard a scream and reflexively went limp, allowing my body to slide to the floor like a dead fish. The shovel made a muffled clang as it came in contact with the padded top of the chair. Glancing up at my own confused face, I kicked him in the nuts and wrenched the shovel from his hands. I rolled across the floor, got to my feet and bolted for the bedroom.
I slammed the door behind me and waited, listening for the pounding footsteps of someone in pursuit. But all I heard was the reassuring thud of my own little heart. Slowly, I opened the door and peeked out, fully expecting to come face-to-face with someone looking to end my life.
Instead, I saw myself preparing to brain myself at the computer chair. When the shovel came down, the sitting version of me got away. I stepped back into the bedroom and concealed myself just inside the door. I heard his footsteps and swung the shovel when they got close enough. The impact took the guy off his feet and sent blood flying in all directions. Something sharp and hard hit me in the face. I glanced down at it when it clattered to the floor. A tooth.
I ran into the living room and attacked the remaining me with the shovel. He was still confused, so it was an easy job. He took the hits like he was expecting them, almost okay with the fact that his head was flying this way and that at such odd, unnatural angles.
It was quiet in the apartment.
~Chapter 10~
In which the narrator confides in his girlfriend and experiences a shovel mishap.
I was standing there waiting when I heard the knock at the door. I looked around wearily, and then headed over to it. Peeking through the peephole, I saw Ashley.
Should I let her in? I had no idea what was going to happen and, what was worse, I didn’t have any way of explaining it to her. I didn’t want to put her in danger. It was one thing for me to be fighting this impossible battle, but she was on a hit list, too.
And what if some version of me were to attack her while I wasn’t there? She’d have no idea what was going on. She’d be totally helpless. I unlocked the door and opened it up. I ushered her inside.
“What’s the rush?” she asked, smiling.
I looked out the door and down the hallway. It was empty. I slammed the door shut and engaged all the locks.
“Someone out to get you?”
I looked at her. She was the biggest liability